Dirty Lie: A High School Bully Romance (Forrest Grove Academy Book 1)

by K. Walker

  On one of the walls was a shelf of trophies. Part of me knew I shouldn't go in there, but I was curious and stepped inside to peak at them. They were mostly wrestling trophies with the name Charles Cabot printed on them. So this was Chuck's room, I figured as I looked around. That explained why there wasn't a whole lot in there other than the bed and an empty desk. He probably had most of his belongings with him in his dorm.

  Walking out of the room, I glanced down the hall. At the far end was an open door that led into the massive bathroom. From what Sebastian said, he was the one right next to mine, between my room and the bathroom. When I walked by it, the door was open, and I peered inside.

  It looked about what I'd expected a teenage boy's room to look like. His blue blankets were a mess from not having been made this morning. His clothes from yesterday and the pajamas he'd had on this morning were lying on the floor by his bed. There was a computer sitting on the desk nearby, with two monitors that were practically the size of TVs. Sitting on the desk were a couple of empty soda cans.

  I wrinkled my nose, not wanting to know what that smell was. There was a reason I rarely hung out in boys' rooms, and it wasn't just because they always wanted into my pants!

  Sebastian apparently wasn't a paragon of cleanliness. I had a feeling if Lucas hadn't had a housekeeper to keep the place in order, it'd have been a complete pig sty.

  The room just across from his had the door closed. If mine, Sebastian, and Chuck's rooms were all on this side of the house, I figured that meant the closed door was Wes's.

  For a long moment, I just stood outside the door, staring at it. If it was closed, that meant Wes probably didn't want anyone in there. And he was already annoyed with me for some unknown reason. Which meant I should leave well enough alone and go back downstairs.

  Except, I couldn't help but be curious. Chuck's room was what I expected from someone who only visited on the weekends. Sebastian's room was a typical teenage boy's mess. But what about Wes's? Was it a mess like Sebastian?

  My hand reached for the doorknob. When I made contact with it, I froze, listening to see if anyone was nearby. When I didn't hear anyone, though, I turned the knob and pushed it open, peering into the room only barely illuminated by the sunlight peeking through the blinds.

  He had the same blue blanket as Sebastian on his bed. Only, instead of being crumpled into a ball, it was neatly made. There was a desk next to his bed as well, this one with a laptop set on it, an empty glass sitting next to it. There was a light musky scent mixed with something minty. In a way, it was like the perfect blend of the previous two rooms.

  I imagined Wes lying on the large bed, his muscular body on display. Did he sleep shirtless like Sebastian? Or maybe he even slept in just his underwear. Or maybe, he didn't wear anything at all.

  Damn it! I cursed silently, shaking my head to get those images out of my mind.

  How was it that I had only just met the guy and he was already occupying my thoughts so much? Christ, I really didn't even know anything about him besides his name. And the fact that he was hot. It wasn't like he was the first hot guy I'd ever met either.

  Though I had to admit, he was probably the hottest.

  A door closing downstairs made me jump. Quickly, I backed out of Wes's room, doing my best to close his door without anyone hearing. I'd just managed to get it shut when a deep voice shouted from downstairs.

  "Bella? You inside?" Lucas called from the foyer.

  "Upstairs!" I responded. "Coming!"

  I practically ran down the two flights of stairs, skidding to a halt right in front of Lucas. He grinned at me and nodded. "Getting a feel for the house?" he asked.

  Heat rose in my cheeks, but I tried my best not to look guilty as I nodded. "The library is really nice," I said, finally.

  "Well, I'm glad you like it. You're welcome to use it anytime. It hasn't seen much activity since my wife and I divorced." He had a sorrowful look in his eyes. Did he miss his ex-wife? From what Sebastian had said last night, it'd sounded like an amicable split. But, maybe not? Still, it didn't seem proper to ask. "Anyway, are you ready to hit the shops and get you some new clothes?"

  Well, I was as ready as I would ever be, I figured. And putting it off wasn't going to make it any easier either. So I nodded, just wanting to get it all over with.

