Chapter Four
Roux
“S tay still,” Charlotte chides, blowing in my face.
I laugh but obey my makeup artist. “Don’t make me look like a ho.”
“The only ho that’ll be at the party is Tarrin.” She curls her lip up. “I swear she makes it her goal in life to fuck everyone she knows.”
“I heard she fucked Mr. Banner.”
“Ew, he’s married.”
“She fucked Lucy’s boyfriend of three years. I don’t think she cares.”
Charlotte brushes on some mascara, frowning hard. “If she even thinks about fucking Ryan, I’ll rip her ugly fake eyelashes off her eyelids.”
“You think they’re fake?”
“I follow her on Insta. She hashtags some place that sells them like they’re going to notice her and somehow make her a famous influencer.” She starts swiping mascara on my other eyelashes. “Just because you call yourself an Instagram model, it doesn’t mean you’re actually a model.”
“She’s pretty,” I say, playing devil’s advocate.
“Until she opens her bitchy mouth.”
“Instagram doesn’t have to hear her.”
“Lucky them.”
We both giggle.
Tarrin Hopper is on the cheerleading squad with Charlotte. They pretend to like each other when they’re face to face, but they’re really arch nemeses. Tarrin, no matter how much makeup she cakes on or how many guys she sleeps with, will never be as popular as Charlotte. No one is. It comes naturally to her. Everyone loves Charlotte.
“Who is this woman and what did you do with my kid sister?” Roan asks from the doorway.
Charlotte recaps the mascara and hands me my glasses. “She looks hot, huh?”
“I’m not allowed to weigh in on that statement,” Roan grumbles. But his worried gaze skims over my appearance, which means I do look hot enough that he thinks boys might try and steal my virginity.
“Well, she is,” Charlotte sasses. “You and Hollis going to dinner?”
It’s been almost a month since Roan forbade me to see Kayden. At first I was pissed, but then I decided what Roan doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I know he and Jordy won’t budge on the matter. So, rather than make waves, I just see Kayden in secret. Roan and Hollis are gone enough that they don’t know that Kayden still picks me up for school every day or that he’s still very much my boyfriend.
“Nah,” Roan says. “Cal and Trey are in town for the weekend. Thought we’d hit up Campfire Chaos.”
Charlotte and I exchange an annoyed look. The guys may have started Campfire Chaos years ago, but once Roan, Cal, and Trey all graduated, they stopped going. The school, however, did not. It’s a Horn River tradition now.
It’s also where I planned to make out with Kayden all night.
He’s going to be so pissed our plans are foiled.
“Oh yeah?” I say lightly. “You’re not going to be bothered hanging out with a bunch of underage teens drinking beer?”
“I gotta make sure those dumbasses like Cuntingham haven’t ruined our spot,” Roan says with a shoulder shrug.
Right.
I know my brother.
His attempt to seem nonchalant doesn’t work on me. I know all his tells. He’s hiding something.
“Ryan doesn’t like it when you call him Cuntingham,” Char says primly. “Don’t say that to him.”
Roan snorts. “I’ve been calling them Cuntinghams for as long as I can remember. Sorry, kid, but I can’t change that.”
He saunters out of my bedroom, leaving us alone. Charlotte huffs, sitting down on the bed beside me and making it bounce.
“This isn’t good.” She bites on her bottom lip, shooting me a panicked look.
“It’ll be fine. Roan and the guys are snotty brats anyway. They stick to themselves and don’t pay anyone else any mind. They’re not going to mess with us.”
“It’s Ryan…” She sighs. “He hates Roan.”
“Roan brings it on himself,” I joke.
Her lips press firmly together. “Not for being an asshole. Because of me.”
“What?”
She stands and walks over to my mirror on the wall. Tonight she’s extra hot in a tight pair of dark jeans and an off-the-shoulder black sweater. Her golden-blond locks are wavy, hanging nearly to her butt. Char is perfect in every way.
“Ryan thinks Roan wants me.”
I scoff and shake my head. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.” She glances over her shoulder, her brows furrowing.
“Why? Roan is gay. And married to your brother. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“You know how irrational Ryan can be.”
“He’s possessive to a fault,” I grumble.
She shoots me a hurt look. “Thanks for choosing my side on this.”
“I’m not choosing Roan over you,” I mutter. “I just think Ryan is being a jealous dick. Roan has eyes only for Hollis. Besides, if Ryan trusted you, it shouldn’t matter if other guys think you’re pretty or flirt with you.”
She scowls. “Let’s not go. We can just have a sleepover here.”
All this makeup going to waste kind of sucks, but something in the worried glint in her eyes tells me it’ll be worth it.
“Sure,” I say, standing and walking over to her. “We’ll rent movies and make popcorn. Just the two of us.”
