by Bella King
“What the fuck? How am I supposed to pay for school?” I asked, throwing my hands up in frustration.
He shrugged. “That private school you go to? I think you’d be better off quitting that place and switching back to public school. You’re not one of those rich kids anymore.”
I sighed. He didn’t get it. Nobody in this fucking town got it. They didn’t understand that the only way out of poverty was through more prestigious schooling. You couldn’t get into a nice university if you graduated from some shithole public school out here. I doubted my uncle had even finished high school. He had been breaking his back at this repair shop his entire adult life, and only now did it seem to pay off. That was mostly luck.
I snatched the fresh cigarette out of my uncle’s hand, holding it hostage. “Who bought out the street?” I demanded.
“Someone fancy guy by the name of Porter,” my uncle answered, leaning forward and trying to snatch the cigarette back from me.
I let him have it.
Porter. Where had I heard that name before? Scarlet Verity Porter, that’s where. If my gut was telling me the truth, that meant that Scarlet’s father was at it again, tearing through small businesses and putting them all out of business. He probably wanted to transform the poor parts of town into places for rich people. I was sure he would get to the trailer park eventually and chase everyone out of that place.
I cursed under my breath and charged back to my car. I was in trouble now that I didn’t have a job, and Scarlet’s father was likely behind this little stunt as well. How much damage could one rich man do to my life? Hadn’t he already done enough?
I needed to find Scarlet and talk to her. This had to stop. Maybe I could convince her to control her father, to make sure he didn’t do too much damage. I couldn’t handle having to move out of the trailer park or being driven out of town by the inflated prices that gentrification would bring.
I jumped into my car and started it, thinking that I had nothing left to lose now. I couldn’t go back home with no money. I wouldn’t be able to pay for schooling and I would have to drop out. My uncle clearly didn’t care about my predicament now that he could retire, and Scarlet was an airheaded slut who would never understand my life.
I yelled inside my car, banging the steering wheel so hard that it rattled. I was pissed, but I knew that I needed to come up with a plan quickly so that my mother and I wouldn’t be on the streets. Things had gotten real, and in a single day, I went from doing well, to teetering on the edge of losing it all.
It was then that an idea popped into my head. It was devious, two-faced, and destructive, but it would do the two things I wanted more than anything in the world. First, it would give me revenge, and second, it would solve my mother and I’s financial problems.
The more I thought about it, the better it seemed. This evening at the creek, the plan would start to go into effect, but it would take a while for me to get what I wanted. I would need to be careful and patient for this to work.
Chapter 13
Scarlet
Maddie didn’t seem too mad at me now that Jonathan was distracting her. She didn’t even seem to notice me as we all sat by the creek, dipping our toes in the water and sipping on fruity drinks as pop music played over the large speaker someone had brought down.
It was Saturday evening, and the sun was just beginning to dip below the trees. I wouldn’t be out too much later because I was afraid of the dark, but I estimated that I had about an hour before I needed to head back to my car situated about a half a mile through the woods in an old parking lot.
I had hoped that Dylan would show up, but I was also a little relieved that he didn’t. I felt so stressed out about him, and the mystery that he brought with him. It wasn’t that I thought he was a terrible guy, but he had a lot of issues that he needed to work on. It would have been nice to see him relaxing by the creek with everyone else, but I guess he didn’t need to be here. I could have fun without him.
I had painted my toenails black, and they seemed to disappear when I stuck my toes into the water. All I could see was the pale skin glowing around them in the murky water. I was so fixated on the water and how my feet looked in it that I didn’t notice someone come up from behind me until they spoke.
“Hey,” a deep voice said from behind me.
I snapped my head around and jumped. It was Dylan.
“Hey Dylan, I wasn’t expecting you here today,” I said, leaning with my hand on a rock and looking up at him.
He sat down beside me, pulling his heavy work boots off and placing them down beside himself. “I didn’t think I would be here either, but work was pretty short today,” he said.
“Oh, that good,” I said, nodding.
“It is,” he said, smiling pleasantly. There seemed to be an edge of something strange in his smile, but I brushed it off. He was a strange guy, after all.
Dylan scooted a little closer once he had his shoes off, taking a deep breath before speaking. “Listen, I want to apologize for my behavior earlier. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I was totally wrong about you.”
I blinked my eyes a few times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating this. What on earth had managed to change his mind so quickly? It wasn’t that I didn’t like it, but that I was completely confused as to why he had made this turnaround.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, reaching a hand out and patting my leg. “You think that I’m a bit crazy to be switching up my story this quickly, but you proved to me that you weren’t the type of person I thought you were. I was acting like a victim, when in reality, I’ve been the bad guy this whole time,” he said, shaking his head.
I felt such a rush from his hand on my thigh again that I could barely focus on his words. All I knew was that he was finally apologizing for acting like a fool.
“Anyway, I want to start again, and to thank you for buying that car for me. You didn’t have to do that, yet you did. You’re a nice girl, Scarlet,” he said, smiling at me.
