I opened my mouth but held back.
Uly wasn’t stupid. There were easier ways to give his mother money. Which meant as much as he hated her, there was a part of him that wanted to see her.
I kept that part to myself though.
I was quiet for a few seconds.
Thinking.
Ready to blurt out…
“It’s all fucked up, Uly,” I said. “My mother has never been single for more than a week. For my entire life. She preys on guys who prey on her. She’s a trophy at first, a punching bag next, and then forgotten. And I have no idea who my father is. She has no idea either. And thanks to all the time we spent moving and running for our lives, there are zero pictures or memories or anything that I could even grab onto to try and figure it out. The closest thing to family is Jo. She and my mother were best friends but went their own ways. How fucking crazy is that?”
“I think it’s all crazy, doll,” Uly said. “Now put that book away. Open the other one.”
“What?”
“You have more than one notebook, right?”
“Sure…”
“Just like in your mind. Stop writing the story you are and get ready for the next one.”
“The next one?” I asked.
“Or the notebook that’s already been started.”
“Uly, what the…”
Uly turned to the right so hard that I flew across the seat toward him.
The back tires screamed so loud and the car started to bounce.
He kept the car from spinning out but not my heart.
We were then speeding down some side road that was a mix of cracked pavement, dirt, and sand. It was a one lane road and I hoped that the direction we were going was the right one and that nobody else was going to appear.
I was right and wrong.
It was the right direction.
Because I saw the ocean.
Uly was taking me to the beach.
But I was also wrong.
We weren’t alone on the road.
I saw a motorcycle and a truck waiting.
I looked at Uly.
He put his pointer finger to his lips.
Telling me to shh?
I wanted to punch him.
No.
I wanted to punch each one of Them.
* * *
Hil stood near the water, smoking a cigarette.
There was something totally badass about him wearing his black boots down at the water. Like he was too cool for the water or something. His forever slicked back hair danced just a little with the beach breeze.
When he turned his head and saw me, he smiled and then flicked his cigarette into the ocean.
“That’s bad to do,” I said to him.
“What are you going to do about it?” Hil asked.
I just shook my head.
Behind me, Uly and Ash were talking as Ash sat on the open bed of his truck with Uly leaning against the side, enjoying a cigarette himself.
“Heard you got to meet the amazing Amanda Penton,” Hil said as he put his arm around me.
He guided me toward Uly and Ash.
“Yeah, I met her,” I said. “Wanted to slap her.”
“I’ve always wanted to do more than slap her,” Hil said.
“What? Ew.”
“Ew?” Hil asked. “Have you seen her? That tan skin. That resting bitch face.”
“She looks twenty years older than she is,” I said.
“Is that a problem?” Hil asked with a grin.
I pushed away from him.
Uly looked at Ash.
“I’m not going to tell you not to hit him,” Ash said. “But we have shit to talk about.”
Uly pointed to Hil. “Don’t make me say it.”
“What?” Hil asked. “You’ve said the same shit about my mother. You think she’s this adorable little thing, right?”
I casually looked at Ash.
He slowly looked at me.
I lifted my right hand and waved like it was some big secret.
He smiled and jumped from the bed of his truck.
“Let’s get this shit over with,” he said. “Then you two assholes can figure out… whatever…”
“What’s there to talk about?” I asked.
“Simple,” Hil said. “You’re going to meet up with Tinsley.”
“What?” I asked.
“Shit, Hil,” Ash said. “Can you be subtle?”
“For what?” Hil asked. “Belle is too pretty and smart for subtle. Fuck that.”
“Hil’s right,” Uly said. He looked at me. “You’re going to meet up with Tinsley. Just sit and talk. No fighting. No slapping. No pulling hair.”
“Well,” Hil said. “Wait a second. Hair pulling in what context?”
“What the hell are you all talking about?” I asked.
“Just trying to feel some things out,” Ash said.
“But you can feel Tinsley up, beauty,” Hil said.
“You’re going to feel my fist in your mouth,” I said.
Hil opened his mouth.
“Doll, listen,” Uly said, stepping in front of Hil. “You just have to sit and talk with her. Let her know who you are. Who we are. And then we all have an understanding.”
“Of what?” I asked.
“That the Rulz aren’t alone,” Ash said, drawing my attention back to him. “That they aren’t the ones who control everything in BFH.”
“They think you all hate each other,” I said.
“There’s been a rumor or two in the past,” Hil said.
Penelope…
“The Rulz needs to know not to fuck with Them,” Ash said.
“Isn’t that what East vs. West is about?” I asked.
“Sure,” Uly said.
“So they approach me to scare me,” I said. “Then you fight back and steal Pres’s SUV. And now I’m supposed to sit with Tinsley and talk?”
“Just enjoy it,” Hil said. “You two sit and talk for a minute even. It’s a power move, beauty. That’s all. Shows that you’re in on this too.”
