I hadn’t meant to.
Lars took one look at my face, leaned back, and threw his hands up in surrender. “Whoa, Talon,” he said, tapping his hands in a lowering motion. “Calm the fuck down, dude.” He glanced over at Hunter. “I was just saying, is all…”
Hunter’s voice called my attention. “What’s up, Tal?”
I took a deep breath and sat back down.
This was fucked.
I was fucked.
My eyes darted back and forth between my two friends as I started explaining how I’d lost my goddamn mind this morning. “She ran into me on my way to second period, like, literally, ran into me,” I told them, “and, uh, we exchanged a few words.”
Hunter arched a brow. “Exchanged a few words?”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Lars asked.
I took another deep breath then proceeded to retell the sweet story of how we met earlier. When I was finished, Lars looked shell-shocked, as Hunter leaned forward and asked, “What the fuck, Tal?”
I shook my head, lunch ignored. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But what I do know is…she brings out some deep, dark hate along with a hard dick when I think about her.”
“Okay,” Lars chimed in, “I’m not caring what you got going on with your dick, so you can leave that shit to yourself.” Hunter laughed, and I just snorted. “Now, more importantly, is she the enemy or do we embrace her like one of the Musketeers?”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot,” he laughed before looking over at me. “So, how do we play this out, Tal?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Honestly, I don’t know,” I confessed. “I have no idea why she makes me want to kiss and strangle her all at the same time, but…no other guy touches her until I can figure it out, okay?”
Lars let out a slow, long whistle this time. “Never thought I’d see the day,” he muttered.
“You and fucking me both,” I grimaced.
Hunter was quiet for a second before finally saying, “You’re going to have to decide quickly, Tal. I saw her in passing, too, and the guys aren’t going to stay away for long, if at all.”
I looked both my friends in the eye. “Any guy touches her, he’s dead,” I said, the seriousness in my voice absolute.
∞∞∞
Kenzlee~
Fourth period had been a special kind of unfamiliar torture, and it had sucked.
I had never experienced such rude hatefulness from a person before meeting Talon in the hallway. And the only reason I knew his name was because Mrs. Thompkins had to direct him to sit down after she had announced me to the class.
Talon.
I didn’t know his last name, but his first name fit him perfectly; deadly once in its grip.
The exchanging of barbs earlier had put me on edge, but when his hand snaked out and grabbed me in its grip, the sensation that danced up my spine and across my skin had been enough to know to stay the hell away from him.
I’d never been fanciful or believed in true love or crap like that-I couldn’t afford to. My life had never been overly affectionate or loveable, save for my brother. My parents acted the proper, polite adults like everyone else’s parents I knew. Kaden used to joke that it was a miracle we had even been conceived. He used to swear we were conceived in a petri dish somewhere. Mom offered up her eggs, and Dad jacked off in a cup, they were tossed into a blender, and whala…nine months later, twins.
Even while dating Cameron, he had stuck to the no-affection theme. We weren’t heathens, after all, he’d say. Only animals rutted in public and mated with no consequence. And, no lie, it took the guy a full two minutes to put on a condom. It was so tedious, and clinical, I opted out of foreplay because I hated it when I was turned on and ready then he’d push Pause to put on protection. Now, it wasn’t the protection I minded, because even though I was on the shot, I did not desire to be a teenage statistic. It was how he’d stop, and take his time getting the condom, unwrapping it, pinching the tip, sitting down (because he needed to be comfortable to do it right), then finally rolling it over his dick. And, once it was safely and securely covering his appendage, he’d climb over me, get re-situated, and then finally enter me; all very polite like. And if I’m being completely honest, the dude wasn’t packing a whole lot of heat. It shouldn’t take him but a second or two to roll a condom on.
Six months of unbridled passion our relationship was not. It had been more like an evolutionary next step after dating for two years.
Talon’s quick touch had triggered more desire in me than Cameron had managed in two years, and that was scary as hell. And, now, sitting at an empty lunch table with Alex, I knew I needed some advice.
