Knox appears behind Teague and I’m relieved that he isn't mad, because despite what Landon and Teague said about him, I can't help but feel drawn to him.
He’s sexy and interesting and his honesty is refreshing: I prefer to get no promises but to be told where I stand and what I can expect from a relationship, rather than being lied to just to get in my pants.
I take the hand that Knox is offering and we walk back towards the party, followed by the other two guys.
4.
Team Roster
Knox
I’VE SEEN THE WAY LANDON and Teague have been following Aubrey everywhere.
I know they have their eyes on her but if they wanted her, they should've asked her out first.
Going after her when she's here as my date is fucking uncool.
I don't wanna fight with them but at the same time, I want to give them the message loud and clear: back the fuck off.
If you wanna date Aubrey, you need to ask her and it's up to her to decide who she wants.
And while I’m not surprised that Landon looks at her as if she were the only girl on the planet, I didn't think that Teague would go for someone like Aubrey.
Teague has that cool guy vibe and I’d see him better with someone like Margaux.
Someone into popularity and status.
I’ve been dating girls like my sister my entire school career and I think that's why I never found anyone that would hold my interest for longer than a week or two.
Girls at BHPA wanna be seen with the best prospect, the most popular, the richest boyfriend.
And while I might be all that on paper, I hate to be forced into a fucking stereotype and I don't give a damn about which designer bag is the ‘it’ item this season.
And certainly, I hate the way the girls backstab each other constantly.
Aubrey seems uninterested in all that shit, I see it in the openness of her smile and in the way she says what's on her mind.
Whether that's something kind without having an agenda or a heartfelt ‘fuck me’ at a hot guy.
And talking about that, I’ve seen the way my rival for the QB1 spot is looking at her.
Devon has been pretending not to even look at her but I’ve seen his gaze constantly on her, whenever Aubrey wasn't looking.
And the fact that he went to seek her out when she walked away from my heated discussion with Landon, only confirms my hunch.
That's annoying for more than one reason: first of all, I hate to have another rival for Aubrey's attention and secondly, I’ve seen the way my sister’s been looking at the new quarterback.
And Margaux doesn't take rejection graciously.
Actually Margaux simply doesn't take rejection: she’d make them both pay one way or the other.
Think about that Prom scene in ‘Carrie’, with the pig blood.
You got the idea.
When we get back to the pool area, people are playing spin the bottle and my sister is sitting between Rachel and Macy but I notice immediately that she isn't interested in the game.
Her eyes land on Devon with an intensity that doesn't bode well for our team’s new QB.
We don't see Landon and when I ask the spin the bottle group, they tell me that he's gone home.
“Aubrey, do you wanna play spin the bottle, or ...?”
She shakes her head.
“No, not really.”
Her gaze lands briefly on Teague and Devon as if she were considering changing her answer, and she wanted to play spin the bottle if they were in the game.
But then she asks me if I wouldn't mind taking her home.
I agree and think that it's the best option: I don't think I wanna watch her make out with any of my teammates if we play spin the bottle and I don't mind having more one on one time with her.
I help her back into my car and I drive off into the warm end of summer night.
We don't talk for a while: I’m thinking of a good way to ask her out again.
No parties this time though, I had way more fun when it was just me and her.
She's the first one to talk.
“Knox, I’m sorry about Landon. He kissed me but I didn't exactly push him away.”
“Do you like him?”
I ask without looking at her.
“I don't know him that well. I don't ‘not like him’, if that makes sense.”
“Do you like me?”
I guess it's good to rip this Band-Aid off straight away.
“I do.”
She says it quietly but I can't help a smile from forming on my lips when I hear exactly what I was hoping.
“Would you go out with me again?”
“I—”
“I’m just asking you to go out with me, Aubrey. Nothing more, nothing less. Do I want you to go out with Landon or Teague? Absolutely not, but as I was saying earlier, dating is about getting to know someone. So if you wanna get to know those two assholes, all I ask is that you do it in the open. You wouldn't be doing anything wrong. Not at this stage.”
She nods.
“I’d love to go out with you again, Knox. I’ve had fun tonight. And dinner was delicious.”
“So, Friday night there's the first game of the season. How about I call you after and we can do something Saturday or Sunday?”
She says yes and I can't fight the smile I feel forming on my face.
I don't think I’ve smiled this way in a long time.
I park in her driveway and rush out of the car to open the door for her and take her hand to walk her to her front door.
I don't let go of her hand until she's standing on the threshold of her front door.
She unlocks the door and then turns to face me.
“Goodnight, Knox.”
The outdoor lights of her front porch make her dark brown hair look shiny and so silky that I can't resist touching one long strand and tucking it behind her ear.
She lifts her gaze to meet mine and her eyes are so blue that for a second I can't even remember what I was gonna do.
But then my eyes descend on her pink, full lips and I risk everything with a kiss that could be unwanted after the events of the party.
