HIDDEN CREEK FOREVER: a hidden creek high novel, page 3
“Wes.”
“Aira.”
“Take me back.”
I hit the brakes without question and stopped in the middle of the road.
I turned around and started to speed away.
It took guts to do what Aira just did.
She didn’t let my hand go.
From the corner of my eye I watched her eyes fill with tears and then quickly dry up.
“Hey,” I said. “Let him rot where he belongs, right?”
“He almost killed me,” she said. “That’s what I want to know. Why he did it… I mean, I wasn’t supposed to be home… but…”
“Doesn’t matter. It was your room. Your part of the house. He knew what was going to happen to your room.”
“I don’t know if I hate him or not.”
“Don’t worry about that. Save the hate for better people.”
“I have a long list.”
“Darling, be careful with lists,” I said. “Remember what happened last time?”
Aira looked at me with an annoyed face. “Really?”
“I just don’t want to have to bust into Miss Carson’s office again.”
“What would you tell her this time?”
“Hmm,” I said. “I mean, the wet dream thing worked wonders. But that’s old. Oh, you know what? Food.”
“Food?”
“Yeah. What if I told her I had an attraction to food?”
“That’s weird.”
“Right? That would get her…”
My eyes looked at the side mirror.
I saw a car behind me.
Low to the ground.
Black.
Sleek and fast.
The windows tinted. Even the windshield had tint at the top of it.
It could have been any car in the world.
But it was flying up on my ass.
And when it got there, it darted left to right.
“That wouldn’t be cool,” Aira said. “Right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Right.”
Aira hadn’t seen the car yet.
I started to time the drive, waiting to see what the car was going to do.
It stayed right on my ass.
They were making it well known they were following me.
I looked at Aira but she had no idea what was happening.
Which was good.
Whatever this was, it wasn’t her problem.
“Hey, darling,” I said. “Where am I taking you?”
“To bed?” she asked playfully.
Fuck.
“I have to take care of something,” I said. “Then we can arrange that.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“I guess just drop me off at Julia’s,” she said. “I’ll text Nova and see if she wants to surf.”
“That’s a good plan. Clear your head out there.”
“Yeah,” she said.
She started to turn her head to look out the window.
“Aira, look at me,” I said.
I got her attention.
Now I had to do something.
So, I stuck my tongue out at her.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“Because I love you,” I said.
“Weslee Jackson, are you getting soft and sweet?” she asked.
“Fuck no,” I said. “Trust me, darling. Fuck no.”
Aira started to laugh.
My eyes looked to the mirror.
The car was right there on my ass.
Slowly moving left to right.
Getting closer.
Backing off.
Getting right up against me again.
I had the bigger vehicle for sure. They had the faster one.
Normally I’d do something about this right now.
But not with Aira.
I had to get her home safely.
* * *
I cupped her face with my hand and kissed her like it was our last kiss.
All things considered…
“You’re killing me,” she whispered.
“I’m killing myself.”
Her hand playfully grazed between my legs so she could feel for herself.
That’s when I told myself whoever was driving the car behind me was going to die. I was going to destroy them for messing this moment up with me and Aira.
Fuck.
She climbed out of the SUV and I watched her run to the front door.
She made my heart race. She made my heart skip a beat.
I shook my head.
The front door shut and I looked at the review mirror.
The black car slowly came from nowhere, realizing what I had done.
I hit the gas and took off from Aira.
I had no idea what was about to happen but she didn’t need to be around for it.
The black car was right on my ass no matter where I went.
When I slammed on the brakes, they did too.
I wanted this asshole to hit my SUV.
But they were smart.
And when I hit the brakes for a fourth time, they darted to the right and sped by me.
That’s when I saw something on the back window.
BF-fucking-H
I laughed to myself and sped up.
My SUV could haul serious ass and I got alongside the car.
The windows were tinted black so I couldn’t see the driver.
I looked forward at the narrow road ahead. It wasn’t one of the long stretches of road that took you to or from Hidden. This was a painted yellow line road and we needed to get back in line.
The car dropped back, knowing this, and I took the lead one more time.
Here’s the thing.
I wasn’t going to run.
That wasn’t my style. If you were coming into my town to stir up trouble, then I would be there to face it.
The only thing I did do was shoot Leo a text, telling him where I was going to pull over. If there was any chance at luck being on my side, Leo would be close enough to shoot over to back me up.
When I pulled into an empty parking lot, I turned sideways and opened the door without hesitation.
The car came to a screeching stop and the two doors opened.
Out came two guys dressed in maroon Bay Falls High hoodies.
And they came for a good reason.
I saw something metallic almost glittering in the sunlight as they charged at me.
I didn’t stand much of a chance.
