Chapter 17
Crossing Lines
Caden
The house is empty, except for me and Ava. The cleaners have come and gone. I need to talk to my sister, but I really wish this wasn’t my responsibility.
I knock on her door and whatever she was watching goes silent. The door opens and she looks up with the same green eyes as me. Her brown hair is pulled back into a braid. She doesn’t say anything.
Just opens the door and walks back over to her couch. Her room is similar to mine except the colors are lighter, brighter. She gestures to the chair across from her.
The screen is frozen on what I can only assume is the Barbie movie. Whatever it is, it’s very pink. I sit on the edge of the chair and clasp my hands between my knees.
She draws her knees up to her chest and stares at me owlishly.
“What happened?” Part of me believes there’s a solution that will send her back to school. That I can get her out of here before anything bad happens to her or to Harper.
Ava toys with the end of her braid and blows out a breath. “Hello, big brother. How are you? I’m fine. I’ve been locked away like a nun at an all-girls school filled with bitchy girls. What have you been up to?”
I don’t flinch at her mocking tone. That’s not how this works and she knows it.
“You got suspended?” I keep my gaze locked on hers.
She winces and turns toward the TV. “A week.”
“What for?”
Her lips press together and she turns her mulish expression to me.
“Ava.” Her name is a reprimand and a warning. We’ve been on our own a long time. We can’t bullshit each other.
The fake tears well in her eyes as she decides to play me. “I didn’t mean—”
“Save it for our parents.” I narrow my eyes. “I don’t really want to spend hours coaxing a half-assed story out of you. I could call our parents or the school to find out the truth, or you can save me the hassle and tell me.”
She blows out a breath and the tears dry up. She looks me square in the eye. “Maggie Jones is a cocky bitch who deserved the broken nose I gave her.”
Fuck. That’s going to be a hard one to recover from.
“Why only a suspension?” Violence against another student usually ends with expulsion.
Ava shrugs and looks at her pink manicured nails. “Maybe they know she deserved it.”
Fuck, this is going to take hours. “I’ll call Mom. She’ll tell me—”
“Fine.” Ava holds her hand out as I begin to rise. “Maggie’s the queen bee and a fucking princess. She’s been hazing the new girls since the start of the year, including me. I went along with it, figuring it was a rite of passage or whatever. But then she kept doing it.”
I lean back in the chair. “So she got suspended for hazing and you got suspended for fighting and both your parents are rich, so this will all be swept under the rug.”
“I’m not going back.” Ava arches her eyebrow. “It’s fucked up, Caden. They have us all dressed like little school girls and there are no boys. It might as well be a fucking convent. And Maggie and the other girls will make my life hell if I go back.”
“Obviously, you didn’t hit her hard enough.” There’s a lot to process in what she’s saying. Mom and Dad forced the all-girl school on her. They didn’t understand what happened to make their once bubbly girl into a mean little scrapper.
“I didn’t want to break my nails.” She shrugs like it isn’t a big deal.
I shouldn’t be proud, but I’m glad she stuck up for herself. “Mom and Dad will want you to go back.”
“I know.” She sinks into the couch with a pout and picks at imaginary lint on her leggings. “But I’d rather stay here with you.”
I shake my head. “It’s not safe.”
“Neither is there.” Ava sits up straight. “This wasn’t normal hazing, Caden. They put one girl in the hospital for a week.”
“Don’t try to get in with those girls then.” I think of Harper. “Keep your nose down. Get good grades. Get the fuck out of there in three years.”
“Easy for you to say.” She stands and paces in front of the couch. She’s lost weight. “You’ve always been popular. Always had your guys to stand by you. I have no one there. I can’t even go home at night, where I’d be safe.”
She spins and scowls at me. “That girl was sleeping and they decided to put bars of soap in socks and beat her with them.”
“Why didn’t they get caught?”
“You, of all people, should know how they got away with it. Everyone’s too afraid to be a fucking nark. Even the girl who got attacked. It’s not fucking safe there.” She sinks down on the couch. “I have people here.”
“Tanner—”
“Has been dealt with. He’s a fucking asshole who deserves to have his cock sliced off.” Her fierce eyes meet mine. “If he so much as talks to me, I’ll grab his cock and balls and squeeze it fucking off.”
I give her a small smile. That’s a tactic Harper wouldn’t use. “Maybe save the ball bruising for later. There’s shit going down at school right now. Scary shit.”
