I swallowed hard. “I almost wish you never told me what you did, Beth. My entire world is upside down again because of it. I thought I was going to have the power over them but I don’t. At least not in the way I want.”

  “Then set them up,” she said. “Use Denny and set them up. I have another idea but it involves you and Denny in bed together. Nothing is going to happen…”

  “Goodbye, Beth,” I said.

  I opened the door and left this time.

  I turned left around the hall and was met with a wall of… them.

  I let out a yell and covered my mouth.

  “She okay?” Kip asked.

  “Beth? Yeah. Denny slept with someone.”

  “Did he come near you?” Pres asked, his lip curling.

  “No. But she wanted me to tell you he did. So you’d beat him up.”

  “That’s pretty devious, love,” Barr said.

  “Maybe you should set your attention on Beth then,” I said. “She’s more your type.”

  I tried to step around them but they moved with me.

  Each one finding a subtle way to gently touch me.

  “You’re all we see and want, girl,” Kip said. “Never doubt that for a second.”

  “Oh, I don’t,” I said.

  “And we don’t need an excuse to take out Denny again,” Pres said. “He’s a piece of shit. He obviously didn’t learn his lesson from before.”

  “When there wasn’t a lesson to be taught,” I said.

  “Nobody touches what’s ours,” Barr said.

  “And he’s upset you again, sugar,” Pres said.

  He flexed his fists, making his knuckles crack.

  “No,” I said. “I can’t stomach that anymore. No more violence.”

  “That’s never going to happen, girl,” Kip said.

  “Unless we find another outlet for our pent up frustrations,” Barr said.

  I knew what he meant.

  I squinted my eyes. “Go fucking smoke something then.”

  “And me?” Pres asked.

  “Go pick out a new cologne.” My head snapped over to Kip. “And go catch a wave.”

  I turned and Kip had my arm, pulling me close to him.

  “I’d rather catch you, girl,” he whispered.

  “We all would,” Barr said.

  “You tell pretty little Beth that if she has a problem and needs us, to come talk to us,” Pres said.

  I looked at Pres.

  Jealousy hit me and I didn’t like that at all.

  Jealous thinking about any of them with someone else.

  That wasn’t a good thing.

  That was a very bad thing.

  “What do you want?” I asked.

  “Just checking up on you, love,” Barr said. “Like we always do.”

  “And to let you know about the football game,” Kip said. “You’ll be there. You can stand with us. Watch these jock assholes rip each other apart over nothing.”

  “Bring your pom poms, girl,” Kip said.

  “I can give you something to really cheer for, sugar,” Pres said.

  I shook Kip away and backed away.

  “Football game, huh?” I asked. “I’ll check with my friends and see what we’re doing.”

  “Funny,” Barr said.

  “Is it?” I asked.

  “Very funny,” Pres said.

  “Hilarious,” Kip said.

  “Maybe I’ll see you around,” I said.

  “You will,” Pres said. “I’ll text you where to be.”

  “I’ll figure it out myself,” I said.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Barr said. “All this talk about kicking Denny’s ass again has me ready for a fight.”

  “Me too,” Kip said. “Should we break his other hand?”

  “Definitely,” Pres said.

  “Just stop it,” I said. “Don’t go near him. I’m not being part of any of this.”

  “Far too late for that, girl,” Kip said.

  “Just tell us what we want to hear, love,” Barr said.

  I gritted my teeth.

  I want you… I want all three of you… and I don’t know what that means…

  Slowly, I lifted my middle finger. With my other hand, I gently kissed my fingers and blew them a kiss.

  One by one, they each smiled at me.

  I turned so they wouldn’t see my cheeks burning red, again.

  I was pretty sure I was in over my head.

  And once I got too far, there was no coming back from it all.

  five

  I wanted to get up early and go down to the beach just after the sun came up. I pictured it as quiet and lonely. The waves just crashing to the shore. Nothing and nobody but me. All the ghosts that hung around wouldn’t be there yet either. That part though was probably a lie. There weren’t ghosts. Anything I would let creep into my mind would be that. My mind.

  The spot where I fell on my ass after twisting my ankle.

  The spot where Pres, Barr, and Kip insisted on having a party.

  The spot in the water where Kip took me out, flirting with me, wanting a kiss, wanting more, leaving my heart wanting to believe him even though I knew it was all part of a game or bet or whatever.

  And of course the spot where I first met Pres. When he was beating the crap out of some guy and I thought he was going to drown him.

  So I ended up waking up too early and standing at my window. That way I could look at the beach from a distance. Which felt kind of stupid. But whatever.

  There wasn’t anything exciting about it either. Unless I was right on the beach. Which was somewhere I had always wanted to go. Or wanted to live. Those dumb kid thoughts. When life was so bad at home, the greatest freedom was the beach. It was where the world ended to me. All this water, deadly yet protective.

  Now I had it.

  Whether it was going to last another day, another week, or last a year, it was right there.