  Chapter 12

  My mouth went dry as I stared at the total in bright green letters. I hadn't thought we'd gotten that much stuff. A few blouses and skirts and stuff that would fit with the school's dress code, a couple of new pairs of jeans, a bathing suit, and a dress Lucas insisted I get.

  And yet, the total was well into the four-figure range. Christ, those few bags of clothes probably cost more than all the clothes I'd owned in my entire life put together. And yet, Lucas didn't even blink before handing the clerk his credit card.

  When he noticed my shocked expression, he laughed. "Oh, don't worry. This is just a drop in the bucket. You should see how much Kathy racks up when I let her go out shopping with her girlfriends. I'm surprised I haven't had to buy a second house just for all of her clothes!"

  I nodded mutely, not sure what to say to that. Money had always been accounted for down to the last penny. I couldn't imagine what it was like, not even caring how much something cost, to be able to buy it just because you wanted it.

  Once we were finished and headed outside, Lucas looked around at the other shops near us. He'd taken me to some kind of outdoor mall, with shops I'd never even heard of before. But he seemed confident, so I'd just followed him and hoped to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

  "Shoes next?" Lucas asked. But before I could even register what he'd said, he was walking down the row of shops again.

  Again, I'd nearly fainted when I saw the total for the shoes. I'd only gotten three pairs - a pair of sneakers, a pair of black flats to go with my uniform, and a pair of black heels that made my ankles hurt just looking at. But once again, Lucas had insisted, and I hadn't wanted to argue with him.

  But Christ, was he really going to keep spending money on me like that? I couldn't imagine how long it would take for me to pay him back for any of this. He hadn't mentioned me paying him back for anything, but I found it hard to believe he was doing all this for me out of the kindness of his heart.

  In my experience, people rarely did anything without expecting something in return.

  I tried not to worry about it right then, though. There would be a time to cross that bridge in the future. And shit, if it meant getting a shot at graduating high school and possibly going to college, it might just be worth being in debt to him until I'm old and gray.

  When we left the store, Lucas looked at me and frowned. Heat rose to my cheeks as I waited, wondering what I might've done to upset him. I hadn't purposely picked expensive shoes or anything. Hell, none of them even had price tags.

  "There's a store down there that sells lingerie," he said at last. "I'm guessing you'll need things like bras and underwear?"

  Now I was definitely blushing. Here I was, standing in public with a guy I barely knew, and he was asking me about my underwear. But, he wasn't exactly wrong. I had a couple of pairs, thanks to Chrissi, but that was it.

  "We can either grab some now, or you and Kathy can come back tomorrow. She's flying home tonight," he added after.

  I stared down the direction he'd motioned toward. Buying underwear with him was not exactly on the top of my list of things to do, but I wasn't sure coming back with his girlfriend, whom I'd also never met before, would be any less awkward. No, it was probably better to just get it over with.

  Besides, it wasn't like I was going to be buying lacy thongs or G-strings or anything. Those things may have looked nice, but damn were they uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Besides, my school uniform involved a skirt. If the boys at this new school were anything like the old one, there was no way I was going to be wearing skimpy underwear with a skirt.

  "Let's just get it over with," I finally said with
a sigh.

  Lucas nodded and led me down the row of shops. We stopped just outside, and he frowned again. Setting down the bags he was carrying, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, retrieving the little black credit card he'd been paying with. "How about I save us both a bit of embarrassment, huh? I'll have Thomas bring the car around and get these loaded while you get what you need. That sound okay?"

  Thomas was the family's personal driver. That was another shock. I'd never even met someone with their own personal driver before, and now I apparently had one?

  "Uh, yeah, sure," I stammered as I stared at the card in my hand. It was heavy like there was a piece of metal or something sandwiched between the plastic. I had no idea what the limit on the card was, but judging by the way Lucas had just swiped it without a second glance at the prices earlier, it was probably pretty damned high.

  Somehow, Lucas managed to take hold of all the bags. Then, he grinned at me before heading back in the direction we'd originally come from.

