Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(4)

His eyes continue to sparkle and I hate that it pulls at something within me. He continues watching me like a predator stalking his prey. “I’ll never be done with this,” he promises.

I know he’s talking about me, rather than the drink. This is the twisted little game he’s played with me for years. It’s almost as though torturing me gets him hard.

His girlfriend, Ashley, appears beside him and drapes herself over him before taking the drink out of his hand. He throws his arm over her shoulder and she looks up at him before following his gaze over to me.

Ashley scoffs at me, clearly knowing what’s going on. I mean, the whole school knows that I’m the girl the bad boy likes to kick around. “Come on,” Ashley laughs as she tugs at his waist.

Nate’s grin widens as though he’s won this round before he takes off with Ashley under his arm.

I let out a breath as Brooke turns to me. “Are you ok?” she questions.

“Yeah,” I say, shrugging it off. “I’m used to his shit by now.”

She studies me for a moment and decides she likes what she sees. It’s true. I’ve put up with his asshole tendencies for years now. At the beginning, I used to wonder why he’d suddenly turned on me and if I’d done something to piss him off. Now, I don’t give a shit. He does his bullshit and it sails right over me like water off a duck’s back.

Yes, sometimes it can suck, especially if I’ve had a bad day, but right now, I’m out having fun with my girls, and Nate Ryder is not even on my radar.





Chapter 2


With our drinks in hand, I follow Brooke around Josh’s home with Bec and Courtney right behind me until we manage to steal a couple of guys’ chairs. We sit down and people watch for a while before Brooke decides it’s time to shake our asses.

I’m more than happy to stay right where I am, but the little minx is not taking no for an answer, which is made clear when she grabs my hand and drags me out onto the dance floor behind her.

The girls and I dance around, shaking our asses and giving it our all when I finally spot him. Josh Henderson. Broken Hill’s star quarterback and the most popular guy in the room. He’s the guy that every girl wants to be with and every guy in Broken Hill wants to be. It’s sick really, the kind of attention he gets, but that’s just the way things go around here.

Josh makes his way across the dance floor with practically every cheerleader following him, each of them desperate to be the girl he chooses for the night, though it’s not hard to tell why, especially with that floppy golden hair, hazel eyes, and killer body. It’s simple. He’s absolutely stunning.

His eyes lock on mine and I watch as that familiar smile cuts across his face. He weaves his way through the throng of dancing bodies and reaches me within moments. “Hey, babe,” he says as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls my body hard against him.

“Hi to you, too,” I smile up at him as my arms fall around his neck.

He starts dancing with me, and by dancing, I mean, he grinds himself into me while Brooke gives me the thumbs up and a big cheesy grin.

I can’t help but feel the stares of all the cheerleaders in the room and feel as though I currently have a major target on my back. After all, Josh is the quarterback and at Broken Hill High, that means he’s theirs.

I look up at him and within the blink of an eye, his lips are crushing down on mine with his tongue forcing its way inside my mouth.

I let him kiss me for a bit and I know had I been drinking, I probably would have been enjoying it a little more, but let’s face it, just like last week, it’s all saliva mixed with the taste of bourbon. It’s not his finest hour, but if he was sober right now, I’m sure this moment would be putting stars in my eyes.

Not really feeling it, I pull back and he grins down at me. “Let me get you a drink,” he says before releasing my waist and walking away, not bothering to wait for my response. I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. In my head, I had made Josh out to be this amazing guy, but the last two weeks is proving otherwise.

“What the hell was that?” Bec squawks beside me.

“I have no clue,” I tell her as Brooke starts to laugh.

“Tell me it was better than last week?” she questions.

I scrunch up my face and shake my head. Just like that, the four of us burst out into uncontrollable fits of laughter. “Holy shit,” Brooke says, straightening herself up and wiping at the tears in her eyes. “I think I just peed myself.”

“You’re such an idiot,” I tell her over the sound of the music as a slight headache starts to seep in from all the noise and dancing.

She grins back at me. “I’m going to go find the bathroom,” she tells me before promptly turning her back and disappearing.

“Shit,” I groan after my drunken best friend. I turn to Bec and Courtney. “Can you guys go with her so she doesn’t get herself in trouble? I’m going to grab some fresh air.”

“No problem,” Bec says before they turn and hurry after her.

I turn in the opposite direction and head for the back door, passing a couple practically screwing up against the wall. The second I step out into the fresh air, I take a deep breath, letting the cool air rush into my lungs.

I walk out into the yard and past the massive pool, which even I must admit is pretty damn impressive. I swear, the party must be even bigger out here. There’s a massive yard with a bonfire. People are scattered and dancing all around while others sit around the fire, laughing and drinking as they enjoy their night. Even I have to admit that this is one hell of a good party, even with Nate Ryder hanging around somewhere.