Ava cocks her head to the side. “Like what?”
“I’ve got a girl.”
“Please don’t tell me you claimed someone and have to make her submit to you.” Ava rolls her eyes. “You guys need a new hobby.”
I smirk. “She’s my girlfriend.”
Ava’s eyes widen and her lips curve into a grin. “Wait. A girlfriend?”
Before I can say more, she holds up her hand.
“Like a girlfriend. Someone you go out on dates with?” Ava leans forward and rests her elbow on the arm of the couch and her fist in her cheek. “Like just one girl. For how long?”
“We’ve been together since the beginning of the school year.” I really don’t want to explain everything to Ava.
“Wait.” Her eyes widen as she straightens. “Was she here this morning?”
I nod.
“Caden has a girlfriend.” Her tone is awed, but also a little mocking.
“Fuck off. Yes, I have a girlfriend.” Is it too early to tell her I share Harper with the guys?
“What do the guys think about it?” Curiosity blazes in her eyes.
Fuck it. Best to get that out if Ava’s really staying. “She’s theirs too.”
“Excuse me?” She rears back, but grins with her hand against her heart. “Wait. Are you in a throuple? No, wait, there are four of you.”
“Five. Nico’s back.” I wait for the explosion.
She covers her mouth with her hand. “Really? Why didn’t Cassidy tell me about that?”
I shrug. I don’t know much about what her friends have been up to. We used Cassidy and Beth in our plan. My eyes narrow on her.
“When did you last talk to Cassidy?”
Her mouth forms a little o before she recovers and leans back with a shrug. “We text.”
“This isn’t a fucking coincidence, is it?” Fuck. I never should have pulled in her friends. But they were the only ones who wouldn’t try to turn it into something it wasn’t. Her friends aren’t interested in us like that. I lean forward. “Did you get kicked out on purpose?”
“I wouldn’t say on purpose.” Ava checks her fingernails. “Maggie did have it coming, and it felt really good when her nose gave under my fist.”
I run a hand through my hair and sigh. “They’ll be home soon.”
Our parents. They’ll do the thing where they pretend to care one of us got in trouble. They’ll show up and talk as if they can do anything to make everything better. Before they take off for parts unknown again.
“Yeah, not looking forward to that shit show,” Ava grumbles.
“How much do you know about our situation?” Because fuck it, if they cave and let her stay, which knowing them they will because it’s the path of least resistance, she needs to know what we’re dealing with.
“They didn’t say anything about her being your girlfriend. But they said someone was fucking around with a girl and you were helping her.” Ava cocks her head to the side. “Is this serious, like you and this girl and your friends?”
I nod because I’m determined to keep Harper.
Ava smiles. “When do I get to meet her?”
Eli
I locked myself in my room to study while my parents argued downstairs. They’re mostly quiet about it, but they insisted on dinner as a family. To discuss whatever the fuck they want to discuss this time.
I’m over it.
Harper sent a pic to the group chat of her and Luke on her couch. That’s where I wish I was, but I have a few hours left of duty before I can escape. She also sent that her mother’s back on days, so our nights with her are over for now.
Unless we sneak in. We have weekends. Possibly.
Though that might change now that Ava is back. Fuck.
I shut my book and push it away. We’re no closer to figuring out what the fuck is happening with our school. The list of names Brett sent me is almost useless. He overheard varsity basketball players talking shit about us and Harper.
Obviously, Tanner and Zach both have a vested interest in fucking with our lives. Tanner more so than Zach. We’ve been looking into Zach but haven’t found much.
Besides power, we have no reason for his sudden attention. He’s always been fine to let us do our thing and we let him do his. Maybe it’s time to mess in his business more.
Me:
Anything new with Zach?
Jack:
Not yet. Just dates and times with no locations
I blow out a breath. Fuck. Yeah, he group chats with his crew, but wherever they meet, they all know. Our problem is we don’t have anyone we can trust to follow them. The guys we relied on to have our backs might all be rats or just really stupid.
Either way, they’re useless to us.
Me:
Hate to say it, but we’ll need to do some recon on our own
Jack:
Yeah, fuck
Nico:
Will we have time to chat tonight?