Her smile lights up the room. “Thank you. I need to call Ryan, though, and break the bad news.” She tugs her phone out of her pocket and dials. He answers on the first ring. “Hey, babe,” she chirps in her high-pitched cheerleader voice. “Say hey to Roux.”
“Hey, Roux,” Ryan says.
“Hi.”
“Listen,” Charlotte says, a slight tremble in her voice. “Bad news. We can’t go out tonight.”
Silence.
I frown, wondering if they got disconnected. She waits patiently, her lips pursed together and her body tense.
“No.”
He finally speaks and the one word out of his mouth confuses me. Char swallows, dropping her eyes to the carpet.
“I wish I could go, but I can’t,” she whispers. “I’m sorry, Ry.”
“Take me off speakerphone,” he orders, his voice gruff with authority. “Now.”
My hackles rise at the way he’s speaking to her. She won’t look at me as she mashes the button and brings the phone to her ear.
“Yeah, okay, hold on.” She lifts her blue eyes that have dulled to look at me. “Roux, can you give us a moment?”
I don’t want to leave, but she’s putting out anxious vibes that I don’t like. She definitely wants me to go. I rush out of the room, leaving her alone. The television is playing in Roan’s room and I can hear Hollis laughing. They could be watching television or doing gross married couple stuff that I don’t care to overhear. I make my way into the living room and sift through the mail. When I find a card from my dad, I smile. I rip it open and laugh at his sad attempt at a poem.
Don’t boo hoo, little Roux.
Daddy’ll watch over you.
Every day. Every night. Even when you sleep.
Daddy is always near.
Love you, baby girl.
I’ll write him back and tell him it was equal parts creepy and sweet. It’s been strange getting to know my father through letters. I revealed my poetry to him and he wrote me a ten-page letter praising me. It was nice to feel the love of a parent considering Mom never showered us with one ounce of it. Dad is making up for it, even from prison.
I’m about to hang it on the fridge when I see the other letter.
Also from the prison.
Addressed to me.
My blood runs cold as I pick it up. Jordy’s neat handwriting slices through the white paper, black and unforgiving. By the indentions in the envelope, I can tell he was angry when he wrote it.
Crap.
I know he talks to Roan, but how could he possibly know I’m still seeing Kayden? I’ve kept it on the down-low, playing it off to Kayden that my brother is just overprotective and doesn’t want me to date at all. If he knew the real reason, he’d be upset.
With a defeated sigh, I open the letter. My heart stops in my chest.
Little Hornet,
I wasn’t fucking kidding. People talk. His people talk. And most of his people are locked up here with me. When I get out of here, I’ll follow you all over that fucking town if it means you’ll stay away from that piece of shit. Don’t test me. I’m a monster and you know it. I’ll show you how big of an asshole I can be.
J
I’m so infuriated, my hand shakes, making the paper crackle. Tears threaten, but I refuse to let them fall and ruin Charlotte’s hard work. Instead, I pull some paper out of the drawer and pen him a letter back while I’m still angry. A tear leaks out, smearing the ink, but I swipe it away and scribble more furious words.
Screw him.
He lost his chance to be my other big brother when he gave us up.
This is my life.
I fold up the letter and carry it with me back to my bedroom. When I push inside, Charlotte is rummaging in her purse.
“Everything okay?”
She nods absently at me as she tosses a pill in her mouth. I hand her a bottle of water on my nightstand. After she swallows it down, she glances over at me. Her blue eyes are empty. Not sad or angry. Vacant.
“Char,” I murmur, taking her hand. “What did he say?”
“Oh, the usual,” she says in a flippant tone. “You messed up your makeup.”
I groan when she motions for me to sit down. While she works me over, adding more makeup to fix the smudges I made, I stare at my best friend. With each passing second, her eyes grow glassy and she relaxes.
“What did you take earlier?” I ask, my voice small.
Guilt shines in her eyes. “What?”
“The pill. Wasn’t for a headache, was it?”
Her sculpted brows furrow. “One of Hollis’s anxiety pills. Is that okay with you, Dr. Hirsch?”
I flinch at her tone. “Yeah. I was just making sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” she says in a cheery tone. “Now let’s find you something hot to wear. And since our brothers are going to be there, let’s make them wish they weren’t.”
The party is in full swing. Campfire Chaos is always the same. A bunch of horny drunk teenagers all trying to show off by how much they can drink and not die. It’s where Kayden likes to act like he’s the entertainment of the party, making everyone laugh with his stories. It’s where Ryan gets in a fight with at least someone every time, just so he can prove to everyone he’s the most badass person here. It’s where girls like Tarrin dress like skanks and openly give blowjobs to any guy with a working dick, no matter who’s watching.
