I finally manage to step toward Ally, but Jake blocks my path, stepping in front of me. I sidestep, determined to push past him, but he mirrors my movement, his body a solid wall. Confusion furrows my brow. What is he doing?I spot an opening and take a quick step forward, but before I can even move two paces, his warm hands grip my arms to yank me back. I stumble, my back slamming into the lockers as he forces me in front of my open locker. He should not start with shit like this.“I asked, what are you doing?” I ask over my shoulder and take my bag out of my locker."Tyler told me to hold you back. He wants to talk to Ally alone," he says, his tone cold and flat. He does not even look at me. I peel my eyes away from Tyler towering over Ally and grab my bag from my locker."I can't believe it. He is an arsehole. I don't want him near Ally." Jake doesn’t respond, but I catch the tight clenching of his fists. I slam my locker shut with a frustrated scoff, but the sound echoes louder tha
The doorbell rings and I hurry down the stair while pulling my hair back into a pony. That must be Ally. I called her and managed to persuade her into coming to the party.The DJ approaches me with an enormous speaker and I step to the side. The house is filled with these enormous speakers. If the cops show up tonight, I will not hesitate to throw Oliver under the bus. When I reach the door, I swing it open. My face falls when I see that it is not Ally. Bloody Tyler, so full of himself. Why is he always everywhere? "Where is Oliver?" Tyler asks without any form of greeting. I roll my eyes and they land on Jake, standing behind Tyler. I have to admit that Jake looks quite . . . He looks hot. That black leather jacket is doing Jake's figure justice. "Hello. I'm fine, thanks for asking," I say while stepping to the side to let them in. “I don’t know where Oliver is. He must be here somewhere.” I give the door a soft nudge and Jake catches the door, closing it behind him. Oliver appear
I glance back at the house where the music blasts through the open door and windows. I can't believe that Max is such a pervert. The party has not even been going on for more than two hours. What is he on? Just because we are dating, does not mean that he can just do what he wants. Consent babes, consent."Team" by Iggy Azalea plays and I hum while tapping my foot on the driveway to the beat. I remember how all the girls thought they were the shit when this song came out. And not just the girls, the lads too. They would play this song whenever they got the chance. It was one of those songs that made you feel insanely cool. I mean, I'm feeling chuffed right now as it plays. I take the last sip of the gin and stand up. If I want to make the best of tonight, I should get back in there. I'll just try to avoid Max. Plus, it is so crowded in there it won't be a problem. I slowly dance my way back to the house and force my way through the door. I didn't think that so many people would show
"Why the fuck would you do that?" I ask with frustration, the music still booming in the background. This was not in the original story. I pace back and forth in front of Max.Max and Kate stayed together for the whole story, or at least until where I read. I stop right in front of Max with my arms crossed across my chest. He leans back in the leather seat."You didn't want to do anything," Max mutters, struggling to talk properly. I laugh in disbelief and walk closer to him. I'm towering over him, my nails digging into my arms. I can't believe the nerve of this twat. "You drugged my friend, forcing her to the bedroom because-" I stop to take a deep breath. I cannot even begin to process his thought process. "Because I didn't want to "satisfy your needs". So you force yourself on an innocent girl, Allison, because what? No one will believe her? She is an easy target? You are a fucking horrible person. I hope you burn in hell." I unfold my arms and give a step back. I don't want to be
A sharp noise rings in my ears and I shoot up. What time is it? I feel around on the bed for my phone and see that it is my mother calling. Why would she call at half past four?She might be testing to see whether I answer or not. If I answer, it will look suspicious and she can use it as proof that we were partying. But it could also be an emergency. Her number appears as a missed call and I open my messages.We are coming home earlier. We will be there around 10:00. Hope you behaved yourselves.Shit, we still have to clean up. I kick my shoes off and throw my hair into a loose bun. I can recall that Kate and Oliver were caught by their parents because they didn't clean the mess they made. I do not want to spend the rest of my time here grounded.I tiptoe past my room toward Oliver’s room and knock on his door. There is complete silence.I knock again, but the lights are off and the door is locked. I am going to kill him. With a defeated sigh I make my way down the stairs.Cups and
I try to open the front door of Ally's house, but something is blocking it from opening all the way. With a struggle, I manage to squeeze through the small opening with Ally in my arms. Jake offered to carry Ally to her room, but I know she would not feel comfortable with that. I glance over my shoulder to the car where Jake is waiting for me.I close the door and see what was blocking the door. Ally's mother is passed out on the floor in front of the door. Looks like she also had a fun evening.I walk with Ally to her room and I place her on the small bed. She groans again and rolls over, almost falling off her bed. I catch her and put her in the middle of the bed. I pull a blanket over her before slowly heading back.As I step out of her room, I notice for the first time the condition of this house. Wine bottles and beer cans are spread out on the floor. The couch is occupied with even more bottles. How does Ally live in such a mess? In my attempt to walk through the bottles, I rem
