Fierce (14 page)

“Why? I mean, he’s nice. You should really
get to know him first.”

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

Frowning, I look at her. I don’t get what
she’s saying. Her lip is quivering, though.

“I’ve been afraid to tell you all this time
… and that’s why I’ve been hanging out with Scarlet for such a long time. She’s
actually quite nice, if you get to know her.”

Wow, it surprises me that Evie’s actually
saying this. I never expected her to see past her initial opinion of Scarlet,
but she’s done a complete turnaround now. Weird.

“Anyway … She’s been helping me out a
little, and I’ve been helping her in return.”

“That’s nice. I’m glad you found another
friend. Now I’m not the only one,” I say, and I grab her shaking hand and
squeeze it.

I want to show her that I’m here for her,
no matter what she’s going through. I don’t care if she got mad over Hunter; I
just want us to be friends.

“She told me to just tell you.”

“Okay? What do you want to tell me?” I say.

She turns around to look at me, her lips
parted. She licks her lips anxiously.

Suddenly she leans in and kisses me right
on the mouth.

I panic, open my mouth and draw back. What
is she doing?

A flush spreads across her cheeks and she
looks in pain just from seeing me react.

Shit. Brody was right all along. She likes
me.

Oh God. What have I done?

“I … I’m sorry,” I say. “I don’t feel that
way.”

I should’ve known. I should’ve realized it
sooner.

I’ve been flaunting Hunter and my feelings
for him in front of her face all this time, and she’s been pining over me
instead. I can’t believe I’ve been such a jerk to her. Now I understand why she
dislikes him. She hates that he stole me from her.

But I can’t do anything about that. I don’t
want to lose Hunter.

But I don’t want to lose her either.

“It’s okay,” she says, her smile fading. “I
know. I’ve known for quite some time, but I was ignoring it. I wanted it to be
different. I didn’t want to be ‘just best friends.’ I wanted more.”

“I’m sorry,” I repeat.

She chuckles lightly. It sounds like she’s
embarrassed. “No harm in trying, right?”

Her eyes are getting glossy, and she’s
swallowing away the tears. Just looking at her makes me feel sick to my
stomach. I’ve been blind to the truth. She’s into me, but I can’t offer her the
same love in return.

Not like that.

“But … I’m not,” I stammer.

“I know …” she says, nodding, biting her
lip. “I just wanted to let you know.”

I look down at the sheets, unable to think
of what to say.

“I don’t think I can stay here any longer,”
she says.

My eyes jolt up to her again. “What?”

“I can’t do this anymore, Autumn. I can’t
watch you with Hunter, knowing what I’m missing. Knowing what I can never have.
It’s turning me into a person I don’t want to be.”

“So you’re leaving?” Now tears are forming
in my eyes, too.

“Scarlet offered me her room for a couple
of weeks. Her roommate left, so … At least I can crash somewhere.” Evie stands
up and packs some stuff into her suitcase.

So it’s really true. She’s leaving because
of me. Because she has feelings for me I can’t give her in return.

“But you barely know her,” I stammer.

“I think I can manage,” she says, zipping
her suitcase shut. “I like you, Autumn. Too much. I need to be alone for a
little while, so I can overcome that. Maybe stop thinking about you every
second of the day.”

I smile, feeling embarrassed by the idea
that she thinks of me the way I think of Hunter.

Damn, this is complicated.

“Well … bye,” she says, and she gives me a
gentle peck on my forehead.

A tear runs down her face as she grabs her
suitcase and stumbles out the door, glancing at me one final time before
leaving.

Hunters
gonna be Hunters

I can’t close my eyes tonight. The tears
just keep coming, making my entire face wet. Eventually I just give up and
started reading instead. Not that it proves much of a distraction. Evie and her
confession play over and over in my mind, and I keep thinking about what I should’ve
done differently.

It’s too late to change it now.

Getting out of bed is hard, but I manage. I
don’t want to lie down if I can’t sleep anyway. Better do some homework
instead.

It’s dark outside, and when I look at
Evie’s bed the emptiness makes me feel hollow inside. I feel like I just lost
my best friend, which is absurd. She’s only a few dorm rooms away. Still, I’m
feeling blue today.

Just as I’m about to sit down at my desk,
someone knocks on my door.

I open it and am baffled. Jaret is standing
there in a fine suit with a glittery hat on.

“Wow,” I say, squeezing my eyes shut
because of all the shimmers. “Going somewhere?”

He chuckles. “It’s the hat, right? I
thought it looked cool.”

“I’m jealous,” I jest. “So, what’s up?”

“Well, there’s this party going on at a
secret location, and I wondered if you’d like to come?”

“What? Me?” I say. “Secret parties?”

“Hunter’s there, too. I’m surprised he
didn’t bring you. Maybe he forgot. Anyway, since you’re his girlfriend, I
figured you’d want to come.”