  I threw on my favorite hoodie and went downstairs to grab a coffee and go to the beach. I wasn’t sure if Claire would be awake at this hour or not. I’m sure for those with careers it was normal waking and functioning hours. Even though I was an adult according to my age, I still appreciated the notion that I had time to sleep. And even if I skipped a class here and there it really didn’t mean a thing. First off, I was a transfer student to BFH. And it was obvious Claire had a hell of a hold over Jacobson.

  Which meant… I was rich. I had power.

  I was fitting right in.

  But my plan with the Rulz felt way off base.

  I thought I had a step up on them but their violent streak proved me wrong.

  Which explained my restless night of sleep and the real reason I was working my way to the beach so early.

  I needed a new plan.

  Or a better plan.

  Or to make some changes to the current one.

  As I shuffled my feet across the cool kitchen floor, I yawned.

  The giant house felt so calm, as though it were sleeping itself.

  The big fancy coffeemaker on the counter had fresh coffee in it. Everything in the kitchen was bright, stainless steel, that aura of holy fucking shit I’m loaded with cash and you aren’t! which seemed to be everywhere in this town.

  I poured a cup of coffee and heard a gentle metallic clank from behind me.

  “Pour me one, my Claire kiss,” a voice said.

  My muscles stiffened and I slowly turned to see a man in black pants, a white shirt - unbuttoned - looking down as he started to put a belt on. His hair was really messy and my jaw dropped when I realized it must have been someone Claire had over for the night.

  “Uh, I’m not Claire,” I said.

  The man lifted his gaze and stepped back. “Jesus. You’re Tinsley. I’m sorry…”

  If my jaw could drop more, it would.

  Because who I was staring at was not just any man.

  I was staring at Pres’s father.

  My mind thought back to the night I first saw Claire with Will. And then the stuff Gi and Iris told me about him. And then when I tried to use that information against Pres, he simply didn’t care. He knew about his father’s habits and that was that.

  “Do you want some coffee?” I asked, not sure what I was supposed to do or say in that moment.

  “I’ll get it myself,” Will said with a smile that almost resembled Pres’s. “No need for you to do that. And what are you doing up so early?”

  “Thought I would catch a walk on the beach,” I said. “Before the day got crazy.”

  “Now that’s smart thinking.”

  I swallowed hard. The uncomfortable feeling in my stomach wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.

  So I nodded.

  I smiled.

  I had a lot of questions in my head. Wondering what kind of man could just freely cheat on his wife like this. Or if Claire knew… she had to know. There was no way she could play stupid. Unless maybe Pres’s parents were separated. Not together but still legally married? For money reasons?

  Or…

  I shook my head.

  None of it really mattered.

  Unless of course there was something I could use to break Pres down a little.

  Ohgod, Tinsley, listen to yourself…

  “You’re the new girl,” Will said.

  “New girl?”

  “Yeah. You just moved in with Claire.”

  “Right. I guess I’m well known, huh?”

  “You know my son, right?”

  “Pres. Yes.”

  “Pres,” Will said with a laugh. “Preston never liked his name. He always was after me to change it. I would never let him. But he found a way to shorten it anyway. Make it sound cooler, huh?”

  I nodded some more. “Yeah. Exactly.”

  There was awkward silence which was topped by more awkwardness when Claire walked into the kitchen.

  She came from a different entrance and froze when she saw me and saw Will.

  “Morning,” I said to Claire.

  “What are you doing awake?”

  “Studying hard,” I said. “Got to get those grades so I can become big and rich like you, right?”

  Will laughed. “She’s got attitude.”

  “This is Will,” Claire said. “He’s, uh, a colleague of mine.”

  “Right,” I said.

  “He slept in the guest wing,” Claire said, her tone defensive.

  “Okay,” I said. “I was just getting some coffee.”

  “She was going to walk the beach,” Will said.

  “How long have you two been talking?” Claire asked.

  “Not long,” Will said in a commanding tone.

  Claire seemed to instantly back off.

  “I’m going to go back to bed,” I said. “This whole walk early in the morning thing wasn’t a good idea.” I looked at Claire. “At all.”

  I hurried to get out of the kitchen, coffee in hand, and went back to my room.

  I knew I wasn’t going to go back to sleep.

  And it had nothing to do with the coffee either.

  * * *

  The Rulz put a football in my locker.

  That was today’s prize.

  Which was a stark reminder of the football game between BFH and HCH, and that I was to attend. Funny thing I had already planned on going to the football game because it intrigued me. Where I used to live, there were no sports. Maybe basketball, but most of the hoops were bent and crooked, or just knocked down completely all together. Some kids played street hockey, but that wasn’t all that exciting because they had to keep an eye out for cars coming down the road.

  So this town embracing football the way it did… I mean, the stadium alone was insane. Like a professional football team stadium.

  And that’s where I sat.

  The first row of bleachers, my right leg bouncing like crazy.

  I waited for Gi to show up to talk to her.

  It was supposed to be just Gi.

  When I saw Iris walking with her, I felt like screaming.

  Those two were attached at the hip.

  No, Ti, they’re best friends. True best friends. Like the way you and Ruby used to be.

  My heart sank a little.