I brush my lips onto hers as softly as I can muster, giving her the chance to reject me if she doesn't want this.
I know she let Landon kiss her but I also know what people say about me at school, so I want her to feel free to stop me if she thinks that I’m only doing this because I’ve taken out every other pretty girl at BHPA.
But Aubrey doesn't move, so I dare more and press my lips harder on hers.
She tilts her head to the side, to offer me better access and this is when I tease her lips with my tongue, sure that she wants to kiss me too.
Her lips are the softest I’ve ever kissed and she tastes like a mint popsicle, fresh and sweet.
We kiss slowly and purposefully, tasting each other and exploring.
Our chests are touching and she's so soft against me that I cup her face with my hands, to make sure that I don't do anything stupid, that my hands don't start wandering where they might be unwelcome.
I can't read her completely: she's an amazing kisser but at the same time, I have the feeling that she isn't as experienced as most of the girls I’ve been hanging out with.
So I want her to know that she can set the pace we go at.
Our kiss has become deeper and I feel my body beginning to react to it, so I reluctantly try to move away and this is when she nips at my bottom lip with her teeth.
She does it softly and teasingly and it feels so good that my body lets me know that I want a lot more than this.
My hands leave her face to settle on her waist, touching her gently as if she could break if I weren't careful.
“Goodnight, Aubrey.”
She smiles.
“Goodnight.”
I don't walk back to my car until I see a light being switched on upstairs and I know that she's safe in her room.
Aubrey
; HE RUNS A FINGER FROM the sensitive spot behind my ear all the way down the column of my neck, leaving a trail of electric tingles on my skin.
When his finger reaches the soft skin of my chest, I gasp in anticipation, craving his touch and arching my back to encourage him to get to where I wanna feel his fingers.
My nipples are hard, waiting for his attention but he stops just inches away from them and I open my eyes to look at him.
“Teague, please ...”
His blue eyes are intense, fixed onto mine and his lips quirk up in a knowing smile.
“What do you want, princess? Tell me and it's yours.”
“I want—”
A blaring sound makes Teague disappear and I wake up alone in my bed.
I fucking hate waking up to an alarm.
The bedsheets are tangled around my legs and I feel a throbbing pain between my thighs where I know I’m wet.
It isn't an unpleasant feeling, I think as I rub my legs together, clenching around air in a fruitless bid to ease the needy ache I feel.
It was just a dream.
I close my eyes again, willing the image of Teague's blue eyes to come back but I’m completely awake and the dream has dissipated, probably back to where it came from.
I shower and put on my uniform, ready for a new week of school.
I take my time getting dressed, still unable to forget about that dream.
Teague is in my thoughts and I’m excited and a bit anxious at the idea of seeing him.
During the weekend, he texted me twice to ask me if I was all right and Knox called me yesterday to ask me to go out with him on Saturday.
I loved the fact that he called rather than texting or even video chatting, it felt really old fashioned in a way, like he was really trying to take his time getting to know me.
And of course there's that kiss we shared on Friday night, when he took me home.
It was ... exciting.
It tasted of promises and desires.
The promise of a good time, of those sexy grey eyes being on me.
This is one of the things I really like about Knox: he makes me feel special.
Obviously he must really know what he's doing since I’ve heard the rumours about him at school, that he’s slept with every pretty girl in our class.
I’m not surprised because Knox is sexy and has that bad boy vibe going on but then once you actually talk to him, he’s really charming and easy to talk to, without losing any of his sex appeal.
His silences, his heated gazes carry the promise of a lot more than just a fun date.
But I need to be careful and guard my heart, Devon has already broken it and I don't think I wanna experience that again.
However, if I go into this knowing that Knox might lose interest once he's gotten to ‘know me’, then I should be ok.
I Skyped with Abi last night and told her about my first week at school: I didn't leave anything out.
Abi: sis, you need to be careful. I hate to say I told you so about Devon, but ...
Aubrey: but you told me so. I know. And I wish I’d listened. Do you think you could put Chaz or Pryce on? They must've met Knox, Landon and Teague.
Abi: I can ask them. I don't know them that well, but for what I remember, Landon's really sweet. Knox and Teague...
Aubrey: yeah?
Abi: you know better than me that people's reputations aren't always completely true or deserved. But I heard last year that they were competing for girls. Like, who fucked more girls and who slept with someone first.
Aubrey: I don't know if that's true. Teague has been really nice to me but he’s very closed off. He hinted that he wanted to ask me to last weekend’s party but Knox asked me first. And he texted me since but he didn't ask me out. While Knox ... he’s been quite honest about his past and what he's offering right now. He said that he wants to get to know me.
Abi: whatever you do, Aubrey, be safe and don't let them hurt you like you did with Devon.
Aubrey: I know. I hate myself for still caring about him. Every time he’s in a room, whether he looks at me or not ...
Abi: but it's understandable. He was your first after all. He’s bound to have a special place in your heart, regardless of being a selfish asshole.
