Chapter Seven
Cayden
I really thought that after our last not-so-friendly encounter, the bitch would just back off, but of course not. Especially not that Harley is here now.
Steph attempts to give me a seductive smile, but it falls flat when I glare at her and walk down an aisle on the opposite side of the classroom from her. I take a seat in the back corner, and Harley sits to my left with Grayson sitting on her other side.
Steph keeps glaring at Harley and then glancing at me, but I stop watching her when I notice Harley’s leg shaking and her pencil gripped so tight in her palm it might snap.
Reaching over, I lay my hand on top of hers and give a slight squeeze.
She turns her head and looks at me, her lips thinned. “Are you…” she starts to question but then stops.
I shake my head. “It was a one-time stupid ass mistake and then a few days that I spent hanging out with her. I haven’t touched her or even thought about her since you’ve been around.”
She nods, taking a deep breath. “Okay.”
I furrow my brows and open my mouth to make sure she is actually okay with that, but she pulls her hand away from mine and faces forward. Shit. An uneasy feeling I’ve never felt before hits me square in the chest, and I can’t help but run through ideas in my head of what I can do to make sure she knows I am only hers and will only ever be hers.
Killing Steph would probably be taking it too far. Right?
All throughout the class, Steph stares at me or sends Harley glares before whispering with her minions while glancing back here.
Harley has stayed facing forward the entire time, but I can see the tension in her body as she sits completely still. The second the bell rings she is leaping from her seat, grabbing her bag and heading straight out the door. Grayson and I hurry to catch up with her, exchanging concerned glances.
As soon as we are in the hall, we find Harley already halfway down towards the lockers. By the time we catch up to her, she is opening her locker and shoving her things inside to pull out her math book for the next class.
“Harley, do you want to talk?” I ask carefully as we step up behind her.
She spins around and scrunches her nose up in confusion. “Talk about what?”
“The Steph thing…” I trail off, unsure of exactly how to go about this.
“No,” she sighs and runs a hand through her hair just as Ryker approaches us. “I don’t care about that. I really don’t. I can’t judge you for things you’ve done before. But that doesn’t mean I like her or the way she looks at you or how she treated Lex. Or how obsessive she was over you and Ryker when I was here last time.” She scoffs. “That, and trying to ice out Grayson. I have fucking issues, but it isn’t with you. It’s with—”
“Cayden,” a voice purrs from behind me. A hand lands on my arm as Steph steps up in between Ryker and me.
I tense up as Ryker chuckles quietly while trying to cover it up.
“I see your friend is back.” Steph’s lips curl up in disgust as she looks Harley up and down. Her head tilts the side slightly. “Did you have to go back to kindergarten to learn how to talk?” she asks mockingly.
Harley, who seemed to be attempting to keep herself calm, was leaning back against the lockers with her fists clenched by her sides. But as she watches Steph place her hand on me and open her big fucking mouth, Harley can’t seem to hold back any longer.
Faster than any of us can intervene, Harley grips Steph’s wrist and wrenches her hand away from my arm before spinning her around and shoving her up against the lockers. When Steph’s head bounces off the locker behind her, she lets out a cry that is quickly cut off by Harley’s fingers wrapping around her throat.
“Harley—” Grayson starts hesitantly but Ryker lets out another chuckle and shakes his head. Whispering quietly, Grayson says, “Ry, we can’t let her do anything here or really at all.”
“It’s fine, Gray. Let her do her thing or the rage will just keep growing,” Ryker responds with a casual shrug.
We glance back at Harley in time to see her leaning close to Steph’s ear and whispering quietly. Steph tenses, and her face pales while silent tears drip down her cheeks. The second Harley pulls back and releases her throat, Steph steps away from her and shoots us all a worried look before dashing away.
Ryker steps up to Harley, tossing his arm around her shoulders. “Do tell, little flame, what did you say to make her give us that little terrified look?” he asks while grinning down at Harley, his eyes shining with pride.
Harley relaxes against him. “I just let her know very nicely what would happen the next time she messes with anyone I care about.”
I bite back the grin that attempts to take over my face as pride bubbles inside of me. My girl is fucking amazing.
Ryker wants to ask more, but before he can, the bell rings making us late for class, so we quickly gather our things and head off.
(Section Break)
We all meet in the cafeteria for lunch and find a quiet table in the corner to sit at. Harley sits on my right with Ryker and Grayson across from us.
After a moment, she waves to someone and gestures for them to come towards us. Lex approaches cautiously.
“Sit with us.” Harley grins at her.
“Okay,” she says and plops down next to Harley.
