Start a Fire: A Dark High School Bully Romance (The Savage Crew Book 1)

by Julia Wolf

  Sebastian rumbled beside me. “Sara, come on.”

  “It’s fine.” I laid my hand on his wrist. “My dad was sick last year and passed away, which unsurprisingly affected my grades. I almost flunked precalc, so my counselor thought an easy A would look better on my college applications than a hard-earned C.”

  “Oh no, I’m so sorry.” She rounded the island to stand in front of me. “Can I hug you?”

  I nodded. “Yes, of course.” I wasn’t a hugger, but this was Sebastian’s sister, and so far, I really liked her. I didn’t mind receiving a hug from her, and she smelled like a breeze in a rose garden when she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

  “Jesus, Sara,” Sebastian mumbled before biting off a big hunk of toast.

  She swatted at him when she let me go. “Calm down, dude. I’m not trying to steal your girl away.”

  “Since I’m not an object, I can’t be stolen anyway.” I arched a brow at Sebastian. He answered me by pulling me to his lips by my nape and kissing me hard on the side of my head.

  After that, we talked about school and my classes. She got even more excited that I was an artist like her brother, though he told her I was far more talented than him. A lie, but sweet in his own Sebastian way.

  Sebastian took our empty plates to the sink, rinsing them and then placing them in the dishwasher. For a second, I was disconcerted by seeing him do something so domestic, but then he tossed a kitchen towel over his shoulder and shot me a glance, melting me into a puddle right there in front of his sister.

  “What’s the plan for the day, kids?” she asked.

  “We have some math work we need to do, but nothing too thrilling. My mom would probably like seeing my face at some point,” I answered.

  “You should come to dinner tonight. We do a family thing every Sunday, all dressed up. Martina always makes too much…” she trailed off, getting lost in her own thoughts.

  Sebastian touched her shoulder. “No. Not happening.”

  She shook herself out of it. “You’re right. Bradley—that’s my husband, Grace—doesn’t like surprises. How about next Sunday? That will give me plenty of time to prepare to have you as a dinner guest.” Her entire demeanor switched like a light, her earlier warmth turning chilled in formality.

  “Um…” I looked to Sebastian, who’d hardened like a statue. “I have to check with my mom. I’ll let Sebastian know tomorrow for sure. Thank you.”

  She beamed, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Oh, of course. And you’re always welcome here, it’s just that Sunday dinners are so formal—”

  “I understand, I promise.” I smiled back, ready to extricate myself from this awkwardness. Thankfully, Sebastian basically shoved me out of the kitchen and back down to the basement.

  “Did you not want me to say yes?” I asked once we were in his room, the door closed behind him.

  He shoved his hands through his hair. “Fuck, Grace. The last person in the universe I want you around is Bradley. I’ll get you out of it.”

  I placed my hands on his chest. “Is he going to attack me?”

  “No.” He gave me a look that said he thought my question was crazy.

  “As long as I’m physically safe, then I don’t mind spending time with your asshole brother-in-law if it makes Sara happy. I can put on a show, you know. Act the part of a cultured girl with refined manners. Having me as a girlfriend might make Bradley think you’ve reformed.” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “Little does he know…”

  He jerked me against him, burying his face in my neck. “Grace. Fucking Grace.”

  My arms circled his middle, holding him just as tight. I was attached to this damaged boy. I had no illusions I’d be able to piece him back together, but I didn’t know that I wanted to either. Each day, he grew on me a little more, pushing the van into the mist of distant memories, creating new memories too vivid to ever forget.

  He pulled back just enough to meet my gaze. “My sister’s a little messed up.”

  “Who isn’t, Bash? Look at us. Anyone would say we’re as messed up as they come.”

  He touched his lips to mine. “True.” He kissed me again. “I want you to come.”

  “Then I will.”

  “Are we really doing math?”

  I smirked, feeling his hard length prodding my belly. “It’s due this week.”

  He backed me toward the bed, his hands already shoving under my shirt. “We’ll do it. After.”