“I’m not his …” I’ve already stopped
talking before the entire sentence comes out. I’m not his girlfriend, I think.
Just the thought makes me blush like crazy. But maybe if he believes I’m
Hunter’s girlfriend, I can get inside and figure out what he’s doing at that party.

“Sure, I’d love to come,” I say with a big,
fake smile.

Maybe this will be a good thing. Sitting
here and thinking about Evie all night long clearly isn’t doing me any good.

“Cool. Thought you could use the
distraction, seeing all that homework.” He glances at the stack of books on my
desk.

“Thanks,” I say. “It’s nice of you to ask
me.”

He smiles proudly. “No problem. So, you
ready to go like this or do you want to put something else on instead? I
recommend short skirts, especially if you want to be let inside,” he says with
a wink.

Squinting, I say, “Yeah, okay. Hold on a
sec. I’ll go get dressed.”

“I’ll wait here.”

I close the door behind me and immediately
rummage through my closet, looking for the perfect outfit. I’m not good at this
at all. The last time I went to a party was in the third grade, and it was a
sleepover. I don’t know if you could even call that a ‘party.’ I have no idea
what to wear, so I just grab the sexiest clothes I have, which is a short black
dress and heels to match.

After fixing my hair, putting on some
mascara, and putting on some earrings I open the door.

 “Wow, good job. What a transformation,”
Jaret says, astonished.

“Let’s go,” I say, and I walk past him.

“Uh, sure. Let’s take my car then.”

Maybe I’m rushing a bit too much, but I
want to get there as fast as possible. I want to find out more about Hunter and
what he’s doing with those people, and I think this is the perfect way to find
out. Since Jaret’s going there, too, and they’re both into the drug-dealing
thing, I’m pretty sure this whole party will be flocking with the same kind of
people.

That’s some scary shit.

Jaret points us to his car, which is a low
convertible. My eyeballs almost pop out the moment I see it. There’s some real
money to be made with what they do. No wonder they’re so hung up on it.

I swallow away the lump in my throat as I
get inside and close the door. Putting on my seatbelt, I say, “Nice car.”

“It’s my baby,” he says.

I nod in awe as he starts the car and steps
on the gas, making a lot of noise. Pushover.

Normally, I would never,
never
, go
with types like him, but this time’s an exception to that rule. I’ll break my
own laws if I have to. I’m way too curious to find out more about Hunter.

“So, you guys do a lot of dealing then?”

Jaret holds his breath and gazes at me with
widened eyes. “Don’t tell anyone, ’kay? I know you’re Hunter’s chick, and I
hope I can trust you, because otherwise …”

I hold up my hands as a peace sign. “I
won’t, I promise. I’m just curious. Why are you even in school if you make so
much money? No need for a job, right?”

He chortles. “I’m here because my parents
want me to be. I just want to party, have some fun. I’m more of the gambling
type.” He reaches into his collar and takes out a necklace with a die as a
bangle.

“Cool,” I say, as he shows it to me and
tucks it away again. It’s not even remotely interesting. I just pretend I think
it is.

“My lucky charm.”

“Must bring a lot of luck if you’re driving
this car and raking in so much cash.” I keep going back to the same topic,
because I want to know more about what they do, and I think Jaret is the
perfect person to spill it.

“Nah, I’m just lucky I found the right …
‘job.’” He winks, and he jerks the steering wheel so hard I’m almost flung
against the window.

“So do you take them sometimes too? The
drugs, I mean.”

“Sometimes. Takes the kick off things, you
know.”

“Why do you do it? The trading? Just for
the money?” I ask, as we shoot through the streets.

“Mostly, yeah. The other part is because
they’d kill me if I stopped now. I don’t really have the luxury to do what I
want. On the other hand, who am I to complain?” He laughs it off like it’s a
joke or something, but the air in this car suddenly feels too thick to breathe
in.

Words like ‘kill’ and ‘drugs’ are being
thrown around like they’re common goods, and it’s freaking me out.

“We’re here!” he says as he parks the car
like a lunatic, occupying several spots. I’m gazing outside at a gigantic house
filled to the brim with people. It almost looks like a tidal wave of people will
soon come crashing out.

Lights are turned on, loud music is
playing, people are screaming and yelling, having fun with God knows what.
There’s not another house within a two-mile radius, so it looks like an out-of-control
party.

We get out of the car, and I feel dizzy
because of the ride, but I don’t get any time to regain my composure. Jaret
hooks his arm through mine and takes me to the house.

My heart is going bonkers inside my chest
as we walk up the steps. The lawn is littered with plastic cups, and toilet
paper, for some reason. There are panties hanging from the tree branches, and a
couple of shoes. I hear lots of giggling, and I’m thinking there are dirty
things going on here I don’t want to see.

I’m scared to death to enter that house.

But I do it anyway.

It’s not like I have a choice with Jaret
practically dragging me inside.

As the door closes behind us, I’m almost
going deaf from the loud music.

“You can find Hunter on your own, right? I
really have to play some cards,” Jaret says, his eyes flicking to the poker
table and back to me.