I was quick to forgive him. How could I not be when he was staring into my soul like he was about to profess his undying love to me. He seemed so innocent, like a man who genuinely had just been confused. He wanted to right the wrong, and I admired his bravery at admitting that he was wrong.
I patted his hand, squeezing it against the bare skin of my thigh. I wasn’t wearing a skirt this time, only shorts, but the effect of his hand so close to a sensitive place was sending all kinds of beautiful feelings through my lower stomach. I loved it.
“Everything is fine,” I said. “I’m the one who wrecked your car after all. I think you had enough reason to be pissed at me.”
He chuckled, brushing a few strands of blonde hair from his forehead. “Well, you paid for all that with a new car, so it’s all forgiven.”
I smiled, liking this new attitude. He was a really handsome guy when we got down to it, and without all the aggression, he looked like the perfect gentleman. He still had that rugged edge that I liked, without all the anger.
“Where can I get one of those?” He asked, pointing to the fruity mixed drink in my left hand.
“Oh,” I said, reaching around to my insulated duffle bag and pulling out a bottle of the same thing for him. “I have plenty. Feel free to help yourself.”
“Fantastic,” he said, popping off the lid with two fingers before I could hand him the bottle opener.
“Woah,” I said, impressed that he could do that.
He laughed and took a sip, giving me a wink. He rubbed the smooth skin on my thigh with his hand while he drank.
I looked around for Maddie, suddenly becoming aware that we were in a compromisingly intimate position in front of his ex-girlfriend. I didn’t want her to charge up here and break a bottle over my head or something. She always looked to be on the verge of bugging out with those huge eyes.
I spotted her talking to Jonathan, clearly enjoying his company. I pointed at the pair, patting Dylan on the shoulder to get his a
ttention. “I got rid of Maddie for you,” I said.
He sighed in relief. “Oh, good god, yes. I have been trying to get rid of her for ages. She’s really been a pest since we broke up.”
“She must miss you,” I said.
He chuckled. “She certainly did, but not anymore I guess.”
“I guess you’re a good guy then,” I said, trying to dig into his character a bit more.
He shook his head. “Do you remember what I did to you in the car. That’s not what good guys do,” he said.
“Maybe I prefer bad guys then,” I said, batting my lashes at him. For some reason, I felt like I needed to constantly hint at him that I was attracted to him. I suppose he already knew that, but he kept moving closer only to step away. I wanted more.
Dylan gulped down half his drink and placed it down on the soft grass on the creek bank. “You like bad guys, but I’m worse than that,” he said, the little part of him that he was trying to hide coming out again. He still hadn’t explained why he claimed that I had ruined him, but I didn’t want to press him on it right now. Maybe one day I would find out. Maybe not.
“I’m not going to stay here a lot longer, but if you’re willing, I’d like it if you walked with me to my car,” I said.
“Why?” He asked, standing up and walking into the creek, his large feet splashing in the water.
“Because I’m scared of the dark,” I admitted quietly.
He laughed. “That’s too funny. I would never have thought.”
“Well, I am pretty badass,” I said, lifting and arm and flexing my thin bicep. “But I don’t think I could fight off a bear.”
“A bear? There are no bears out here, but there are other wild animals that can probably run faster than you,” he said. “But you want to know something? I never go into the woods alone at night. I always bring someone with me.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
He smirked, something devious flickering in his eyes. “You don’t have to be a fast runner to outrun a wolf or a bear, but you do have to be faster than the person you’re with.”
It took a second for me to realize that he was suggesting that he would sacrifice whoever he was with to save his own ass. I laughed and shook my head. “That’s evil.”
“I’m kind of like that,” he said, shrugging his broad shoulders.
“So, you would leave me if something started chasing us in the woods on the way back to my car?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Probably,” he replied, grinning. Then, he kicked the water, splashing it up into my face in the thin sprinkle.
I yelped, raising my hands to block the water, but managing to get some in my mouth when I opened it to cry out in surprise. The cold water felt like ice on my skin, and I jumped up, spitting into the grass behind me to get the water out of my mouth.
Dylan laughed, jumping up back onto the creek bank with a goofy grin on his face. “Oops,” he said, but I knew it was no accident.
I stuck out my tongue. “Now I’m going to die from whatever bacteria is in that water,” I said.
He looked upstream to where the water had come from. There were a few people dipping their toes in and talking amongst themselves. He turned back to me. “You’re probably going to get a lot of foot germs and nothing else.”
“This water probably comes from the sewer,” I joked.
He laughed. “I guess you don’t need me to walk you to your car if you’re already going to die.”
“Alright, you win. The water is probably fine,” I said, shaking my head. “I still need to be walked back.” I really meant it this time, because the sun was setting faster than I thought it would and I didn’t want to trudge half a mile through the woods alone in the dark. I wasn’t just asking so that I could get more time with Dylan, but that was a nice bonus.
“No problem, let me just put on my shoes,” he replied, walking back up to me and grabbing his bottle from the ground. He looked me dead in the eyes as he chugged the rest of the contents, smacking his lips after and smirking. “Good stuff.”
