Hood River Zero (Hood River Hoodlums Book 4)

by K. Webster

  “Bye, Smash.” She bounds off, headed for my cousin. “Roll your tongue back up.”

  “They just keep adding up, baby,” I taunt.

  “Didn’t know you could count that high with that head injury,” she calls out.

  “Stop talking, woman.”

  “That’s my line,” she sasses, looking over her shoulder with a smirk.

  “And you’re mine. That means I get your lines too.”

  Tierra gives me an arched eyebrow, but I shrug. It’s about damn time everyone learns Penny and I are going to happen. It’s only a matter of time.

  “Zip your lips, cuz,” I bark out. “I’m not looking to get my ass beat by Hood River’s rat.”

  Okay, so not everyone should learn about me and Penny. Least not yet. Especially not her brother who I can guaran-fucking-tee bench presses more than me these days.

  “No promises!”

  I flip her off as they head inside.

  Fuck. Now it’s time to deal with Grandma.

  It’s getting dark as I load the rest of the boxes into the back of Cal’s truck. Tierra wasn’t shitting me. Grandma turned my room into a goddamn old lady yoga room. Painted it teal, too. I didn’t realize I had so much shit. Most of it went to the curb, but I got the rest of my clothes and shoes. She wouldn’t let me throw the giant tub of mail away. Most of it looks like credit card applications. Grandma took the time to write “Don’t make bad decisions, Terry” on every one of those. I saw a few that were from the hospital. She wrote “Make sure you set up payment plans on these.” It’s hard to feel like a grown-ass man, even when you’re officially moving out, when your grandma still treats you like you’re thirteen.

  By the time I make it back inside, Grandma has turned on her program on television. I stride down the hallway on a mission to see Penny one last time before she leaves for their dumbass party.

  I wish she’d come hang out with me instead.

  The door to Tierra’s room is closed, so I rap on it. As much as I’d love to see Penny in various states of undress, I would go blind if I accidentally saw my cousin.

  “Come in,” Tierra sings.

  I twist the knob and push inside. At first, I shake my head at the hoochie outfit Tierra is wearing. She’s going to have to crawl out of the window to get past Grandma looking like a two-dollar hooker. I cringe to think what sort of fuckers will be all over her tonight in her skintight bubblegum pink dress.

  I tear my gaze from my cousin, hunting down Penny. She steps out of the bathroom and I do a double take.

  Not my girl.

  No fucking way.

  “Penny,” I growl, my hands fisting. “What the fuck?”

  She rolls her eyes in that exaggerated way that normally looks cute as hell but tonight looks sexy because her lashes are thick with mascara and her eyes are lined dark with eyeliner. “It’s a dress, Smash. I wear them when forced to.”

  Tierra cackles. “I did have to force her ass into it!”

  Not laughing, cuz.

  Penny looks too goddamn good to be wearing what she’s wearing. For fuck’s sake, the material is pretty much nonexistent. Her dress is black, tight, short, and strapless.

  No. No. No. And hell no.

  She’s also wearing the same little black boots she had on when I kissed her on New Year’s Eve. Her hair has been straightened to a flat, perfect curtain of blond silk.

  Those lips…

  Fuck me.

  Matte red. Luscious as hell.

  “Penny.” I bark out her name again, gruffer this time. “You can’t leave.”

  Her brow arches and she gives me her signature Penny bitch smirk. It makes her a thousand times hotter, too. “You’re not my keeper.”

  If I were, I’d lock her up in my room and throw away the key.

  “Everyone, and I do mean everyone, will hit on you tonight,” I grind out. “Stay home. Stay with me. Hell, let me take you to dinner. Just don’t go.”

  “Wow, T,” Tierra sasses. “You kiss her once in the front yard and your ass is like obsessed with her.”

  I’m not amused.

  I also note Penny didn’t tell her about our real first kiss.

  My girl likes her secrets.

  “She’s mine,” I rumble, stalking right up to my scowling beauty.

  “She’s going with me,” Tierra states. “Whether you like it or not. So give her a kiss goodbye and let us get on our way. I’ll be in the bathroom touching up my lipstick.”