And, tonight, it’s where three of the original Hornets sit on the cabin porch like kings. Hollis sits at Roan’s side like Jordy once did. The four of them are like gods. Arrogant. Bossy. Rude. Not to me. I’m a Hornet too, though a little one. But to everyone else, they’re such assholes.
“It’s killing me not to drag you to my tent,” Kayden says, sidling up behind me. “Roan’s not watching. We could run off.”
My skin prickles with anxiety. The last thing I want is for Kayden to piss off Roan. And speaking of… Roan’s eyes lock on Kayden. Hollis is happily sipping his beer, unaware of his husband’s glowering, but Trey and Cal have also joined in on the tense staring contest.
“Fuck,” Kayden grumbles. “I need to go see Zac anyway. Come by my tent later when those assholes don’t look like they’re ready to beat my ass.”
“See ya,” I murmur.
He gives my ass a squeeze before sauntering off toward his buddy Zac. They slap hands, something passing from Kayden’s to Zac’s.
Crap.
Of course now all the Hornets are watching him. It was so obvious he just passed Zac drugs, too. He does it all the time at school. Though he doesn’t come out and tell me he deals, I’m not stupid. It’s just something we don’t talk about.
But doing it in front of the Hornets is a bad idea.
It only gives my brother and Jordy more ammunition.
“Oops,” Charlotte says, bumping into me when she stumbles my way. “Tripped over something.”
How about nothing?
I grip her arm to steady her. “You’re wasted, Char. What the hell?”
“I’m not,” she hisses. “I tripped!”
“We should go home,” I murmur. “I’ll get Roan—”
“No,” she snipes, yanking her arm from my grip. “Ryan will get pissed. We can ask Cal or Trey, but not Roan.”
I grit my teeth together. “He’s my brother.” In case she forgot.
“I know, but—”
“Hey, babe,” Ryan says, stepping up behind Char and wrapping his arms around her. “What are you two up to?”
“She’s drunk and needs to go home.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Unless she needs permission?”
His jaw clenches. “Catching all kinds of attitude, Roux. What the fuck?”
“I’m fine,” Charlotte murmurs.
He roams his palms over her breasts. “See? She’s fine.” He nuzzles her hair. “Right, babe? We’re fine. Want to go to the tent?”
I grab her wrist. “No. She’s going home with me.”
Fire flashes in his gaze. “Nope.”
Before I can yell at him, a flash skates past me, tackling Ryan to the ground. Charlotte gets knocked out of the way, but Hollis is there, steadying her. I stare in horror as Roan pins Ryan to the dirt by his throat.
“Roan!” I cry out, yanking on his hoodie. “Stop it.”
“The girls are going home. Walk away, Cuntingham.” Roan stands up, shaking me off him, and spits on the ground beside Ryan. “Bye, asshole.”
Ryan bounces to his feet, his nostrils flaring. “She’s my girlfriend.”
Hollis steps up beside Roan. “She’s my sister. My underage sister whom you got drunk and are luring to your tent. Best you walk the fuck away, man.”
“It’s not like that,” Ryan growls.
“I’ll be fine with him,” Charlotte whines. “Please don’t do this, guys.”
Kayden joins the fray with Zac, coming to stand behind Ryan. I shoot him a glare. Wrong side, buddy.
“Everything okay here?” Kayden asks, cracking his neck in a threatening way.
What the hell?
Roan’s shoulders tense as he shifts his anger toward Kayden. “Actually, things are not fucking okay around here,” my brother snarls. “Not with you dealing drugs right in front of my face.”
Kayden doesn’t back down. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not fucking blind,” Roan growls.
“While you claw each other’s eyes out like little bitches, Char and I are going to the car,” I snap. “Come on.”
Cal snorts and Trey smirks at me. I shove past them, dragging my drunk friend behind me. Hollis pulls up the rear, wisely not saying a word. When we reach his Mustang, I fling open the door and help Charlotte into the back seat. Once we’re settled in the back, I hug her to me and stroke her hair. She starts to cry, clinging to my sweater.
“I fucked up,” she whimpers.
“Everyone gets wasted sometimes,” I murmur. “Even perfect Charlotte English. It’s okay.”
“Ryan will be so mad at me.”
“Maybe it’s time you break up with his broody ass,” I suggest.
She sniffles. “Maybe.”
“I guess we don’t have to worry about our boyfriends much longer,” I tease. “Roan probably already killed him and Kayden both. Trey and Cal might be helping to bury the bodies as we speak.”
We both giggle.
“Boys are so annoying,” Char says.
“Sooo annoying.”
She hugs me tight. “Love you, Roux.”
“Love you too.”