UNLoved: a bay falls high novel, page 6
“Friends,” Pres said. “The new girl making friends. It’s so sweet.”
I looked around at them wondering why they were suddenly back to being their old asshole selves.
My nerves started to shake, wondering if they knew the truth about me. That their bet meant nothing because there wasn’t nothing to bet on. There was nothing to win from me or because of me. I was simply just back to what I always was…
The dirty, poor girl with the junkie mom.
“What do you think?” Barr asked Gi. “Feel like learning how to fly today?”
“No,” Gi said.
“Then you should make your exit,” Kip said.
Gi locked eyes to me.
I gave a nod. “Just go. I’ll be fine.”
“Of course you will, sugar,” Pres said as he closed in on me. “We’ve got you. Nothing bad can happen now.”
Gi and Iris started to walk away when Kip let out a whistle.
“Forgot something,” Kip said as he dangled Iris’s keys.
She walked back with fear in her eyes and swiped the keys from him.
Then Iris looked at me. “Text me. Please.”
“I’ll see you later,” I said. “Football game.”
“Right,” Iris said.
She walked two steps and Barr took the cigarette out of his mouth and flicked it at her feet. Iris jumped over it and ran away.
“What was that about?” I asked.
“Just for fun, girl,” Kip said. “Making it known things are exactly the way they should be.”
“And what does that have to do with me?” I asked.
“It just does, love,” Barr said.
“Plus, we wanted to give you something,” Kip said.
“Oh?”
“A little gift, sugar,” Pres said.
He reached behind him and tossed something at me.
I stepped back and cringed, thinking it was something heavy or deadly.
It was…
Cloth.
It was a hoodie.
A very large hoodie.
With the BFH name and colors on it.
“Just to make sure you’re on the right side tonight,” Barr said.
“Last thing we would ever want is to lose you to those HCH assholes,” Kip said.
“Oh yeah? Will they be trying to sway me to their side?” I asked.
“You never know,” Pres said.
“I don’t know… I keep hearing a lot about this Weslee Jackson. I wonder what he’s all about.”
Barr got closer to me and put his hand to my back.
Instant shivers.
His smoky breath danced along my cheek as he crouched down to whisper to me.
“Wear the fucking hoodie, love,” Barr whispered. “And enjoy the game.”
“But stay close to us,” Kip said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because we said so,” Pres said.
He motioned with his head and the three of them slowly walked away.
I sat back down on the bleachers, alone again.
I tossed the hoodie over the railing and stared at the name on it.
They came here to harass Gi and Iris just to give me a hoodie?
I only wished it were that simple.
six
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked Iris as she drove.
“To a football field,” Iris said.
“It’s halfway between the schools,” Gi said.
“Why not use BFH?” I asked.
“This isn’t the kind of football game you’re thinking of.”
“Of course not,” I said. “Nothing ever is.”
“That’s a nice hoodie, Ti,” Iris said. “Where’d you get it?”
“Where do you think?” I asked. “I’m sorry for what they did to you.”
“It is what it is,” Iris said. “I warned you. They do what they want. They take what they want. They don’t care about anything. There’s no way around it either.”
I sighed. “Yeah.”
“Let’s just have fun tonight,” Gi said. “Cheer on Brando and Maverick. Laugh at the stupid stuff as it happens. Avoid the fights.”
“Fights?” I asked.
“Putting BFH and HCH together is not a good thing,” Iris said. “There will be fights.”
“Which means we need an escape plan,” Gi said.
“An escape plan? For real?”
“For real,” Gi said.
“Just remember where I park,” Iris said. “I’ll leave the doors unlocked too. So we can just meet up here and take off.”
“You’re really painting this game to be something,” I said.
“Trust me, Ti, you can handle it,” Gi said. “After all you’ve dealt with so far. This is nothing.”
She looked at Iris and they both laughed.
I hated that feeling.
I sat back in the middle of the backseat and kept my mouth shut for the rest of the ride.
And when we got to the field, it sort of reminded me of the ditch.
The look and feel of it.
There were a lot of cars, SUVs, even motorcycles parked everywhere. But there was this imaginary line that made it very obvious who was from Bay Falls High and who was from Hidden Creek High.
As I climbed out of Iris’s car, I saw Gi standing with her arms crossed. I followed her stare and she was locked on some other girl.
“Who’s that?” I whispered to Gi.
“Bitch,” Gi said.
“That’s her name?”
“Emma.”
I turned my head and saw a girl so ridiculously beautiful she looked like a runway model. And even with her face twisted into a wicked bitch face she was still breathtaking.
“Hate her,” Gi said.
“I can sense it. She’s from Hidden Creek High?”
“Yeah. So are the others.”
There was a group of girls there.
And guys.
A tall girl with big boobs touched Emma’s shoulder, pulling her attention away from Gi. Miss big boobs was then pulled away by some guy who put his arms around her. She fought him off then turned only to start kissing him.