  “Mmmhmmm. After.”

  Sebastian Vega made it far too easy to crumble under his will, and he made it feel like ecstasy when I did.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “So…” Bex looked at me long and hard. “I need to talk to you about something, and I don’t want you to judge me.”

  “I’m the last person to judge anyone,” I promised, scooting closer to her.

  We were perched on the wall at lunch. Sebastian was close by, but not hovering like he had in the beginning. I thought he had figured out I wasn’t running anymore, though I had no doubt he’d catch me before I got too far.

  “I’ve never been to a dance, and homecoming’s coming up. I’m considering going,” she confessed.

  My lip curled. “Ew. Why?”

  She circled the air around my face. “Wow, dude. Way to break your word in two seconds flat. That was insanely judgy.”

  I snorted a laugh. “You’re right. Sorry. Will you forgive me and explain why the hell you want to go to homecoming?”

  She sighed, tossing her sandwich down on her brown paper bag. “I guess it’s like the soccer game. I want pictures to show my future kids one day. And maybe it’s for me too. I don’t want to look back and feel like I missed out on something.” She waved a hand between us. “It’s the college applications. They’re making me nostalgic for high school and I’m still here.”

  “I feel that.” Realization struck, and I sat up straighter. “Are you asking me to go with you?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. It’s not like I’m going to ask Gabe.”

  “What about Elijah?”

  Her cheeks pinkened. “He’s nice, but I don’t think a school dance is his scene.”

  I laughed. “It’s not ours either!”

  “Are you turning me down?” She pouted, flashing her best imitation of puppy dog eyes, which weren’t very convincing. And yet, I had a hard time telling her no outright.

  “Give me more information. Are we doing this ironically? Like slick tuxes and pimp canes?”

  Gabe slid in front of us. “Did someone call for a pimp?” He puffed out his chest. “’Cause here I am.”

  “Absolutely not,” Bex deadpanned.

  “Aw, Rebecca,” Gabe did a little salsa dance in place, “don’t break my heart.”

  “Bex and I were discussing hypothetical homecoming dance attire. I suggested pimp canes.”

  His brow wrinkled with interest. “And nothing else? I am here for that. Brilliant idea.”

  “Sorry to break your heart, but we’d also be wearing clothes in this scenario,” I said.

  “But...but, Mom,” he whined. “I wanna see some tits.”

  I kept speaking like I hadn’t heard him, finding that was the best way to handle Gabe most of the time. “However, I haven’t agreed to be Bex’s date yet.”

  She chewed on the corner of her lip. “So, I was thinking we’d wear dresses. Pretty dresses. We would be ironic about it and buy each other corsages.”

  I saw what she was doing, making light when she badly wanted to go to this thing. Once I recognized that, there was no way I could say no—not when she’d been such a good friend to me and it wouldn’t hurt me to do this with her.

  “Fine, you twisted my arm. I’ll go with you, but I demand dinner first.”

  Bex grinned. “If it’s lame, we can just laugh at all the kids taking it seriously.”

  “Because we’ll be there ironically,” I added.

  Gabe crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you run this little pla
n by Bash?”

  “Obviously not since it was just decided.” And there was no way he’d want to go. My boyfriend was a lot of things, a school dance attendee wasn’t one of them.

  Sebastian sauntered over when he heard Gabe say his name. “What’s up?” He leaned into me, running his hand up my back.

  Gabe wagged his finger between me and Bex. “Your girl and her girl are plotting.”

  Bash’s night sky eyes found mine. “Are you plotting, baby?”

  “Yep. Bex asked me to be her homecoming date. I said yes after she assured me we’d be going ironically.” I pressed my finger to his scruffy chin. “I assumed you wouldn’t want to go.”

  “You assumed right,” he answered.

  “I don’t hear anyone asking me,” Gabe pouted.

  “Hold your breath, it’s coming any second now,” Bex said dryly.

  Bash held my gaze. “You’re really gonna go to a school dance?”

