“Not lucky…”
“A nice Bump ass is on the line,” Kace said.
His fingertips touched my butt and I looked back at him.
He winked and took his hand away.
“Kill him!” Raine yelled.
Then she snorted and laughed.
This was just stupid.
Brock and Talon circled each other a few times.
They were saying stuff to one another but I couldn’t hear it.
The music was too loud.
Brock threw the first punch.
And Talon took it.
Right to his jaw.
Talon turned and stepped away.
He looked right at me.
I put my hands together. “Please stop…”
“You can beg him later,” Kace said.
“Nothing is happening between us,” I said.
“Yet,” Emily said.
I opened my mouth but stopped when Talon turned and threw a wild punch at Brock.
He hit Brock so hard in the eye that Brock started to bleed.
They each got that one punch in… and then all hell broke loose.
They attacked each other, both hitting the ground hard.
They rolled around, throwing punches at each other, kicking up dirt and a cloud of dust.
When they got too close to Raine, she put her foot out.
Then they started to roll the other way.
Toward the fire.
“Oh, fuck,” Emily said.
“If they set themselves on fire, this is going to be epic,” Kace said.
This wasn’t epic at all.
As they approached the fire, Talon had the brains to look and make sure they didn’t catch fire. That gave Brock the chance to take some cheap punches at Talon.
I saw Brock’s fist hit Talon’s face twice and my stomach felt sick.
I covered my mouth.
My knees grew weak.
But Talon didn’t give up.
He made a move and threw Brock off him.
They both got to their feet and Talon went in for the attack.
A series of punches sent Brock dancing back on his feet.
He moved so fast in Raine’s direction that Raine put her arms up.
Brock crashed into her and she flipped over into the pool.
Emily and Kace started to laugh.
Talon and Brock kept fighting and I kept my eyes on the pool.
After five seconds, I realized Raine hadn’t popped up from the water yet.
The pool was cheap and shallow. Raine was drunk and high.
I ran right into the middle of the fight.
I didn’t care if I got hit.
My stomach felt even sicker.
I feared Raine was dead.
“She’s hurt!” I screamed at Talon.
I jumped over the edge of the pool and saw Raine face down in the water.
“Help!” I yelled.
I dropped to my knees and turned her around and cradled her head.
“Oh, fuck,” Brock said. He climbed into the pool and scooped Raine up. “Raine… I’ve got you…”
He hurried out of the water as Emily spread a towel down on the ground.
“Raine!” Emily cried. “Raine!”
I looked at Talon.
His lip and eye were bleeding.
I jumped out of the pool and pushed him out of the way.
This was their fault. For fighting. For being so fucking stupid.
“Tilt her head back,” Kace said. “Do mouth to mouth. Turn her on her side. Hit her back.”
“Just fucking pick one thing!” Brock yelled.
“Raine,” Emily said. “Raine…”
Brock moved his hand to the back of Raine’s neck and he gently turned her to her side.
There was total silence for a second as we all thought about what to do next.
Raine let out a gasping sound and coughed.
She didn’t spit up water or anything dramatic like they showed in movies.
Raine looked at Brock.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Raine,” he said. “I didn’t mean to bump into you.”
“No, it was my fault,” Talon said. “I sent him into you.”
“I hit her,” Brock said. “I can’t believe…”
“You saved me,” Raine said.
“Yeah, I kind of did,” Brock said.
Raine threw her arms around Brock’s neck and they started to kiss.
“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Emily said.
I gasped for a breath.
Talon stood up and turned to look at me.
I shook my head.
I didn’t want to hear a thing he had to say.
I walked by Talon and grabbed one of the red cups off a table and started to drink.
I was not cut out for the Troc life.
Chapter 4
So this is what’s happening?
The Troc party raged on.
A few more people came and went.
Nobody I cared to meet or know.
I just hung back, alone, wearing a big hoodie with the hood up, drinking from the red cups to make all my thoughts go away.
Raine and Brock were humping each other by the fire, in the pool, and then at one point they hurried away into the night, laughing with each other. When they returned twenty minutes later, they were calm but still smiling.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what they had done in the woods.
Emily and Kace weren’t much better. They didn’t even care about privacy.
At one point, I saw Emily’s hand down the front of Kace’s board shorts.
Talon kind of kept to himself, knowing to avoid me.
So I was getting drunk alone at a Troc party. I didn’t belong there. I had nowhere else to go. And in a sense, my mind told me this was it for the Troc life. I had to get out of there. Gia was right too. Even my mother.
I had to leave Talon’s place.
He did his job.
He picked me up from the mansion and got me to safety.
I had a bed and a chance to think and sleep.