I laughed. “So now it’s worth me being near you three again? Feels like just yesterday when you three said I had to make a choice. Then all but threw me away.”
“Not even close, doll,” Uly said.
He moved toward me.
Ash touched my hand. I turned my head and he was right there, inches from me.
“Maybe we wanted to see what you would do, angel,” he said. “You’re the one who kept saying you were just going to leave.”
“So you want the Rulz to think you’re all back together or whatever so they’ll lay off wanting to fight?”
“Let’s just say it’ll ease the tension,” Hil said. “Give us more time to focus on something much better.”
Hil touched my shoulder.
I had Them surrounding me.
Right on the beach.
A beach I didn’t know.
My eyes moved to Uly.
He took me to meet his mother and brought me to the beach for this meeting with the rest of Them.
Like it was all done on purpose.
Of course it was all done on purpose.
Everything was done on purpose with Them.
“You love your stories, doll,” Uly said.
“Using my writing against me,” I said.
“You know you want to meet Tinsley,” Hil said. “She’s beautiful, Belle. And the hell she caused over there. Twisting up the Rulz.”
“Reminds me of someone else I know,” Ash said.
I stepped back out of their reach. “Are you three just afraid of a fight?”
I knew I was digging at a nerve and that it was going to piss Them all off.
The looks on their faces gave it away.
I didn’t care.
Or at least I pretended I didn’t care.
Everyone was silent.
Hil lit up another cigarette.
His gray, icy eyes never left me.
I had Ash’s amber eyes fighting for attention too.
And then there was Uly.
Sunglasses on his face.
But I knew his eyes were on me.
I was in the mess of it all.
I had been since I showed up.
And threatening to leave… it would never work. Especially now with my mother nursing her injuries from the car accident. And with Chester taking care of her…
I swallowed hard.
I moved toward Them.
I put my hand out.
Ash reached for my hand.
I swatted it away. “Don’t touch me, Ash. I want a cigarette.”
“Don’t you have your own, beauty?” Hil asked.
“Your point?” I asked.
Uly got me a cigarette. He even lit it for me. Taking that first drag, then handing it to me.
I walked down to the water for effect.
Just to think for a minute.
Meeting with Tinsley.
Harmless, right?
She and I were the innocent ones in this fight.
If Them wanted to fight the Rulz that was on… well… Them.
I enjoyed the cigarette and the view of the ocean.
Soon Uly, Hil, and Ash joined me.
Uly on my left, Hil on my right, Ash standing behind me.
The smell of Them was so intense.
They each had their own smell, and when it all collided together… whoa.
“Don’t fucking play games with us, beauty,” Hil said.
“If we’re standing here like this, it means something,” Uly added.
“And the choice I’m being forced to make?” I asked.
“We’ll call it an extension,” Hil said.
“What?” I asked.
“You sit with Tinsley and we’ll give you a little more time to decide.”
I laughed. “Seriously… who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Simple, angel,” Ash’s voice said close behind me. “We’re Them.”
“And who am I?” I asked.
Uly and Hil each took one of my hands. Ash touched my waist.
He was the one who spoke again.
“You’re becoming one of Them.”
eight
I wrote the number 3 and circled it on the bottom of the page. Only seven more pages and then I could give everything to Miss Whitaker and see what she would do with them. It was almost like that deadline was lined up with the deadline of East vs. West and me allegedly choosing one of Them.
Maybe that was also the deadline where I handed the keys to Jo’s car back to her, along with the see-through blue credit card that had been keeping me afloat and not worried about money for once in my life.
I closed the notebook and went down to the pool to smoke and think.
My phone buzzed with a text from Lizzy.
Where r u
I replied with the same text.
Lizzy replied with…
Front door - let me in?
I jumped up and hurried back into the house and to the front door.
Lizzy and Danica were standing there.
I lifted one of my eyebrows. “Since when do you ring the doorbell? Or come to the front door? Have I been demoted that much in your book?”
“Not even close,” Danica said.
“Wasn’t sure if you were alone,” Lizzy said.
“None of Them is here,” I said. “We’re good. Now are you going to tell me why you’re so afraid of Them?”
“You’ve seen it,” Danica said.
“Maybe,” I said. “I want to hear you say it. Tell me everything they’ve done.”
“It’s the same thing, Belle,” Lizzy said. “Over and over. Sometimes the one they choose, use, and lose stays. Most of the time they leave.”
“They leave?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Danica said. “You want the list of names?”
“I gave you an idea,” Lizzy said. “The idea… the only one that should matter.”
“Which I am still figuring out how to do,” I said.
“Nothing to figure out,” Lizzy said. “Do it or don’t. I’m just trying to help your ass. Not sure what you think is going to end up happening.”
“So you came here for that?” I asked.
“Nope,” Danica said. “That was the bitch side of things. Now comes the fun side.”