  As soon as she leaves, I run my fingers through Penny’s silky hair. I want to rip this goddamn dress off her, spread her legs, and give her so many orgasms with my tongue she’ll forget she even got invited to a party.

  “You look hungry,” Penny says, eyes flashing.

  “Just thinking about how many orgasms I’m going to give you.”

  “Maybe I don’t want any orgasms.”

  It’s Penny, so of course this girl is dead-ass serious.

  “You want them,” I rumble, twisting my finger around a strand of her hair. “And, baby, I am going to selflessly give them to you. As many as you want, English. I’ll fucking spoil you with my tongue.”

  Her lip curls up as though she’s disgusted. “Ew.”

  I lick my lips. The way her blue eyes track my tongue, it tells me she’s anything but grossed out. Curiosity shines in her stare.

  “Come by after the party and I’ll show you just how nasty I can be.” I lean forward and nip her sexy red lip. “I will blow your fucking mind, baby.”

  She bats her lashes, pink creeping over her cheeks. “Stop talking.”

  I press a kiss to her pretty mouth. “For now.”

  “Bye, Smash. See you…later.” She smirks before walking away.

  My eyes follow after her, drinking in the way the dress hugs her juicy ass. “Sounds like a promise. I’ll be waiting.”

  She flips me off with both fingers.

  Goddamn, she’s hot.

  I leave Grandma’s so I don’t do something stupid like toss Penny English over my shoulder and kidnap her gorgeous ass.

  By the time I reach the cabin, my boner has finally subsided. It disappears completely when Loden sneaks up behind me, smacking my ass.

  “Missed you, Chocolate Crunch.”

  “Fuck off, Lo,” I mutter, throwing a playful punch at his arm. “You’re just pissed you can’t have this.” I make a show of grabbing my nuts.

  He laughs. “I have you all the time in my dreams. You suck dick like a champ.”

  That motherfucker’s lucky I can only limp after his ass. As soon as I reach him, he’s in the kitchen, hiding behind Charlotte as she cooks up something that smells divine.

  “Pussy,” I grumble.

  “Come on,” Cal says. “Let’s make a beer run. Hoodlums are on their way over.”

  Just fucking peachy.

  I’ll have to try and hide my boner anytime I remember Penny in her hot as fuck dress while Hollis shoots daggers at me. There’s no way I can disguise my “I’m gonna fuck your sister one day” expression. No way.

  Sorry, Hollis, but it looks like I’m going to take a big brother ass whoopin’ in the near future.

  Penny’s worth a little pain.

  Penny

  Too many people.

  Too damn loud.

  I want to go home. Not home. To Terrence. My blood still buzzes from his touch. His lips. His tongue. He’s driving me to madness, but I don’t care this time. This madness feels comfortable. It feels beyond anything I have ever felt. I love it.

  I consider digging my phone out of Tierra’s purse and texting him just to pass the time, but decide against it. Tierra is drinking and someone has to look after her. When she’s done dancing her ass off, I’ll force her into the Jeep so we can leave. I can’t handle all these assholes at school. Being forced to socialize outside of school feels like some fucked up level of hell.

  Glancing at the clock, I realize it’s not even eleven yet. There’s no way I’m getting this girl out of h
ere before midnight. I scan my gaze over to her, easily finding her in the crowd. She’s dancing with an older guy. He’s probably in college. It makes me wonder if he knows Terrence.

  “Oh, look,” a familiar voice sneers. “She thought if she put on a dress, we’d all think she was suddenly pretty.”

  Several girls laugh.

  I turn my head to discover Heidi—head bitch cheerleader—glaring at me. She’s wearing something that barely covers her tits.

  “Hey, Heidi Ho.” I wiggle my fingers at her and give her my bitchiest smile. “Did they have a sale on stripper dresses or did you get that scrap of spandex from your mommy’s closet?”

  “You are such a cunt,” Heidi snarls. “A weird, ugly cunt.”

  “At least I’m not a skanky cunt,” I throw back. “Do you dance for all your mommy’s boyfriends? I bet you shake your cheerleader ass just hoping those old dudes put a dollar or two in your panties. Pathetic.”

  She storms up to me, but I don’t back down. We’re even in height, but I know for a fact I could take this bitch down.

