by Nicole Fox
This time, when I try to walk around her, she reaches out and shoves me back against the locker. “We aren’t done yet.”
“Yeah, we are.”
I swat her arm away the same way I tried to swat at Caleb’s this morning.
It’s more effective than it was on him. But the girl still barely seems to notice.
She steps forward, closing the distance between us, eyebrows knotted together and fists clenched at her sides.
She wants to fight.
More accurately, she wants to smash my face in. And if my recent history proves anything, it’s that I won’t be much good at preventing that.
However, before either of us can say anything, hands land on my shoulders and pull me back.
For a moment, I think it might be Caleb.
But before the wish can fully form, a guy in jeans and a zip-up hoodie steps around me and holds up his hands like a peacemaker.
He gives the blonde girl an easy smile. “Come on, Penny. It’s the first day. Let’s go easy on the new girl.”
She responds with a sickly-sweet smile of her own. “That makes it the perfect opportunity to set ground rules for the year. Don’t you think, J.C.?”
Unless there is more than one J.C., he is one of the Golden Boys. I’ve never seen him before, but the Hell Princes bitch and moan about all of those guys enough that I recognize the name.
Not Caleb. But he’s one of Caleb’s friends.
I can’t escape the damn guy.
He tips his head to the side and sighs. “Or the perfect opportunity to stop being such a bitch.”
Based on what I know of social hierarchy, I assumed the Golden Boys would be close with any girl who looks like Penny.
But the dislike between these two is palpable. She hates him almost as much as she hates me.
“Why do you even care?” Penny snaps. She flings a flippant hand in my direction. “Are you so desperate you’re going to take a Hell Prince’s sloppy seconds?”
I pivot between being offended and being grateful that at least one person knows I’m no longer dating John.
J.C. isn’t fazed in the slightest. “Are you still bitter about being a Golden Boy’s sloppy seconds?” he retorts.
For the first time, Penny looks wounded. Her eyes widen like she has been dealt a physical blow and her face goes red.
Sensing his victory, J.C. turns and drapes an arm around my shoulders. I’m so confused by the whole encounter that I don’t stop him.
We walk down the hallway together. When we reach the front doors, he glances over his shoulder and then drops his arm.
“Penny sucks. Just ignore her.”
“Everyone here kind of sucks,” I mumble before I can think better of it.
J.C. looks surprised at my boldness and then shrugs. “You aren’t wrong. This place is the worst. Are you a senior?”
I nod.
“Me too.”
“I know.”
He frowns, and I rush to explain. “You’re friends with Caleb. I know Caleb. Err—I just moved in next door. To him. Well, to Finn Foster. Or, where Finn used to live. I haven’t seen him around in a while so I don’t know if he lives there or—”
“Oh, right,” J.C. interrupts my rambling. “I remember that. Yeah, Finn is in New York City. Lucky bastard graduated already. You’ve probably seen Caleb taking care of the place for him.”
I nod again, thinking it might be better if I stay quiet.
My mind flashes back to his threat this morning. If you tell anyone, I’lll make your life a living hell.
I shudder.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that he meant that threat. He meant it with every cell in his body.
“We hang out over there all the time. You should come over sometime.”
I do my best not to laugh in his face. I don’t think Caleb will be inviting me over for any powwows anytime soon.
J.C. walks with me across the street and into the senior lot. The rest of Ravenlake Prep kept their distance all day, but he doesn’t seem to have the same issue.
His hands are shoved deep in his pockets, and he lopes along like an excited dog, smiling at everyone and being endlessly charming.
Why can’t Caleb be more like his friend?
Why can’t everyone at this school be more like J.C.?
I like this guy. J.C. will be my friend. We’ve only known each other for three minutes, but that’s enough time for me to be sure.
J.C. lifts a hand in a wave and then wraps his arm around my shoulders again, pulling me in close. “Guys, I made a new friend.”
I laugh, glad to know the feeling is mutual.
But the sound dies in my throat when I look up and realize who he is talking to.
11
Haley
Caleb is standing next to a shiny black pickup truck. He is grinning, his teeth gleaming white against his tan skin, and he looks hot as hell. Devastatingly so.
As much as I might deny it, Caleb is kind of gorgeous. He is muscled and broad, but there is a softness in the fine details of him that draws you in even if his personality pushes you out.
Until he sees me.
As soon as that happens, the warmth evaporates, leaving behind an icy chill that cools me to the bone.
“I saved her from the evil clutches of Penelope and her backup bitches.”
“Thanks for that, by the way,” I manage, my eyes pinned to the ground and my shoes—anywhere aside from Caleb.
J.C. waves it off. “It’s fine. Though, I might have made things worse for you. Penny hates everyone, but she might hate the Golden Boys most of all. Hanging out with us will not help you.”
“I thought everyone, like … loved you guys.”
“Not the girls whose hearts we break,” he says, reaching out to playfully slap a third guy I haven’t even looked at yet. “Right, Noah?”
Noah is tall and thin with swarthy features, as though shadows are clinging to him. He rolls his eyes at J.C. and pulls out his phone instead.
