Beautifully Yours: A High School Bully Romance (Voclain Academy Book Three) Read online

  Raven huffs and puffs like she’s going to try to blow my house down before she calms. She knows I’m right though. I didn’t kick Aurora off her throne last semester. I banished her from the kingdom and burned down everything she held dear. Maybe if I wasn’t having such a good time tonight I’d care, but right now, I just want to dance with Harlow.

  I turn back to Harlow, ready to pull her into my arms again when Raven says, “Freaking seriously?”

  She doesn’t yell it or scream it, but she definitely screeches it, the words like nails scraping across glass.

  “Ok,” she says, tossing her auburn locks over her shoulders and scowling atop her wedge sandals, “but that asshole isn’t welcome here.”

  I look back over, and on the opposite side of the lawn is Finn Berkshire, king of all assholes, winner of the gold medal in the jackass olympics. He’s flanked on either side by a couple of other dumbasses I recognize as underclassmen from campus, though I couldn’t tell you their names. I never cared to learn them. One is lanky and greasy, and just looking at the guy, I feel like I need a shower. The other is round with a permanent sneer on his face.

  “Look at the three stooges of campus,” Raven calls over the music, but she’s definitely yelling at Finn. “Get off my lawn!”

  She thrusts a Solo cup at Harlow and says, “Hold this while I handle these fools.”

  I thrust my arm out, blocking Raven’s exit, and look over at my friend. On instinct, Everett and Archie flank my sides. Aurora learned her lesson, but Finn never did. Dude’s like a cockroach, and I’m pretty sure he’s incapable of any higher thinking.

  “I’ll handle it,” I tell Raven.

  “We’ll handle it,” Everett corrects.

  Time to take out the trash.

  2

  Ian

  I really want to go over and ram my fist into Finn Berkshire’s ugly face. I want to feel the crunch as his nose gives under the pressure and watch the blood spurt from his nostrils and drip down to stain his teeth. He’s a mean, violent psychopath who I’m pretty sure likes to murder kittens or some other sick shit in his spare time. He’s been a monster to Molly and an asshole to my girlfriend, and for some reason, no matter how many times I beat the shit out of him, he never learns his lesson.

  Aurora showed up because she wants to be included. She can’t stand it, a party happening without her approval. Finn, though, he showed up because he wants to start shit, so let’s start some shit.

  Archie, Everett, and I walk across the lawn toward Finn and his posse, a straight shot through the girls ogling Chase and the couples dancing. No one’s really close to us, yet they still move out of the way like they are pulling off the side of the road to make way for a police escort. I guess I’m used to it. I don’t ever have to scoot around anyone in the hallway. More or less, they tend to move for me.

  As we arrive, a few feet away, I’m ready to tell Finn and his fugly bleach-blonde hair to get the hell out, when Everett speaks first.

  “Get lost, Berkshire,” he tells Finn, and to the passing observer his words sound calm, but there’s an undercurrent there, a riptide of an unspoken warning.

  Get lost or I’ll make you.

  The asshole just laughs, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he does it. He’s not as pudgy as he was last year, and he’s grown a couple of inches too, which must be why he’s feeling so damn confident, but I don’t give a fuck. I’m still bigger and taller.

  “I thought this was a public party,” Finn says.

  I shake my head. “Not for you.”

  “Come on, Finnsie,” Archie taunts him as he puts his hair up in a messy man-bun, probably because he doesn’t want it getting ripped out when this comes to blows. “Your mommy called. It’s time to call it a night.”

  The fucker just laughs again, and this is getting old. I’m ready for this to be over so I can get back to Harlow and forget this shit-stain’s existence.

  “And who’s going to make us leave?” he says, literally asking for it.

  My knuckles crack as my hands ball into fists, and I’m not looking at either one of them, but I know Everett and Archie are ready for this to come to blows too. I’m half a second from decking this douchebag when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I tense even further at the contact then relax when I see Harlow staring up at me.

  “Ignore him,” she tells me. “He’s not worth it.”

  Fuck.

  Harlow hates it when I fight. She even gets squeamish watching action movies late at night together, which is probably why our newest run of binging has included solely rom-coms that she picks out and I grudgingly tolerate.

