Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CADENCE
Before going to bed, I send Hudson a text to let him know I got home safely. Though safe doesn’t come close to explaining how I feel.
My hands shake while typing, hating to think how my neighbour might be involved in tonight’s attack.
Already dreading the ride to school tomorrow morning.
My shoulders tense as I try to picture the confrontation and when I climb into bed, head tossing between Drake’s teasing threats and the thought Hudson isn’t the person I believed him to be, sleep is a long time coming.
But when I startle awake the next morning, a door downstairs slamming loud enough to echo through the house, Hudson has sent a responding message to say his car is repaired and waiting for collection. Can I make my own way to school?
The postponement lets me breathe easier, replying that it’s no problem.
A relief that’s short-lived considering it places me back in a car with Drake.
I get ready then walk downstairs, gasping at his injured face. The split eyebrow is crusted with black blood, the eyelid beneath purple and puffy. It adds a flair of danger, the dark shadows of bruises contouring his chiselled features to add a touch of menace, intensifying his attraction.
Or maybe that’s just me, revelling in how he got those injuries. How he ran to my defence, not caring for his own safety.
Before he reverted to the housemate from hell.
Arnold sends me a stern glance as I take a seat, making me flush with guilt before I even know the problem. “Seems like you two had quite the night.”
I clear my throat, watching my mother pour herself a coffee like she’s moving in slow motion.
Not knowing what to say, I settle for a nod of acknowledgement.
Drake takes the seat beside me, his cautious movements speaking volumes about the bruises that must hide underneath his shirt.
In a whisper, I ask, “Can I grab a lift from you today?”
I have my explanation ready, but he nods straight away. “That’s fine.”
His voice is subdued enough that I risk another glance… and frown. He looks absolutely miserable.
“Good news,” Arnold adds, following the trajectory of my gaze. “Blaine is coming to work in my office.”
“ Today?”
“From Monday,” Drake corrects. “These will be my last two days at Ashcroft.”
“You can take over his car since he’ll be sharing mine from now on.” Arnold fixes him with a hard stare. “And his first few paycheques will go towards financing its repair.”
“But…”
Drake’s hand lands on my knee, squeezing in warning while my mother attempts a smile. “Are you looking forward to working with your dad?”
“I’m sure it’ll be good for me.”
“Hopefully, some hard work will give you the structure to keep out of trouble, since paying a fortune to the best school did nothing.” Arnold’s lips stretch into a thin smile, eyes flashing with danger as his attention turns to me. “Let’s hope your education works better.”
My mouth is too dry to eat. My throat too narrow to swallow coffee.
Even with Mum telling me this was on the cards, it seems sudden. And she presented it like an opportunity whereas this…?
This feels like a punishment.
“Won’t insurance cover the damage? Since the vandal who did it—”
“Only if we report the matter to the police.” Arnold cocks an eyebrow, the faint hint of amusement so like Drake that my stomach knots. “Is that what you want to do?”
The fingers tighten on my leg again, giving me the answer.
“Never call the police if you can handle it yourself,” my mother answers, sparking into life. “That’s always been our mantra.”
Arnold’s expression softens as he takes her hand, pressing a kiss into her palm. “There you go, then. You’re not just a pretty face.”
My mother beams but it doesn’t sound like a compliment. Not to my ears.
“Grab your things or we’ll be late,” Drake whispers, giving my knee one last squeeze. “I’ll meet you outside.”
There’s a strange fluttering sensation as I get into the passenger seat next to him. When he leans across to untwist my seatbelt, all I can feel is the hard press of his erection against my inner thighs last night as he held me in place.
“You should remember to wear sunscreen,” Drake remarks. “Your face is bright red.”
For three weeks, I’ve cursed his attendance at school.
Now it’s ending so abruptly, I feel unanchored.
I stare out my side window. Unsure what to say, I stay silent for the entire drive. The moment he parks, I leap out, striding towards my locker while he lingers to lock the car and check all the doors.
At my locker, I notice a boy stare at me from a few metres along the hallway. By the time I’ve swapped out my books for the first two lessons, another two are keeping tabs.