  “Watch yourself, Penny,” she warns. “Or else.”

  “I’m so scared,” I deadpan. “Don’t you have dicks to suck or something? I’m tired of looking at you, Hilary.”

  “Heidi,” she snaps.

  “Sorry, you’re not that memorable.”

  “Let’s go,” Heidi growls, grabbing her friend’s arm. I glance over, disgusted to see Liv smirking at me.

  I hate Heidi and Liv both.

  They both storm off, disappearing into the sea of bodies. I check on Tierra and then slip into the restroom to take a breather. I’d like to hide out in here forever, but after twenty minutes or so, someone bangs on the door.

  The sound gets under my skin, so I fling open the door and flee.

  “There you are!” Tierra says, approaching me with two drinks. “Lighten up and have some fun. You’re always so unhappy, Pen.”

  I wasn’t unhappy when your cousin kissed me…

  “I don’t want to drink,” I grumble.

  She gives me her pouty face that works all too well on me. I sigh and accept the red plastic cup. One sip feels like I’ve lit my esophagus on fire.

  “Gross,” I hiss. “This is nasty.”

  “But it makes you feel good,” she says, laughing. “Look at me. I’m on my third one. Catch up!”

  I roll my eyes and swallow down a little more. It goes down much easier this time.

  “Heidi Ho is on a rampage,” she reveals. “I heard her bitching to Paxton.” She lifts a black brow at me. “What did you do?”

  Shrugging, I avoid her gaze. “Nothing.”

  “That means you totally ripped her a new asshole.” She cackles. “I knew it. Serves that bitch right, too. Hateful ass.”

  “I don’t know what her problem is with me.” I scowl as I drink down more of my liquid nastiness.

  “She feels inferior to the great Penny English.”

  “Right. She literally has everything she wants and I’m no threat at taking anything away from her. I don’t know why she’s always being such a bitch.”

  “Puhlease,” she says, laughing. “Heidi Ho is like a B-rated version of the English girls. You and Charlotte are super-hot. She’s plastic and fake. You and Char make being beautiful look easy.”

  Charlotte, yes.

  Me, not so much.

  Though, the way Terrence looked at me earlier, I felt pretty damn special.

  I gulp down more of my drink, already feeling the effects. Whatever alcohol they put in this sad excuse for punch is the equivalent of kerosene.

  “Want to go somewhere and chill?” The same dude Tierra was dancing with earlier throws an arm over her shoulder.

  “Not without my girl, Carson,” Tierra says, reaching for my hand.

  “We can all party together,” he assures her, winking at me.

  I press my lips together to keep from suggesting we go home. Instead, I follow Carson and Tierra through the house. I’m pretty sure this house belongs to one of the jock baseball players named Aaron, though I haven’t seen him all night.

  Carson guides us upstairs to a media room where people are all lounging around. The lights are dim and the place reeks of pot. Carson finds an empty recliner, pulling Tierra into his lap. She giggles, nearly spills her drink all over her purse, and then completely forgets I’m here as they start to make out.

  Wonderful.

  With an annoyed sigh, I make my way over to a dark corner and sit on the floor. I finish my drink and then set it down. At least up here, it’s a little quieter aside from the movie that’s playing.

  I didn’t realize how tired I was.

  My eyes keep fluttering as my thoughts drift back to Terrence.

  His kiss. His tongue. His lips.

  Warmth floods through my veins, relaxing me completely. I wish he were here with me.

  Familiar voices near me, but I’m too sleepy to pay attention. My head lolls to the side. It’s heavy. Too heavy. I should rest it. Curling up on my side, I give in to the fatigue.

  I’m flying.

  Dark.

  I’m laughing.

  Dark.

  I’m too hot.

  Dark.

  I’m whimpering.

  Dark.

  My head throbs and throbs and throbs. I need to wake up. Why do I feel like my head is going to explode? A shiver ripples through me. I force my eyes open.

  The ceiling fan above me spins and spins, making me dizzy. Turning my head feels impossible, but I manage to turn it to the side. Trophies line shelves. Baseball trophies. A signed baseball bat is hung on the wall. The bed smells like a guy’s cologne mixed with the smell of permanent marker.

  Wait.