Lex and Harley continue talking, and the more they do, the more Lex seems to get comfortable—even seeming okay when Ryker jumps into their conversation about classes.
The entire time we have been sitting at our table for lunch, Steph has been watching us, more specifically me, from across the room. She tries to be subtle, but she is failing. But after that warning from Harley earlier…
Making an irritated sound in the back of her throat, Harley shoots to her feet and grabs my hand, pulling softly to get me to stand up too.
“Harley, what are you doing?” Grayson asks hesitantly.
“She obviously didn’t take my warning to heart, so now it’s time to try a different approach,” she growls
“And what might that approach be?” Ryker drawls with a gleam in his eyes as he watches Harley start to pull me away from the table.
She smirks over her shoulder as we pass Ry. “Staking my claim.”
The cafeteria has a long buffet-style setup along the wall by the entrance and then tables spread out in rows throughout the room. On the back wall is the kitchen entrance, cleaning station, and a short hallway that leads to the bathrooms, which happens to be where the table Steph and her minions are sitting.
Harley pulls me down the short hall and opens the girls’ bathroom door, popping her head in first and then yanking me inside and locking the door behind me.
Smirking, I lean against the bathroom counter and cross my arms over my chest while watching her. “What’s the plan, baby girl?”
Her cheeks stain red as she slowly approaches me. “Like I told Ryker, I’m staking my claim.”
Uncrossing my arms, I lean forward, bringing us nose to nose. “And how do you plan on doing that?” I say huskily.
She blows out a breath and lowers her eyes, growing shy. Wrapping my fingers gently around her throat, I raise her head back up so she meets my eyes. “Don’t lose your confidence on me, baby girl. Tell me.”
“I don’t like the way she looks at you,” she mutters. “I know it’s ridiculous and I shouldn’t care, but it just boils my blood. That, and combining everything else she has done to people I care about just sets me off.”
“You’re feeling possessive,” I rumble, attempting to keep my cock from growing rock-solid. She may be feeling shy now, but knowing that she wants to claim me, make it known that I, along with my brothers, belong to her? It fucking turns me on.
She furrows her brows before nodding. “I—yeah, I am.”
Taking a deep breath, she glances up at me and then slowly runs her eyes down, stopping on my jeans.
Harley drops to her knees in front of me, sending all my blood rushing down to my cock as she gazes up at me with her possessive yet innocent eyes.
I bite my lip. “ Fuck.”
Her fingers run up my thighs until she reaches the button of my jeans and undoes them, then slowly pulls the zipper down. I help her pull my jeans below my ass, and when she reaches for my boxers, I stop her with my hand over hers.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Harley,” I rasp.
She gives me a breathtaking smile. “I know. I trust you. But I want to do this. I want you.” The look of hunger on her face causes me to groan as I pull my hand away.
Harley wastes no time pulling my cock out and gently stroking it in her soft, petite hand. Watching her carefully, I notice the moment her hesitation takes over, the part of her that isn’t ready to take full control just yet.
Reaching down, I run my fingers through her red curls and pull gently so her eyes collide with mine. “Do you want me to take over, baby girl? Show you how to suck my cock?”
Her eyes dilate as a flush works its way up her neck to her cheeks, and she nods as much as she can in my grip.
“That’s my girl. Then stick your tongue out and taste me, Harley,” I demand gruffly.
Tentatively, Harley sticks her tongue out and flicks it over the head of my cock, tasting the precum that has leaked out just from her stroking me. She hums softly and leans closer, running her tongue along the underside of my cock and stopping at my balls before working her way back up to the tip.
Her hand still gently stroking up and down my cock, I groan, “Squeeze me harder, baby girl. You won’t hurt me.”
A tiny smirk forms on her lips, but it’s quickly gone as she squeezes me harder and pumps her hand up and down my shaft. Opening her mouth, she glances up at me and leans forward, wrapping her perfect fucking lips around the head of my cock and sucking on it.
“Fuck. Hollow your cheeks, baby girl.” Using the grip I have on the back of her head, I gently push her head farther down, making her take more of me. Ensuring I keep my eyes on her, my mouth opens on a moan when her eyes start to water.
Pulling her head back slightly, I give her a second to breathe before quirking an eyebrow at her.
“Ready to be my good girl and swallow my cum?” Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, but instead of backing off or telling me no, a look of determination crosses her face, and my girl takes what I give her.
Gripping her hair tighter, I thrust into her mouth as she sucks hard, making my balls draw up tight.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck ,” I chant as I thrust harder, watching her gag slightly as she takes me farther down her throat.
When her eyes widen slightly, I go to pull back to give her a break, but the little minx brings her hands up to grip my ass and pull me closer, gagging herself on my cock.