After the attack last night, it’s obvious enough to be creepy.
One boy stops me in the corridor, asking if I need a hand carrying my textbooks to first period. Another holds the door to the class open, waiting for me to take a seat, then takes the empty desk to my side.
At lunch, I queue with my tray and a strange boy starts up a conversation about New York Fashion Week, as if I know anything in hell about it. Drake sits with his usual table at lunch, and with Hudson taking the entire day off school, Salesi and Viliami bookend me.
Fine.
I swallow Drake’s bait and ask, “Have you two heard anything about a bingo card?”
“Wow,” Salesi says, ostentatiously staring at his phone. “Is that the time? I’m late for practice.”
He departs with his laden tray, slipping into a seat on the other side of the room, at a table crowded with rugby team members.
Viliami is momentarily delighted to have me to himself, then scowls. “He told you, then?” He slumps in his seat until he’s nearly as low as me. “I had ten on Hudson keeping his mouth shut.”
I say nothing, struggling with the knowledge I’ve been duped, and Hudson is part of it.
My mind replays every interaction, reframing them in a callous new light.
“Want to make it up to me by letting me score a square?” Viliami leans over, voice dropping to a low rumble guaranteed to loosen any girl’s knickers. “You know I’d take good care of you. It’s a matter of pride. I’d even split the proceeds, fifty-fifty.” His fingers tap the back of my hand, then dance along my forearm, igniting tingles until I jerk away.
“I’m not jumping into bed just because you lost ten bucks.”
“Ten grand.”
An answer that arrives when I have a mouthful of pasta and suddenly, I’m choking.
“Ten thousand dollars?” I ask when recovered, and he nods. “If that’s the side bet, how much is the bingo card worth?”
“Hudson left off that juicy detail?”
I frown, drumming my fingers on the table, unsure how much to share. “He’s not the one who told me.”
“Blaine, you loose-lipped prick,” Viliami shouts across the room. “Just because she’s not crazy enough to touch your tiny diseased dick doesn’t mean you have to ruin things for the rest of us.”
A chorus of low groans follows his accusation. Drake glances over, raising his eyebrows while he gives me a knowing smile.
The development makes me feel even worse. “What the fuck’s wrong with all of you?”
“We’re rich and bored and horny. What else would be wrong with us?”
“That’ll teach me to ask rhetorical questions,” I mutter.
He laughs, moving close enough to slip an arm around my waist, leaning his chin on my shoulder. Between his dark curls, smooth brown skin, and the warm fire of gold highlights in his chestnut eyes, I’m almost tempted.
Almost.
“If it makes you feel better,” he growls, “I’d throw you one for free.”
And the allure passes in a wave of outraged laughter. “Sure. That makes me feel a thousand times better.”
“All in a day’s work. Where’s your phone?” I mistakenly glance at my pocket, and he snatches it with glee. “Here’s my number in case you ever have the itch. You know where I live, right?”
“Don’t want or need to know.”
“At the base of your hill, right on the beach. Just a few along from Gretchen.” He passes the device back to me, immediately sending a text from his to confirm the number. “If you don’t appreciate my moves, you can just stare at the view while I go to town.”
“He says from experience.”
He appears so ridiculously offended that I double over with laughter. Drake turns my way, glaring.
“Why does your stepbro look like he’d enjoy gutting me with a fish knife?”
“Setting you on fire is more his speed.”
The retort is out of my mouth before common sense calls a halt. Viliami’s interest turns up a few notches. “Okay, I’ll bite.”
“Don’t worry.” I spear the last of my penne Alfredo with excess aggression. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
He steals my fork. “Nuh-uh. You can’t dangle a teaser like that without following it up. Confess or starve.”
Trying to appear casual, I shrug. “At our last school, he set fire to my locker. That’s all.”
I snatch my fork back, but Viliami isn’t convinced for a second. “That is not all.” He tilts his head to the side, broad smile in place. “You’re the worst liar I’ve ever seen.”