Let me tell you, I didn't even stress like this when I had to write the entrance exam. I have been thinking about this since Sunday and now that I'm here, I am freaking out and there is nothing that I can do.I glance at the door from my seat in Art class. Jake hasn't arrived yet and I'm a complete mess. I need to return his jacket without making it awkward, but it might not go as planned. I clutch my stomach and rest my forehead on the table, forcing myself to take deep breaths. Why am I feeling so anxious about this? It is nothing important to worry about. The image of him flinching away has been on replay in my head since it happened. I still feel stupid. Ugh. I tap my forehead against the table with a soft sigh."Are you okay?" I whip my head up when I recognize the voice. Jake sits next to me and stares at me in concern. I force a smile and nod."Yeah, I'm fine," I lie and try to control my breathing. He lifts a brow and his eyes travel to my arms, which are still clutching my st
I groan with a mouthful of food. I ignore him when he appears next to Ally."Sup?" He falls next to her and puts his plate on the grass in front of him. So he is sitting with us now? Great, there goes my peace and serenity. This, this right here, is my thirteenth reason. I continue eating my sandwich and keeping my eyes glued to the grass. I do not want to look at him. More footsteps approach us and Jake sits down next to Tyler."Hey," he greets us and digs into his food. He appears to have recovered from whatever happened in Art. I click my tongue when I realize that I don't have my bag with me. I will give him his paper later.Ally looks like she is about to explode with excitement. I sigh and cross my legs, placing my arm on my leg and resting my head on my hand. Before I can take another bite, Oliver's voice blares through the air. I snap my head in his direction and see Cora walking next to him. Fuck me! They also walk toward us and Oliver sits next to me. Cora pats the grass, fee
I turn to Cora and we both take a moment to register that our team just won. Cora is the first to react and she starts to cheer loudly.“We won!” Cora shouts at the top of her lungs and I let out a loud laugh. The excitement fills me with adrenaline and I cannot contain myself. I run to the field with the rest of the cheer girls and our side of the bleachers.Cora throws her arm over my shoulders and we dance together, singing along as loud as we can when another song plays.“We won!” Cora shouts again, hugging me tightly. I hug her back and we sway from side to side. I smile widely, realizing that we have also reconnected. Cora pulls back, flashing me a warm smile.“We won,” I repeat. The rest of the cheer girls have joined us and we are all talking over each other. Someone taps my shoulder and I turn slightly to see who it is.Wes smiles at me, his hands pulling me in for a quick embrace.“Well done,” he says when he pulls back. “You saved the game,” he says with a satisfied smile.
“Hands, touching hands.” “Reaching out, touching me, touching you.”“Sweet Caroline.”PUM PUM PUMThere are a few students who sing along. We only need to keep going.“Good times never seemed so good.” “I've been inclined.”PUM PUM PUMMuch more students are singing along and a lot of them have stood up in the meantime. Ace, this is all we need. Just more of this and then we will have the energy back.“One, touching one.” “Reaching out, touching me, touching you.”The energy grows and I cannot help the smile that grows on my face.“Sweet Caroline.”PUM PUM PUM “Good times never seemed so good.” “I've been inclined.”All the students are standing up and shouting together, arms around each other’s shoulders. This song always gets everyone together. Even the other school is singing along.PUM PUM PUM “Good times never seemed so good.” “Sweet Caroline.”The song dies out and we all cheer as loud as we can. I even feel more energized after that. Everyone is getting together for the
The atmosphere is even more spirited than the previous game. The cheerleaders from the other school just finished their routine and we are waiting for our introduction.When we are called, Cora leads us out onto the field, even though I am the cheer captain. I asked her since this would be my first time cheering and that is enough stress. I do not need the additional stress from leading the girls.My high pony whips as I jog to my place. We get into formation and she lets out a cheer, indicating for us to start the routine.We move effortlessly through the routine and I have a wide smile. I must admit that this is a lot of fun. Cora shouts again and we end the routine with a power stance. Our side of the bleachers breaks into deafening cheers and I look at Cora.She flashes me a smile and she hurries to me, pulling me into a hug. We are both out of breath, still giggly from the nerves.We head to the line where the football team is going to run through. Cora reaches for my hand and I