All this other craziness…
I gasped as I watched Brock step up to the fire. He was way too close. And to make things worse, he dropped his shorts and started to urinate into the fire.
I turned my head and wanted to throw up.
That could have been what I was drinking though…
I walked to the door and looked back one last time.
I would never forget the Troc party. That was for sure.
As my eyes scanned around, I caught Talon looking at me.
I went into the house and left my red cup on the counter.
I stumbled around the house, bouncing left to right against the walls as I made my way to the bedroom.
I laughed as I stood at the bunk bed.
The climb felt like two miles high.
Up I went, grunting like I was climbing a mountain.
I spread my hands out on the blankets and groaned as my head hit the pillow.
My stomach did a few flips.
I needed to call it a night.
Another sip of something and I would end up really sick for sure.
I hugged my pillow and shut my eyes.
The room spun… but only for a few seconds…
I could hear the party outside.
The music.
The laughter.
Random noises.
“Fucking Trocs,” I whispered.
They were dirty. They were losers.
Then again…
Were the Bumps - including me - any better?
I felt the bed moving and it was like I was on a boat.
I lifted my head and grabbed the blankets.
“It’s just me,” Talon said.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Keeping to my promise,” he said.
“What…”
“I’m going to crash with you, Winter,” he said. “Go back to
sleep.”
“Okay,” I said.
I put my head back down.
It was silence all around.
The party must have ended.
The silence was broken up by a sound.
I heard an ooohhh sound and felt my cheeks get warm.
I knew that sound.
That was…
“That’s just Emily,” Talon said. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“Yes I do,” I said. “What’s happening?”
I lifted my head and Talon moved next to me.
“Winter, close your eyes.”
“No. Is she in the kitchen?”
“Yeah,” Talon said. “Do not eat off the counter for breakfast.”
“Oh, gross,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“Good for Kace, right?”
Talon shook his head. “Not really.”
“What?”
Talon sighed. “Fuck, darling. You didn’t see Crew today or tonight, right?”
“No,” I said. “Where was he?”
“He was working,” Talon said. “He showed up late tonight.”
“And?”
“He and Kace fought.”
“Fought?”
Talon pointed to his face. “Fought. Like I did with Brock.”
“For what?”
“For what you hear out there.”
I gasped. “What…?”
“Winter, just go to sleep.”
“No. You’re telling me they fought to sleep with Emily?”
“She likes it,” Talon said. “Leave it at that.”
“Where’s Kace?”
“He’s sleeping,” Talon said. “He doesn’t care. He’ll get her tomorrow.”
“That’s…”
“Winter,” Talon growled. “This is our life. Don’t fucking judge it.”
I swallowed hard. “Sorry. Right. I mean… good for her.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you ever…”
“Fuck,” Talon said. “Are you kidding me right now? I’m just going to leave.”
“Don’t go,” I said.
I grabbed Talon’s arm and pulled myself closer to him.
I didn’t mean to move so dramatically.
My body touched his.
Things were touching… lined up… him… me…
“You’re drunk,” Talon said.
“Yes I am. So just tell me what I want to know.”
“You want to know if I slept with Emily?” Talon asked.
I nodded.
None of it was my business. And none of it mattered.
Talon laughed. “Whatever, darling. Of course I slept with Emily. Plenty of times. Raine too.”
“What?”
“Even Emily and Raine at the same time.”
“No,” I said.
Talon grinned. “Not that far… but close…”
“Close?”
“Let’s just say I took Raine to our spot in the woods one night and then a few hours later she fell asleep and everyone else fell asleep… but Emily…”
“You’re disgusting,” I said.
I was smiling as I said it.
I liked it.
I secretly liked how gross Talon was.
And my body…
There was no way in hell it should have turned me on.
But it did.
“I’m not ashamed,” he said. “Neither are they. Why would they be? It feels good and it’s fun to do.”
“I guess so,” I said.
“You wouldn’t know, Winter,” Talon said.
“I had a hint… remember?”
“My fingers?” Talon asked. “Please. That’s nothing.”
I slowly moved my right leg over him. “Well…”
His hand touched my leg. “I warned you. Do not cross this line with me.”
“Why not?” I asked. “We’re together. Alone. In bed. I’m willing. I kind of… I kind of need it, Talon…”
He put his head back and let out a long breath. “Winter…”
“Come on, Talon,” I said. I inched closer to him so my breath would hit his neck. “You know you want me. A Bump in your bed. A drunk Bump.”
Talon looked at me.
I lifted my right hand to his face. I touched his lip and eye. “You fought Brock for me.”
“That was something building up over the last few weeks. It goes way beyond you.”
“You protected me.”
“You pay me for that,” he said.