J.C. seems used to the dismissal. He turns to Caleb. “But Haley says you two already know each other?”
“Not exactly,” Caleb bites out. “She is Finn’s new neighbor. The neighborhood really is going to shit.”
J.C. jostles my shoulders, oblivious to the darts Caleb is flinging at me with his eyes. “I know. I invited her to come over and hang. Maybe tonight we can—”
“No.”
His arm stills around me as he absorbs Caleb’s tone and general “fuck off” body language. “Whoa. Who pissed on your pancakes?”
“I’m busy tonight,” Caleb says through gritted teeth.
“Another night, then?” J.C. asks with a smile, eyebrows wagging. “Finn has an absurdly huge liquor cabinet—his dad was a real glug-glug kind of guy—so we could party there every night for a year and still have alcohol left to share.”
I nod and try to smile back at J.C.
The death of Finn’s dad and a few others at the house was front-page news for weeks. Not to mention, it was also the main reason my dad received a promotion at Barber Engineering.
The company had to do a major shake-up to avoid any whispers of corruption, which meant a few average joes like my dad became suit-and-tie guys.
Really, Finn’s family is the only reason I’m at Ravenlake Prep now.
I’m not sure whether to send him a death threat or a thank-you card.
“I’m not watching the house for Finn so we can party,” Caleb hisses. “Besides, truce or not, I’m not looking to hang out with a Hell Prince’s fuck toy.”
“Hey, hey.” J.C. steps between Caleb and me with his hands out like he is ready to break up a fight, though neither of us have made a move towards one another. “Let’s have peace in the parking lot, yeah? Everybody on their best behavior. It’s still the first day of school.”
I look down at my shoes for a long, tense silence.
But when I look up again, Caleb’s eyes are still burning into me.
&nb
sp; Without breaking eye contact, he says, “Boys, why don’t you take off? I’ll meet up with you at Finn’s before practice.”
J.C. shrugs, looking back and forth between us.
Noah apparently doesn’t give a shit about the weirdness of the dynamic. He just walks off without a word.
“Alrighty,” J.C. offers finally with another shrug. “Catch you later, chief.” Then he saunters off.
I start to do the same, but before my first step even lands, Caleb hisses, “No.”
I freeze.
“What?” I whisper.
“Come here.”
Without waiting for me to obey, he grabs my upper arm in a tight grip and steers me over to the passenger side of his truck. He flings open the door, shoves me inside, and slams it behind me.
I sit in the silence of the cab as he marches around and gets into the driver’s seat. He climbs in and shuts his own door.
Then he hits the locks.
The only sound is his tense, angry breathing. I keep my eyes focused on my hands in my lap.
Just breathe, Haley, I tell myself. Just breathe.
But I can sense the shift in the air when Caleb turns his eyes on me.
“What the fuck was that?” he asks.
“What was what?”
He snatches my wrist out of my lap and squeezes hard. “Don’t play stupid. I warned you to stay away from me and my friends. What the fuck were you doing talking to J.C.?”
I start to protest, “He talked to me—” but Caleb shakes my wrist hard.
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” he snarls.
“I wasn’t!”
His eyes searches mine, clear and furious. When he sees I’m telling the truth, he relaxes ever so slightly.
“I wasn’t lying,” I repeat. “That bitch Penny came up to me. She wanted to pick a fight. J.C. stepped in. I didn’t ask him to.”
He grits his teeth and shakes his head. “You made a big mistake coming here, Cochran.”
I laugh bitterly. “Don’t I know it.”
Outside the truck, the rest of the students are filtering out to their cars and heading back home. But the windows are tinted. No one can see what’s happening in here.
I’m fully at Caleb’s mercy.
“I ought to punish you for disregarding my threat. I told you to stay away. And I told you I wouldn’t repeat myself.”
I bite my lip and stay silent. What does he want me to say? All I can think about is how violent he is in the ring.
I’ve seen him break noses, smash teeth, make grown men cry.
And now he’s turned his sights on me.
“You don’t need to do that,” I whisper quietly. “Please.”
“No? Glad to know you think that,” he drawls sarcastically.
He’s still angry, but now there’s an arrogant kind of amusement in his eyes. That’s worse somehow.
I’ve seen that in the ring, too. When he knows his opponent is weak and helpless… that’s when Caleb Wilson shines.
He taunts. Teases. Like a predator playing with his food.
Now I’m learning what it’s like to be his prey.
“But it’s a tempting idea,” he muses, stroking his chin. “Send you back home naked, maybe.”
I blanch in horror. “You wouldn’t.”
That makes him laugh. “After everything you’ve done, it’s the least you deserve.”
“I told you, I’m sorry about—”
“No!” he bellows. “No, shut the fuck up. I don’t want your limp-ass apologies. Just…” He sighs in exasperation. “Just get the fuck out of my car. And stay away from me and my friends. That’s twice now that I’ve warned you. There won’t be a third time.”
The locked doors click open.
I don’t bother answering. I just grab my backpack and leap out of the car.
Then I put as much ground as possible between Caleb Wilson and me.
12
Caleb
“What the fuck was that with the new girl in the parking lot?” I ask J.C. later.