  I exchange a look with Everett, who frowns at me like he’s begging me to let him hit Finn. I feel you, brother.

  I shake my head no and look back at Finn, who’s got a stupid smirk on his face I am itching to wipe off.

  “Your girlfriend call the shots, Beckett?” he taunts.

  I look down at him, literally. “Stay away from me and my friends, Berkshire, if you want to keep all your teeth.”

  I don’t give him time to retort. I don’t even spare him a second glance because if I do spare him a second glance, one of us is going to end up bleeding.

  I hear Everett add, “Lucky break, asshole.”

  Harlow leads me back across the lawn as Chase keeps crooning for the crowd, but when I look over at him, he’s staring straight at me. Brother would jump down mid-verse to throw a punch beside me. I tip my chin in his direction to let him know it’s over.

  We come to a stop alongside Molly and Raven, and the latter has her arms crossed over her chest, her hip cocked, and a frown directed at me.

  “Handled?” she asks, clearly thinking it’s not handled since Finn isn’t bloody.

  “For now,” I tell her. “Let us know if he causes any trouble.”

  “Dance?” Harlow asks me, but she doesn’t seem to be feeling the mood any longer. That makes all of us.

  Raven snaps out of it with rich-girl resilience and claps her hands together.

  “All right, bitches…” she looks over at Everett, Archie, and me, “and bros, time to make it fun. In the house now.”

  I have a feeling I’m about to pay for not kicking Finn’s ass, but I follow everyone inside, giving Berkshire one last glance across the lawn to make sure he’s behaving. Chase ends his set early and tells everyone he’ll be back later as he wraps it up and follows us.

  “Nosy douche,” Archie says with a snort as Chase beelines our way.

  Raven leads us through the patio doors, into the mudroom, and down the hall into her parents’ study. The walls are lined with books, and it smells like old paper and expensive cigar smoke.

  I take a seat on the velvet chaise beside Harlow as Archie disappears and Chase enters, saying, “What’s up?” before raiding the liquor cabinet. He settles down on the leather sofa across from us with a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a cigarette dangling between his lips. Archie barrels into the room holding a pack of gummy worms that he tosses at Everett’s face and a family-sized bag of nacho cheese Doritos that he keeps for himself. He flops down on the sofa across from Chase and proceeds to lie down, ending with his feet in Chase’s lap.

  Molly snorts as Chase looks down in disgust at Archie’s loafer-clad feet, decides beating the shit out of him isn’t worth the bruised knuckles, and takes a swig straight from his bottle of bourbon.

  Raven’s boyfriend, Vixson, arrives and looks across the study at his girlfriend.

  “I’m here, dear,” he says, somehow not sounding completely sarcastic as he says it.

  Jesse, as always, isn’t far behind Vixson, but the dude—to his credit honestly—takes one long look across the room starting at Archie’s already Dorito-stained fingers and ending with Molly stealing out of Everett’s bag of gummy worms and says, “Nah, I’m good, guys,” and leaves.

  “What’s going on, Raven?” I ask her as Harlow lays her head on my shoulder.

  Raven leans back against her father’s giant
solid wood desk and crosses her feet at the ankles. She’s like the teenage Godfather looking down at the rest of us.

  “Truth or dare,” she says with a wicked grin.

  “I’m out!” Archie says, raising one orange finger into the air before licking it clean with a pop.

  “What?” Raven pretends like she didn’t see this coming after last time. “No, no outs.”

  Archie shakes his man-bun vehemently. “Summer, seventh grade, broke my arm when you dared me to jump down an entire flight of stairs.” He licks another finger with a pop. “Ninth grade, winter break, got detention for like a month because you dared me to break into Headmistress DuMonte’s office.” Pop. “Last year, fall formal, got punched in the face after you dared me to kiss Haylee Paulsen.” Pop.

  Raven shrugs. “You didn’t have to do any of that.”

  “You,” Archie points a finger at her, “are downright diabolical.”

  Everett and Chase nod. We’ve all been there, victim to one of Raven’s dares.

  “You’ve already entered the game,” Raven says. “Too late to back out now, beautiful.”