Aubrey: thank you for understanding how I feel and for not judging. And in a way, I think I wanna wipe that bad memory away. Is it fucked up? It's both because my first time was super painful and it didn't feel at all like I expected, and because of how he ignored me afterwards.
Abi: no, it actually makes perfect sense that you wanna replace a bad memory with a good one. And I’m not saying that if you hook up with one of them, you need to be in love, sweetie. But make sure that it's on your own terms, not theirs.
Reece: who’s hooking up? And what the fuck are you telling your sister that she doesn't need to be in love? If any of those motherfuckers at school only look at you wrong, Aubrey, I swear to God, I’ll get over there and kick their asses!
Abi: really? Reece, I appreciate how much you wanna protect Aubrey but were you really in love with every girl you’ve ever slept with?
Reece: no. But then, when I made love to you, I saw the error of my ways, baby. Aubrey, I’m not trying to have a double standard here but trust me, sex with someone you love is the best thing ever. And if any of those clowns doesn't treat you like the princess you are, I—
Abi rolls her eyes and pushes Reece out of the room and when she returns to the screen, she sighs.
Abi: I’m sorry, he's always so intense. But he loves you like a sister.
Aubrey: I know and I love him too. But this is why I wanted to ask Chaz or Pryce. Reece and Max are so ...
Abi: I know. But they mean well Aubrey. I haven't told them what happened with Devon or they’d drive down and wait for him outside of school. And don't think that Chaz and Pryce would be that different.
Abi has to go to class too, so we say goodbye and speaking to her made me feel better.
I regret sleeping with Devon: not because of how I felt about him at the time but both for how my first time wasn't at all how I’d been dreaming about and because of his behaviour straight after.
But if Abi understands how I feel, then there's a chance that this mess with Devon isn't my fault.
That it wasn't my lack of experience that turned him off from me.
Now, I'm not trying to make him jealous, I’m not looking for revenge or retribution for how he treated me but ...
The truth is that I’ve never had an orgasm.
Before Devon, I’d never let any boy go further than second base and I’ve never tried by myself.
I know it sounds creepy but my daddy owns this huge security company and every house we’ve ever lived in, has always had lots of cameras and sensors and all sorts of hidden security features.
And call me paranoid, but I’ve always been worried about him somehow finding out.
And before Devon, I’ve never really liked a boy enough to let him go further than a few kisses.
But now the situation has changed: I live in a house with no cameras
and I have total privacy.
However, why should I to try to do by myself something that I could have a super hot guy show me?
And yes, ok, maybe it's a little bit of retribution for Devon too.
I’m fucking human after all!
AS SOON AS I GET TO school and park Chaz's jeep in the students’ parking lot, I’m approached by Macy, one of the other cheerleaders.
“So, did you hear?”
“What?”
“The rally girl pairings are coming out any second now! Let's go!”
She grabs my hand and drags me inside the school hallway.
“Who do you want?”
She asks beside herself with excitement.
“Uhm, I don’t know ...”
She stops and looks at the cork board right outside Mrs Stubbs’ office and literally elbows her way to the front.
“Aww, man! I�
�ve got Landon!”
“Why are you so disappointed? Landon's lovely ...”
She huffs, scrunching her nose up in a cute but slightly bratty way.
“Because he obviously likes you, duh!”
I don't understand.
“I ... regardless of who he likes, you're his rally girl, all you have to do is cheer him on, not marry him!”
“I know. But a lot of rally girls get really close to their football player and end up dating.”
Her objection makes no sense and I tell her as nicely as possible.
“Not always. Like, last year—”
“Last year there was one girl who wasn't satisfied with being QB1’s rally girl, she also fucked half the fucking football team! She was such a skitch (skunk + bitch)!”
Judging by her conspiratorial expression, she's got no idea that she’s talking about my sister, so I set her straight as gently as possible.
“It wasn't half the football team. And my sister Abi’s still dating all four guys. I’m actually staying at Chaz's house.”
She blushes, aware of her total faux pas.
“Oh, shit! I’m sorry, Aubrey. I just got into the cheer squad this year too, I didn't really know your sister. I only know though that all the other cheerleaders weren't happy with the situation.”
I make a non-committal noise, trying to make my way to the front to see who my football player is.
The list with the pairings is hanging next to the team roster.
I notice immediately that Devon is QB1, which means that Knox won't be the team's starting quarterback.
And Devon’s rally girl is Margaux.
Knox has got Rachel, while I'm Teague's rally girl.
I admit that I’d have been happy with Landon, Knox or Teague but after last night’s dream ...
Only the thought makes my heart pick up its pace and I feel myself blushing as I take a step back to allow other people to see the lists.
The space is so crowded though, that I have to take a further step back and I trip on someone’s foot.
It’s so unexpected that I begin falling backwards and I’m unable to stop, until I land in someone's arms.
The Retribution: A High School Light Bully Romance (Beverly Hills Prep Academy Book 3) Page 5
