Arson
We sit side by side in the human anatomy class. I spend the entire duration watching her take notes.
There are so many questions running through my head that want to ask her. The most important is why she left us.
I remember the first time I met her in seventh grade. I had this nerdy kid shoved up against the lockers by the front of his shirt for bumping into me and sending my autobody magazines go flying. He didn't even apologize to me.
Carley in her little pink dress with worn cowboy boots on her feet, her white-blonde hair curled in a ponytail, shoved me off the kids and onto my rear. She caught me by surprise that time too. She stood above me giving me the lecture of a lifetime about bullying people and how just because I'm stronger than weaker kids didn't mean I had to be a thug.
It made me so furious that when I stood up, I yanked her ponytail hard enough to send her falling to the floor. She just look up at me with a sneer on her face.
Next thing I knew I was being chased by four other boys, who were watching everything. I tried to get away from them but they caught me by surprise after school. They beat me bloody for bullying Carley.
From that day on Lachlan, Carson, Jase, and I became best friends. Ransom, well let's just face it, he was more obsessed with Carley and never did care too much about the rest of us. Freaking psychopath.
We used to follow Carley around to make sure the masses knew she was well protected. What we didn't understand, until sophomore year when Carley disappeared, was that it wasn't the other boys we needed to worry about. It was the girls and their cruelty.
We overheard some disturbing things about Julia and her flunkies when Carley disappeared. Julia and her crew had to be the reason behind Carley's random bruises and black eyes she wouldn't tell us about it. We begged her all the time to let us know who was hurting her, but she wouldn't give us names. Snitches get stitches. So we had no proof. We couldn't go after her.
But I have a feeling that Julia and her flunkies might just get her just desserts if they attempt to try to bully her as they did in high school. Carley isn't going to put with them and neither are we. One wrong move and they will disappear.
I'm caught up in these thoughts when I feel a pen being jabbed into my ribs.
"Earth to Air. Are you in my next class or not?" Carley is standing beside me with books in one arm and her other hand on her cocked hip.
I want to place my hands on those curvy plush hips of hers. Carley isn't tiny, but she is short and curvy. The opposite of her tall lean twin brother.
I could get lost worshipping those luscious curves of hers.
"No. I don't have any more classes today. Jase has the next one with you. He is probably waiting for you just outside that classroom door. You don't need that cowboy," I growl that last sentence under my breath.
She notices the severe frown on my face. "Who put a bur under your saddle?" She snarks at me. I'm so damaged that I've missed that snarky mouth of hers.
I grunt at her, "You." I stand up on the opposite side of her.
I am out with her on my heels as I shove past people to escape. But she not letting me get away.
"Me? Why? Is it because I'm back to ruin your life? Or is it because I ruined your sex life?" She snaps at me.
'Oh, this girl has developed a set of steel ovaries. I love it. Give me that fire, baby girl.'
I stop, whirling around to face her. I shove her against the nearest wall. I use my body to cage her in.
"You ruined us, babe. Now here you are with this new bold flame inside of you. I'm not mad you're back in the bay. I'm not mad you are at his university. I'm furious because you disappeared in the first place. You made us worry about you. You made us pine for you," I snarl with disgust at myself more than anything.
'I'm so weak when it comes to this woman.'
"Ran was sent to juvie for attempted manslaughter the night you disappeared.
Lachlan went inside himself expecting all of us to abandon him as his mother did. Just as you and your mother did. Like Ran did.
Weston went to stealing cars and developed a death wish. He would crash stolen cars in races just so he could feel something.
Jase is a powder keg waiting to explode. He is going to get himself killed one of these days," I inform her just so she has an idea how much she shredded our souls.
I stroke her cheek before wrapping my tattooed fingers around her throat, the ones that spell out C.H.A.O.S. on the knuckles. "So, no, baby. I'm not angry you're back at all."
I give her throat a little squeeze that makes her let out an involuntary guttural moan. I smirk in satisfaction. Her exquisite damage is showing.
Just when I'm about to kiss her, we are interrupted by that Native American cowboy again.
"Carley, you alright?" He asks with equal parts of suspicion and concern.
I inwardly groan, 'Not this guy again.' He is fast becoming a thorn in my side.
