Page 17 of Disobedient Pawn

His cheek was right beside mine, so I had to lean away from him to turn and look at his smiling face.

“Are you unable to take a hint?” I asked.

“Come on, Myles. It’s her first day. Can’t you and Blake give her a break,” Ivy said, her voice pleading, but I knew he would do whatever he wanted. Myles had that air about him.

She didn’t seem to be scared of him, but as he gave her his full attention, she squirmed in her seat.

“I don’t know if you’re in a position to make any demands, Ivy. Your dad already owes us for bailing him out of debt last week. Do you really want him to be indebted to us anymore?”

It wasn’t so much what he said but how he said it that made it sound threatening. The smile never left his face, but I watched Ivy’s reaction closely, and she looked down at the table and shook her head no.

“What do you want,” I asked, drawing his attention from Ivy.

“I have my first lacrosse practice after school. Would you like to come watch?”

“No, I definitely do not.”

“Come on, Snowflake, it’ll be fun, and if you get cold, I can give you my jacket to wear.”

Had he gotten hit over the head? “Myles, what part of I don’t want to get to know you did you not understand?”

“Oh, I don’t give up that easy,” he said and stood. “You’ll cave, I’m sure of it.” Walking away, I watched him and the group he was with leave while Vicky shot daggers at me.

“It might be best if you just sleep with him. Then he’ll leave you alone,” Ivy said, and my mouth fell open. “I know it seems wrong, but he will just keep at you. He and Blake both will make your life hell, and you should pray that their interest doesn’t spark Nash. If that happens, your life here is over. Those five will do everything together and I do mean everything. They will torture you like a pack of wolves and they’ve been known to share in the bedroom if you know what I mean.”

My eyes went wide. “All five at once?”

“That’s what they say,” Ivy said.

“So which one is Nash?” I asked, but was pretty sure I already knew.

“The one that’s with Vicky. He’s the leader of the Kings of Wayward Academy, and if you get on any of their bad sides, then Nash will come for you. He is the one person you don’t want to be caught up with. I haven’t met a girl he hasn’t made cry or a guy that hasn’t run scared.”

“So Nash, Blake, and Myles, who else?”

“Blake’s twin brother Theo and Nash’s right hand Liam.” Ivy stood from the table. “Trust me, just sleep with Myles, and your life will be better. Sleep with them all, and you might just be the next Queen.”

“Is that what you did?” I was horrified that this was her solution.

“No, but they’ve never been interested in me. The fifteen-minute bell is about to ring. Just think about it,” Ivy said and stepped away from the table before stopping to look back. “Were you doing anything after classes?”

“Just organizing, and then I was going to start my Spanish.”

“Chantry has a car, and we were going to sneak off the property to get some dinner in the city. Did you want to come?”

“How about next time,” I said, and she smiled before heading out. All I wanted was to get organized and go to bed early.

Standing up, I took a bite of my apple and tried to wrap my head around what Ivy had said. I couldn’t imagine paying to be left alone with sex. I was a virgin. The last thing I wanted was for my first time to be a toll bill or with five guys. Thanks, but no thanks. Also, what was that comment about Ivy’s dad? Was he a gambler, or did he have another equally dangerous habit?

There were way too many questions, but one thing was certain, I could handle the likes of Myles and Blake. I didn’t scare that easy.

NOVEMBER 4 – THURSDAY 7:10 PM

Nash

My arms sliced through the water.

The butterfly was my favorite stroke. The power it took, the speed I got, and the coordination calmed the toxic hatred in my mind. Breathe in…breathe out…breathe in. I could vaguely hear Coach yelling and the other guys cheering me on, but it was nothing but background noise to the sweet silence that came with the sound of water rushing past my ears. Even under the cap, the sound was seductive.