  Taking a deep breath, I turned and headed into the lingerie store. Immediately, a woman barely older than me rushed over to help me. After telling her what kinds of things I preferred, she guided me around the store, helping me pick out various undergarments. After I'd nearly had a panic attack over some of the more risqué items, causing her to burst into giggles, she managed to find some less revealing ones.

  Something told me not many women came here to shop for regular bras and panties. And while the ones I'd chosen weren't hidden granny panties or anything, they also weren't stripper-wear either.

  I had to close my eyes while the woman rang up each of the items. I really didn't want to know how much it was all going to cost, even if I was putting it on Lucas's credit card. By the time I had everything bagged up, I was so ready to be done with shopping.

  Some girls lived for shopping. I was not one of them. Maybe it was because I'd grown up having to account for every cent we earned. Or maybe it was just because I never really was a girly girl. Being in stores like this, though? It was like being on a completely foreign planet.

  I could only imagine what the employees had all thought when I walked in, wearing jeans with tears in the knees and a loose t-shirt. And my sneakers had certainly seen better days, that was for sure.

  Now I had a whole new shiny wardrobe of clothes. At least I wouldn't look as out of place, though I doubted I'd ever truly feel comfortable in this world. Not like I'd felt back at JP's or at my old school. But since this wasn't Harry Potter and I didn't have a time turner, I just had to make the best of the situation.

  Chapter 13

  "So, do you do any sports?" Lucas asked. Once the shopping was out of the way, he'd insisted on taking me out to a late lunch. At least he'd chosen a fairly casual place, I figured, and not some five-star restaurant where everyone was in suits and dresses.

  I shrugged. I'd actually played soccer when I was little, but once I was too old for the little kid leagues at school, I couldn't afford to keep doing it. Food had been more important than uniforms and athletic gear. But I couldn't exactly tell him that. He'd supposedly been keeping an eye on me, so he probably knew how poor we'd been, but I still didn't feel comfortable talking about that with him. "Not really."

  "Well, Forrest Grove has excellent extracurriculars. I'm sure we can find one that you'll enjoy." The way he said it was like it was a done deal. I'd never done any of those at my old school, and at least I'd gotten along with the kids there. I wasn't sure I wanted to be stuck hanging out with a bunch of spoiled rich kids any more than I had to.

  "Wes, does wrestling?" I asked, hoping to switch the topic away from myself for a bit. I knew Lucas was just trying to be nice to get to know me, but I couldn't help but feel like he was judging me.

  Lucas nodded, smiling broadly. "He's one of the best in his division. So was Chuck, for that matter, which is probably why Wes is so good. Chuck liked to 'practice' with Wes when they were younger." The way he said practice made me giggle. I didn't have any siblings, but I had enough friends who did. No doubt practicing for Chuck meant getting beat up for Wes. Maybe that was why he seemed to have a stick up his ass.

  "What about Sebastian?"

  Lucas's smile dropped a bit as he let out a sigh. "Sebastian is..." He frowned as he mulled over his words. "He's not like his older brothers. He looks up to them, sure, but he's never been athletic like they were. He always seemed to have more fun sitting on the sidelines, cheering them on."

  I smiled. That certainly sounded like Sebastian all right. Something told me his boundless energy made for being a good cheerleader. And maybe that was why we'd gotten along so well so far. Sitting on the sidelines, watching sounded much more my speed.

  Especially if it involved Wes in a skintight singlet, getting all sweaty.

  Damn it, Bella! I silently cursed myself again. Stop thinking about him like that! There's no way he's interested in you. He didn't know anything about you and didn't even seem to care to know anything about you.

  "Your transcripts looked pretty good. Santino was impressed. Have you started thinking about what you want to do after high school?"

  "College," I blurted out without thinking. Then, I stopped and blinked at him. He'd seen my transcripts? Yeah, I guessed that made sense if he'd been able to enroll me in school. If he really was my legal guardian, he'd have been able to get those from Black Hills High.

  And even if he wasn't, he probably had enough money to bribe someone to get them for him anyway.