  “Fuck,” Chase mutters, taking another swig of bourbon.

  “Second that,” Everett agrees, taking a bite out of a gummy worm. Molly steals one from the bag and forks it over to Harlow.

  “Who goes first?” Molly asks, and we all know who is going first now.

  I nearly cringe for her.

  Raven grins like a wolf in the low light of the study, and I hear Molly gulp. Harlow perks up beside me, her gaze darting between the two of them. She’s the only one here who hasn’t been a victim of Raven’s criminal mind yet, and I can see it spelled out across her beautiful face.

  It can’t be that bad, right?

  Oh, it can, and it will be, sweetness. Prepare for war.

  “Truth or dare,” Raven asks Molly.

  “Uhhh.” Molly looks to the rest of us for help, but literally no one is about to step on that grenade. “Truth.”

  “Truth. Who is your secret crush?” Raven waves a hand at Molly as she unwraps a stick of bubblegum and pops it into her mouth.

  “There’s no one,” Molly manages. All of us and the aliens in space hear the lie.

  “You’re getting all dressed up lately,” Raven pushes. “You’re straightening your hair like all the time. And you’re way too happy. Spill.”

  “N…no…” Molly begins, and I feel for her, I do, but I’m smart enough to keep my mouth shut when my sweet, naive Harlow goes, “Choose me instead. I volunteer.”

  Raven blinks across the room at her.

  “You volunteer?” she repeats.

  “I do,” Harlow confirms.

  “Choose truth,” I whisper to Harlow. “Her dares are brutal.”

  Harlow smiles over at me, and uh oh, I recognize that dumbass self-assurance. The word slips past her lips with a smile. “Dare.”

  “Fine,” Raven says after a beat. “I dare you to kiss anyone in the room who is not your boyfriend.”

  Fuck. Payback is a bitch.

  Harlow looks over at me wide-eyed. “Told you,” I mouth to her.

  Then she does something that surprises all of us. She stands up suddenly, leans over the sofa, and kisses Molly smack-dab on the cheek.

  Molly turns red enough to match the velvet of the chaise.

  “Holy shit,” Archie says, stopping his chewing momentarily as Vixson ducks behind the desk to hide his laughter from his girlfriend.

  “That doesn’t count!” Raven protests.

  “You lose, Satan,” Chase says, raising his bottle in cheers to my girlfriend. He looks at Raven. “You didn’t specify. Totally counts.”

  We all agree hurriedly.

  “I choose Archie,” Harlow says.

  Archie continues eating Doritos. “Truth!”

  “I thought you weren’t playing,” Raven complains.

  “Not with you, I’m not,” Archie clarifies, biting into another chip.

  “Truth,” Harlow repeats. “Name the nastiest place you’ve ever hooked up with someone.”

  Chase groans.

  “Oh, no,” I say as Everett shakes his head.

  By the grin on her face, Harlow clearly thinks she’s being funny.

  Archie definitely sees it as an opportunity to brag, and his response is almost instantaneous.

  “Route 64 truck stop bathroom, exit 13, last summer. The cashier was a very happy lady.”

  Ugh, I feel dirty. Everybody groans.

  “That’s nasty,” chokes Raven. “You’re like a walking advertisement for condoms. Why anyone would sleep with you is beyond me.”

  Archie raises a hand to his heart. “My feels,” he says with a pout.

  Then his face grows serious as he brushes the remaining chip crumbs off his polo shirt, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand like a heathen, and sits up. He stares Raven down, his baby blues locked on her.

  “What is going on?” Raven asks the room, her voice weirdly breathy.

  Archie’s whole face seems to transform, and gone is the carefree guy who can’t take anything seriously, the jokester and prankster who can make a teacher laugh while he’s being sent to detention. There’s no gross heathen anymore. There’s just the hard line of his jaw and that piercing blue gaze, and it’s weird as fuck to behold.

  Oh, God, I know what I’m watching, and I totally don’t want to be here right now.

  He stands, and it’s like seeing a lion climb lazily out of his den. There’s no hurry to his movements, just a strong, singular sense of purpose. He stalks over to Raven, and he’s got this bit of swagger going on, but it’s not exaggerated or forced. It’s just him, in his element.

