Stain (Stain #1)(34)

“Hey—what the f*ck, Max?” She glares at me, obviously pissed. I don’t give a f*ck, though.

“Got somewhere to be.” I head to the kitchen to throw away the condom before hopping into my jeans. “Get the f*ck out.”

Once they have their clothes on, I rush them out the door and follow suit, closing the door behind me. I head down to my truck, hop inside, and gun it down to the school.

***

Aylee



Seated around the kitchen table the next morning, Tim, Rachel, Sarah, and I wordlessly eat our breakfast. The events of the previous night aren’t mentioned. The sounds of silverware clinking are the only noises that break into the tense silence. Just before everyone gets up to go about their day, I add fuel to the fire by telling them I lost my bike. The only reason why I say anything at all is because I don’t have a way of getting to school.

“What happened to it?” Sarah asks, sipping her glass of milk. It’s an innocent enough question and knowing Sarah as well I do, I know there’s no malicious intent there. Just simple, blithe, childish curiosity.

I shrug. “Someone stole it.” I don’t go into detail.

“Will you give me a ride, Mom?”

“I’ll take you,” Tim interrupts with authority that no one at the table will dare contest.

I’m on edge the instant I hop inside the passenger seat of the Durango. I hold my backpack on my lap and focus all my attention outside the window. I’m press so close to the door that I’m sure I’ll tumble out. But I don’t care. I don’t want to be anywhere near him.

“Who’s the kid who came to the door last night?”

“No one.”

He stays silent. Nothing for a while and then, “Keep it that way.” It’s a clear warning. I’m ready to jump out of the car when we pull up to the curb of the side of the school, but his hand slides beneath the weight of my backpack to rest on my upper thigh. When he squeezes, I reflexively jerk away but his grip is strong enough to keep me from moving. I let my head hang, my hair falling in a curtain around my face, hiding my revulsion. “You know he only wants one thing from you, Aylee.” The hand moves slowly up and down, massaging my thigh. “Guys like that only ever want one thing. When they get it, they’ll leave you so fast your head’s going to spin. I’m not going to let that happen.” His voice is low, he’s close now, leaning over the middle armrests to whisper in my ear. “I’m not going to let him take your sweet little cherry, baby girl. I’ll kill him first.”

Sickness claws violently at my throat. It’s acid, bitter and scorching as it bubbles up my esophagus. I have to swallow hard, one, two, three times, before it slithers back down, but it’s there. It doesn’t go away completely even as I shove the car door open, grab my backpack, and stagger outside.

***

Maddox

I don’t know what the f*ck I’m doing and that becomes clear when I park my truck in the student parking lot but can’t figure where to find her. I haven’t been to school yet today, and if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t step foot on campus. Skipping is an art form for me. And I had no intention of being here today. Had better plans. And it’s not like I know her damn schedule. Shit, I barely know mine. Classes don’t start for another fifteen minutes and Noah typically hangs out in the quad every morning. I head over there, hoping she’s with Noah and his friends, so I can stop worrying and get back to business. I spot Noah sitting on top of a lunch table.

Obviously he looks surprised to see me. “You’re…here…? You just came to school yesterday. This must be a record.”

“Where the f*ck else would I be?” I take a seat on the bench, turning my back to him to look out into the crowd.

“Expanding your porn empire for one,” he jokes. Funny guy, my twin.

“Decided to take the day off. My dick needs a break.” I’m not really paying attention to him, but I’m also trying to look like I’m not looking for her.

“Looking for someone?”

Guess being subtle isn’t one of my strengths. “Yup, new piece of ass. Want to help me?” When my eyes finally catch a glimpse of her, I jump up.

“Max! Where are you going?”

Didn’t realize I took off until I’m halfway down the quad, taking the concrete staircase leading to the school two stairs at a time. I’m bumping into people, and pushing them out of my way to get to her. She walks pretty damn fast for a midget. “Hey, wait up,” I call when I’m close enough for her to hear me. And I know she hears me, because for just a second, she pauses. But then she keeps going, putting a little more speed into her every step. “Hey!” Too f*cking bad my legs are longer than hers. I close in on her just as she pushes one of the double doors to the first-floor staircase. “Didn’t you hear me call you back there?” I ask as I grab her elbow to pull her around. She has her head down, her hair, which I’ve noticed has always been in two braids, falls in loose waves around her face.

She nods. “I did…” Her voice is soft and so quiet. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize,” I say. “Look at me.” I don’t wait for her to lift her head. Instead, I cup her face and do it for her. The anger from earlier hits me like a blow to the gut and the only thing keeping me from raging is the softness of her skin on my hands. I’m gentle when I slide my thumb across a dark purple bruise on her cheek, but she winces, her bottom lip curling between her teeth in an attempt to either keep her pained moan at bay or show me that it isn’t as bad as it looks. She’s stupid for doing either. I’m so f*cking angry for her I can feel the rage pounding through me. It’s a white-hot anger that has me seeing red, and the only thing that’ll make it better is beating the shit out of someone. The cop would do nicely.