But I did not back down from a fight… ever.
Chapter 3
Aira
I caught a wave and I didn’t fall.
I rode the fucking thing to the shore.
Right to where the water met the sand and I stepped off the board. I turned, grabbed the board, and stood proud as Nova clapped her hands together, cheering for me.
It was good to laugh for a second.
And it was even better to finally begin to figure out the whole surfing thing.
I stood on the shore and took a few deep breaths.
“Ready to go again?” Nova asked.
“In a minute,” I said. “I’m enjoying this.”
“That’s why I started doing it after everything that happened.”
“Summer boy?” I asked with a grin.
“Something like that,” Nova said.
“Can you at least tell me who the summer boy is?”
“Elijah,” Nova said.
I couldn’t tell if it was anger or pain that swept across her face when she said his name.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know who that is.”
“Lucky you,” she said.
“See, it pays off that I wasn’t here for a little while. You can vent about summer boy Elijah and I know nothing about him.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Nova said. “He was like the ultimate dream or fantasy… and that was just a front for a nightmare.”
“Kind of sounds like someone else we know,” I said.
“Yeah, right. At least Wes lives here. And he cares about you.”
“I guess I can’t argue that,” I said. “Not that it’s been an easy thing for us either though. I just never feel like things are going to calm down for us.”
“Sorry, Aira, but not in this town.”
I looked at the water again and took a deep breath.
“It kind of feels weird to not have everyone here right now,” I said. “It’s like everyone has someone. They’re busy. Falling in love. Or just falling into bed.”
“Do you really think Emma and Eric are a good thing?” Nova asked.
“I can’t judge. I’m sure everyone had their opinions on Wes.”
“True,” Nova said. “But that Eric guy… it’s not good. He’s not a good guy. And usually Emma can see that stuff.”
“We’ll make sure she doesn’t get hurt,” I said. “I mean, Charlotte is sort of hopeless, right? And Kailey is fooling around with Wes’s cousin. I think that sort of leaves you hanging, Nova.”
“I’m okay with that,” she said.
“Really? You just waiting for summer boy again?”
“Nope. There is no more summer boy. This coming summer isn’t a normal one. Oh well.”
“Wow. He really hurt you, huh?”
“There’s a reason he’s called summer boy,” Nova said. “Leave it at that.”
I did leave it at that. But I was still intrigued as to who Elijah was. Where he came from. Probably some rich kid on vacation. Coming to Hidden with his parents or family to kick back. And then he meets up with a pretty girl like Nova. Surfer beach girl… mygod, who wouldn’t fall for Nova, right?
It was actually kind of sexy.
But whatever had happened really bothered Nova.
I opened my mouth to change the subject, but Nova already had plans for that.
She pointed and said, “Look at this. Company.”
I turned my head, another list of names suddenly running through my head.
It was Noelle.
Noelle?
No. Freaking. Elle.
I let out a long sigh.
I was never able to keep tabs on this one.
She wasn’t afraid to admit she loved Wes in a way that should have bothered me - which it did. I respected her honesty, but that respect went about as far as Walker’s chances of getting into Emma’s panties.
Yeah, there was still a part of me that saw Noelle and felt jealousy. Because the second things between Wes and I got a little shaky, he ran to her. For him, she was like a sister. But face it, when he was having a cigarette outside her bedroom window, she had other things in mind. Hoping that a pissed off Wes or a Wes feeling a little pain because of me would be enough to have him slip and throw her into bed.
Not to mention she was close to his family.
She lived with Cherry.
She was protected by Wes’s cousins up at Tech.
All in all she was just one big ugh.
And that’s the noise I made next.
Nova stood at my side.
I could feel the bitchiness pouring from us.
We put on our best resting bitch faces as though Noelle’s presence didn’t matter.
“Should we throw her into the water?” Nova asked.
I laughed. “I’ll go to talk to the bitch. Back me up.”
“Give the word and I’ll put her head in the sand,” Nova whispered.
“I love you, Nova.”
“I know,” she said with a grin.
I stepped forward as Noelle approached.
She was dressed like it was cold outside.
And of course she had her earbuds stuck in her ears.
I touched my ears and rolled my eyes.
She took the earbuds out. “He sent me to find you.”
“Who did?” I asked.
“Wes.”
“Wes was with you?”
Cue that fiery jealousy.
“He’s at Cherry’s,” Noelle said. “With Leo and Flynn. Charlotte was trying to call you too.”
I looked down at my phone on my towel. “Charlotte… is she okay?”
“I don’t think so,” Noelle said.
“What do you mean you don’t think so?” I asked.
“They were jumped.”
“Who was jumped?”
“All of them.”
“Charlotte was hurt?” Nova asked. I didn’t even realize she had come up next to me.