“You know, every single day, I tell myself I’m going to stuff my face with a big, fat, juicy burger instead of a sad, lonely, chicken salad, and every single day, my thighs rubbing together remind me why I pass on the burger,” Alex grumbled, picking at her salad.
“Oh, come on, Alex,” I chuckled. “It doesn’t look that bad.” She snorted. “And your thighs do not rub together.”
Her pretty ice-colored eyes pierced through me. “Kenzlee, they could start a goddamn fire with how much they rub together,” she retorted.
I smiled at my cousin. “Guys like thick thighs,” I teased.
“Yeah,” she quipped. “That is until they’re being suffocated between them.”
I laughed. “You are so ridiculous.”
She smiled and finally dug into her salad. “A little,” she agreed.
We ate in silence for a little bit, her eating her salad and me eating my turkey melt. I ate a couple of bites before telling her about Talon. “So, uh, hey…do you know a guy named Talon?”
Good thing I waited until Alexandria had finished the bite of her salad, because her voice came out all hawkish and screechy sounding. “Talon Draven?”
I shrugged a shoulder, trying to appear casual. “I don’t know his last name,” I told her. “He’s in my fourth period class, and I heard the teacher address him by Talon only.”
Her head started bobbing side to side while she blinked the crap out of her eyes, and I guessed that was her way she looked when her mind was working. “Well, since there’s only one Talon that goes to school here, I’m going to go out on a wild limb here and say it’s one in the same.”
“The CIA should totally recruit you,” I deadpanned.
“Right?” she countered unfazed.
“So, what do I need to know about Talon Draven?” I asked.
Alexandria’s eyes narrowed. “Nu uh,” she smirked, “you first. Why are you asking about Talon?”
Normally, I wouldn’t spill my deepest, darkest thoughts and feelings, but Alexandria was my only ally here. We weren’t super close because my parents were self-absorbed assholes, but we were family, and she’s always been good to me. So, I spilled. I didn’t tell her about the whirlwind of emotions he made me feel, I just told her about our encounter and the acidic exchange.
She was quiet for a few long ass seconds, but finally, she said, “I don’t know him well, or anything. I mean, we’re not friends. We don’t hang out. But I’ve seen him at football games, after parties, things like that. I have him in fifth period, but we don’t sit next to each other.”
Alex paused, and after a few seconds, I lost my patience. “That’s it? That’s all you got?”
Her brows shot up, and I knew I had just given myself away. “Well, my, my, my, Kenzlee,” she sing-songed. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Of course not. I just explained to you how much of a jerk he was in spectacular fashion,” I reminded her. “I just wanted to know…if he’s…dangerous, or…I don’t know…”
She took pity on me. “All I know are the rumors, Kenz,” she admitted. “Like I said, we’re not friends, and we don’t hang out. I have third period with his two best friends, the Finley brothers, but I don’t sit by them in class either.”
“So, what are the rumors,” I prompted her.
She started ticking off the rumors with her fingers. “That he’s a bit of a dick. He loves no girl, other than his sister, Edie. He knows lots of people, but only considers Lars and Hunter his actual friends. He’s the best fighter in the underground scene. His family could do with some financial help. And, regardless of his bad boy reputation, he actually gets good grades, and does try to stay out of trouble as much as he can.” Her eyes sparkled before adding, “Oh, and if the braggarts are to be believed, he never fails to deliver in the bedroom.”
I mulled over everything Alex said, but only one thing stood out. “He actually takes his time to make it to their bedrooms?”
She laughed. “And that’s why I think the girls bragging about him are lying.” She shook her head. “No way Talon Draven cares about any girl enough to protect her modesty like that. He strikes me as a screw-them-in-the-backseat kind of guy.”
I nodded my head. “I think you’re right.”
I made a mental note to never get into the backseat of Talon Draven’s car.