I smiled at him, happy that he had lightened up. I guess all he needed was some of that financial burden off his back. Driving around in a rusty car that could break down at any moment probably caused him more stress than it was worth. I was happy that I could take some of that away, and I was getting to see a better side of him for it.
My father had tried to teach me to swindle people to get on top. He thought winning was all about gaining power over someone and then destroying them. I didn’t think like that, and my tactics were better than his could ever be. I saw a new side of Dylan because I treated him better than my father would have. I was happy about that.
“Ready?” I asked as he stood up straight, having put on both of his black boots.
He nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Let’s go,” I said, slinging the insulated duffle bag over my shoulder. It was lighter now that it had fewer drinks in it. I had only had one myself, but I had shared the rest of them with others. Only three or four rolled around in it now.
I looked back to check on Jonathan and saw him still happily chatting with Maddie. By the looks of their body language, I would say that my matchmaking skills were a success. Dylan was happy about it and so was I. That made four happy people with one easy suggestion.
Dylan walked slightly behind me as we embarked on our short journey through the woods. Under the trees, it was significantly darker, and I was very thankful to have Dylan with me now. He was so tall and muscular that I reckoned he probably could defend me from a wild animal if it came down to it. Also, I think I could outrun him. He probably wasn’t as fast as he claimed to be.
“Nice ass,” he said out of the blue, halfway through our walk.
I looked back at him, frowning. “Get up here and stop staring,” I said, waving a hand at him to come to walk beside me.
“I prefer it back here,” he replied, rubbing his chin.
“You might like it, but it’s not respectful,” I said, cautioning him to behave himself. That devilish side was coming out again, and it was more dangerous now that we were out in the woods at night alone.
“I’ll come walk beside you if you slow down,” he said.
I wasn’t walking very fast, but I slowed my stroll, giving a few defined swings of my hips for him to enjoy before he caught up to me. Except, he didn’t catch up to me. He just slowed down to match my pace, staying slightly behind me so that he would watch my ass.
“I see what you’re doing,” I said.
“What am I doing?” He asked, a cocky smirk creeping into his face.
“Staring at my ass,” I said.
“I’m only looking because I was taught to look but not touch,” he said, moving slightly closer.
I laughed. “Those are good words to live by,” I replied.
“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his chin again, “but I prefer touching.”
“You’ll have to take me out to dinner before I let you do that,” I teased, liking where this was going. Truth be told, Dylan could be quite charming when he was freaking out over something. He had a playful demeanor about him that appealed to my love of excitement.
A hard slap landed on my ass, the blow powerful enough to send a sting through my shorts to my skin. I jumped up, yelping in the same way as when the water had been splashed on me.
“Oops,” Dylan said calmly. “It was an accident.”
I was shocked at his boldness. “That was certainly not an accident,” I said, my jaw hanging open. I walked backward, facing him so that he wouldn’t try it again. “I thought you said you were taught to look and not touch.”
“I don’t do my homework,” he said, winking.
I shook my head at him but couldn’t hold back a smile. I enjoyed his daring nature, but I wasn’t ready for the moves he was pulling on me. I needed to get to know him better before I dove into something like this.
Dylan, clearly, had other plans. He came toward me quickly,
scooped a hand around my waist, and stopped me dead in my tracks. This was another move I wasn’t expecting, but my body instinctively relaxing into his touch, allowing him to gain control over me.
“Look at me,” he demanded, his eyes growing wide.
I stared up at his face. It was cast in shadows from the trees, but I could still make out the details of his expression. He was even more handsome up close than he had been from further away. His eyes told stories of deep passion and his eyebrows could write a book on their own with how expressive they were. I found myself getting drawn in deep, losing my focus on anything but his eyes.
I was no longer scared of the dark when he was here. I barely knew the man right now, but I had the feeling that this might soon change. He was coming in fast, and I could tell he was serious about what he wanted from me.
“Kiss me,” he growled, jerking me closer to him.
I considered it. His lips looked soft and welcoming, probably hot with the lust he felt for me. I couldn’t deny that I felt the same. The wild part of me urged me to let go and let him take me right here in the woods, but the more conservative part of me said that I should hold back and wait for a better moment. I didn’t know him well enough for all this, and there was a lot that he refused to say.
“Tell me what you were going to say yesterday in the car,” I said, trying to use my sexual allure to get information out of him. His words out ruin were still clinging to my brain, unwilling to let me put it to rest. There was too much energy and truth in the words he spoke. They had to have an explanation.
He pulled his head back, probably not expecting that request from me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You do know,” I said, studying his face. He looked to be a mixture of annoyed and slightly worried, like he would be found out if I didn’t drop it. There was, without a doubt, something he was hiding.
“If I said something strange, I didn’t mean it. I was confused about you,” he said.
“Why were you confused?” I asked.
“I don’t know, really. I had this impression of rich people like they were total bullies. I’ve had poor experiences with people in the past. I thought you might be the same.”
