“I thought we were shopping for you,” I argue.
“We’re shopping for everyone. Hell, we can buy a dress for Poppy if we find one.”
“Sounds good.” I thread my arm through hers as we make our way to the mall. “Thanks for this.”
“Hey, what are best friends for if not to force you to tell all your secrets and give you bad advice.”
“You haven’t given me bad advice,” I insist.
“Maybe not. But after what Ash and I went through, I’m surprised you’re listening to me.”
“Rubes, that boy loves you something fierce. I’d kill for that.”
“Well, lucky for you, you might not have to. The two boys who want you, on the other hand, that could get bloody.”
“Nathan’s not like that. I don’t think he’s a fighter.”
“And the other one?”
“Umm…” I think back to our childhoods in the Creek, of the many fights I’d witness that involved Zayn, Kyle, and their other friends. “Yeah, he is.”
“I hope Nathan knows he needs to watch his back because a boy from the Creek is about to wipe the smile off his preppy little face.”
“Rubes, is that really necessary?” I mutter, not thrilled with the visual emerging in my head of the two of them going a round over me. “There will be no fighting.”
“We’ll see. Oh, look, that dress is perfect,” she says, changing the subject so fast I almost get whiplash as she points at a little red dress in the window of one of my favorite stores. “You have to try it on. Nathan will come in his pants just looking at you.”
I snort a laugh but allow her to thread her fingers through mine and drag me to the store when she sets about finding the dress along with an armful of others for both of us to try.
We find ourselves a dressing room big enough for the both of us and set about finding the perfect dresses for tonight.
“The red one first,” she demands as I pull my jeans from my ankles.
“Fine.” Unsnapping my bra, because I already know there’s no chance in hell of wearing one with how low cut it is, I drop the fabric to the floor and pull the dress from the hanger.
“Okay, what do you—fucking hell, Ruby,” I gasp, taking in the marks on her chest. “Jesus, was he trying to actually eat you or something?”
Her cheeks flush as a wide smile pulls at her lips.
“Pretty much. I’m pretty sure I’ve got carpet burn on my back from the carpet in Zayn’s den too.” She turns around and sure as shit, there are bright red marks across her shoulder blades.
“Jesus. Can you two actually keep your hands off each other?”
“Sure can.” She gives me a sly wink before looking down at the dress wrapped around me. “You’re buying that,” she states before continuing to pull the dress up that’s hanging around her waist.
11
Kyle
“What the fuck was that for?” I bark at Ashton as the sting from his hit eases. I rub at the side of my head, wondering what the hell I ever did to him.
“You fucking cockblocked me last night,” he grumbles as we set off from my house on the running route I’ve found myself over the past few days.
The last two people I expected to find when I got to the bottom of the Hunter’s stairs last night were a satisfied looking Ash and Ruby.
Clearly, they’d made use of the empty room I’d left them in. The sight of the two of them looking so happy did nothing for my mood as I got farther and farther away from Harley.
“‘Evening,” I mumbled, walking straight past them and out the front door. I knew if I hung around in that house a second longer than necessary then I would turn around and walk straight back up those stairs and finish the job I’d started.
Their shocked stares burned into me as I passed them. Ruby wanted to say something, that much was obvious when she tried to step forward, but Ash gripped her tighter and kept her into his side.
“I refused to let Ruby go up and see if Harley was alright and as punishment, she wouldn’t put out.”
“Wow, however did you cope,” I deadpan.
“What happened?”
“What do you mean, what happened?”
“Well, you went up to see her, right? We know she was back, we saw her car.”
“Yeah, I saw her.” He glances over at me as we continue running side by side. “We just… hashed a few things out.”
“Riiiight.”
“What?”
“Oh nothing, we saw you, remember. Whatever it was you were hashing out… well…”
“What the fuck ever, man. Harley and I… we have unfinished business.”
“Yeah well, I hope you finished her business better than she did yours.”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Takes one to know one.”
Picking up my speed, I leave him behind for a bit as he chuckles at me.
“So what’s the deal with you two then?” he asks when he easily catches up with me.
I blow out of breath. “Some shit went down before I got carted off that night.”
“She made the call, right?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “My crew, they… they took things too far, Harley got caught up in the crossfire and I paid the price.”
I slow to a stop when the ocean emerges in the distance and together we walk down onto the sand and sit our asses down in one of the secluded dunes.
“Okay. So you’re hating on her for calling the cops?”
“Yeah and…” I trail off, really not wanting to talk about this.
“And…”
“I don’t know, man.” I pull my legs up in front of me and rest my forearms across them as I look out at the sun sparkling on the ocean before us.
It’s sure not Harrow Creek.
I shake my head as images of that place fill my mind. It’s really like hell compared to here.
“You want her?” His question makes my heart lurch in my chest.
Yeah, I want her. I want to fucking hurt her. But I don’t tell him that.
