I slip my backpack on and make my way to the school entrance. The moment I step outside, I notice Henry and Kensey sitting on the steps. When they see me, they stand up and face me.My instinct is to take a step back. What do they want from me now? And what exactly do they have planned? I glance around, my hands growing clammy. I have to escape. “Took you long enough.” Kensey smiles. “How was therapy?” Her approach is casual, like we've been friends for years. I look them both up and down, noticing their lack of eggs or paint. My shoulders start to relax. Okay, so far I'm okay. "I don't think you care,” I answer.“You’re right, we don't,” Henry snarls. He brings his thumb and pointer finger to his lips and whistles. The pitch is loud, and for a second makes my ears ring.Lucas appears from behind a black 1987 Mercedes, a giant duffle bag thrown over his shoulder. He walks over, and I continue to stand there like a fucking dumbass. Why the hell couldn't I move? Is it paint again? I
I don't waste time jumping into the shower. I make sure the curtain is pulled shut, yet I can't shake off my anxiety. What if she just wants me to get naked so she can steal my clothes and leave me here? She's done it before.What if she pulls the curtain open and snaps pictures of me to spread around? What if she just wants to beat my bare body to a bloody pulp and kill me before dumping my unrecognizable body in the woods. Murder seems pretty popular these days. And if the rumors about her and the guys are true, it wouldn’t be the first time, either.I'm back in a corner the entire time, expecting the curtain to be ripped away. After a while, though, I'm able to relax and enjoy the hot water sprouting from the shower head above me. I scrub the blood off until my skin is raw. I turn the water off, and jump when her hand sticks out through the curtain, a towel clutched in her hand. I stare at the black nail polish on her finger nails. “Thanks,” I murmur. “No problem,” she responds
Ivy isn't lying when she said her gym clothes will be tight on me. Having a slightly thicker build than she does, her clothes hug me tight. Her gym shorts stop above mid thigh and I'm surprised I don't have a camel toe. The white t-shirt is skin tight, making my breasts look bigger than they are. I almost ask her if she has a sweater to hide my figure, but I think she's helped out enough. I don't want to seem ungrateful. Working up the courage, I step out of the girls’ locker room. I find her leaning against the wall, phone in her hands. Seeing me she pushes off it and takes me in with a smirk."It's not too tight is it?" she asks, an eyebrow raising."Umm, it's better than pig blood drenched clothes." I smile sheepishly, shoulders shrugging.She sighs, "True. Come on. I'll take you home." She turns and leads the way with me following behind her.It's quiet as we walk, and I don't mind as I think about the previous events. By tomorrow everyone in school will have that video of me be
Kingston still types away at his phone, Stone continues to sneak glances at me from the rear view mirror, and Ivy looks excited at the idea of having me there.I shake my head. "I don't think I should. I've never been to one of Stone's parties. I heard they get wild." I smile with tight lips, eyes glancing at the guy mentioned. "Come on, you have to come," Ivy pleads, bottom lip jutting out. My eyebrows raise in surprise.I'm about to protest again when we pull up to grandma's house."You owe me for helping you," Ivy barters, her hand grabbing my arm. "This can be your payment back." I bite my lip, suddenly suspicious of their intentions. Ivy never helped me until now. Even after seeing me walk home with paint dripping off my clothes, she didn't do anything. Why did she decide to help me now? Of all times? And why does she want me to go to the party? We weren't friends, and her helping me doesn't make us friends. They have something planned to humiliate me. They don't humiliate
I am good. I followed the rules, always did my best, and yet one bad thing after another happens to me. And yet my father, a bad man, is alive while nearly half a dozen people lay six feet beneath the earth for being good.How does this make any sense? How is this God's will? Why does God punish the good?Fuck God’s will. Fuck God in general.Didn't I make it clear that I don't want to hear from him anymore? That I want nothing to do with him, or anything remotely related to him?"What are you going to do with it?" Grandma asks softly. She leans against my dresser, chewing on her inner cheek."I don't know," my voice cracks. I tilt my head back to look at her. "Did he send you one too?"Her lips pinch together with a shake of her head.After she leaves, I end up staring at it longer than I wanted to. I curse when a tear falls down my cheek. I hastily wipe it away and scoff. Out of everyone, he doesn't deserve any tears. Yet despite my thoughts, they continue to fall. I open my side
His lips tilt up into a sneer, blue eyes narrowing as he takes in my summer dress. "You disappoint me, Ariella." He tuts at me like I'm in trouble. "What happened to wearing something tight? Kingston will not be pleased."I flush red, shifting to put most of my weight on my left leg as I pop my hip out. "I don't have anything tight." I shrug, eyes darting to the party happening behind him. He nods and shrugs. "Looks like I owe Ivy ten bucks." I frown at him, taking in the way his messy blond hair looks perfect, "Are you guys betting against me?" "Would you get mad if I said yes?" He steps off the front porch and walks towards me. When he's standing in front of me, I tilt my head back so I can look at him. He's so fucking tall. My gaze drifts to his biceps, then his chest. If I spilled a drink on him, would he take it off? My breath hitches, skin lighting up when he curls a strand of my hair around his index finger. He gives it a firm tug, causing a dull ache when he pulls it hard