  I hated that my old friends hated me for where I was now.

  But in a way I couldn’t blame them.

  I grabbed the railing and forced myself to stand.

  Gi and Iris walked up the bleachers.

  “Why the secret meeting?” Iris asked.

  “You’re not even supposed to be here,” I said.

  “I know,” Iris said.

  “You told her?” I asked Gi.

  Gi shrugged her shoulders. “What was I supposed to say?”

  “Make something up,” I said.

  “We don’t lie to each other,” Iris said. “So what’s the big news? Did you finally do it? Who’d you pick?”

  “First off, fuck you,” I said to Iris.

  She blew me a kiss.

  “What’s going on, Ti?” Gi asked.

  “I saw something,” I said.

  “Oh, that monster looking back from the mirror?” Iris asked. “Don’t worry, Ti, that’s just your face.”

  “And you wonder why I didn’t want you to bring her,” I said to Gi.

  “Iris, cool it,” Gi said.

  “I got up early to go down to the beach,” I said. “And there was someone in the kitchen. Pres’s father. He was… getting dressed.”

  “Oh, that’s good,” Iris said. “What exactly did you see?”

  “Shut up,” Gi yelled and slapped Iris’s arm. She looked at me. “What’s your point?”

  “I know what we saw before… but this… I mean, Claire came into the kitchen too and said he slept in the guest wing.”

  “Guest wing?” Iris asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I call bullshit on that.”

  “What’s your point?” Gi asked again.

  I shook my head. “Who the hell is Pres’s father? I told Pres about it that night of Roman’s party and he didn’t care.”

  “Nobody cares,” Iris said.

  “Why not?”

  “They just don’t,” Gi said.

  “So that’s how you rich people act?” I blurted out. “You just count your money and fuck each other’s spouses.”

  “Um, I’m not married, so I don’t know,” Gi said.

  “And why does this matter to you?” Iris asked. “You worried about Pres’s feelings?”

  “No,” I said. “I’m trying to figure out who Claire is.”

  “Don’t bother,” Gi said. “You might not like the truth.”

  “Truth?” I asked.

  “Look, it’s simple,” Iris said. “Everyone knows how Pres’s father is. What he does. Why he does it. He's the typical asshole looking to close the deal and get a little action on the side.”

  “What about Pres’s mother?” I asked.

  “Nobody has seen her in a long time,” Gi said. “So either she just enjoys herself at home. Or she travels.”

  “Or she has her own thing on the side too,” Iris said.

  “Really?" I asked.

  “Why do you care so much?” Gi asked.

  That was a question I couldn’t answer.

  Maybe part of me thought these rich people lived happy and easy lives. Which wasn't true. Or maybe I did care about Pres. At least in the sense of him having to deal with that kind of thing. His father sleeping around. People knowing about it. Maybe that was part of the reason why Pres was the way he was.

  Which then made me wonder what the truths were of Barr and Kip.

  “I thought you grew up in a shithole,” Iris said.

  “Iris!” Gi snapped.

  “What?” Iris asked. “I’m just saying… people cheating…”

  “Iris is right,” I said. “I was just surprised this morning. That’s all. Just a lot going through my mind. This entire thing is…”

  “Fucked,” Gi said.

  “Fucked,” I said. “I don’t even know what I want anymore.”

  “I don’t feel bad for anyone,” Iris said.

  “Of course you don’t,” I said. “Feeling bad would require a heart.”

  “Funny,” she said. “You can’t imagine the things the Rulz have done.”

  “Like what?” an outside voice asked.

  There was a grunt sound and next thing I knew Kip was pulling himself up over the railing. Swinging like a ninja monkey or something, his muscles flexed tight as he jumped the railing and landed hard on the bleachers.

  Pres walked up the steps from the right.

  I smelled Barr’s smoke before seeing him on the left.

  “What have we done to you?” Barr asked Iris.

  Again, the way she and Gi just backed down surprised me.

  “Hey, sugar, how was your day?” Pres asked me with a grin.

  His father flashed into my mind which was kind of weird and gross at the same time.

  “We’re trying to talk here,” I said.

  “So talk, girl,” Kip said. “I love good gossip. Who is sleeping with who… right? Isn’t that what you talk about? Or are you planning your next sleepover? Pillow fights in your panties.”

  “Or maybe we can just collect what we came for,” Barr said.

  “Which is what?”

  Barr took a drag off his cigarette and blew the smoke all around us. “You, love. We’re here for you.”

  “Which means, you leave,” Kip said as he made a quick move and hooked his hand around Iris’s bag, stealing it.

  “Don’t,” Iris said.

  “Fetch,” Kip said as he tossed the bag off the bleachers.

  Somehow he managed to get her keys though, which dangled from his middle finger on his right hand.

  “Why’d you do that?” I asked Kip.

  “Felt like it,” he said.

  “You’re next,” Barr said to Gi.

  “I don’t have a bag with me,” she said.

  “So we’ll just toss you over then,” Barr said.

  Gi turned pale.

  “No you won’t,” I said. “Come after me. You have no business with my friends.”

 

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