Chapter 5
The unfairness of our judgements.
Kenzlee~
There was nothing worse in the world than teenage co-ed high school gym class.
Whether you had your eye on someone or not, no girl wanted to sweat her makeup off in front of a bunch of cute guys.
No girl.
And, even if you weren’t worried about looking like a Halloween experiment gone wrong, no girl wanted to be the girl that the other girls didn’t want on their team.
High school gym class was the worse.
But, then, the Good Lord looked down upon me and said, “Okay, Kenzlee, I’ll cut you a break today because I owe you from that thing Satan did earlier with Talon Draven,” because the boy’s coach announced, “Ladies, Ladies, Ladies. Coach Hiller had an important meeting she had to attend, so it’s a free for all this period. You ladies are free to exercise however you want, as long as it’s with body motion and not sitting down on the mats gossiping.” I immediately went in search of a basketball, and figured I’d spend this period shooting hoops, minding my own damn business.
I walked over to the ball cage, and just as I picked up a basketball, I heard a voice behind me. “Hey, there.”
I turned around and came face to face with a very cute guy with dark auburn hair and green eyes. I wouldn’t classify him as a Ginger since his hair was so dark, but, even so, it worked for him. He was taller than me, but that’s not saying much since I’m only 5’1”, and I had to tilt my head to talk to him. “Hey,” I greeted back.
He smiled and showed a row of straight, white teeth. “I’m Jason Fuller,” he said, introducing himself, “captain of the basketball team.”
He looked pointedly at the basketball in my hands and I laughed. “I’m Kenzlee Mitchell.”
Jason nodded. “Alex’s cousin, right?”
Small world. Or school, I supposed. “Yeah,” I confirmed. “We’re cousins.”
His hand came up and started rubbing the back of his neck, and I thought it was a sweet, nervous gesture. “So, you like basketball?”
Before I could answer, a male voice boomed from behind me. “Jason, my man, whatcha up to?” I turned my head and two of the best-looking guys I have ever seen entered my vision.
Holy crap! What did this town have in its water?
You could tell they were brothers because they shared the same chocolate-colored hair, the same bright hazel eyes, and their bone structure was right on. And if they weren’t brothers, there were at least related somehow.
I turned back towards Jason when he answered, “Nothing much. How about you guys?”
The shorter one, by an inch, or so, replied, “Well, see Jason, we were over there ready to do our health conscience duty when we noticed you over hear talking to Draven’s girl, and, well, we decided to come over and join the party.”
What. In. The. Actual. Hell?
Jason’s eyes flicked to mine really quickly. “What do you mean, Draven’s girl? This is her first day of school, for fuck’s sake.”
I shook my head. “I’m not-”
The tall guy interrupted me as if I wasn’t present. “Doesn’t matter. She’s Talon’s. If you have a problem with that, take it up with him.”
I stepped in front of Jason and looked up at him. “They’re lying,” I rushed out, desperate for it to be the truth. I don’t know what game Talon and his friends were playing at, but I wanted no part of it. “I don’t even know Talon Draven.”
Jason’s good boy charm slipped. “Then what the hell are Lars and Hunter talking about, Kenzlee?” Lars and Hunter? Those were the guys Alex said were Talon’s best friends.
“I don’t know,” I insisted. “I only met Talon for like five seconds this morning.” It’s not that I was interested in Jason, I just didn’t like what was happening. And, from where I stood, it looked like what was happening was that Talon was calling the shots, taking away my choices.
And that wasn’t going to happen.
No fucking way.
I heard a tsk beside me. “Now, now, now, Kenzlee,” Lars or Hunter cooed, “Tal’s not going to like hearing that.”
I whirled around on him. “I don’t give a rat’s ass what Talon likes hearing,” I informed him. “We’re not…we don’t…”
The tall one smirked. “You’re not, you don’t, what?”