“I guess,” I stammer.

“Cool, see you around!” he says, and then
he walks off through the crowd, leaving me alone at the door.

Shit.

Now I’m on my own. What the fuck do I do?

I’m getting a panic attack already just by
looking at all these people dancing, drinking, smoking. It stinks in here, and
the air is filled with toxic fumes that make me cough. Some are smoking pot on
the couch, others are sniffing up coke lines from the table. I’m disgusted by
the mere sight of it, and I can’t believe I’m actually here, watching it.

What the hell am I doing here?

I want to turn around and run, but at the
same time I can’t just leave either. Jaret’s my ride, and he’s left me alone. I
don’t even have an idea how to get home.

Besides, Hunter is here. I should try to
find him, see what he’s up to.

In the corner is a bowl of punch, and I
make my way to the table. I grab a cup and fill it to the brim. Under normal
circumstances I won’t just drink for the heck of it, but I really need
something to take the edge of this anxiousness I’m feeling. I can’t go around
this house looking like a scared little kid. That’ll only generate suspicion.
No, I need to blend in. Fit in with the crowd. Act like them.

I down the punch in one go, and then follow
it up with a jello shot. It’s already dazing me, and I feel wobbly on my legs.
Whatever they put in these drinks can’t be good, so I decide this one is my
last.

‘Uprising’ by Muse is playing, and I’m
suddenly in the mood for dancing, so I push my way through the crowd.

Peering around the room, I see Brody
hanging on the couch with a couple of girls. My eyeballs almost pop out of my
head seeing him subjected to women’s hands. They’re groping him, running their
fingers through his hair, handing him drinks and smokes. Disgusting.

Desperate to ignore him, I turn around and
walk in the other direction. When I spot Hunter, I stop in my tracks.

Leaning against the wall in a corner of the
giant mansion is Hunter Bane. In his arms is a curvy blonde girl, squirming up
against him.

Chills run through my body. I feel cold and
dead inside as I stare at the two. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.

She’s smoking a joint, and they’re whispering
words into each other’s ears. Hunter’s lips quirk up into a lopsided smile as
he reaches into his pocket and takes out a plastic bag with white powder and
hands it to the girl.

The moment she turns to give him a small
kiss on the cheek, I realize it’s Scarlet.

What the fuck?

What is she doing here? And why is she
smoking pot and getting drugs from him?

Why does she have her hands all over him?
She’s supposed to be with Brody!

I’m furious. All I want to do now is punch
her in the face.

And then Hunter’s gaze shifts toward my
position. When he sees me, my heart shatters.

His eyes are dark and full of contempt. He
doesn’t seem even slightly surprised to find me here. Doesn’t even look scared
or sorry. He only gives me a fierce, stone-cold stare.

Tears sting my eyes, and I struggle not to
run over there and hit him in the face.

Instead, I turn around, push through the
crowd, and run outside.

Brushing away the ones that have rolled
down my cheeks, I force back the rest of the tears while bolting down the
steps.

Suddenly, someone grabs my hand and holds
me back.

“Let me go!” I scream, kicking and jabbing.

“No. Not until you listen to me,” Hunter
says with a low voice.

Somehow one of my backward kicks hits him
in the nuts, and his grip on me loosens.

“Wow, nice kick. You’ve learned a lot,” he
grunts.

I don’t wait one second before making a run
for it. My feet take me as far as they can through the parking lot before
Hunter catches up to me.

“You wanna play catch? I can do that.” He
muffles a deep, guttural laugh that alerts all my senses. “I’m Hunter. Seizing
innocent prey is what I do best. You should know better.”

Darkness surrounds us. I’m running past the
cars to ditch him. It’s scary, but thrilling to the bone, too.

When I stumble over a ridge, I barely
manage to catch myself before falling. I try to get up as fast as possible, but
Hunter’s already caught me. His fingers clench firmly around my wrist as he
pulls me up from the street.

“Let go of me!” I squeal.

“No,” he says crudely.

“Fuck you!” I say. “You can’t keep me here
forever. I’m leaving.”

“Oh, no, no, no.” Hunter flings me around and
traps me between his sculpted arms. I fight to free myself, but it’s no use.
He’s too strong, and I’m at his mercy. I don’t want to be, though.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“Let me go or I’ll―”

“You’ll what? Scream? Yeah, nobody’s going
to react to that. Not here,” he says with a chuckle.

“I want to go. Now,” I say.

“Go where? Home? Good luck. Your driver is
wasted, and there’s no way I’m going to let you go on your own. It’s too far to
get to the dorm, you’ll never make it on foot.”

“I’ll call a cab,” I snarl.

“With what money?” he says.

“You’re a fucking asshole, you know that?”
I hiss.

He chuckles. “Why? Because I give girls
what they want?”

I bite my lip, feeling the tears well up
again. I get the urge to smack him, but can’t, because he’s holding me too
tight against him.