  He purses his lips, and it’s a private, sensual thing to watch, but I can’t stop watching. He places one hand on either side of Raven’s hips and leans in real close, like way too close. I’m pretty sure Raven stops breathing. I know Harlow does, and shit, make it stop.

  “Your eyes are the color of emeralds,” he tells her, and it sounds so not cheesy that I feel like I’m in upside-down world, “and they are the only riches I’d ever need.”

  He stands there a beat, looming over her, and then he’s gone, walking back to the couch and opening the bag of Doritos with a crinkle.

  Raven fans herself. Chase takes another sip of bourbon I would really like to have right now. Vixson looks like he’s both annoyed and fascinated by the display of Archie’s mating ritual.

  “Holy crackers,” Harlow says beside me. “It was like watching the metamorphosis of a human caterpillar.”

  I snort. Molly giggles and clamps a hand over her mouth.

  “Everett,” Archie calls, resuming his devastation of the bag of chips.

  “What?” Everett says, blinking away the fog of whatever we just watched.

  “Truth or dare, dummy,” Archie says.

  “Dare,” Everett chooses.

  “I dare you to kiss a girl on the lips in this room.”

  “What the fuck, man?” Everett sounds pissed. “Be original. Raven just did that.”

  I know what Archie’s doing, and I silently scold him.

  Vixson wraps an arm around Raven. “Not today, dude,” he tells Everett.

  I just look at Everett and shake my head because if I have to watch Everett kiss my girlfriend, then I’m going to have to beat my best friend, and I don’t want to do that.

  There’s just one option left. Molly locks glances with Everett, and I can barely hear it as she says, “It’s okay.”

  This is just fucking painful to watch.

  “I volunteer,” I tell Archie, taking us all out of our misery.

  “What? No.” Archie shakes his head.

  “Bring it, boy,” I say while giving him a look Everett can’t see from behind me but definitely says, I will beat the crap out of you personally if you make this happen tonight.

  Archie rolls his eyes. “The last time you did anything fun was when you were less than sober, man. Fine, I dare Ian to beer
me and hand-feed me grapes for the rest of the night.”

  “Where am I supposed to get grapes?”

  Archie rolls his eyes. “The kitchen.”

  “And if they don’t have any?”

  “Skittles, M&Ms, whatever, man. Doesn’t matter.”

  “Fine,” I say, standing up and heading toward the kitchen. Raven’s had us over enough times through the years that I think I remember where it’s at. The keg is empty when I try to fill a cup for Archie, so I raid the fridge, find an expensive German beer, and pop the cap off.

  I’m still hunting in the fridge for grapes when I hear Berkshire across the island go, “You won’t find your missing balls in there, Beckett.”

  Mother-fucker.

  I close the fridge door and scowl at him. It’s just me and this asshole. Maybe if I got it over with fast enough, he wouldn’t make a sound, and Harlow wouldn’t find out.

  “What the fuck do you want, Berkshit?” I say, using Raven’s nickname for him.

  “You gone.” He sounds bored, like it was a chore literally answering my question.

  I snort, grabbing a bowl of M&Ms off the counter to take to Archie. “Yeah, good luck with that, asshole.”

  I turn to move away from him and head back to the study when he reacts, and it’s fast, faster than he ever was on the football team.

  He grabs a knife out of the kitchen block, and for a moment, I tense, thinking he’s about to attempt his knife-throwing skills at my face, but then he buries the blade low in his abdomen and screams in pain with the hit.

  “Why would you stab me, Beckett?” he yells at the top of his lungs, and I stand there, frozen as I hold Archie’s beer and M&Ms.

  What. The. Fuck.

  3

  Harlow

  I lean back, melting against the cushion of the chaise, and wait for Ian to return. Archie gives Everett a look I can’t figure out as a guttural wail sounds from down the hall. Everyone in the room freezes, or at least I do. Chase looks mildly surprised like he’s wondering what now. Raven stops mid-chew of the gummy worm she’s snatched from Everett. I stare at a worn spot on the hardwood floor and the little divot there, like a heavy piece of furniture used to call that spot its home.