“No. Just the guys.”
My heart sank. “Wes is… hurt?”
“Yeah,” Noelle said. “They were trying to call and text you. Wes said you were surfing. So I came to get you.”
“I bet you patched Wes up, huh?” Nova asked. “Gently placed bandages on his beautiful face.”
Noelle’s lip curled. “No. I didn’t touch him.”
“You better not,” I said. I stepped toward her. “Ever. Again.”
“We. Never. Touched. Before.”
Noelle was throwing bitch shade right back at me.
I wanted to smack the smug look off her face.
I made a mental note to do that later at some point.
First, I had to figure out what happened to Wes.
* * *
They were all sitting on Cherry’s porch, scattered on the steps.
I really loved Cherry’s house. I loved the gravel pathways and the giant stones that made the steps. The way it was all overgrown, but in a comfortable way. Almost like some kind of cottage in a fairy tale.
But there were no princes waiting for me there.
Wes may have been set for life financially but he wasn’t on a white horse ready to take me away.
He had an ice pack against his mouth. When he saw me, he stood up, then tossed the ice pack and towel behind him.
I gasped when I saw his face.
Flynn sat on the third step down, his legs stretched down to the last step. His face was just as messed up. His shirt stretched out. With random specks of blood on his hands and arms.
Leo was on the top step, sitting with a pissed off, stoic look as he stared down at his hands. He had a nice cut under his left eye and his bottom lip looked swollen.
Noelle walked up the steps and Wes made a fist and showed it to her. She quickly bumped her fist to his and looked back at me.
I’ll bump my fist to your jaw, bitch.
Charlotte came out of the house and ran down the steps, right for me.
“You didn’t answer me?” she cried out.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I was with Nova.”
Charlotte hugged me. That put my face right into her chest.
She smelled like honey and some kind of potent perfume.
“Let me go see Wes,” I said. “Go put your tits in Flynn’s face. He needs it.”
Charlotte broke away and took my hand.
This stuff really bothered her. It really scared her.
Hell, it did the same to me, too. But I think escaping my house on fire did something to me. Like when something bad happened my mind and body instantly compare it to the fire.
Wes came down the steps and met me.
Charlotte all but collapsed onto Flynn as she started to cry again.
I looked up at Wes and studied the marks, cuts and bruises on his face.
“What happened?” I whispered.
“BFH,” he said.
I gasped.
Bay Falls High.
One of those guys was the one who cornered me in a beach house bedroom thinking he was going to have his way with me. That was when Wes saved my life and beat the hell out of the guy. Jacob. I would never forget that name or what happened that night.
“This is my fault,” I said.
“No, it’s not,” Wes said. He grabbed my arms so I couldn’t slip away. “Don’t say that.”
“It is. Because of what happened…”
“I don’t think they give a shit about Jacob,” Leo said from the porch.
“Bro, that was intense,” Flynn said in a muffled voice from Charlotte’s chest.
“Hey,” Wes said. “Take your head out of her tits if you’re going to talk.”
Flynn’s head appeared. “I said that was intense. To send six of them.”
“Six guys did this?” I asked.
“No, darling,” Wes said. “Two guys. For each of us. They waited and followed until we were alone.”
“Wait a second,” I said. “When you dropped me off…”
“They were following me,” Wes confessed. “I had to get you home safely so I could figure out who it was and why.”
I slammed my hands to his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’re dealing with enough,” he said. “This is my problem.”
“Your problem? So we’re going back to hiding things from each other?”
“Aira, hold up a second,” Flynn said.
“Put your head back in her chest,” I snapped at Flynn.
“You got it,” Flynn said without hesitation.
“Darling, don’t give me attitude right now,” Wes said.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You heard what I just said.”
I swung my right hand and slapped Wes across the face.
He growled.
I hit fresh cuts and that must have hurt too.
Oopsies…
I backed away. “You should have said something. I could have called someone or done something. I could’ve gotten you help. I could’ve gotten a baseball bat and got them.”
“These guys came to send a message,” Leo said. “Nothing could have been done.”
“Why?” I yelled. “Fucking why?”
“Aira, listen,” Wes said. “They were all split up. Just BFH assholes. That’s all.”
“Because of me,” I said. “Admit it.”
“I went up there and broke their ticket window,” Wes said.
I shut my eyes and gritted my teeth. I thought about the ocean. The waves. Even if I wanted to get away… swim in the ocean… the waves would just throw me to shore. Like I was forever destined to be in Hidden and be with Wes.
“We sent our message to them,” Flynn said.
He took another breather from Charlotte’s chest. She inched down and put her head to his chest.
Noelle came out to the porch again.
Fucking great.