“She’s Zayn’s little sister, even if I did, she’s off-limits.”
He looks over at me, his amused eyes holding mine for a few seconds.
“I’m the wrong person to talk to about off-limits. I’m fucking my stepsister.”
I shake my head at him. “How’d that come about anyway?” I ask, glad to have a way to turn this conversation away from me.
“Pretty much the same as you right now. I hated her, wanted to hurt her. Turns out… she’s pretty fucking awesome.”
“I never said—”
“You didn’t need to. I see it, man.”
“Right,” I mutter, ripping my eyes from him and back out to the horizon.
“Just… just try not to do something you’re going to regret. They can only forgive so much.”
“I don’t want her fucking forgiveness.”
“I know, I’m just saying.”
We fall into an easy silence as we watch the waves crash onto the beach. The sound of kids playing in the distance filters down to us, and I wonder what it might have been like to grow up here with a decent family.
I blow out a sigh and it seems that Ashton knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“It’s a different life here, eh?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
We haven’t really talked much about his past but I know enough to know that it’s probably why we’re drawn together. We know how hard life can be. We’ve seen the deprivation, the desperation, the sheer hopelessness. We’ve also experienced the loss.
“You been back yet?” he asks, I assume about the Creek.
“Nah. I have no interest in going back. My life there was over the second I was put in the back of that cop car.”
“No other family?”
I shake my head, not that he’s looking at me. “Parents died when we were young. Gran died while I was away. It’s just me and Kane.”
“That’s shit.”
“
It is what it is. Things can only get better, right?”
“What about those you left behind. You got busted for possession, doesn’t someone want their stash back?”
His question makes my blood run cold.
I know it’s not even been a week yet, but even so, I’m amazed I haven’t seen or heard from anyone. Gray never was one to let things go and I went down with my pockets full of his fucking blow.
“Yeah, I can’t imagine he’s forgotten.” I could go to the Creek and find him, save me waiting but like fuck am I willingly walking back into the lion’s den.
“Well, I’ve got your back, man. Should you need it.”
I look over at him. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“You’re coming to this party tonight, right?”
“Hell yeah, I been locked up for a fucking year. Ain’t no way I’m passing up that chance, man.”
After a few more minutes, I push to stand, brushing the sand from my ass.
I nod at him. “Ready to head back?”
“Yep, let’s go.”
Kane is gone all day. I still have no fucking idea what he’s doing, not that I have a chance to ask seeing as he’s never here.
I spend the afternoon doing homework before jumping in the shower again and getting ready for this party.
Memories of some of our Creek parties fill my mind, and I wonder how different these parties here will be. I hope a lot, seeing as the last one I went to ended up with me being arrested.
I’m shoving my feet into my sneakers when a car horn sounds out. Grabbing my cell, I make my way out before locking up the house and jogging down to the road.
Zayn’s car is idling at the sidewalk.
“’Evening,” I mutter as I drop down into his empty passenger seat.
“Where’s Poppy?”
“She’s getting ready with the girls. They’re going to meet us there later.”
I nod, excitement erupting in my belly at the thought of seeing Harley again.
It might only have been a few days, but as Zayn drives us through Rosewood, I realize that I’m already starting to get used to the place.
At first, seeing the luxurious houses set back from the roads was weird. I was used to shitty trailers that were dumped on any bit of land anyone could occupy.
“It’s weird, right?” Zayn asks, clearly seeing what’s capturing my attention. “It’s like a different world. It’s good though.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to see that. I can understand why Kane thought this was a good idea.”
“Anywhere would have been better than going back to the Creek.”
“Too fucking true.”
“You still go back to see your old man?”
“Sadly. Stupid fuck still refuses to leave.”
“I guess there are people that like living like that.”
“Yeah, fucking idiots.”
“Any word from Gray?” he asks, and just like earlier the sound of his name gives me pause.
“No, you?”
“Nah, man. They all cut ties with me long before you went down.”
Guilt swamps me because I was one of them. I cut ties the second Zayn left the Creek. Although it wasn’t through choice.
“Listen… I’m so—”
“You don’t need to do that, Ky. I get it.”
“Yeah, well. It still sucks.”
“I left. I knew I was starting over. I wasn’t expecting to continue to fit in.”
I blow out a breath. “I missed you, man.”
“Aw, little Legend, you getting all soft on me.”
“It’s better than being hard for you,” I deadpan.
“Save it for the fucking cheerleaders, man. Speaking of, you wanna know the best ones to play with?”
“You got it. I’ve been stuck with my hand for a fucking year. I need all the info, man.”
He laughs beside me before starting on who I do and don’t want to make a move on tonight. I make all the right noises in the right places to make him think I’m interested. But in truth, there’s only one girl I’m searching out tonight and I don’t give a fuck if she thinks she’s there with her boyfriend. He needs to be taught a lesson as much as she does for allowing her to leave in tears last night. Fucking pussy.
