“You know, I’m really thinking we should request her locker be moved. I don’t want to be forced to look at trash so early in the morning,” she quips.
Carter scoffs. “Savannah may not be rich, but she’s better than you in every other aspect. You want to see trash, look in the mirror.”
It’s sweet how he defends me, but it only motivates her to keep going. She’s been doing this since last week, being as she didn’t have her boyfriend here to distract her. Maybe with him being back today, she’ll finally leave me the hell alone.
Her look of disgust flips instantly to a sweet smile as she looks beyond me. “Hey, babe,” she coos.
I roll my eyes. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Continuing to focus on putting away my books and grabbing the ones I need for class, I’m startled when someone slams their hand on the locker next to mine. It’s so loud that everyone in a nearby radius goes completely silent. I start to think Kinsley may have thrown something at me, but when I look up, I see Grayson. He’s hovering over me, with his face only inches from mine.
“What are you doing?”
He grazes the knuckle of his index finger down my jaw. “What I should have done the day I got here.”
In one swift move, and with everyone’s attention on us, he brings his lips down to my own—kissing me like it’s breathing the life into him. I start to move my mouth with his, for no reason other than sheer habit. It isn’t until Jace makes a whooping sound that I snap out of it. What the hell am I doing?
I push him away, immediately slapping him across the face so hard that the sound echoes throughout the hallway. He stretches out his jaw, but before he has a chance to say anything, I slip by and leave him standing there—hurt and rejected, just like I was. Welcome to the club, motherfucker.
DELANEY CHUCKLES AS SHE pops a piece of bagel into her mouth. We’re sitting in the library, skipping first period to have some much-needed girl time. One of the perks of her being the principal’s favorite is that she can get out of class for just about anything. As long as there’s record of her staying on school property, she’s set.
“I can’t believe you slapped him.”
I quirk a brow. “Are you saying he didn’t deserve it?”
Shaking her head, she takes a sip of her water. “No, he definitely did. I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Laney, I told him I’m in love with him, and he proceeded to kick me out of his house and date my worst enemy. As far as I’m concerned, he’s lucky slapping him is all I did.”
“Okay, touché,” she concedes. “But is that it, though? You two are just done?”
It’s a loaded question, one with so many answers it makes my head spin. In theory, I want nothing to do with him. He tormented me for weeks before giving me false hope that there may be a happy ending for us after all. That small taste of what used to be—better than what used to be, even—felt like heaven. It gave me hope for the future and made all the shit I’ve dealt with worth it, only for him to rip it away again the same night I lost everything else. And then slapped me in the face when he showed up with Kinsley on his arm.
I should hate him for everything he’s done, but that’s where I hit a roadblock. Because he’s still Grayson. He still has the ability to make me come alive with something as simple as a look. The feeling of his lips on mine is still like finding water in the desert. And he’s still the only guy to ever own my heart—something I honestly believe may never change.
“I don’t know,” I tell her truthfully. “But, if wants any chance at winning me back, he’s going to have to grovel.”
She snickers. “I’d expect nothing less.” The mood in the room changes, and her expression becomes serious. “Now, because I wouldn’t be your best friend if I didn’t bring it up, are you okay?”
I’m about to ask her what she’s referring to, but the look in her eyes says everything. I throw my head back, groaning. “He told you.”
“The bigger question is why you didn’t.”
I take a deep breath and give her an apologetic smile. “I didn’t tell anyone. Not Grayson. Not you. Not even Brady,” I explain. “I thought it was something I could handle, and I didn’t want everyone worrying about me. It’s humiliating.”
She sighs, moving to wrap her arms around me. “We’re your friends, Sav. We’re supposed to worry.”
My head rests against hers, and for the first time in a while, I feel like things might turn out okay. There are no more secrets. My reality isn’t looming over my head, threatening to pop up at the most unexpected moments. And the best part? I’m not alone. Yeah, things definitely aren’t so bad right now.
I’M SITTING AT MY desk, waiting for second period to start, when Grayson walks through the door. His eyes search the classroom before they land on me. I prepare myself for his wrath as he makes his way over, but instead the anger I expected, he’s completely calm. He places his hands on my desk and leans in, dropping the level of his voice so only I can hear him.
“If you don’t want to forgive me yet, that’s fine, but one day you will. I won’t stop until you do.” He moves his lips to my ear and whispers, “We were always meant to be together. You may not believe that anymore, but that’s all right. I’ll believe in it enough for the both of us.”
With that, he backs away and goes to his seat—leaving me speechless.
THE NEXT DAY, I arrive at school to find flowers in my locker. Twelve long stemmed pink roses that, given any other situation, would take my breath away. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those situations, and keeping the roses would send him the wrong message. So, I pass them out to girls who look like they might need just a little cheering up.
