Untouched (Bay Falls High, #1)(5)

“And your mother knows you’re not here. Alone. She can go to rehab and actually get cleaned up for once.”

“And me?”

“You can finish school at Bay Falls High.”

I laughed. “BFH? Seriously?”

“You know the name?”

“Yeah. Stands for Bitches. Freaks. Whores.”

“Whore starts with W… not H…”

“They really don’t teach us much around here,” I said. “You know, since we’re all so poor and scummy.”

“I never said that. But you’re a smart girl, Tinsley. I’ll make sure you’re put in the right building with the right classes. You just show up. That’s it. And you won’t have to worry about anything else.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said.

I shut the door and locked it.

I walked through the quiet and dark apartment.

My mind raced.

I was sure if I called the electric company and told them what was happening they’d listen. I could pick up a couple jobs and get things in order.

That sounded so… grown up…

I thought about Ruby. Smoking cigarettes. And getting high with Garcia on the roof of his house. And Amelia sneaking vodka to school to get through the boring classes.

It was about being young and having fun.

And… well…

I bit my lip.

I could become anyone at a new school, right?

Tinsley.

Call me Ti, motherfuckers. Ti. If not, I’ll claw your fake bitch eyes out.

Nobody would have to know about me. Who I was. Where I came from. Why I was there. I’d be the new girl, but I’d have Claire’s house and money to back me up.

I opened the fridge and there was obviously no light.

The smell that came out of it made my eyes water.

I turned and coughed, almost throwing up in the sink.

I saw the antenna from a cockroach pop up from the drain and watched the disgusting creature hurry across the dirty sink.

Shit.

I ran toward the door and hurried to unlock and open it.

Claire was waiting there.

I was gasping for a breath as my eyes filled with tears.

She reached for me, hugging me.

Something an adult hadn’t done in a really long time.

I could be anyone I wanted to be.

Just as long as I wasn’t fucking Tinsley Ditkiss.

And I never wanted to go back into that apartment again… no matter what happened.





three





Nothing Claire told me was a lie.

Her house was a mansion.

She had more rooms than she knew what to do with.

My new bedroom was bigger than the entire apartment I had lived in for so long. I had more space than I knew what to do with. Including my own walk-in closet that went for miles. And my own bathroom with bright lights that dimmed, black stone tile in the shower, and a tub that looked deeper than a pool.

The view from the window above my bed may have been the best part though.

A view of the ocean.

There was nothing more teasing than living where I had been with Mom. The fact that we were close to the ocean but not close enough to walk there. It was always a car ride. And depending on traffic that car ride could be a pain in the ass.

But this…

It was right there.

And there was a sandy path that led from Claire’s house right down to the beach.

Which meant…

I left my two bags (my entire life) on the bed and bolted for the door.

The house almost reminded me of a hotel mixed with a fancy school. The hallways and doors along with the overall feel of it. That clean carpet type smell. Hints of vanilla and lavender randomly hitting my nose but there was nothing plugged in to make that smell happen. It was just too fresh and too clean.

The main staircase… yes, main staircase because the house had three fucking sets of stairs… was extra wide and curved a little to the right. That led down to the grand foyer and the massive front door.

I skipped the front door and walked through the house looking to go out back so I could make my way to the beach.

Claire was outside, standing with a drink in her hand, her phone to her ear.

She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and hit the screen to mute the call on her end.

“Hate these calls,” she said.

“Claire, what do you actually do?” I asked. “I mean… this house…”

“Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself.”

“I’m going to the beach.”

“Do you know how to swim?”

“What?”

“Do you know how to swim?”

“Yes, I know how to swim. I’m not going into the water. I just like looking.”

Claire nodded. “That’s the problem with most people, Tinsley. They claim they’re just looking and they know how to swim… only until they get too close. My advice here? Don’t get too close.”

I opened my mouth to say something but Claire went back to her call.

“Let me cut in right there, Charlie,” she said. “And let me be very clear when I say this. Fuck off.”

My eyes went wide.

Whoa.