Untouched (Bay Falls High, #1)(25)

“Not bad in here,” he said as he sat on the edge of the bed right where I slept.

He leaned forward and opened the nightstand drawer.

“What are you looking for?” I asked.

“This is the drawer where all the fun is hidden, right? Private toys. Condoms. Something to ease it all in…”

My cheeks warmed. “Whatever you say, Barr. Now get out of my room.”

Barr slammed the drawer and stood up. He took another drag of the cigarette.

I watched the smoke billow through the air, looking for something to cling to. To leave its smell. He was going to leave his smell behind.

“I don’t think I should be smoking in here,” he said.

He strutted through the bedroom to the bathroom.

My eyes scanned around the room.

Part of me expected him to trash the room. Find all of my bras and panties and throw them around the room.

But everything was left in place.

So this was another power move. A way for Barr to remind me that he and the others were always in control and always knew everything.

Which made no sense because I…

I walked to the bathroom and caught him staring at himself in the mirror.

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked.

Probably a weak question but it was an honest one.

Barr turned the sink water on and closed the drain. After just a few seconds he turned the water off and dropped the cigarette into the water. It sizzled and died.

He looked at me through the reflection in the mirror. “You’re asking the wrong question, love.”

“Oh?”

“You keep asking why… maybe you should ask why not…”

I curled my lip. “That makes no sense.”

“Of course it does,” Barr said as he turned. He walked out of the bathroom and across the bedroom. “Why me… why me… when it should be why not me.”

“Still makes no sense,” I said.

Barr stood at the window and slipped his hands into his pockets.

None of it made sense to me.

Other than me being the new girl.

Fresh blood.

All that stupid bullying crap.

Yet the worst part of it was the way he looked. Tall and strong. Dark and bold. Not afraid to get in your face.

“To answer your question, love, Pres grabbed you because he felt like it. Just like me being here tonight. I felt like it. And just like Kip talking to you. He felt like. That’s what we do. Whatever we feel like doing.”

“What?” I asked.

Barr brought his right hand from his pocket and he showed me my phone.

I gasped.

My fucking phone.

I had left it on the bed.

And now Barr had it.

“Was hoping for a few naked selfies,” he said. “But nothing. Did see a few faces though. And one I assume is your mother.”

“You know what, Barr? Fuck you.”

He turned and grinned. “Now we’re starting to get somewhere. House is big enough that nobody will ever know. Then again, they’re not stupid. We’re both missing from the table.”

“Give me my fucking phone back,” I said. “Now.”

“Are you ordering me around, love?”

“You don’t get it, Barr. That’s all I have. That’s the only thing I have from…”

I choked on my words and cleared my throat.

Shit, shit, shit. You can’t cry in front of him…

“This is the only thing you have left from where you came from,” Barr said. “Wow. That’s pretty intense. That’s deep. And yet even still you wanted to talk about us.”

“I didn’t say a word about what I saw,” I yelled. “I just didn’t get why Pres grabbed me. That’s all. Or what you three are doing.”

“Well, I answered the question. We feel like it. And as for this?”

Barr looked at the phone and shook his head.

“Barr… please…”

He opened the window and flicked his wrist.

“No!” I screamed and lunged at him.

I grabbed his arm and his shirt, clawing at him as I pulled myself to the window. I caught the last second sight of my phone before it hit the pool.

Barr put his hands to my sides and inched me away from the window.

“Easy now, love,” he whispered. “Don’t want you to fall out of the window and get hurt.”

I looked at him. He was evil. Forget the honey gold eyes. Forget the muscle. Forget the power. He was evil.

Barr kissed the air and walked away.

He left my bedroom without saying a word.

And I didn’t leave my bedroom again.

I just stood there and stared at the black square at the bottom of the pool.

How long until that was me at the bottom of the pool?





nine





Being rich meant never needing to go without.

I had a new phone in my hand by morning.

A new number, no pictures, nothing on the phone.

But at least it was a phone.

I amazed myself by remembering some of the numbers that I never thought I’d know.

I sent texts to Ruby and Amelia first.

Then Beth.

Claire promised me she would contact Mom to get her my new number.