ON WEDNESDAY, HE LEAVES the necklace he took from me on my desk during second period. It’s in a black box, and I can see he got the chain fixed from when he broke it. I run my finger over the engraved plate before closing the box and putting it in my purse. Despite how badly I want to put it on, I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing it hanging back around my neck.
THURSDAY BRINGS A DIFFERENT surprise. In the morning, I find a drawing taped to my locker. A picture of two little kids holding hands, with “Savi and Gray” written at the top, separated by a heart. I must have been in third grade when I drew this.
“He drew you a picture?” Delaney asks, confused.
I shake my head. “I drew it for him when we were like eight. I can’t believe he kept it.”
She watches me fold it up carefully and put it in my bag. “Think he’s done enough groveling yet?”
“Not quite.”
ONE OF THE BENEFITS to Grayson working tirelessly to win back my affection is that Kinsley has yet to say a word to me since Monday morning. I don’t know what he threatened her with, but having been on the wrong side of his madness before, I can only assume it scared her into silence.
I’m sitting at the lunch table, doing some homework I missed last week, when someone places a bottle in front of me. I put my pen down and take it in my hands. When I realize what it is, there isn’t anything I can do to hold in my laughter.
Blackberry Snapple.
“What’s that?” Jace questions. I slide the bottle toward him, and he grabs it to read the label. “Isn’t this the drink you sent Kinsley on that wild goose chase for?”
I nod, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Grayson trying to conceal his smile. No, not happening. While the gesture is sweet, he doesn’t get to win me back with a drink. He’ll have to try harder than that.
Standing up, I keep my attention on Jace. “You can have it. I don’t even like the stuff.”
It takes everything in me to ignore the feeling of Grayson’s stare as I exit the cafeteria.
BY THE END OF the day, I can see his patience is starting to weaken. With every attempt being thrown back in his face, it’s obvious he wasn’t expecting it to be this difficult.
I’m standing at my locker when I can sense him behind m
e. His hand grazes down my back as his voice meets my ears.
“When are you going to forgive me?”
I turn around, using every muscle in my body to resist falling right back into his arms. “I told you, I’m not.”
Our friends, and everyone around for that matter, watch us curiously. Grayson doesn’t seem to mind, though, as he moves just a little bit closer.
“But I miss you, and I know you miss me, too.”
“The you that I miss doesn’t exist. Not anymore, at least. I’m not sure I even know you.”
He sighs, resting his forehead on my shoulder. “That’s not true. You know me better than anyone.”
“Well then, it’s just that I can’t trust you anymore.”
With a gentle push against his chest, he backs up, and I close my locker before walking down the hallway. Everyone keeps their eyes on me, and those who don’t, start to when Grayson calls my name.
“Savannah, wait. Please.”
I turn around, feeling completely defeated. “What Grayson? What could you possibly want now?”
“What I’ve always wanted—you.” He comes closer and only stops when he’s a couple feet away. “The last few weeks, the last eight years even, have been nothing but hell. Between getting ripped away from each other when we were just kids, and being reunited under the most fucked-up circumstances known to man—it’s all taught me one thing for sure: my life is better with you in it.”
We’ve attracted an audience, but I don’t think he cares, because his attention is solely on me.
“Since I got here, we’ve been at war over the two things neither of us can live without—power and control. Now, I’ve already lost you once, and you’d have to be out of your mind if you think I’m going to let that happen again, so screw it.”
He drops to his knees in front of me, and everyone around gasps.
“You can have it. Christ, I’d pull my heart out and hand it to you if I thought it would do me any good. The only thing I want is you, because I’m in love with you. I knew it when I was fucking nine years old, and I damn well know it now. You’re it for me, Savannah. There’s no one else, and I don’t want to live a life without you by my side.”
My stomach is in my throat as I gawk at Grayson, having heard everything I’ve always dreamed of him saying. The headstrong, punch-throwing, bigshot quarterback is on his knees in front of me, and all I see staring back at me is the little boy I swore I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
“Get up.”
“Not until you forgive me,” he argues.
“Gray.” The nickname alone is enough to spark hope in his eyes. “Get off the floor and fucking kiss me.”
Not needing to be told twice, he jumps up and pulls me in to cover my mouth with his own. He takes everything he can while still giving me all of him. It’s needy, and passionate, and has the ability to restart my heart all on its own.
“I love you, so fucking much,” he tells me, and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing him say it. “You really forgive me?”
I nod. “But I have one condition.”
“Anything.”
Taking a step back, I keep my eyes locked with his. “I want you to explain everything.”
26
Grayson
Holding Savannah’s hand in mine, we navigate through the woods to the one spot I can really call ours—hidden away from the prying eyes and ears of everyone else. If there is any place we should have this conversation, it’s here. She deserves to know the truth. I just fear the fallout.
“Do you remember the first time I brought you here?”
She looks up at me and smiles. “How could I not? You’re not taking me out here to kill me, are you?”