I watch as Jake takes my hand and places it on his chest. I roll my eyes.“You just want me to feel your muscles,” I say, a laugh bubbling up despite myself. Jake’s eyes light up.“That’s what you said last night.” He chuckles and I cannot stop smiling. There’s something different about him today. The shadows that usually haunt his face have softened. The weight he carries seems lighter. His usual frown has disappeared, leaving behind a soft gaze.I feel the warmth from him on my hand that is still resting on his chest. And he is actually allowing me to come close to him, initiating the touch. He is not flinching away.He takes my other hand, guiding it to his face. His cheek comes into contact with my palm and I cup his face. My heart thumps in my chest as I have to focus on my breathing.Jake pulls me closer, his hands resting on my hips. I have a shy smile on my face with heat rushing to my cheeks. I feel like a silly middle-school girl, giggling at his hands on my waist. I have n
The afternoon had been exhausting, but the place was finally spotless. I left my number for Allison’s mother since she hadn’t woken up during the time we spent cleaning.“That place is cleaner than my apartment,” Jake says with a satisfied tone as his truck comes to a stop.I let out a soft laugh and nod. “Thank you so much for helping me. You really did not have to,” I say as I open the door and nearly stumble out, my body stiff from last night’s dancing.“It is nothing. I had nothing else to do anyway.” He walks to the back of his truck and I follow him. I grab two bags from the back before heading to a nearby pile. The smell causes me to gag and I have to hide my nose in my shirt. Ugh, I forgot the stench of this place.Jake laughs at my reaction, walking past me with four bags. Show off. I throw the bags onto the pile and head back for more. As I work, a memory surfaces—the last time we were here.We have come such a long way, from not being allowed to come within a few feet
Kate’s POV:I groan, pulling the blanket over my eyes. Ugh, I am never drinking again. What was I thinking? My head is pounding and my stomach makes a funny noise. I knew I would regret drinking, but I still did it.Squinting against the harsh light, I peel the blanket off my face. Big mistake. The brightness feels like needles stabbing my skull. I groan again, rubbing my temples. I sigh as I sit up, the pounding causing my vision to blur.Water. I need water.With a determined groan, I stumble out of bed toward the kitchen. My dad and mum are sitting at the island in the kitchen, both drinking tea in silence.“Morning,” I say as I enter the kitchen. My dad chuckles at my state while my mum shakes her head.“Morning. How was your night?” my dad asks. I nod slowly while I pour water into one of the larger glasses.“It was fun, but I am not doing it again,” I admit, causing my dad to laugh. I down the glass of water. My mum stands up and opens one of the cabinets.“We were worried. Yo
It looks like she’s on the verge of tears though. She rolls her eyes, turning away from me and ignoring my calls. Her retreating figure stirs a sharp pang of worry in my chest. I jog up to her, catching her arm gently“Kate, what is wrong?” I ask while turning her to look at me. She stops and looks me up and down, letting out a sigh. She rubs her face, smearing her make-up. Not again. I cannot laugh at her, not now.“Nothing,” she says, but I know she is lying. I tilt my head, unwilling to let it slide. She shrugs off my hand, her movements stiff. “Really, nothing. I am drunk beyond comprehension and I am tired, so please leave.” She looks into my eyes, tilting her head with a soft smile. “I am going to say stuff I should not say.”The vulnerability in her mumble makes me pause, but she shakes her head and starts walking again.I dart in front of her, blocking her path. She huffs loudly, throwing her head back in frustration.“Let me at least walk you back home,” I offer. Her head stay
“It has been so long since I last saw you. Look at you! You are all grown up,” she says with a warm smile and I smile back at her.“What are you doing here?” I ask and hold my arms out for a hug. She tightly embraces me. I have not seen her since . . . Since I was 14 and in my hometown. A wave of nostalgia washes over me as I pull back.What is she doing here?“I was invited by Olivia,” she says, pointing to where Olivia is talking to some of the girls.“Oh, she said she invited girls from the nearby high school. I did not know you attended here. I thought you were still back in Prichard.” She laughs while shaking her head.“I moved here last year. My dad wanted a fresh start—away from everything that happened.” Her smile wavers briefly before brightening again. “I’m so happy to see you. I’ve always wondered what happened to you.” I smile and she pulls me into another hug. She lets go and gestures to the house. “I’m going to get something to drink. You want something?”“No thanks. I’
I trail behind the group heading toward Grayson’s party, already questioning how Wes managed to talk me into this. And then he chickened out because he remembered he had to study for a test.I pull a hand through my hair. I guess Tyler and Allison might need a designated driver back home or a designated walker. Those two are driving me insane.We reach the street of Grayson’s home and the music is booming through the neighborhood. It’s a miracle the neighbors haven’t called the cops yet. How is it even possible to blast music at this volume?Allison is the first to rush through the small gate on Grayson’s law, but she bumps into Grayson. He’s holding a cup of what I can only assume is alcohol, and it spills all over her dress.Predictably, Tyler reacts before anyone else can.I let out a loud sigh. Just because it is mating season and these two are beyond horny, doesn’t mean Tyler needs to fight every guy who so much as breathes near Allison. Before I can intervene, someone beats me