“Charlotte and Flynn,” Gi said. “Dumbass couple. She’s in it because he’s tight with Wes and he’s in it because she’s got an amazing chest.”
“At least they both have something they like from each other,” I said with a smile.
“Don’t,” Gi said.
“What’s wrong over here?” Iris asked as she walked around her car.
“Gi is catching up with old friends,” I said.
Iris lifted her eyebrow and turned her head. “Oh. Say no more.” Iris gave a wave. “Hey there Kailey! Still didn’t get your tits yet, huh?”
“Holy shit,” I said. “Iris…”
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Gi said.
She grabbed for Iris’s hand. Then she grabbed for my hand.
We walked away fast and I looked back.
The group from HCH were already gone.
I was starting to understand why this was such a big deal.
The tension was unbelievable. Like everyone was one breath away from throwing a punch.
And the football game hadn’t even started yet.
* * *
It was intense.
And intense wasn’t even a good enough word for it.
They were playing with no football pads or helmets. The really built and fit guys weren’t wearing shirts. And they were playing hard. Running at full force. Hitting each other with purpose. They weren’t really even tackling each other. They were out for blood. For injury.
And they were all cheating.
It wasn’t just HCH either.
Actually, it was mostly BFH playing dirty. Like really dirty.
The sidelines for HCH screamed and argued. Everyone looked ready to storm the field.
I was just a foot or two away from the sidelines.
My eyes had no idea what to look at first.
I scanned the other side of the field.
Gi and Iris pointed out anyone that seemed important to them.
I finally got a look at the ever so popular Weslee Jackson.
He was tall, built, with messy dark hair, and had the appeal of a young biker dude ready to pull out a gun or a knife. And the girl he was with - Aira - was pretty. And Weslee had his hands all over her, making it damn well known she was his.
It actually made me casually look left to right, knowing I was standing alone. Yet at the same time knowing I had three guys who wanted me. Except they wanted me for the wrong reasons. Not the same reasons Weslee wanted Aira.
Great.
Now I stood there feeling jealous.
Maverick came running to the sidelines and got a drink of water.
Brando was right behind him.
“Fuck this,” Brando said. “I’m putting the ball in the air this time. You good with it?”
“About fucking time,” Maverick said. “Open the field and show them speed.”
“They’re going to crush you,” Roman said.
“Then we better stop that from happening,” Brando said. “I don’t give a shit what it takes. Maverick is scoring on this play. Everyone on the field if need be. Fuck these pussies. I want them pissed off.”
“I think they’re plenty pissed off,” Iris said.
Brando looked at Iris. “You going to run out there? Throw some hits?”
“I bet I can dance on your face,” Iris said.
“Oh, I’d love that,” Brando said. “Save it for after the game. I’ll need a snack.”
Iris threw him the middle finger.
Maverick pulled at Brando. “Let’s go.”
“Oh, that was hot,” I said to Iris.
“Been there, done that,” Iris said.
“Brando?” I asked.
“And Maverick,” Gi added.
“What? You’ve got a soft spot for football players?”
“Just a wild rebound,” Gi said.
“Hey,” Iris growled. “You want to spill my history here? Why don’t you tell your new BFF what you did with your hairbrush that one time?”
I turned my head to Gi.
“Brushed my hair,” she said.
Iris snorted. She was ready to spill something else, but then she grabbed my arm. “Oh. Shit.”
I looked at the field and watched as Brando ran backwards, his feet moving fast and smooth. He threw the ball as someone hit him. He fell to the ground hard but quickly got up.
Everyone’s eyes followed the ball.
There was Maverick running along the side of the field.
Someone came running across, ready to hit him.
Maverick made some kind of spinning move and tripped the guy, sending him down to the ground with force. The guy rolled right toward us and we jumped back, laughing.
Iris swung her foot. “Go to your side of the field, asshole.”
“Fuck off, cunt,” the guy said as he got up.
“Whoa,” I said.
“I hate them all,” Iris said.
There was a loud cheer from our side of the field as Maverick made the catch and ran in for a touchdown.
It was now HCH’s turn with the ball.
Their quarterback Ryder huddled with his team and then quickly ran a play.
“Fuck that,” Gi said.
It was a pass to Kyle who was quickly walloped by Roman.
That caused Ryder to go after Roman.
Brando and Maverick then ran onto the field.
“Here we go,” Iris said.
“Nah, it’s too soon,” Gi said. “Plus, it won’t be them. It’ll be Wes.”
“Wes?” I asked.
“He started this shit,” Gi said. “It’s going to go down. Just wait and watch.”
The scuffle on the field ended as fast as it started.
Ryder grabbed the ball and called a play.
Kyle took off down the field and caught a really good pass to score.
HCH cheered and pointed and laughed at us.
Everyone on the BFH side booed and yelled back.