There are cars already filling Justin’s driveway when we pull up and Zayn parks his car.
“Right, let’s get you used to partying Rosewood style.”
“As long as it ends better than the last party I went to, I’m good.”
Zayn claps me on the shoulder as we make our way to the front door.
There are people everywhere, most I don’t recognize, but then I’ve only been at Rosewood High for three days, so I’m hardly surprised. I follow Zayn through to the kitchen where we find the majority of the senior year football team.
“Hunter, my man,” Justin slurs, clearly having started the party earlier. “Legend.” He lifts a bottle of beer toward me and I happily take it and knock the top off.
“Cheers, man,” Zayn mutters, accepting his.
“This is Nathan, my cousin.” He nods toward a preppy looking kid in a perfectly pressed white Henley. Exactly what I expected.
Zayn nods at him but I notice that the scowl never leaves his face as their eye contact holds.
After a few seconds, Nathan tips his drink to his lips somewhat nervously.
Yeah, I’d be scared too, motherfucker.
The beer soon turns into vodka and someone produces a baggie of weed that soon gets passed around once we’ve made ourselves comfortable in Justin’s den.
I have no idea what it is with these kids and having their own dens. Kane and I didn’t even have our own fucking bedrooms growing up. But as I bring the J to my lips and take a hit, I can’t say I’m too fucking bothered right now.
“Fuck, that’s good,” I say to no one in particular.
“Ethan always gets the good shit,” Zayn mutters from beside me.
I pass it over before pushing from the couch. “I’m going for a piss.”
“Down the hall on the right,” someone helpfully points out, clearly listening to our conversation.
I make my way out of the room, the vodka I’ve drank starts to make my head swim a little but I revel in the sensation of checking out of real life for a few hours. I fucking need it.
There are kids everywhere out here as I make my way down the hallway. Of course, there’s a fucking line. Seeing a door for outside, I opt for that instead. I’m sure Justin won’t give a shit if I water his flowers a little.
There are kids outside crowding around the pool, laughing and dancing as they enjoy themselves.
I slip into the darkness at the bottom of the yard and do my thing as kids splash about in the water behind me.
Once I’ve finished, I turn around and watch them from my hidden spot for a few minutes and wonder what it must be like to live a life where you have nothing to worry about.
Girls in bikinis flirt with the guys who are splashing about with them and others stand off to the side dancing and grinding together to the beat of the music.
My fingers twitch at my sides, desperate to have a girl moving against me like that.
I have no idea how long I stand there like some fucked-up peeping Tom, but eventually my need for another drink and another hit get the better of me.
I push through the bushes and slip back inside to locate the kitchen.
I fight my way through the crowd at the door and eventually get to the counter where the bottles of liquor were lined up earlier in the evening.
I help myself to a bottle before turning to rest back against the counter as I twist the top off.
I find Justin, Prep Boy, and a few others passing around hallucinogens.
I watch as a couple stick them straight into their mouths but Preppy and a few others hesitate.
“You want in?” Justin asks me when he notices that I’m watching.
“Nah, man. I’m good. You all have fun though.” I turn t
o Nathan who’s still holding his looking very much like the prep boy that he is. “Eat up, I hear they do wonders for your sex life,” I quip. “You’ve got a girl, right?”
His lips pull into a smile. “Yeah, she’s on her way.”
My stomach clenches at his words.
“Better take that and show her a good time then,” I say, hoping like fuck that I know what I’m doing.
“Come on then,” he says, nodding toward Justin’s hand.
“Fuck it. To a good night.”
12
Harley
I hold my dress down as I step from Ruby’s car in my attempt to not flash Ash or any of the kids that are loitering out the front of Justin’s place.
“Come on, girl. I need another drink,” Ruby shouts, already three sheets to the wind.
“I’m going to be carrying your ass home tonight, aren’t I?” Ash mutters from behind us as Ruby and Poppy each take one of my arms and we walk toward the front door together.
“If you’re lucky,” she shoots over her shoulder. “You can totally take advantage of me.”
I can’t help but laugh when he complains because I know full well that she hasn’t put out since seeing Kyle emerging from my room last night. And it’s not for lack of trying on his part either as evidenced by the fact he walked straight into her bathroom while she was showering earlier. I didn’t need to see her smug face to know she got hers while she left him hanging. He looked murderous after she kicked him out and forced him to return to his own room with blue balls.
He might act like a grumpy fucker, but secretly, I think he’s enjoying the little game. I know that Ruby sure is.
“Hey, Ash,” she says, stopping and turning to face him. “Did I tell you that I’m not wearing any panties?” She pulls her dress up her thighs a little as if she’s going to flash him and anyone else who might be looking in our direction—probably every guy in earshot thanks to that little announcement.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” he growls.
“You’ll have to find out later then. Be a good boy and go and get us all a drink.”
LEGEND: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rosewood High Book 7) Page 11
