She looks up at me through tear-filled eyes under thick lashes and uses her thumb to wipe the corners of her mouth. Those tears aren’t from my sudden denial or having her feelings hurt, but the fact that she’s been deepthroating me for the last hour.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Nah, just not feeling it.”
She gets up off her knees, fixing her pleated uniform skirt, and leaves at my dismissal. My thoughts stray back to the dark haired vixen from tonight.
Fuck.
I run my hands through my hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. There is this strange feeling of unease that's settled in my stomach and I don't fucking like it. She wasn't supposed to be there tonight.
No one was ever supposed to know what happened outside of the four of us.
Now, she has the power to bring us to our knees right in the palm of her hands.
A loud pounding on the door pulls me from my thoughts, and seconds later, Sebastian and Ezra bust through the door, not bothering to wait for a reply.
They saunter into the room and flop down on the dusty couch next to me. The room is lit only by the glow of candles that have been placed around in the room by the dozens. We partied at an old abandoned house a few miles from campus. Somewhere along the way it was dubbed “the Abbey” and it stuck. There was no power, so we lit the room with candles we got from the church.
"So, are we just going to pretend that shit didn't happen while you're in here getting your dick sucked by the little mermaid?"
"Fuck off."
"Seriously, Rhys, what the fuck are we going to do?" Ezra asks.
"Nothing. We're going to go on like nothing ever happened. I stopped her outside and I scared the fuck out of her, she's not going to say shit. She looked like she was about to cry."
A few moments pass in silence before Sebastian speaks, "Yeah, what makes you so sure?"
"Because I'm going to make sure of it."
And I will.
Like always, I will handle whatever the fuck is thrown our way, just like I have since we were kids.
"Now, how about both of you quit sulking around like a bunch of pussies and go get some? You’re stressing me out."
Sebastian grins and gets up from the couch.
"You're right. Quit being a drag, Ez, it's fine. Everything's good. We have nothing to worry about," he says before leaving through the large door that he just came through minutes ago.
"I can't get kicked out of here, Rhys, you know… my dad…” He trails off, looking over at me. His eyes are filled with turmoil, and he doesn't have to say aloud what he's thinking because I already know. I know what he's been going through since we were kids.
These fuckers are my brothers. I'd give my life for them, and they know it. If anyone knew what happened on that night, our lives would be ruined. And Ez had nowhere to run to escape from his dad but St. Augustine. A safe haven of sorts, offering the only protection in his life.
Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows, sometimes they walk in plain sight. Sometimes they're the people who are supposed to love us the most.
"I've got it under control," I tell him coolly. Rising from the couch, I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the time. It's close to midnight and the party is nowhere near dying down. Perfect time to slip away while my friends are tied up with whatever girl they choose for the night.
"I'm out, I'll see you later," I tell Ezra, who nods from his spot on the couch. I open the door to leave and the music from the portable speakers seeps into the room, vibrating the walls.
"Get out of here. I'm handling it. Trust me. I've always had us," I say before shutting the door behind me.
I planned to handle it, starting with the little lamb with the bright blue eyes and a sinfully lush mouth.
After spending the remainder of the night in the library scouring over student files, I finally found what I was looking for. Not the first time the staff keycard has given me access to places a student is forbidden to enter.
Good thing I don't give a fuck about where I'm not supposed to be.
Her file was tucked away in a filing cabinet in the back corner. Thankfully, I've picked a fuck-ton of locks in my lifetime, so it was easy access. The manila folder felt heavy in my hands even though it seemed to only contain a few sheets of copy paper. I open it to reveal her student ID photo next to the information.
Valentina Carmichael. 4.0 GPA, in line for valedictorian of the senior class. A perfectly clean record with no infractions. Not that I expected anything different from the little lamb.
I take the file and lock the cabinet back, tucking it into my jacket as I make my way out of the library. Once I'm back in my dorm, I shed my jeans and pull on a pair of sweatpants, then crawl into bed. The dorm is quiet with Ezra and Sebastian out, and Alec not expected to return until tomorrow. I can’t remember the last time I skipped a party and was in bed before two. I spend the next few hours scouring over the file until I have it memorized. Every page, every sentence. Where she lays her head, what classes she takes. What her home address is. Where she plans to apply for college. Her advisor is thorough, to say the least.
The next morning, I realize I must have fallen asleep reading, because I'm face-first in the manila folder that's now crumpled slightly below me. A loud banging sounds from the other side of my door and a panicked, muffled voice comes from outside.
"Rhys, dude, get out here now." The banging continues and I groan, rising from my spot in bed.
I check my phone and see that it's barely past eight. Why the fuck is someone banging on my door this early on a Saturday?
"Chill, I'm coming," I grumble, pulling my sweatshirt over my head before throwing the door open.
Rowan, a guy I play hockey with, is standing outside the door with a look of panic on his face. He's out of breath and fumbling over his words.
"Dude, there are cops everywhere. I…" He trails off, trying to catch his breath. "I think they're arresting him. Fuck, what happened?"
What the fuck? Who?
I don't bother grabbing anything but my phone as we run the half a mile over to the courtyard. The first thing I see are the officers. Some dressed in SWAT gear, some dressed in regular uniforms. Fuck, this is bad.
"What's going on?" I bark to a guy standing near the crowd of cops.
"No one knows. We woke up to sirens, and they've got Ezra handcuffed on the bench. Over there." He nods toward a bench that's completely blocked off by a circle of cops.
I push through the crowd to get to Ezra, but the cop pushes me back forcefully and tells me to stay back. Before I can stop myself, I’m shoving his chest backward, causing him to stumble slightly.
“Kid, chill the fuck out or you’ll be in handcuffs next to him,” he spits, righting himself.
"He’s my brother. What's going on?"
Fucking asshole looks at me, then steps back, closer to Ezra. Like he's a flight risk. Like he's going to run.
Ezra shoots me a tortured look, then drops his head into his handcuffed wrists.
This is so fucking bad.
Sister Mary Margaret walks over to me, her face is a mask of disappointment.
"Mr. Blackwood, it seems like you're going to be making a trip to the station this morning, along with the rest of your friends, to clear up the mess that you all have gotten into. I'm sure this is all just a miscommunication. St. Augustine’s students have never been in this type of trouble."