We’re at Finn’s, lounging around before we have to leave for football practice.
“I could ask you the same question. The only person I’ve ever seen you be that big of an asshole to is Viktor and … me.” J.C. frowns at that revelation and then shakes his head, dismissing it “So what did she do to you?”
“Nothing.”
Unless you count lying to her biker boyfriend and getting me ambushed by five Hell Prince cowards as “nothing.”
In which case, yes, Haley definitely did “nothing” to me.
“You were a pretty big dick.” Noah is still scrolling through his phone, but that doesn’t mean anything. He gives off a bored, indifferent vibe, but he is always listening. Always paying attention.
“Correction: I have a pretty big dick.”
I try to shift the tone of the conversation with a joke, but J.C. is relentless.
“Is that what it is?” he asks. “Do you want to give Haley the D?”
“No. I already said—”
“Because if so, I will back off. Bro code. Finders keepers.”
I groan. “Not necessary. I couldn’t be less interested.”
J.C. squints, studying me for any signs of deception, and then his face breaks into a smile. “Good. Because after four years in this place, the female offerings are getting thin, and I am too old to be hitting on freshmen.”
I don’t want to date Haley. Or fuck her.
The only thing I want to do with Haley is scare her into staying far, far away.
“Since when are you interested in Public trash?”
“She isn’t from Public. She goes to school with us.”
“Yeah, now, but a few months ago, you wouldn’t have given her a second look.”
J.C. holds up a finger. “That is where you are wrong, young Caleb.”
“I’m older than you.”
He continues without acknowledging me. “I would have given Haley a second and, perhaps, even a third look. She is hot. I just wouldn’t have dated her. It would have been a hump and dump situation.”
“You’re a real charmer,” Noah murmurs.
“Sorry not all of us have the sex drive of a monk,” J.C says with a shrug. “I have a reputation to uphold and parents to please, so I wouldn’t go out with her or anything. But my dick doesn’t care if she is new money.”
There’s a strange twist of emotion in my chest, something like jealousy rising up. I bat it down with a deep breath.
I don’t give a shit about Haley, and I certainly don’t have a bro-code verified claim on her.
I want one thing and one only from Haley Cochran, and it isn’t between her legs.
I just want that mouth of hers to stay fucking closed.
“New money?” Noah snorts. “This isn’t The Great Gatsby.”
“Isn’t it, though?” J.C. gasps, and his eyes go wide. “Caleb and Haley have some weird, secret past they are ignoring, all while they hide their lust for one another—just like the couple in the book. And I’m the narrator, obviously. That makes Noah … the creepy eyes on the billboard, watching and judging everyone.”
“You obviously never read the book.”
“I watched the movie, which is the same thing.” When Noah gives him an incredulous look, he shrugs and defends himself. “I was on a date with Ashley Dillard. She wanted to watch it.”
“How did it end?” Noah presses.
J.C.’s smirk is immediate. “Oh, it had a very happy ending.”
“The movie, not your date, you pervert.” I punch him in the arm, grateful for the topic change, and unlock my truck. “Get in. If we’re late to practice on the first day, Coach will kill us.”
“You heard Mr. Quarterback, Noah. Get in!” J.C. hurls himself into the passenger seat.
J.C. always finds a way to be annoying. I’m usually able to ignore him.
But when Haley is the topic of conversation, I can’t. He needs to be shut down.
&nbs
p; As quickly as possible.
Luckily, his attention span makes goldfish look like elephants, so if I can force Haley to keep her distance, he won’t give her a second thought.
Just as I’m about to pull out of the driveway, my phone vibrates. I reach for it as J.C. shouts something about road rules.
But when I see who’s calling, I hang up immediately. Fuck that. I have no interest in talking to him.
“Who was it?” J.C. asks when I toss my phone back onto the dashboard.
“No one.” I change lanes and accelerate, tires squealing. “Just my dad.”
13
Caleb
After practice, I go back to Finn’s to shower.
It’s better than going home.
If my dad is calling me, he has definitely already called my mom, too.
And I don’t want to talk to her about him today. Or ever, really.
I park in the driveway and fumble in the glove box for the spare key.
When I sit up, I catch movement in the rear-view mirror. A quick flash of pink that is there and gone.
I twist towards the side-view mirror and don’t see anything, so I open the door and slide out of the car.
“Hey.”
The voice is feminine and non-threatening, but I still jump and curse at the surprise.
Haley is standing behind me in black running shorts and a pink sports bra.
Just a sports bra.
Fuck J.C. for being right. I’m giving Haley way more than a second look.
Her skin is covered in a sheen of sweat, beads of which slip down her collarbone towards her cleavage. My cock stirs at the sight.
I don’t want her. I know that.
It’s just that her voice startled me, and even now that I know I’m not in any danger, my heart is still pumping blood much faster than necessary. That blood needs somewhere to go, and my dick is as good a place as any.
It’s a physiological response, not an emotional one. And certainly not a rational one.
I tear my eyes from her chest, ignoring the flat plane of her exposed midsection entirely, and meet her blue eyes. They are a bright Mediterranean blue. Clear summer skies kind of blue.
