Meet The McIntyres - The Complete Series

by Rebecca Barber

  “Ready?” I called out as I bounded down the steps towards the ute.

  “Shit! You scared the crap out of me!” Holly panted, her hand over her heart. I spotted the pink sparkly phone in her hand. What was it with chicks and those damn sparkles?

  “Sorry.”

  As we headed through the paddocks, I glanced over and saw how stunning she looked. Holly was lost deep in thought as she gazed out the window, allowing me to ogle her. She had this pale skin which looked so soft my fingers itched to touch it. Just once. I just needed to know if it was as soft as I imagined.

  When I spun the ute around into my favourite spot, a spot no one in the world knew existed, I shut off the ignition and jumped out. Before Holly even set her tiny little foot on the ground, I had the tailgate down and my swag unrolled.

  “Ummm…”

  “Don’t panic. It’s not like that.” I read the fear in her eyes. I couldn’t blame her, really. Here she was, pretty much smack bang in the middle of nowhere with, let’s face it, some horny teenage dude. “Sitting up here starts to hurt your ass after a while. I thought the mattress might make it more bearable. A bit of padding, you know.”

  She raised a quizzical eyebrow. I wasn’t sure she believed me, but jumped up anyway. After a few minutes of fussing about, she’d made herself a nest and was leaning back against the cabin, her legs folded, and one of my pillows hugged against her.

  Ensuring I left some space between us, I stretched my legs out and relaxed. I don’t know why this spot, this one right here was the one place in my world that could make me forget about everything. Forget about my parents’ bullshit. Forget about all the expectations weighing me down. Forget about school and all the shit I wasn’t doing but should be. Out here, with the sound of the river bubbling away and the kangaroos forever playing around me, I felt at home. It was kinda sad in a way. I felt more at home out here on my own, than I did in the house I’d grown up in.

  “I’m here ’cause I had nowhere else to go.”

  “Huh?”

  “You asked me why I was here. I’m here ’cause I had nowhere else to go.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why is that hard to believe?”

  “Well, based on the uniform you’re wearing, you should have probably been at school. There’s somewhere else to be.”

  “I could say the same about you.”

  “Yeah, you probably could.”

  The sun was setting before I realised how late it’d gotten. Even then, the only reason I really noticed was the rumbling in my stomach reminding me it was dinnertime. For the last couple of hours we’d just sat out here talking about all sorts of bullshit. I learnt that Holly had basically been my neighbour for years before being shipped off to boarding school. I learnt she was the youngest of five, with four older brothers. Four brothers who, if they knew we’d been in the back of my ute together for the last few hours, would more than likely want to kick my ass.

  Jumping down, I stretched my arms up above my head, hearing the cracks with every movement. I was stiff and sore and tired. I don’t know if it was from the sleepless night last night or the hours upon hours of talking about nothing at all. I couldn’t remember ever talking to someone like this. Just being me. Not hiding behind walls and filtering every word. Just saying whatever it was I felt. It was kind of, I don’t know, refreshing, I guess.

  “I should get you home.”

  “Oh.”

  Holly might have thought she was doing a good job of hiding her phone and how often it went off, but she was wrong. Very wrong. Every few minutes it buzzed or beeped. Someone was trying to get a hold of her. Desperately. And although she pretended to ignore it, I saw how she reacted each time it went again.

  Slowly, almost like she wanted to make it take as long as possible, Holly slid out of the tray. Like me, she rolled her shoulders and worked the kinks out. I’d had a great time hanging out with her. Once we got past her initial freak out, turns out we were pretty similar. We both had secrets we weren’t ready to share, but at the same time we needed someone to talk to.

  While I packed up the swag and closed the tailgate, Holly scrunched up her hair, hair I’d learnt smelt like a deadly combination of coconut and heaven, a scent I knew would be on my pillows for days. Something I was not upset about in the slightest.

  “What the hell is that, Holly?”

  She dropped the handful of curls she’d been holding, paled, and stumbled backwards.

  “N-nothing.”

  I didn’t believe that for a second. There was no fucking way it was nothing. I hadn’t noticed before, not until she went to tie her hair back. She must have let her guard down and forgotten. I knew it was something I’d never forget.

  The back of her neck was covered in tiny red marks, and her hair underneath was shaved, almost like an undercut. But not a deliberate one. There was no way it could be. It was uneven, and in some places, so short it was almost back to the skin. It was like someone had taken to the back of her head with a set of shears. Blunt ones at that.

  “Jack.” At my name, my attention went back to her. Her knuckles were as white as her face wrapped around her phone. “Can you take me home now please?”

  “Yeah.” I didn’t know what else to say. What could I say? Actually, I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I wanted to scream what the fuck happened. I wanted to demand the names of who did it. I wanted to wrap her in cotton wool and make sure she was okay. One look at her though, and I knew none of that would help Holly.

  Instead, I shut up and drove her home.

  Chapter Three

  Holly

  I was so fucking stupid. I’d been home three weeks and the whole time I’d managed to keep my shame a secret. Even sharing a house with Dad and Connor, they had no idea. I’d been so careful. Every second of every single day, I was calculating my next move. Everything I said and everything I did, I thought about a million times before I made my final decision. So I was pissed at myself that I’d let my guard down. Especially with Jack.