"How about a game?" He asks when I don't say anything, eyes still glued to the dildo wearing unicorn. Only when he's out of sight do I turn my attention back to Kingston. "Huh?" "Wanna play a game?" He chuckles, hand reaching up to tuck a strand of brown hair behind my ear. I suck in a breath when his warm fingers graze my cheek."I don't want to end up with a dildo on my forehead." I giggle with a shake of my head. His green eyes light up at the idea. Fuck, he's so beautiful, it's unfair. "As entertaining as that sounds, we don't have to play dare.""No?" I ask with furrowed brows. "What kind of game then?" I force myself to look away. I find myself staring at two guys making out on the other side of the room. My eyebrows raise in surprise. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community is a huge no-no in Bethany. My eyes dart to Kingston in question. When he sees what I was staring at, he laughs."Never seen two dudes make out before?" He asks, voice curious. I shake my head, eyes darting ba
I stop at the edge of the crowd, eyes searching for a girl with black hair. I find her against the wall, talking to a guy. I rush to her and drag her away, ignoring her protests. I stop in the middle of the floor, surrounded by all the other bodies. I turn to face her with an excited smile on my face, and I start to dance. I don't ever get to do this. I don't go to parties and drink. I don't dance. And I'm forever regretful for not going sooner. I wave my hands in the air, fingers wiggling. I have amazing spirit fingers. "Are you drunk?" Ivy laughs. She starts to sway her hips, her arms raising, and she looks sensual. The twinkle in her eyes is mesmerizing, and she seems so different from her usual self. More lively.Her allure is instant, and it's no wonder she went from dancing with a female to talking to a male. "Yes! I played beer pong with King!" I shout. I turn around and start to grind my hips into hers, just as I saw her doing with the other girl earlier. Ivy's hands fin
TRIGGER WARNING PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION***I gasp for air, my hands clawing at his neck. "I'm going to ease off, okay?" He stares at me, his eyes dark. "If you scream again, I'll just knock you out and take you that way." He must see the horror on my face because he smiles. "You wouldn't want that, would you?" I shake my head, a sob escaping me. I don't want him touching me at all, but the thought of him doing that to me, limp and unconscious, sends cold ice through me."Good." His hand slowly releases my neck, as if testing to see if I would scream again. Satisfied with my silence, he lets go fully and trails his hand over my chest. "God damn rats, can't believe you let them defile you." He shakes his head at me like he's disappointed. His nose is on my neck again, his hands trailing over my waist and hips. With shaky breaths, I slowly lift my hand and reach into my back pocket.
TRIGGER WARNING! TRIGGER WARNING. PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION***The drive to his house is short, however every once in a while, I feel his gaze on me. It's unnerving. Usually he's spewing hateful words to make me feel like shit."What? If you have something to say, fucking say it." I eventually snap at him. Lucas isn't one to hold back, he isn't afraid to speak his mind. So what the fuck has got him so silent.He chuckles, the sound foreign to my ears, "Relax, shit. I was just gonna say you look like your in a 'fuck it all' mood." I snort."How'd you guess?" I droll out, turning to glare out the window. What I would give to be anywhere but here. I wonder what Ivy is doing? She's probably with the guys. I wonder if the missing item has anything to do with why they're not around."Your shit attitude." Lucas snorts back, bringing me from my thoughts.He pulls up into his driveway and turns off the engine. "Let's just hurry up, I need to get home after this." I slam his car door shut an
I wipe at my tears, all my woes replaced by suspicion. I grab a notebook and pen and begin to write down all I know about the notes. They are always left at school, in my locker. I haven't found them anywhere else.Everything about this stalker is led by the school. Then whoever is giving them to me must go to school there too. But it still doesn't make sense. Why are they sending me these notes? Because they're fans of my dad? Because they want to scare me? Or is this just all some stupid prank? So someone can get their kicks out of making me paranoid?I tap my pen, which is it? Finding myself going no where, I grab all the notes from the drawer, completely ignoring my dads letter. I lay them out on my bed, side by side and evaluate them. The hand writing is all the same, so I know its all from the same person. I go through everyone who hates me, and list them down as potential suspects. Starting with the same people on my revenge list; Kensey, Lucas, Henry and Melanie. I think
The drive to my house is quiet. I glare out the window with my arms crossed, and Kingston doesn't try to talk to me. Which is fine by me. There's so much shit I want to say to him, but I keep my mouth shut. He pulls up to the side of the road when we reach grandma's house. "When the others are back with us, we can clear up exactly what it means when we say you belong to us." Kingston tells me, his hands tight on the wheel. There's no apology for asking a question that is beyond personal. There's no apology for holding me against him even though I fought it. With a huff and a roll of my eyes I leave the car and slam the door shut. I don't care if it's the most expensive car that I've ever seen. I hope I chipped something.He doesn't leave until I'm inside, I can hear the screeching tires through the closed door as he takes off down the road."Stupid jerk," I mutter."Ariella, is that you?" Grandma's voice is firm. I hold in my groan, and walk into the living room. She sits on the so
"Yeah." I murmur as I take in huge green hair. "He's not my favorite topic right now." I shrug. I walk along the walls, looking from one poster to another. "I'm surprised." I laugh, "This wasn't what I expected. I figured you were more of a sexy model guy." Kingston chuckles, "Don't get me wrong, I am. But I can look at a woman's body anytime I want too." He shrugs.I frown, can't get myself to turn around and face him. Of course Kingston can look at a woman's body anytime he wants. Anyone with eyes would jump at the chance to be with him. I'm sure his phone is full of lady’s numbers. There's a knock on the door, pulling me away from my bitter thoughts. Armin comes in with a platter full of finger sandwiches. "Couldn't she have made just regular ones?" Kingston frowns as he sets it on his desk. "I refuse to tell her to remake them. Shall you?" Armin raises a thick eyebrow.Kingston pales and shakes his head, "I don't have a death wish." "Smart boy." Armin replies before leaving.
