16. Caleb
Chapter 16
Caleb
I meet the guys at Liam’s place. They evacuated my house shortly after I dragged Margo out. I slink into the kitchen and grab a beer, then go find them in Liam’s game room.
“That was fun,” Theo grunts from his chair.
It’s directed at me, I know. He keeps his eyes on the racing game they’re playing.
I drop into the chair next to him. It’s best that, for now, I stay the hell away from Liam. And Eli. They’ve both given me bruises… after fights that I started. How fucked up is that?
We’re supposed to be in the trenches together, and I’m making it all about me.
They raise their eyebrows at me.
All I can do is scowl at them and say, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Margo has gotten under my skin. It was supposed to be the other way around, damn it.
Liam shrugs. “Fine.”
“I just said?—”
“He didn’t ask you a fucking question, man,” Eli snaps. “If you want to be an asshole and sulk in the corner, fine. We’ll leave you the fuck alone.”
My lips flatten. I pick up the extra control and opt into Theo’s next game. Video games won’t release the tension I feel. The anger swirls like a fucking hurricane in my chest.
After about ten minutes, I say, “You never knew her.”
They exchange glances.
“She left right before you transferred in.” My words are directed at Eli.
His family moved here when we were eleven. I was an angry son of a bitch then, but no worse than I am now. Eh, no, probably less angry then.
It’s grown in the years since.
“Okay,” Eli says. “We do know this part of the story. The whole school’s been talking about it.”
I’ve kept this under wraps for a reason. It’s personal shit. But I’ve got to say something to stop their squawking. “Yeah, but you don’t know my side. We weren’t just acquaintances. She didn’t just live with her family in our guest house. She was family. She was my best friend.”
“And then all the drama with her family?” That comes from Liam.
“Something like that.” I jerk the controller, smashing Theo’s character out of the way.
I don’t feel anything when I win—except for Theo’s elbow jabbed into my ribs.
“So why do you hate her?”
I drop the controller on the counter and lean back, taking a long swallow of beer. I’ll need six more of these before I share any more secrets about her. And how she’s still needling me after all these years.
“It’s a long story.” I stand. “I’m going. See you guys tomorrow.”
Tomorrow is game day, which means… I really shouldn’t sneak into Margo’s room tonight. I need sleep. The thought sours my mood further. Although, the probability of her window being locked is high after I dropped her off. She didn’t speak to me the entire ride back, as short as it was.
Ridiculous.
I say hello to Liam’s mom on my way out, hurrying down the long driveway to my car. I parked behind Eli’s truck. We always pull halfway off the gravel to allow for his mom’s car to pass by. She gets home from work in the evenings exhausted.
Stone Ridge is the town next to Rose Hill. Same county but different schools. Actually, Stone Ridge High is the catch-all public school. The other two towns—Rose Hill and Beacon—have private schools.
Rival schools.
Lion’s Head has been the biggest pain in Emery-Rose Elite’s ass since sports were added to both schools. And of course, both seemed to level up in competitiveness over the course of a few decades. It helps that the teams play each other so often, and the proximity creates a certain friction between the towns.
Liam’s family moved here from Rose Hill after some financial difficulty, although he was able to get a hockey scholarship and remain at ERE.
Luckily for us.
I crank the music in my car on the drive to my uncle’s house. I need to see them before tomorrow’s game, or he’ll end up embarrassing me in some way or another.
I haven’t been here in almost a week, which probably means the floodgates are going to open on me. Things I could be doing better. How he talked to my coach about my game. Talk of sending me to Lion’s Head to be closer to them , how it’s a better team.
They’re not a better team.
And no one is as good as Coach Marzden.
The route I take winds me back through Rose Hill and the looming spires of Emery-Rose Elite. It’s silent now, so far after hours.
Too soon, I’m pulling past the gate of my uncle’s estate in Beacon. His property is much more sprawling than my childhood home. He owns acres and acres of land, half of which is maintained woods. Then there are gardens, a pool, a tennis court. A separate garage for their many vehicles. A boathouse.
There’s a vehicle parked beside my uncle’s silver Porsche that doesn’t belong. I narrow my eyes at it as I park beside it, and exhale when Savannah meets my gaze from her driver’s seat.