“He might’ve splashed water on me, pretending it was fuel, then thrown a lighter.”
“Dude!” He snorts out a laugh, then looks uncertain. “That’s a joke, right?”
“You’d have to ask him. I certainly missed the humour.”
“You’re a fucking psycho, mate,” he yells across the cafeteria to Drake and it’s hard to tell if it’s a rebuke or respect. Either way, it’s obvious discretion isn’t taught at this school.
I sit back, appetite gone. “You know, you’d be much more attractive if you learned to keep your mouth shut.”
“Strange because you’d be far more attractive with yours wide open.”
It’s no different to any of the other jokes he makes at lunch. They’re always crude, always containing a sexual component.
But it hits different now I understand no one at this school has been honest with me aside from Drake. A wave of self-pity is lost to a stronger wave of embarrassment, for ever thinking a cute rich boy like Hudson could be genuinely interested.
Pieces of his behaviour change shape with the knowledge of his betrayal.
The anger when I postponed the movie date. His verbal attack on me following the vandalism of his car. The apology he made that I then turned around and threw in Drake’s face, not knowing the joke was on me.
If I’d gone for that drink with him that night, was his plan to take advantage? To buy me alcohol until my resistance lowered or threaten me into it, using the leverage of stranding me in some strange bar if I didn’t comply.
It was never about me at all and the knowledge hurts.
A tear slides down my cheek.
“Shit. Sorry.” Viliami scoots closer again, giving me a warm hug. Next thing I know, he’s lifted from his seat and slammed against the wall.
“Stay the fuck away from my sister.” Drake’s thunderous glare does a circuit of the room before he bellows, “That goes for everybody here. Whether or not you’re playing this shitty game.”
He moves his face a hairs’ breadth from Viliami, pinning him by the throat.
“Put a finger on her and I’ll snap it off and force feed it back to you.” The hand crushing his windpipe releases enough for the twin to suck in a breath, then cough it out, unable to speak. “Did you understand the message, or should I add a little physical reminder?”
Viliami chokes out, “I got it.”
Drake releases him and he stumbles in his brother’s direction. Salesi doesn’t raise a finger to help.
My eyes skate over Gretchen’s table and I duck my head to avoid her furious gaze.
“Ignore her. If she doesn’t like me looking out for family, who gives a fuck what she thinks.” With that, he slings himself into the seat opposite, his legs brushing against mine. “Although, check with the office about changing your locker combination.”
“Because she might gift me a lighter?”
He’d been glancing around the room, assessing reactions, but jerks his attention back to me, head tilted as his eyes linger, reading my features.
A smirk blossoms and once again I curse my face for not being able to keep my admiration secret.
Here I am, trying to scold him, and it’s happily broadcasting how much I enjoy him manhandling any boy who comes too close.
Between his protection and his possessiveness, just sitting opposite creates a heat low in my belly, making the hard chairs of the cafeteria even less comfortable than normal.
I check on Viliami. He rubs his throat and crosses his eyes when he sees me looking. A gesture that must mean he’s okay.
“If Gretchen gives you any trouble, let me know and I’ll sort it.”
I nod, the rumbling threats from last night falling away when confronted with this improved version of Drake.
And those threats sound more like temptations. Especially since he’s the only person in this school who’s been honest.
Even if I didn’t like what he had to say.
Even if he was a gigantic arse while saying it.
“At least we’ve got our weekend back to ourselves again. I think she’d kill me if I attended her party.”
When I glance over, expecting agreement, there’s a distant look in his eyes. “I’m going and since you made such a big scene of it with Arnold, he’ll expect you to go, too.”
“You’re not serious?”
He shrugs. “I’ve got to say goodbye, anyway. Leave everyone with the right impression. What better venue than a party?”
Like everything else about Drake, the explanation confuses me, but I won’t lie to myself any longer. I enjoy the way he throws me off balance.
For the rest of our break, his glowering presence is reassuring.
When he next glances up, I give him a shy smile, and he returns it, briefly touching the back of my hand as the bell signals the end of our break.