  “I really am. Bex presented a good case about not regretting missing anything when we leave this place.” I looped my arms around his shoulders. “I think you can spare me for a night.”

  “Doubtful,” he said low and soft.

  The distinctive cackles of Elena’s coven approaching sent shivers down my spine. I dropped my arms when Sebastian straightened, turning from me to watch them walk by us. Elena let her eyes drift our way, stopping on Sebastian for two beats of my heart before she sneered her pretty pink lips and continued on her way, not even sparing me a glance. I was thankful for that. She’d left me alone since our last confrontation, but I didn’t think it would last.

  “Well, I for one cannot wait to spend the evening with those bitches,” Bex said, slapping her thighs. “Right, Grace?”

  I giggled, trying to recapture my good mood. “Oh, definitely.”

  * * *

  After last period, I changed into my art clothes and headed toward the shop to meet Sebastian and work on my pieces. Only, Nate was waiting for me when I exited the bathroom.

  “What’s up, Grace?” He pushed off the wall and walked beside me when I didn’t stop.

  “Not much.” I gripped my bag on my shoulder, aggravated he was following me. Sebastian wouldn’t be pleased if I didn’t get rid of him. “Is there something you need?”

  “I’m curious.”

  “About what?”

  “Almost every day I see you go into the bathroom to change clothes, then you head downstairs instead of out the front door. Today, I decided to sate my curiosity and find out what you’re doing.” He bumped my shoulder with his like we were old pals.

  “You could have asked instead of hanging out outside the girls’ bathroom.”

  He guffawed. “Would you have told me?”

  I gave him a sidelong glance, wishing he’d move on already. “I guess we’ll never know.”

  “Well, I’m asking now. Where’re you going?”

  I blew out a heavy breath. “I’m working on my art portfolio I have to send with my college applications and I’m using shop class to weld my metal sculptures.”

  “Whoa. You, welding? I need to see this.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m private about my art when it’s in progress.”

  “Come on, Gracie girl,” he cajoled. “Elena and I broke up over the weekend. It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong by talking to you.”

  That was surprising. It also sort of shocked me she hadn’t accused me of being the cause of their breakup. Maybe she’d been the one to dump Nate. I couldn’t imagine he’d been a great boyfriend. They made a golden couple, but Elena had always been smart. Hopefully she saw him for what he was—shallow and disloyal with rape-y tendencies and a swirl of misogyny to cap it all off. There was a chance he’d seen the light about her too. She wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine.

  “That’s too bad for you and Elena, but that doesn’t mean I’m interested.”

  “Doesn’t our history mean anything to you?”

  I came to a stop at the top of the staircase, crossing my arms over my chest. “Yes, it does mean something to me. I’ll never forget that night.”

  His classically handsome features pulled down into a scowl. “Don’t even try to start that shit. You wanted to fuck as much as I did. Just because you regretted throwing yourself at my dick doesn’t mean you didn’t hop on it willingly in the first place.”

  “Okay, Nate. I don’t want to fight with you. We were together once, a long time ago. I’m not interested in repeating the experience. Can we leave the past in the past and stop playing this game?”

  He smirked, like he knew something I didn’t. “Sure thing, Gracie girl. We’ll talk later. Maybe you’ll show me that art when you finish.” He blew me a kiss as he backed away, and my stomach roiled with revulsion. I couldn’t believe I had ever had any kind of warm feelings for him.

  I waited to make sure he was really gone before descending the stairs and tromping into shop class. Nate had soured my mood so much, I slammed my bag down on the table where Sebastian sat, working on a sketch.

  His head jerked up in surprise. “Grace.”

  “Hey. I’m gonna get to work.” I took two steps before he caught me around the middle, dragging me back against him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I pressed my cheek to his, sighing.

  “Are you pissed at me for not taking you to homecoming?”

  “Not at all.”

  That was the truth. I barely wanted to go, so it wasn’t like I expected Sebastian to go too. Although, the thought of seeing him all dressed up and slow dancing together did give me butterflies.