There’s no stopping my muscles from tensing as my cock swells. “I’m going to come, baby girl.” The warning does nothing to deter her. Instead, she swirls her tongue around my dick as she pulls back slightly and sucks on the tip, bringing one hand up and pumping me until I see fucking stars and moan as my release jets out into her hot mouth.
Harley shuts her eyes and groans as she swallows me down. My chest heaves as I finish, and I slump against the bathroom counter. Harley pulls off and licks her lips with a beaming smile on her face.
Leaning down, I grip her under her arms and lift her to her feet. “Your mouth is fucking heaven, baby girl.”
Kissing her softly, I run my tongue along the seam of her lips, coaxing her mouth open. Harley moans softly and clutches my sides, pushing herself harder against me. With one hand gripping her hip, the other moves up to the base of her neck and grips her hair, tilting her head to the side.
Leaving kisses all along her jaw, I stop at her ear and murmur, “Soon, I’m going to have you in my bed and you’ll sit on my face and suffocate me with your pretty little pussy as you come over and over again.”
A small whimper passes her lips, and she presses her forehead to my chest. “Fuck,” she says huskily. “You can’t say things like that when we have to go back out there.”
I chuckle lightly and pull back to look at her beautiful hazel eyes, “You started it, baby girl.”
Her smile broadens, and the gleam in her gaze makes it very clear she’s going to be trouble.
Harley
Blowing out a breath, I pull the bathroom door open and walk out with all the confidence I can muster. Although, it doesn’t take much effort when I see the look on Steph's face.
Holding her enraged gaze, I raise my hand to my face and use my thumb to wipe the corners of my mouth. Smirking, I walk past her to go back to our table where Ryker is grinning from ear to ear at me while Lex has a brow raised.
Cade and I take our seats, and the rest of lunch is peaceful with no more dirty looks from Steph.
The day goes smoothly after that but feels like it lasts forever. I know I liked school before I left, but I think I just liked it because it got me out of Tammy’s house during the day. Otherwise, this shit sucks, and I feel like I would learn so much better and get caught up so much faster if I could just do it on my own or have Grayson help me study. Sitting in these classes feels pointless.
Heading outside with the guys, I spot Lex coming out of a different door and tell the guys I will meet them at the truck. “Lex!” I say, smiling as she walks over to me. We slowly start walking through the parking lot towards the truck. “Do you have a car here?”
She nods. “Yeah, my dad hasn’t been working lately, so I have been able to take his car.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask, noticing the sadness that overtakes her features.
“Yeah, everything is good.” She smiles, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m really glad you’re back. You seem so much better too.”
“I am doing better now. And I’m–I’m glad I’m back, too.” My eyes slide over to the guys as my lips tilt up at how honest my words feel. I mean, I fucking hate coming to this school, but I’m doing better than when I was here before and knowing someone else sees that is a pretty great feeling.
“You like them, huh?” Lex says, drawing my attention back to her.
“What?” I ask, my eyes widening.
She chuckles and points at the guys who are all standing at the truck at the end of the parking lot. “You couldn’t look away from them when you were saying you’re glad you’re back.”
Blushing, I shrug. “They have helped me a lot. I care about all of them.”
“I think that’s great.” She shoots me a genuine grin this time.
“Really? You don’t think it’s weird?” I ask hesitantly.
She shakes her head and scoffs, “Three guys who all care about you and constantly stare at you like their worlds revolve solely around you? Fuck no, that’s not weird. I’m kinda jealous.” She chuckles.
“Don’t be a stranger, okay? I want to spend some time with you. You were the first real friend I ever had, and since you seem to be coming around to the guys…” I look over at her questioningly.
Lex purses her lips. “Yeah, they don’t seem so bad. I think like a lot of people I really just had it stuck in my head that they must all be the same and all the stories that have floated around over the years are true. But you and I connected instantly, and I have never had that.
“I definitely want to spend time with you, too. We should plan to go out and do something instead of it only ever being at this shithole.” She points backwards towards the school.
We reach the guys, and I grin at Lex. “Perfect. Text me?”
She nods and gives me a quick hug. My instinct is to flinch or tense up, but it’s quick, and it doesn’t feel suffocating, so my shoulders relax. Maybe this is progress.
The whole ride home, Ryker gripes about how he was left with a hard-on the rest of the day after lunch because of Cade and me. I flush, and Grayson takes my hand in his, kissing the back of it and giving me a soft smile. By the time we get home, it’s late in the evening, and Grayson takes off to go to Nerds’s office while we all head into the kitchen where Gabriel, Colton, and Carly currently are.