“Well… I can give you a bonus…”
“Fuck, Winter,” he said. “This is what you want right now?”
“I’m telling you what I want,” I said. “I want you, Talon. I want you right now.”
Talon moved his forehead to mine.
We froze time to think it over.
I knew what I wanted.
It didn’t matter if I was drunk or not.
That need…
The sight of Talon fighting Brock. Both of them shirtless. Talon way hotter though. The muscles. Tattoos.
I moved my right leg around him some more and pulled.
“Winter,” Talon whispered. “If this happens… it’s going to be worse than what you’re going through already.”
“No, it’s not,” I said. “You’ll protect me, Talon. You’ll always save me.”
I turned my head a little and made my move.
Just as my lips were about to touch Talon’s, my stomach decided to make its move too.
Oh. Fuck.
I don’t know how I got to the bathroom in time, but I did.
As I ran through the hallway, I heard the sounds of Emily on the counter as she and Crew were still going at each other.
Then again… come on, Emily. Everyone knows what fake sounds like…
I shut the bathroom door and fell to my knees in front of the toilet.
I hated myself and my entire life as I shut my eyes and felt everything working up the back of my throat.
It was like life decided to move in slow motion as I got sick.
Getting sick was terrible.
I hated throwing up.
I hated the feeling of my ribs and stomach squeezing so tight that I couldn’t breathe.
And I hated all of it while still being drunk.
When the first initial round of throwing up was done, I fell to my right side and leaned against the bathtub.
The bathroom door opened and Talon looked at me.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I said.
Talon shut the door.
I shut my eyes.
My mind thought of all the things Talon and I should have been doing right then. What he would have been touching… what I would have been touching… if we would have been…
The bathroom door opened again.
“Hey,” Emily said as she crept into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
“No…”
“It’s okay,” she said.
“You were busy,” I said.
“Oh, that?” Emily asked. She crouched down. “Crew. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s just slam, slam, slam, slam…”
Emily laughed.
I shook my head. “How… why…”
“Shhh,” Emily said. “Don’t worry about my sex life, Winter.”
“Oh, it’s happening again,” I said.
I moved back to the toilet.
Emily grabbed my hair.
There wasn’t anything else to come up. So I heaved and gagged and felt like I was going to die for a few minutes.
Then the feeling suddenly went away.
Emily got a bunch of towels and made me a bed on the floor.
She sat with her back against the wall and put my head on her lap.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said.
“I know,” she said. She played with my hair. “I want to.”
“Are you going to make a move on me?”
“What?” Emily asked.
�
�Talon told me…”
“Oh,” Emily said. “He’s an idiot. They all fantasize about me and Raine hooking up. There was one time we were dared to kiss and we did. Just a quick peck. But they were…”
“Being boys,” I said.
“Yeah,” Emily said. “Stupid boys.”
“Always,” I said.
Emily played with my hair and I shut my eyes.
Emily started to hum.
She wasn’t good at it, but it was better than hearing her fake groan while fooling around with Crew.
This was not the way my night was supposed to go.
Then again… none of my days or nights went the way they were supposed to.
Not since the accident.
Not since Noah, Easton, and Xavier wanted me dead.
I started to cry.
Drunk and crying on the bathroom floor in a Troc’s house.
With a girl like Emily touching my hair and comforting me.
I, Winter Seacrum, am nothing but a gigantic fucking mess.
The bathroom had no window, which meant no sunlight, which meant I had no idea what time it was when my crusted eyes decided to peel themselves open.
The first thing I saw was a small bug scurrying along the cheap tile floor, moving up and down the toilet like an inexperienced skateboarder.
I shut my eyes, my stomach sick one more time.
Bugs. A dirty bathroom. The smell…
I reached with my left hand and grabbed for the toilet.
When I tried to sit up, my body said ‘No way in hell, Winter…’ but I needed that way in hell or else I was going to get sick on the floor.
I moved myself over the toilet and opened my mouth.
I told myself to just get it over with. Get that puke out. Get my day moving here…
There was nothing left to come out.
My stomach did flips, but did nothing else.
In fact, after a few breaths, I felt a little better.
I pushed away from the toilet and sat with my back to the bathtub.
My eyes looked down to the floor, looking for that bug.
It was long gone.
The bathroom door opened and Emily appeared with a cup of coffee.
“Hey,” she said in a soft voice. “Look at you. Sitting up. That’s a good sign.”
“Is it though?” I asked.
“You don’t realize how messed up you were,” she said.
Emily was wearing a stretched out, low cut shirt that did nothing to hide the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
When she crouched down and leaned toward me, I saw right down her shirt and saw everything.
Devious Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 3) Page 4