  “Promise?” His splayed hand slid up my belly and between my breasts to cup my throat, making me shudder.

  “Yes. It’s not your scene. I didn’t expect you to want to go.” I tilted my head back to kiss his jaw. “I just ran into Nate in the hall and that always makes me grumpy.”

  The hand on my throat flexed. “Do I need to crack some ribs? Is he fucking with you?”

  “No.” I shook my head as much as I could in his hold. “He’s being annoying, Nate-style. Let me go so I can get to work.”

  “Let you go, huh? I don’t like those words coming from your mouth.”

  “Not even if I added ‘down on you’ to the end?” I teased.

  He spun me in his arms so fast, I left my breath behind. Gripping my jaw, he checked me over, then devoured me with a kiss that was entirely inappropriate for school, but so needed, I didn’t even pause before I reciprocated.

  “Go to work,” he breathed into my mouth. “I’ll let you fulfill that offer when you’re done.”

  I snorted. “I didn’t realize it was an offer.” Then I backed away from him. “But since you put me in a better mood, I’ll consider fulfilling it.”

  He feigned a lunge, making me squeal and run across the room to my work area. The sight of Sebastian Vega grinning at me like I was the best thing he’d ever seen gave me an urge to forget my project and fit myself back in his arms.

  Luckily, I was smarter than that. My portfolio represented my future. I needed to get it right. As much as I couldn’t stop thinking about Sebastian, he was my now. He was doing a damn fine job of making me look forward to each day instead of dreading the sun rising with every fiber of my being, but this wasn’t forever. Nothing good lasted.

  That’s what I kept chanting to myself each time I looked at him and found him watching me. Sebastian Vega is my now, not my future.

  Chapter Thirty

  It took me a long time to decide what to wear to Sunday dinner with Sebastian’s family. I almost asked my mom to take me shopping, but since I had to buy a new dress for homecoming, I resisted. Every spare penny I earned went into savings for college expenses, and it wasn’t like I earned a lot. So, I searched through my closet for the perfect dress.

  After throwing my entire wardrobe on my bed, I settled on a lacy, burnt orange number with elbow-length sleeves and a hem that skirted my knees. I’d worn it two Ea
sters ago, and for a second, seeing myself in this dress I’d worn in such different times took my breath away. I didn’t let myself linger in my grief, though. Not today, of all days.

  Instead, I slipped on my gold flats and swiped a little gloss on my lips. My mom drove me to Sebastian’s house. When we parked out front, we sat in silence.

  “Wow,” she breathed.

  “I know. My reaction exactly.”

  “He lives beside the Sandersons.”

  I nodded, drawing a heart on my window. “He does. Kind of a crazy coincidence. But he didn’t live here when Elena and I were good friends. At least, not for long.”

  Mom squeezed my knee. “Are you nervous, babe?”

  “Of course I am. Sebastian doesn’t like his brother-in-law much, so obviously I’m nervous about that friction. I want to get it right.”

  “You will.” She nodded toward the house. “Looks like someone couldn’t wait for you to come to the door.”

  I twisted to face the house, and sure enough, Sebastian was prowling down the long driveway, headed straight for us.

  “I’m gonna go. I’ll call if I need a ride, but—”

  “I’m sure he’ll give you one.” She winked. “You’ll do great. And have fun!”

  I hopped out of the car, waving as she drove away. She loved me, but I had no doubt she was looking forward to having quiet time by herself.

  Sebastian caught me around the waist, turning me and pulling me against him.

  “I would have come to get you.” He sounded flat, devoid of feelings, but he kissed me like he contained multitudes right beneath the surface. I knew him well enough to know his kiss was the truth.

  “Hello to you,” I said when he pulled back. “My mom needed to go out anyway, so it was easier this way. Besides, my hair would’ve gotten messed up on your bike.”

  He held me around the waist, raking his eyes over every inch of me he could see. “You’re beautiful. And so fucking respectable too. How is that the sexiest combination I’ve ever seen?”