“Don’t be stupid,” I tease, reciting it back to her with a nudge.
As we walk through the clearance, I can tell by her expression that it’s been a while since she was last here. She runs her hand gently across the tree we carved our initials into. You can barely see them now, but we know they’re there. Once she’s done looking around, she comes over to sit beside me and takes a deep breath.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
I reach out to hold her hand, knowing that telling her this could change a lot for her. How she sees her father, though he’s done most of the damage on his own. How she sees herself. This conversation could break her even more than she’s already been.
“Are you sure? There are things you don’t know. Things that maybe you shouldn’t know.” I warn, but she remains firm and shakes her head. “Alright, where do you want me to start?”
“The day you left.”
I watch as the rain drips down the window, the weather looking like exactly how I feel. Not only is Savannah gone this weekend, but I can’t play outside. Even sitting on the roof is off limits until it dries up and it doesn’t look like that’ll be happening any time soon.
Savi will be coming home tomorrow, though, and I can’t wait. Since we had our first kiss on Thursday, I’ve been even more excited to see her than I normally am. If our parents knew, they’d probably say we’re too young to have feelings for each other, but what do they know?
“Grayson, dinner!” My mom calls.
I pull myself away and head for the stairs, using the banister to slide down. My mother stands at the bottom with a disappointed look on her face.
“One day you’re going to fall doing that, and I don’t want to hear you cry about it when you do.”
Something I’ve learned about my mom, is that she’s a sucker for how cute I am. So, I smile sweetly and give her a hug. Just like I planned, she caves. The two of us go into the dining room where my dad is already waiting.
“Hey Gray.” He greets me. “You’ve been spending all weekend in your room. You sure you’re okay?”
I nod. “I’m just bored, and I really miss Savi.”
“Well, how about tomorrow we go down to the indoor batting cages? Would that cheer you up?”
Just the idea has me instantly in a better mood and I lunge to give him a big hug. “Can we play a game after dinner?”
“Sure. How does Uno sound?”
“The one that regular one or the one that spits cards at you?” The difference matters.
Letting out a light laugh, he and I both know we each want the one the other doesn’t. I eye him intently and wait for his decision.
“The one that spits cards at you.” I start to celebrate when he stops me. “But only if you promise to take it easy on your mother.”
“Deal.”
We all sit down for dinner. The smell of homemade mac and cheese wafts through the air and makes my mouth water. My dad thanks my mom with a quick kiss before digging in. It’s as delicious as it always is and the cheesy garlic bread that goes with it is my favorite.
Dad starts to clean up the table while I get the game from the closet when there’s a knock at the door. My mom glances out the peep hole and has a confused look on her face as she answers it. Five police officers stand on the other side.
“Mrs. Hayworth?”
“Yes?” She replies.
One of the officers holds up a piece of paper. “We have a warrant to search the premises.”
They push their way through, instantly starting to look through things. My father comes out from the kitchen, finding myself and my mom panicked as she holds me close.
“What’s the meaning of this?!” He roars, bringing all the attention to him.
Two of the men share a few whispers before heading straight to the den. I follow them and when I see them going for my secret spot, I panic. They’re going to tell my parents about Savannah’s picture! She told me not to let them see it!
“Hey! Get out of there! That’s mine!”
However, when they open it, it’s not only filled with all my hidden treasures, but with money. They stand up, going straight to my father and turning him around to handcuff him.
“Landon Hayworth, you’re being arrested for Forgery and Embezz
lement. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
“Dad!” I scream. I try to get to him, but my mom holds me back.
“Theresa, call our lawyer! Have him meet me at the station.”
Tears stain our cheeks as we watch my father get dragged out of our house and thrown into the back of a police car. His eyes meet mine as they drive away, and he mouths a silent I love you.
“My Aunt Laura came to pick me up and my mom spent the next two days with the lawyer, trying to get my dad out of jail. According to the warrants, they had proof of my father stealing a lot of money from the company he worked for. Over three million dollars was moved in his name and completely unaccounted for. What they found under the floorboard was only a little under four hundred thousand.”
I pause to get ahold of my emotions. Savannah seems shocked by just the fact that he was arrested, but I’ve only just gotten started.
“There was a trial, but I was too young and my mom wouldn’t let me go. Eventually, he was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to spend seven years in a Federal Penitentiary. I got to go see him a few times, but six months later he was stabbed to death during a prison riot.”
“Oh my God.” She gasps and covers her mouth. “Grayson, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”
I shake my head. “You didn’t know, but I’m not done yet.”
“It gets worse?!”
Nodding, I start to rub my thumb over her hand in a soothing motion. “Before my father died, he was very adamant about one thing—he was innocent of the crimes he was accused of. That was one of two things that always stuck out in my mind. The other was that you and your father were dangerous, and I needed to stay away from you.”
The Sinner: A High School Bully Romance (Haven Grace Prep Book 1) Page 21