My heart was racing a little as I was starting to get caught up in it. And I knew nobody across the field. Hell, I really didn’t know anyone on the side of the field I was on. Yet I was feeling it. Getting swept up in the fun of it.
Brando grabbed Maverick by the back of the neck and pulled him close. They looked ready to kiss but they were talking about a play.
They nodded and took to the field.
Brando called out the play and everyone started pushing and shoving each other again.
Maverick tried to keep getting away from two guys but it was hard to do.
Brando darted all over the field trying to make a play.
With no choice, he threw the ball toward the sidelines to end the play.
That didn’t end the play though.
Roman stood a foot away from me.
Someone from HCH then came running toward him.
Before I could say a word, Roman was hit and came flying in my direction. Him hitting me was going to kill me. Or at the very least, knock me down, knock me out, break some bones.
I couldn’t even scream.
I shut my eyes and felt myself fly back… but without pain.
When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by the Rulz.
Kip had his strong arms around me while Barr and Pres were in front of me to make sure they didn’t accidentally kill me.
Roman got to his feet and looked around for me. “She okay?”
“Get the fuck out there,” Pres ordered. He quickly turned and looked at me. “What the fuck were you doing so close?”
“It’s okay, girl,” Kip whispered. “He’s just nervous about you getting hurt.”
“Listening to your friends again,” Barr said.
I shook to get out of Kip’s grip. “It was an accident. Who cares? I’m only here because you said to come.”
Pres’s dark eyes flared. “You take commands on when to come, sugar?”
I rolled my eyes as I blushed.
Of course he would go there…
“Can I just watch the game?” I asked.
“With us here, sure, love,” Barr said.
And that’s what they did. They stood right behind me, lined up, making sure I was safe.
I could feel Iris and Gi already becoming distant. They were now standing next to each other, arm in arm, probably as a way to remind each other they had each other.
All the while I had the Rulz.
Which wasn’t the worst thing in the world because the football game was getting more and more tense. I kept my eyes across the field and watched as Weslee looked ready to explode.
And then it happened.
Weslee walked out onto the field.
And he wasn’t alone.
“Now it’s happening,” Gi said. She reached for me. “We better get going.”
“No,” Iris said. “I want to watch.”
“Your friend is right, girl,” Kip said from behind me. “Time to leave.”
I looked back. “I have a ride. No need to-”
Barr pulled me toward him and turned.
It was like the entire field exploded.
People started running everywhere and anywhere they wanted, trying to get near the field.
It was a giant fight.
Like a real fight.
“You’re with us, love,” Barr said.
I looked and tried to find Gi and Iris but they were lost in the crazy shuffle.
“I’m fine on my own,” I said to Barr.
“Shit, we’re out of here,” Pres said. “Kip, take the side. We’ve got eyes.”
“Eyes?” I asked.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Barr said.
Kip took off in a hurry. I tried to see where he was going.
For a split second I thought I saw someone familiar.
The guys from the fight at the ditch. The ones wearing leather jackets.
But I couldn’t be sure.
Barr and Pres led the way and when I started dragging my feet just a little, Pres swept his arms around me and tossed me to his back. Like… literally…
I put my arms around his neck and my hands down to his chest.
He reached back and gripped the back of my legs so tight it did things to me that I wasn’t proud to admit.
“No time for this shit, sugar,” he said to me as we approached his giant SUV.
He walked to the driver’s side and put me on my feet. He turned really fast and grabbed my chin. Those wild dark eyes of his just ripped through me.
“We’ll get you home safe,” he whispered.
And he lowered his mouth down to mine.
Pres kissed me like we were never going to see each other again. And that he wanted to make sure I would never kiss another guy again because nobody could match his kiss.
He kissed so perfectly, I slapped my hands to the SUV door.
The smell of his cologne and the taste of his mouth made me want to rob a bank and become a rich bitch just to stay in BFH forever.
Tinsley, no! They’re just trying to use you. You can’t… fall for… this…
Pres pulled away and I stupidly kissed the air for a second, wanting more.
That just gave him even more power.
He opened the door for me and nodded to get inside.
I slid across the smooth leather seat and watched as Barr lit up a cigarette.
He had his head turned, grinning at me.
Like he knew Pres just kissed me.
Which wouldn’t have surprised me at all.
But still… it left me feeling weird.
Pres got into the driver’s seat.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Bullshit, love,” Barr said.
“No…”
“Yes,” Pres said. He looked in the mirror at me. “They want to fight like that? That’s on them. I don’t care. No time for it.”
“Pres is right, love,” Barr said. “That’s an old war that will never end. Every once in a while it gets kicked up. And with what happened to Wes’s girl, he needed tonight.”
I swallowed hard. “So you’re okay with Brando and Maverick getting beat up…”
“You want a fight, you get it,” Pres said. “And this way HCH can feel like they got something up on us. But they don’t.”
“Not even close.”
“What does that-”
The passenger back door opened.