  Something’s not right.

  Snap out of it, Penny.

  My movements are slow and sluggish. It’s then I realize my dress is undone, my breasts exposed. Panic creeps up my throat. Someone has written all over my breasts and thighs.

  What’s happening?

  Is this a dream?

  No.

  Voices nearby have me sitting up. Slowly as I try to keep the room from spinning. Fuck. My panties are gone. Nothing hurts inside of me, but it doesn’t give me peace of mind.

  Tierra.

  Oh, God.

  I need to find her.

  My shoes are gone, my bra is missing. With shaky fingers, I try to right my dress. It takes me six times before I can get it zipped up.

  “It’s just coke,” a guy says from inside the bathroom, his voice sending bells of alarm ringing through me. “You snort it, dumbass, not look at it.”

  “Coach Campbell will kick me off the team if I have drugs in my system.”

  “Pussy,” another guy says.

  “Easy for you, Paxton. Football season is over. I still have to play baseball.”

  “Aaron can watch then, Eli. But if he’s not going to get fucked up with us, he doesn’t get to put his dick inside the bitch.”

  Wherever there’s Eli, Grayson’s not too far away.

  Panic sends adrenaline shooting through my veins as the guys continue to argue. My body is shaking and I can’t seem to get my legs to cooperate. I keep trying to stand, but my body doesn’t feel like my own.

  Breathe, Penny.

  You can do this.

  I rise to my feet, holding on to the bed to keep from falling. Like a deer on a pond of ice, I awkwardly make my way across the room. I’m almost to the door when I hear the bathroom door open.

  “She woke up,” Paxton barks. “Grab her!”

  On instinct, I grab the baseball bat off the wall and swivel around ready to face my attacker. My heart is hammering inside my chest as Eli prowls my way, his body thrumming with the drugs he no doubt snorted into his system.

  “Put the bat down,” he growls.

  “N-No!” I yell. “Tierra!”

  He steps forward and I raise the bat higher.

  “Penny,” Aaron whines. “Please put that back. It�
�s valuable. That’s a signed bat by—”

  His words are cut off when Eli launches at me. I don’t think, I just swing. The bat nails Eli in the side of the head, sending him crashing into Aaron’s desk, knocking a computer monitor off along the way.

  He groans from the floor.

  “What the fuck did you do?” Paxton bellows. “You hit him in the goddamn head!”

  “Y-You touched me!” I screech. “Stay back!”

  “I didn’t touch you,” Aaron says, a terrified expression on his face. “I just watched.”

  “Such a fucking pussy,” Paxton snaps, shoving Aaron. “This was your idea!”

  “To party and get laid, not this!” Aaron argues.

  Eli rises to his feet, blood running down the side of his face. “You bitch.”

  I back up toward the bedroom door that’s closed. The idea of turning my back on them terrifies the crap out of me, but I’ll have to do it.

  “Where’s my underwear?” I demand.

  Eli pulls my black panties from his pocket. “These? I’m keeping them. Something to remind me that I was the one to take your fucking virginity.”

  “Your sister may be a whore,” Paxton sneers, “but everyone knows you’re just a virgin bitch who probably licks pussy instead.”

  Eli charges me again, but I’m ready. I swing hard, landing another blow to the side of his head. He hits the floor with a loud thud.

  “Fuck, Penny!” Aaron cries out. “He’s getting blood on my carpet! Dad is going to kill me!”

  “He should kill you for drugging and trying to rape a girl!” I yell back.

  “Technically Heidi is the one who drugged you,” Paxton says, laughing. “Tierra was too busy with her tongue down Carson’s throat to realize who brought her the drinks.”

  Oh my God.

  “Aaron,” I yell. “Get over here. Now.”

  His eyes widen and he darts his gaze over to Paxton, who is still glowering at me. Luckily, Eli is still on the floor.

  “Now, Aaron, or so help me I will smash your face in!”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Paxton says, briefly looking at Aaron. “She can’t go anywhere—”

  While they’re distracted, I bolt. I fling open the door and tear off down the hall, hating that I’m blindly running and have no idea where I’m going. Heavy footsteps thud behind me. I fling myself into the media room, thankful it’s full of people.