Untouched (Bay Falls High, #1)(29)

It was a familiar voice.

When Kip turned, his white sleeveless shirt had blood on it.

My eyes went wide.

His left hand was bloody too.

He’s fighting. He’s up here fighting.

I bit my lip, telling myself to not think it was hot.

But it was hot.

Bad boys fighting…

Kip stepped out of the circle for a moment.

When he came back, he wasn’t alone.

Dragging someone by their shirt, standing the guy up, going nose to nose.

“I didn’t mean to touch her…”

I covered my mouth.

It was Denny.

Kip had Denny up here.

There was a cut under Denny’s right eye.

Kip was gigantic compared to Denny.

I never really noticed that before. Not that I was trying to compare anyone.

But maybe I should have been.

Kip threw Denny back.

Denny put his hands out. “Come on, man. You know me. I was just fucking around. You know I’ve been hitting Beth, right? She’s a quick, cheap fuck. What the fuck do I want with the new girl? That’s your territory. I know that. We’re just friends.”

This is about me? This is my fault?

Kip walked forward and swung his left hand, hitting Denny in the cheek again.

He fell to his hands and knees and started to cough.

Kip swung his foot, kicking Denny in the ribs.

“Oh, fuck,” Denny groaned, now on his back.

“You were warned before,” Kip said, finally speaking.

“I know,” Denny said. “I swear, man, we’re just friends. She was laughing. I was laughing.”

My stomach twisted with a sickening anger.

The greatest part of my day was coming back to bite me.

Denny and I had been joking around. Goofing off.

That was it.

And Kip thought…

Again, why did it matter?

“Give me your right hand,” Kip said.

“Come on, man,” Denny said.

Kip put his foot to Denny’s throat.

Denny grabbed Kip’s leg and started tapping it.

“Are you going to argue with me again?” Kip asked.

“No,” Denny said. “Here. Look. My hand.”

Kip grabbed Denny’s right hand and pulled him to his feet with ease.

It was like Denny was a toy.

Just like Pres at the ocean…

I couldn’t stop watching. And as much as I wanted to rush into the circle I knew better.

“You touch her again and I’ll fucking kill you,” Kip said. “She’s off limits.”

Me? Off limits?

“I swear, Kip…”

Kip threw his head forward, smashing it against Denny’s face.

I gasped.

Kip turned his head and looked right at me.

I was tucked away in the dark enough he didn’t know I was there.

There was a little bit of blood on his forehead from Denny. Almost like warpaint.

I swallowed hard.

Kip let out a whistle.

Barr and Pres entered the circle.

Barr flicked a cigarette away and cracked his knuckles. He walked up to Denny and punched him in the back.

Denny let out a cry of pain.

Pres was slower, more commanding and powerful than the rest.

He walked up to Denny and grabbed his right hand from Kip.

“Are we done here?” Pres asked.

“I’m done,” Kip said.

“I’m good,” Barr said.

“Good,” Pres said. “Break his hand and we’re done.”

Break his hand? Because he touched me?

“Jesus, please, no,” Denny said. “Please…”

“You fucked with the Rulz,” Pres said. “Now you pay.”

Kip and Barr pulled Denny away from the circle.

Pres then walked the circle, killing the flames to all the tiki torches one by one.

I slowly crept back so there was no chance of him seeing me.

Even at my distance, as he walked by to put out the closest flame, I could smell him.

Off in the distance I heard a loud thud followed by the echoing scream from Denny.

I turned and started to run back to Iris and Gi.

Except I had to stop halfway.

To throw up.

Pres, Barr, and Kip were going after any guy that even thought of paying attention to me.

Yet they wanted to torture me at the same time as though I meant nothing to them or to anyone at BFH.

The question why burned through my mind like the bile in my throat.

And there was only one answer… one way to solve this…

I had to leave Bay Falls High before it was too late.





ten





I opened my locker and there was a blood stained white towel waiting for me. I knew who it was from… who put it there and whose blood it was.

There was no way I was touching the towel.

I slammed the locker shut and just kept my bag with me.

It didn’t matter.

I was done with BFH.

When I saw Beth, she tried to walk away as though I wasn’t there.

I had to chase her down through the hallway and grab her arm.

“Ti, stop,” she said.

“I know what they did to Denny,” I said.