  The look on his face when I’d turned around was the exact reason I was hiding it. I could see the shock, horror, and pity there. And that was the absolute last thing I wanted or needed. I know what had happened. I knew exactly what I’d been through. Hell, I relieved it every night when I laid down, closed my eyes, and prayed for sleep to carry me away.

  As Jack drove silently, I could see the anger and frustration bubbling. It was rolling off him in waves. Everything about the way he held himself showed it. His white knuckle grip on the steering wheel. The way he clenched his jaw. Even the fact that he’d turned up the music screamed he was doing everything in his power to keep himself in check. I hated that I’d ruined the afternoon by being so careless. I wouldn’t blame Jack if he didn’t want to have anything to do with me ever again.

  As I opened my mouth to apologise, something I felt I desperately needed to do, my phone vibrated in my hand. Although it’d been going ballistic all afternoon, I had yet to look at the damage. I didn’t want to know. All I hoped was they didn’t all know. Having Beau pissed at me—yeah, it would suck, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. After all, not showing up at school on my first day, I probably deserved what I had coming. But if Connor, Gage, and Ryan all found out too, I was screwed. Royally screwed.

  As Jack turned into the driveway, I could see the house lit up like an airport. Every light inside and out was on. Out the front, on what should be the front lawn, all of my brothers’ cars were lined up. Everyone was home.

  I wasn’t ready to deal with them.

  I didn’t know if I ever would be.

  “Where am I going?” Jack asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

  Without thinking, I directed him past the house and across the paddock. When we pulled up outside Carly’s place, I was more than a little surprised to see her pacing back and forth along her veranda. When she spotted the lights of Jack’s
ute coming towards her, she froze where she stood and shielded her eyes from the beam.

  “Who’s that?” Jack asked as he came to a stop.

  “Carly. My brother’s girlfriend.”

  “Ah. Okay. You sure you’re all right here?” He seemed weird. Like he was worried about my safety here without him. It was strange considering we’d only just met. I hoped he didn’t think that just ’cause we’d spent one afternoon hanging out that he had to take care of me. That was the last thing in the world I wanted. Yet another person watching my every move.

  “I’m fine. Carly’s awesome.”

  “Okay then.”

  “Okay then.”

  I undid my seatbelt and pushed open the door. Just as I went to jump out, I felt warm fingers wrap around my wrist, holding me in place. I couldn’t hold back the gasp as fear flooded my body. I tried to pull free as hard as I could, but Jack held firm. I could hear the blood roaring in my ears. Looking up, I caught the curious look on Carly’s face. Although she didn’t really look happy to see me, I don’t think I’d ever been as glad to see the face of someone I knew. Someone I trusted. Someone I knew would protect me. With the knowledge that Carly was right there, that she’d hear my screams, I turned and looked at my captor.

  It took a few heartbeats before recognition overrode the panic that had swallowed over me. “Wh-what?”

  When my eyes locked with Jack’s, I knew I’d overreacted. Even though I hadn’t meant to, it was an ingrained reaction at being restrained. Being held still was my greatest fear.

  “Breathe, Holly,” he reminded me, his voice as smooth as silk.

  After a few calming breaths, the panicked fog started to lift and I felt better. My heart was still hammering and taking a normal breath was still an effort, but I was calming down. Slowly.

  “I just wanted to ask if you wanted a lift to school in the morning? Save you getting on the bus?”

  Regret flooded me. Maybe it was embarrassment and not regret. I shouldn’t have told Jack about my freak out this morning. At the time, it felt good to get it off my chest. I wasn’t trying to impress Jack or even let him believe everything was hunky dory, not like I was with my brothers. With them, I felt like I had to be perfect. If I even so much as looked sad for a second, they’d freak. I know it was my fault. I know they had every reason to, but it didn’t mean I had to like it.

  This morning, after I’d forced down breakfast, then thrown it up, I slung my new backpack over my shoulder and walked up the driveway. Connor had offered to drive me and wait with me until the bus arrived. Ryan offered to drive me into town and drop me at the front gate. Hell, he’d even tried to bribe me with fresh coffee and scones from Payton’s, but I’d denied them all. It wasn’t even five hundred metres. I was a big girl. What trouble could I possibly get in, walking that far this far out of town?

  Turns out, more than you could imagine.

  After placing a quick kiss on Connor’s stubbly cheek, I tripped down the steps before righting myself and heading towards the road. Once Connor and the house were out of sight, I couldn’t help but keep stealing glances back over my shoulder at them, shrinking in the distance. I started thinking. Thinking led to worrying. Worrying quickly turned into freaking out. By the time I made it to the front gate, my hands were trembling and my mouth was dry. Trying to push aside all the thoughts buzzing about my brain, I tried to focus on my breathing. In and out. In and out. It wasn’t helping.