I peek up at Kingston, is this guy a freaking prince or what?"Good evening Sir King." The man is posh, with his nose turned up and his arm tucked to his torso like he's in a place of royalty. His jet black hair is slicked back, shiny with product. "Sir King's guest." He nods at me, takes in my cut off jean shorts and black T-shirt before looking away with a wrinkle in his nose.Judgemental much? It's like a complete turn from the judgemental eyes at school. They disliked me for my dresses and collared shirts. And now I'm being judged for wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I can't please everyone."Armin, this is Ariella." Kingston introduces me. "Ariella, this is Armin." I give a wave and he simply nods at me without sparing me another glance. "Can you have Betha make us some sandwiches?" Kingston asks. He tightens his hold on my hand and leads me to the stairs. "Thanks!" He shouts behind him."Thank you!" I call back, not wanting to make my first impression any worse. I glance back to
After school, I open my locker and go through it. When I find my essay inside, I sigh in relief. After the class ended, I searched through my bag and couldn't find it. I was about to flip my shit if it wasn't in the locker.I grab it and put it into my bag, but frown when I see the yellow sticky note stuck to the back of the locker. Another note? My brows furrow, fingers twitching as I glance down the hallway, eyes darting from one face to another as I try to guess who was giving them to me. Except no one is looking at me right now. No one gives a hint that it could be them.I bite the inside of my cheek and turn back to it. With a shaking hand, I reach inside and pull the sticky note out.'I see you've made some friends. I'm not sure if your father would approve of you interacting with sinners. I'm disappointed, Ariella.'My breath quickens, as I reread it over and over. Sinners?Don't be a sinner, Ariella.My dad's voice whispers in my head."Hey, gorgeous." I jump, crushing the
It's too late to back out now. I won't let myself."You look excited." Haeden lazily smiles at me. He grabs my hand and pulls me towards him."I am," I confirm, cheeks flushing red when I'm pressed against him. I glance around the hallway, noticing that there are too many eyes on us. Watching how we stand so close together.His hands rest on my hips, and I curl my fingers into the sides of his shirt. I turn my head to Stone, expecting to see anger or maybe jealousy, any kind of wishful thinking that showed he liked me, but he just scrolls through his phone. Is it not weird for him to have his friend be so handsy with me after we had a moment the other night? "Hey." Haeden rests his finger beneath my chin and turns my head so I can look at him again. His green eyes shine at me. "Maybe we all should talk later, hmm?" I frown, my brows furrowed. "What about?" "I don't think you understand what we mean when we say you belong to us," he says, fingers flexing on my hips. His eyes drift o
He wants me to suck on him? My face bursts into flames, and I quickly shake my head. Oh no. I've never done that! I've never thought about doing that! I've never even seen one! Well, I watched porn one time, and it was weird, so I turned that shit off fast.He thumbs my bottom lip, saying "I'm not surprised you've never sucked cock before." His dark eyes connect with mine. "It's a damn shame, though. I bet your wet mouth feels heavenly." My breath grows heavy as he talks. The roughness of his voice carries tingles down to my belly, and it's suddenly so hot in the room."I think about you on your knees way too often," he whispers. He slips his thumb past my lips and settles the pad on my tongue. "Fuck." Daring to push further, I lightly bite the tip of his thumb, watching in delight as a shiver runs through his body."You're a bad influence on me," I murmured into the air. "If you don't want me ripping these shorts off, I suggest you get up." His voice hardens, any playfulness is n