Gabe is quick to interrogate about my day: “How was going back to school, Harley? Any issues? Did you feel okay? How were your classes?”
“Wow, Rage, maybe one question at a time and give her some room to breathe?” Carly chuckles while laying a hand on his chest and gazing up at him.
He meets her eyes and takes a few breaths before nodding and glancing back up at me. “Sorry. How was today?” he asks, slower this time.
I shrug. “It was okay. I just want to get it over with though. Going every day is going to be annoying, especially when there are so many other things going on that feel more important.”
“It’ll be worth it once you get to have your diploma in hand, knowing that you accomplished that. Especially after everything you’ve been through. You’re proving to yourself that you can still do it,” Carly says with a smile as she walks around the counter to stand in front of me. “I can’t say that I know what anything you have gone through has been like, but I do know that I have regrets from my past, and one of those is giving up on certain things.
“Like school. Just to prove a point to my parents. I’m attending college now.” She glances back at Rage as a slight blush rises to her cheeks. “But I have a lot of regrets from my past.”
“Regrets of the past are useless now. It’s what you do to avoid having more regrets that matters. Like Carly going back to school now to reach her goals instead of living in her regrets and not doing anything to change them,” Gabriel says as he gazes at Carly with adoration.
My eyes jump between the two of them; their love for each other is so clear to what seems like every other person in the room besides each other. Or at least they seem to be pretending it doesn’t exist, but I don’t understand why.
“I need to talk to you.” Grayson’s voice sounds from the doorway where he stands with his laptop staring at Gabriel. “You guys, too,” he says softly, glancing at Ryker, Cade, and I.
We all nod and follow him out of the room and down the hall to where Gabriel’s office is. My stomach swoops with nerves as my first instinct is to think the worst, but I remind myself that this is Grayson. My Grayson. Everything will be fine.
When we walk in, Grayson takes a seat at one of the chairs in front of the desk. I walk around the side of it and rest my hand on his shoulder.
When he glances up at me, I ask quietly, “Is everything okay?”
He smiles. “More than okay, beautiful. Take a seat.”
He gestures to the chair next to him. Gabriel sits at his desk while Cade and Ryker both lean against the wall adjacent, watching Grayson.
Clearing his throat, Grayson starts explaining, “So, I did some research and wanted to put everything together before talking to anyone because I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up before I figured it all out.” He glances at all of us. “But I know that none of us really want to be at the school. I am more advanced and could graduate at the end of this year,”— which is our junior year —“if I am able to take a larger course load.
“I looked into the school's online program, and I would be able to take all the classes I need to meet my requirements to graduate by the end of this summer. Then Cade and Ryker, if they also moved to online classes, could be set up to graduate at the end of the year, so halfway through our senior year. As for Harley…” He looks at me. “If I helped you get caught up over the summer with summer classes, then you should be able to also graduate with Cade and Ryker. It would be a lot of work, but I can help you. And I’m sure Cade and Ryker will, too. But you don’t have to. I mean, you can stay at the school—” he starts rambling.
“Gray,” I cut him off as I reach over and place my hand on his arm. “I definitely don’t want to stay at the school. It’s never been my thing. Even when I was little with my mom, we moved around so much I was always in homeschooling programs and just did other school kid clubs and stuff. I think it’s a great idea and I am behind, yes. But I think I can get caught up with your help. There are only a few things I really struggle with. Mostly, fucking math.” I grimace.
Ryker chuckles, “I agree, babe. Math is fucking stupid and makes no sense whatsoever. Gray, it’s a great idea, and if we can get papa bear on board with it, I think we should do it.” He glances up at Cade, who nods in agreement.
We all look at Gabriel, who is leaning forward with his elbows on his desk watching all of us.
He sighs. “I’m fine with it. We wouldn’t have to make sure someone is always following you to school if you just did it here. But if any of you slack off then you’ll go back and have to deal with being there for another year,” he says, pointedly looking at Ryker.
He scoffs, “Why are you looking at me? I don’t slack off.”
“Yeah, because Grayson keeps your annoying ass in check,” Cayden rumbles, and the rest of us laugh while Ryker punches him.
“Did you talk to Noah about this?” Gabriel asks, cocking his head.
Grayson nods. “Yeah, uh. Well, he said, ‘ I only enforce you all going to school because it’s what a responsible guardian is supposed to do, but I don’t care what you guys want to do. I didn’t graduate and look at me, I turned out fucking amazing’.”
Gabriel sighs and runs a hand down his face. “Sounds about right. Fine. Go ahead and get it all set up. Have Nerds help you if you need it.”