  Checking the time on my phone, I noticed the text from Gage wishing me well. I know he only meant the best, but the fact that on a Monday morning my big brother had to take the time to message me and wish me a good day was just another reminder of how much I’d fucked up. When I was in Sydney, I’d get maybe one message or call from each of them a week. Ryan mainly called, while the others sent a quick, obligatory message. I didn’t need them to send me some emotional bullshit message to know they loved me. I knew them and I knew the chances of Connor ever sending some happy, sappy message was about as likely to happen as I was to become an astronaut. And that was okay with me.

  When the bus rattled around the corner, sending a cloud of dust into the air, my heart felt like it was in my mouth. With a skid, not only did I have doubts about the driver’s ability to actually get me to school safely, but I knew I couldn’t do it either. I wasn’t ready for this. No matter how much everyone else wanted me to be, I just wasn’t.

  The door squeaked open and I looked up at the driver. He wore a pale blue button down shirt and a dirty baseball cap. His bulging belly hung over the top of his pants as he looked at me with disdain.

  “You getting on?”

  Glancing up at the window, I could see all the judgemental faces of the passengers. Some were staring at me like I was a freak, while others had their ear buds in, their heads bopping along to the beat. Towards the back of the bus I could see two girls pointing at me. Their hair was perfect. They wore their makeup caked on so heavy I found myself wondering what their real faces actually looked like. With one smirking at me and the other looking repulsed, I knew they’d confirmed my greatest fears. I wasn’t getting on that bus for the life of me.

  “Well? I don’t have all day.”

  “No,” I declared as firmly as I could muster before shuffling back until my back hit the thick wooden fence pole.

  “Fine! Suit yourself,” he snarled before hitting the button and shutting the door in my face. I don’t think I took a breath until the tail lights vanished down the road.

  Stupidly, I’d blabbed everything to Jack.

  Now the asshole was using it against me.

  “That’d be great. Thanks.” I heard the words come out of my mouth, surprising even myself. I hadn’t planned on going to school tomorrow. I was actually considering never going again. I mean, I had no idea how I was going to convince Beau and Connor to actually let me drop out, but one problem at a time.

  “What’s your number?”

  Quickly we exchanged numbers and Jack promised to text before he picked me up at eight. Reluctantly, I agreed. If I was still alive in the morning, if my brothers hadn’t killed me first, I guess I was getting a ride to school with Jack Reynolds.

  I hopped out of his car and watched him go. My arms wrapped around my chest protectively.

  “Glad to see you’re alive, Holly,” Carly’s voice cut through the night air.

  The one thing I loved about Carly was she didn’t tolerate bullshit. Mainly my brothers, but I admired the fact that if she had something to say, she never held back. Not once. Although she was blunt, sometimes so much so that it physically made you wince in pain, there was never any malice intended. I was jealous as hell that she was able to do it.

  “Hi Carly.”

  “Oh no. Don’t ‘hi Carly’ me, missy. Do you have any idea how crazy your brothers are going right now?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologise to me. It’s them you need to apologise to.”

  “Gage isn’t here, is he?”

  “No. Not at the moment, anyway. Come on. Sit down and talk to me.”

  A minute later, with a bottle of water in my hand, Carly and I were sitting on the step, staring at the stars. “You wanna tell me what happened today?”

  “Not really.”

  “Can you anyway? Please?”

  “I’m just not ready. I couldn’t do it.”

  Thankfully, Carly didn’t push for more. I didn’t know if I’d be able to give her anything without completely falling apart. And falling apart was the last thing in the world I needed right now.

  “Hey, can you help me with something?”

  “Sure,” I agreed quickly, not knowing what I was getting myself into. In truth, I was just grateful the spotlight was no longer on me.

  Carly vanished inside before returning with a huge plastic covered pink thing. “What the hell is that?”

  “My hammock!”

  “Hammock?”

  “Yep. I’m thinking I’m going to hang it betwee
n these two poles then I can lie out here in the sun and swing.”

  “I don’t even want to know what you and my brother get up to.” I winked at her and Carly dissolved into a fit of laughter.

  “Come on! Stop laughing at me and help me tie it up. It needs to be tight or I’ll fall out and end up on my ass.”

  “And you’re trusting me?”

  Turns out, hanging a hammock is harder than it looks. Once we had both ends tied to the poles and it looked reasonably steady, we stepped back and admired our handiwork.

  “You getting in?” I asked, taking a sip of my water.

  “You can go first.”

  “No way! I’m not falling out of that thing.”

  “Don’t trust yourself?”

  “Hell no!”

  With a sigh, Carly handed me her bottle and stepped up beside the flimsy bit of material tied to the posts. “Fine! I’ll give it a go!”

  “No, you bloody well won’t.”

  The deep, booming voice came out of the darkness, scaring the shit out of me and causing me to drop my drink, splashing my feet. Spinning around, I saw Gage stomping towards us, a pissed scowl on his face.

  “Hey sweetie,” Carly cooed.

  Gage didn’t even look at her. His eyes never left mine. I was grateful for Carly’s attempt to distract him, but I knew I deserved whatever was coming my way. While Carly was inside, I’d snuck a look at my phone. Sixty-three missed calls and almost the same number of unread texts. Between my brothers, Carly, and Payton, it was amazing that my phone’s battery hadn’t died. Since I hadn’t bothered to answer any of them, I knew I was in for shit when I finally showed my face.