Jack:
After dinner, but on cam, I got homework
Me:
I don’t know how long dinner will take
Caden:
I’m bringing Ava over, little nympho
Harper:
*smiley face emoji*
Your parents aren’t home?
Caden:
Not yet. Soon.
Harper:
Mom says come for dinner
This week is already going to be fucked.
Luke:
My old man is in town. I’m going home tonight to check things out.
Meaning he’s going to determine how long his dad is in town and for what purpose. Their dinner with him and Harper will likely happen this week. We have a week before Homecoming week, which will be filled with too much as always.
Me:
Tonight. Webcam. 8
I set my phone to the side and stretch. It’s almost dinner time. If I’m not down there, Mom will come up to get me. I head downstairs.
Voices rise from the dining room. More than one female voice. What the—
I step into the dining room and my mom turns with a smile and so does Ashley Kim.
“Eli, I was just going to send Ashley up to get you.” Mom’s smile is big and knowing. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen her. I had to invite her to dinner.”
My insides boil. What the fuck is Ashley doing here? But I don’t let it show.
“I thought tonight was a family dinner.” I smile politely at Ashley, who smiles like this happens all the time. My mom has met her maybe once or twice in the house.
“It was supposed to be, but your father had to go in to fix a problem at work.” Mom’s eyes dull slightly before she brightens again. “So we have enough for Ashley to stay.”
“Maybe I should go.” Ashley gestures to the door.
“Nonsense.” Mom waves it away like a bad smell. “You should stay. It’s so nice to see Eli’s friends. And I really enjoyed our conversation on Parent’s Night when you wore my Eli’s jersey.”
She wraps her arm around Ashley’s shoulders and pulls her into the dining room, talking about school. I pull out my phone and text Jack.
Me:
Turn on my webcam and record
Jack:
Done. What’s up?
Me:
Ashley showed up at my house for dinner
Jack:
Need me to notify the others?
Me:
Not yet
Let me figure out what she’s doing here
Jack:
Got it
I need proof if she tries anything. Harper and I are solid, but Ashley could be trying to make waves.
“Eli.” Mom’s voice is bright and she gestures from the table for me to join them.
“Sorry, just checking on Harper. My girlfriend.” I narrow my eyes at Ashley as I take a seat across from the two of them. Maybe I’ll just mentally replay our study session in here when I had my cock buried in Harper’s tight little pussy.
Mom shakes her head indulgently. “I keep telling Eli he shouldn’t settle yet.” She hasn’t told me that. “To take advantage of being young.”
Ashley nods and smirks at me. “Most of us don’t settle for one person. At least not yet. We’re only eighteen and heading off to college in a year.”
“What colleges are you applying to, dear?” Mom passes the rolls to Ashley.
The conversation continues with Mom asking Ashley about her future plans and mentioning how close that college is to the ones I’ve applied to. Or how great would it be to have a familiar face at college. All while she drinks her wine and we eat the meal that was supposed to be our family meal.
A work emergency on a Sunday night is a stretch even for my father. I’m curious what he’s really doing, but not enough to check his location with my phone.
My parents’ marriage is broken. It’s only a matter of time before they crash and burn.
Dinner ends when my mother receives a phone call.
“Oh, sorry, I have to take this one.” Mom touches Ashley’s shoulder. “It was so lovely to talk to you again. I hope to see more of you.”
Mom’s eyes meet mine as if to tell me to behave before she answers the phone and heads into the kitchen.
I lean back in my chair and stare at Ashley. “Why are you here?”
“Why else would I be here?” Ashley smirks and sets her plate to the side. She glances toward where my mother disappeared before narrowing her eyes on me. “Your little virgin can’t be what you need yet. I need a session. We don’t have to have sex.”
“Why would I do that?” I give her a cocky grin.
“Fuck, Eli.” She lowers her voice. “Invite your little girlfriend over. Show her exactly what you want from her by giving it to me. Who knows, maybe she’ll be into it?
Or maybe you’ll scare her off for good? I don’t give a shit.
What I need is someone who isn’t afraid I’m going to shatter like glass.
I need you because I can’t get what I need anywhere else. ”
Her frustration burns in her eyes.
“Not tonight. And not like this.” I clasp my hands on the table and meet her desperate eyes. This might be the break we need. “I’ll consider it. I won’t do it if Harper doesn’t agree, but it will cost you.”
Her eyes narrow. “Fine. Talk to your pet and text me the details.”