Her face is a mess of puffy eyelids and streaked mascara. Her chin is wobbling.
I don’t give a fuck about that—she can’t just show up. I get out of my car and circle around to hers, yanking her door open.
“What are you doing here?”
She climbs out, barely flinching at my tone. She throws her arms around my waist, and I raise my hands away from her body. I don’t want to touch her more than I have to—and why would I want to, if Margo isn’t here to witness it?
That’s not part of the plan.
I don’t like anyone’s hands on me. Except Margo.
“Amelie is coming back,” she sniffs. “Two months early!”
“And that’s a… bad thing?”
Best I can recall, she and Amelie have been good friends since day one. Margo used to be in their mix, too. The fact that Savannah openly turned on Margo has been nothing short of delicious to watch unfold. Poor girl carried a torch for Margo for about a year, until the bullies beat her down. Eleven-year-olds are ruthless.
It’s hard being the friend of a coke-whore’s daughter.
“No,” Savannah cries, using my shirt as a face wipe. She nuzzles her head into my chest. “It’s great, it’s just, she’s coming back early…”
Revulsion sweeps through me. First, that she’s nuzzling me. Second, that her tears are staining my shirt when all I want to do is go inside and get yelled at by my uncle.
I’m giving myself whiplash.
In their friend group—the popular girls—Amelie is in charge. She’s the captain of the cheerleading squad. The queen bee. She’s studying abroad this semester… well, I suppose she was . But something has drawn her back home.
In her absence, Savannah stepped into her role almost too flawlessly. She doesn’t need to be reminded that there are consequences for every action. This one is clear as day.
And along with revulsion, my irritation spikes.
“You’re just upset that she’s going to knock you off the top of the pyramid?”
She pulls back, staring up at my face. She nods emphatically. “Yes, yes, that’s it. But I thought if… maybe you and I…”
I push her off of me. Enough is enough. “You came here to proposition me. To use me against your best friend?”
Devious little creature.
“Well…”
I glower at her, and she cowers. I don’t usually let anyone but Margo and my friends see the demons under my skin, but I let them out for her. She needs to know to be afraid of me .
“Bad idea, Sav.”
“We—”
I stalk forward. Satisfaction spreads through me when she takes a quick step backward, then another one.
“We, what?” I bark. “We fucked once. I kissed you to make Margo jealous. You spread rumors about us dating that no one believed, not even your friends. How did that work out for you?”
She turns pale. “I’m sorry?—”
“Get off your high horse,” I snap. “Amelie is coming back, and you’ll go back to being second…” I lift my eyebrow. “Well, now third best.”
She gasps. “What?”
“Amelie and Margo were friends, too. And while she didn’t defend Margo… she doesn’t hate her as much as you do.” Probably because we only bullied you about being friends with her . Of the two of them, Amelie is the traitorous snitch. She didn’t have to publicly declare herself against Margo. She went behind everyone’s backs and said so to my face.
But I don’t say that.
Savannah lets out a ragged breath. “I’m such an idiot,” she moans.
Well, duh .
She scrambles around me and practically dives into her car. She backs out fast, yanking the wheel around. Her hasty exit should give me some satisfaction, but I’m left with a damp shirt and a twisting sensation of being watched.
My gaze turns to the mansion’s windows, ticking across all of the first-floor ones, then the second floor. There’s no movement, no rustling curtains. No aunt spying on me to later report to my mother or uncle.
How will Margo react to the news that her ex-friend is back?
Will there be fireworks when the two collide…?
Probably. Especially since Amelie still thinks we’re dating.
Part of me hopes the little lamb will drop the innocent act and draw first blood. She could easily assert her dominance over either girl, and the rest of the popular kids who follow either of them would fold.
My dick stiffens at the thought of Margo going after Amelie.
Wild fantasy . I doubt either girl would play fair in that fight. There would be hair pulling, maybe even blood drawn. Bruised skin. I’d press each bruise left on Margo, then kiss her flushed skin until she forgot about her anger.
Amelie is a means to an end… Margo is the end.