“Oh?” I asked.
“We’re going out tonight,” Lizzy said.
“Raza’s?”
“Better,” Danica said.
“Better than Raza’s…” I said.
Lizzy stepped toward me. “A place we’re not supposed to be. But we’re sneaking in. I’ve got the hook up.”
“So you’re the bad girl now?” I asked.
“Come with us,” Danica said. “You know you need it.”
“I need it?” I asked.
“A night out. Away. Off. You might think we’re bitches, Belle, but we’re your friends here. You’ve been exhausting yourself trying to figure out everything with Them. That’s the writer in you. Turn that part of your brain off. Make up a fake name and wear something nice.”
“Want to hear the best part?” Lizzy asked.
“Sure,” I said.
“Nobody from BFH will be there,” she said.
“That sounds like a great night to me,” Danica said.
“I can’t argue that,” I said. “I do need a night away from everything.”
I thought about telling Lizzy and Danica about what Them wanted me to do with the Rulz. But I opted against it. I didn’t want to piss my friends off. And I really didn’t want to hear what they had to say about it either.
“So does this mean you bitches aren’t mad at me anymore?” I asked.
“Never said we were mad at you to begin with,” Lizzy said.
“Just want you to stick around here, Belle,” Danica said. “Finish these boring ass classes. And maybe something crazy cool will happen with Miss Whitaker.”
“I have a dress,” I said. “Want to see it?”
“Is it a poor girl dress or a rich girl dress?” Danica asked with a wink and a grin.
I pointed at her.
“You’re a bitch.”
* * *
I really had no idea what to expect.
In my head I pictured this place being some party in some warehouse. With music, lights, lasers, and everything else that would make it crazy yet dangerous at the same time.
My instincts were way off.
We were just outside of BFH.
It was the entrance to a restaurant. With a red canopy and a guy standing at a podium checking names and calling for the valet.
Lizzy parked her car around the block and we walked toward the restaurant.
“Remember, we are not allowed in here,” Lizzy said to me.
“There’s a guy standing right there,” I said.
“Trust us,” Danica said.
We walked right up to the rolled out red carpet that matched the canopy just above us.
The guy behind the podium looked to his left and put his hand out.
He stopped two people and started asking questions.
Lizzy grabbed my hand and pulled me.
Danica was already on the move, sliding right by without the guy asking a question.
Lizzy and I then did the same.
I watched as Lizzy reached out and touched the guy’s right hand.
It was so brief but so powerful.
I gasped and looked at her. “Seriously?”
“His parents run the restaurant and their son is something insanely hot,” Lizzy said. “He’s been around this place for like ever. And he’s huge. Strong. Mean.”
“And your age,” I said to Lizzy.
“Such a dream,” Danica said. “Now we have to sneak downstairs.”
“Downstairs?” I asked.
“That was the easy part,” Lizzy said with a laugh. “We’re allowed into the restaurant. Getting downstairs though…”
Just inside the entrance to the restaurant there was a door to the left. A large, black door was there with a red, glowing light above it. And in front of the door was a really big dude. Wearing sunglasses. Arms crossed.
And he looked right at us.
“Now what?” Danica asked Lizzy.
“We get in,” Lizzy said.
She threw herself into me and I went down to the ground.
I wouldn’t have fallen if it wasn’t for the fucking dress and shoes.
When I hit the floor, my first notion was to close my legs and make sure the dress wasn’t pulled up.
I hate dressing up.
Lizzy crouched and let out a yell. “Are you okay?”
“Holy shit,” Danica said.
That was enough to get the big dude away from the door.
But he was closing in on us.
I looked at Lizzy.
She winked.
She lifted her gaze and waved her hand.
I turned my head and saw the guy letting people in running toward us.
Lizzy stood up. “Can you help?”
The guy pointed to the big dude. “Go get her some fucking ice, bro. Don’t just stand there. She might have a broken ankle.”
The big dude rushed away.
Leaving the door unattended.
Lizzy touched her guy friend’s chest, bit her lip, and winked.
Then he turned around and pointed toward the line he had abandoned.
“Get up,” Lizzy said to me.
I hurried to my feet and we darted to the door.
It wasn’t locked. Duh. And we all hurried down the steps.
“What was that?” I asked Lizzy.
“This is the underground part,” Lizzy said. “The part we’re not allowed to be in.”
“And that guy…?”
“Don’t worry about him. We got down here.”
Danica looked back at me and smiled. “This is fun, right?”
“You’ve done this before?” I asked.
“All the time,” Danica said. “So happy you’re with us.”
At the bottom of the steps… I was left in awe.
It was like a nightclub. But underground.
There was a long L shaped bar that took up half the wall. Opposite to that was a dance floor with a DJ playing music. There were people everywhere. Dancing and drinking. But not in some stupid kind of college way.
NOT SO Special: a bay falls high novel Page 8