I almost threw the basketball I was still holding right into his perfect looking face. Instead, I took a deep breath, and called on all my polite upbringing. “I don’t know what you guys are playing at, but you can tell Talon Draven to pick another pawn, because I’m not the one.”
“You heard her, Hunter,” Jason smirked. “Looks like the lady has spoken.”
So, the tall one was Hunter, and that must make the other one Lars. It didn’t really matter who was which, or that Jason was antagonizing them by pretending to be on my side. I didn’t want any part of whatever bullshit male pissing contest this was. I didn’t need this shit. I was so used to being numb and neglected, since Kaden’s death, I didn’t welcome this attention.
I looked between all three guys, making sure to convey just how serious I was. “Look, I don’t know what all you guys are doing, and I don’t care about whatever dick measuring contest you guys got going on. Just leave me the hell out of it.” Lars smirked, Jason seemed to deflate a bit, and Hunter just crossed his muscular arms across his chest. Each boy was dressed in the gym uniform of shorts and tank tops, so it was easy to see they were all in good shape. “This is my first day of school,” I reminded them. “I don’t need or want this crap.”
I turned away from the group and made my way to the basketball hoops. There were some girls already playing, and they’ll never know the solid they did me when I walked up and a cute blonde smiled at me and asked if I wanted to join. I set my basketball off to the side and got lost in the game.
Thirty minutes and a couple of new acquaintances later, I was in the gym locker room preparing to change clothes and get ready for sixth period, when a note fell out of my gym locker. I picked it up and unfolded it.
Sorry about earlier. I’d still like us to be friends. -Jason
∞∞∞
Talon~
With each passing class, I was becoming more and more…unhinged.
During sixth period, Hunter had recounted the events of gym class, and after tapping down the urge to hunt Jason down and fuck him up, I was glad to know that Hunter and Lars were in gym with Kenzlee. They would keep an eye on her until I figured out what I was going to do about her.
The more I thought about her, the more pissed off I became. I didn’t like how she pulled at me. I didn’t like how a girl with breeding, money, and class pulled at me. My breeding wasn’t blue blood, I’ll never know money, and I dropped too many f-bombs to ever be labeled as classy. A girl who looked like Snow fucking White was not supposed to ever land on my radar.
And now that same fucking girl was walking into my seventh period cl
ass like she hadn’t just upended my entire life, and I didn’t deal well with lack of control. I watched as Mr. Styles glanced around the classroom, whispering to her. My eyes followed his, and I quickly assessed the problem.
There were no empty desks.
The devil on my shoulder started cackling like an old witchy hag. My desk was in the back corner by the window, so it was about as private as we could get in here. I stood up, and making sure my voice carried across the room, I said, “She can share my space, Mr. Styles.”
Kenzlee’s entire body stilled and, even from where I stood, I could see her knuckles turn white with the death grip she had on her book. She had two choices right now; cause a scene or give in gracefully. I was willing to bet my left nut that all that good breeding and her classy upbringing would make her give in gracefully.
And I was right.
I stayed standing as she walked towards me, and the sight of her coming towards me…coming towards me cemented her fate. My heart was thumping in my chest. My stomach felt empty. My blood sizzled in my veins. And my eyes saw nothing but her.
And I hated it.
I hated it like you hate that drunk driver, who crashed into and killed your entire family, changing your life forever. Like an uncontrollable force reshaping your life for the worse.
Edie and my mother had always been the plan. They had always been the plan, and now this girl was threatening that because she called something in me that was stronger than my plan. And if I didn’t have enough self-control to stay away from her, then I was going to take her down with me.
Kenzlee stopped when she reached my desk and immediately voiced another problem. “There’s only one seat,” she muttered.
I gestured for her to take my seat and, once she did, I walked over to the supply closet and pulled out one of the folding chairs that were stored in there. I headed back to my desk and positioned the chair with the window behind my back and where I’d be facing Kenzlee as she faced the front of the class. Our knees touched, and she moved as far away from me as possible.
The Heavier The Chains... Page 4