  "Good!" Lucas grinned again. Clearly, that'd been the answer he'd been hoping for. "Where do you want to do? What do you want to study?"

  "I, uh... I don't know," I said with a shrug. I'd never really planned that far ahead. All I knew was I wanted an education that would let me get a decent enough job to support myself and maybe even a family in the future.

  As much as I appreciated everything my mother had done to raise me, I wanted a better life than that. I didn't want to raise my kids somewhere with gangs on every corner. I didn't want to wonder how I was going to put food on the table each week. I didn't need to be a bajillionaire like the Cabots were, but I wanted enough to be stable.

  "Well, what do you enjoy doing? Do you like computers? Science? You were interested in the library early, so maybe an academic career? Or law?" Lucas threw out suggestions, and I just let them wash over me. Any of them sounded decent if I was being honest, but none screamed out to be my true calling or anything. "Well, there's still time to decide. Forrest Grove has an amazing guidance counselor who can help you figure that out, too. Or you can always go to school for a couple of years under gen ed and figure out a degree after you've gotten your core classes out of the way."

  This all seemed like so much to take in at once. I was still coming to grips with not living in the ghetto and going to a mediocre-at-best school. It was going to take me time to just adjust to going to a private school. Even though I'd be expected to start college next year, it still seemed so far away.

  "What else would you like to do today?" Lucas asked while we ate our food. He'd already devoured half of his steak, and I couldn't help but remember what he'd said about getting between the boys and their food. He must've been including himself in that statement!

  "Uhh...." I stammered, my brain shutting down. I honestly had no idea what else there even was to do. Normally I'd be spending the night studying. Either that or I'd hang out with JP or one of the other guys at school if Greg was being too much of a bastard.

  Lucas laughed and smiled at me. "Okay, I guess that was a silly question. How about we order some pizza and chill by the pool tonight? No sense in rushing you all around town, trying to take everything in at once. There'll be plenty of time for that later."

  "Yeah, okay. Sure." I nodded; my heart rate slowing. I'd never really been one to get overwhelmed before, but since Lucas had shown up and pulled me into this fairytale, it seemed like everything was happening all at once. It was hard to believe, a week ago, I'd been sitt
ing at home, waiting for Mom to get done work.

  Now I'd never get to see her again.

  "What happened to my mom's body?" I blurted out, unable to hold myself back. I couldn't just pretend none of that had happened, no matter how badly I wanted to. I had to know, even if it meant facing the consequences. Mom hadn't taught me to run from my problems, after all.

  Lucas's eyes went wide. He set down the knife and fork he'd been holding, then let out a sigh. "The police still have it. I believe the autopsy is finished now, so they should be releasing it soon. Then, we can plan some kind of funeral for her."

  I nodded, brushing away a tear that threatened to fall. Mom and I had never talked about what kind of funeral she'd wanted, so I had no idea where to even go with that. But at least that was progress, right?

  "What about Greg?" I asked as my mouth went dry. I'd killed him, at least I was pretty sure I had. Would I go to jail for that? It was hard to think about college with that looming over my head. At the very least, there'd have to be a trial, wouldn't there?

  Lucas frowned. He looked around the restaurant, but there wasn't anyone else near us right then. When he locked eyes with me again, there was no more joy or excitement in that gaze. He was deadly serious. "The police got a call from your neighbor. They heard you screaming for help. Then, your Mom came home and they heard gunshots, followed by you running out of the house, with no shoes and no pants."

  My heart leaped into my throat. People had seen that? But of course, they had. Violence in Compton wasn't out of the ordinary. If anything, someone calling the cops right away was the strangest part of that scenario. But even when people weren't eager to get involved, they were still nosey and liked to keep an eye on things, especially if it was something that might warrant retribution.

  "Police did testing on Greg and found residue from firing the gun. The police's theory is he attacked you, your mother intervened, and he killed her. Then, you somehow got the gun away from him and defended yourself." Lucas's eyes never left mine as he spoke. His voice was calm and quiet. No one more than a couple of feet away would've been able to hear what he said. "That sound about right?"