I release Carley, stepping back from her to give her some breathing room. I can discreetly adjust my pants as well.
She turns her head to look at him again. "Storm?" She asks in a daze then clears her throat, coming out of the lust haze we were in. "Oh yeah. I'm fine," Carley says in a husky voice.
'Good to know she was just as turned on as I was.'
Her eyes travel back to me and down to the bulge in my jeans. Her cheeks tint pink when I give her a wink.
"Are you sure?" Storm asks her glaring daggers at me, but I just him a purely satisfying smirk.
Carley's attention turns back on him and clears her throat again. "Of course I'm fine. Air is the last person in the world who would physically hurt me."
'WTF.'
Arson 'WTF.' I feel as though I've been shot in the chest again, only this time instead of a bullet piercing my chest cavity it was Carley's words. I wouldn't do anything physically to her without her consent and enjoyment so she is right about that. 'But does she think I would abuse her mentally or emotionally on purpose?' I mean, yeah, I guess, I do things to make her angry on purpose but that's it. I don't ever want to make her cry again. 'I can't do this. How could she think that? Is this what betrayal feels like? Screw this!' The urge to pound something or someone is too strong right now so I leave her with Storm, quickly thundering out of the building and into my 1985 car in solid black that I rebuilt myself. It's the first car I ever rebuilt so it's the one I'm most attached to. I drive to the boxing gym we own. There is a punching bag with my name on it. When I arrive I don't bother to change into shorts, instead, I kick off my boots and pull off my shirt. I didn't
Carley "So what are you doing tonight Moon-bear?" My mom asks while I work on my assignments at the kitchen table. She is cooking spaghetti tonight alongside her girlfriend Lidia. Lidia and Storm both moved in with us in July after we'd been back in Palamino Bay for several months. They are both from another southern state town in a city called Blanche which is where Storm grew up. It's a wonder I didn't run into the Chaos boys before today. Lidia has helped my mom, Amy, in the process of mourning my father and twin brother. Lidia and my mom needed each other in the beginning and their friendship morphed into love over the years. I couldn't be happier for them both finding love again. "I'm going up to the loft to work on my assignments and the boys are coming over," I reply to her. My mother frowns at me. "I know what you're thinking mom. The boys had nothing to do with the bullying or the depression. They can't be held responsible for the actions of others. They tried to hel
Carley *Trigger warning- mentions of suicide*I climb up the stairs to the loft and get settled on the floor in front of an old leather couch the Chaos Boys brought up here with my twin brother Carson. This old hay loft is decorated with fairy lights streaming down from the rafters and around the railing and posts. There is a couch, a rug, two reclining chairs, a coffee table, several oversized bean bag chairs, tons of blankets, two mini refrigerators, a few small fans, and space heaters as well. The first thing I did before even unpacking when we arrived back was dust and clean up everything here in our sacred space. No one would bother us here and I was always free to be myself without a care in the world when I was up here with my boys. It was also a safe space for them to escape their tumultuous home lives. Mom didn't want to sell our house and land because it was paid for, so it sat empty while we were gone for over six years. It was exactly as we had left it too. The pastures
Carley "We had a drunken one-night-stand, " I say quickly holding my hands up in a placating gesture before they attempt to leave. "Hold on boys, before you go castrating him, we are just friends now. That one-night stand clarified that we work better as platonic friends. He is also living with us temporarily. Our mothers are a couple," I say and the guys relax back in their seats. "So you guys are basically step-siblings, " Weston states with an adorable confused look on his handsome face. "Pretty much, " I affirm with a shrug. "Besides he is in love with his childhood best friend. His three friends are in love with her too, but I've only ever met Jensen and JT. I've never met Carter because he didn't work at the ranch with us," I say. "What guys are currently outside with him now? The two you know?" Arson asks. "Yep. Jensen and JT are my casual sex partners," I chirp goading Arson in retaliation for his lunchtime debacle. I'm thankful Lachlan and Weston both dog pile on t
*Trigger warning. Mentions of child abuse.* Jase "Hey, Catcus! The guys say sorry they missed you and they'll see you next time. They didn't want to bother you since you had company. You good?" Storm's booming voice shouts up to Carley. "Yes Storm, I'm good. Thank you for letting me know," Carley shouts back down to him from our sacred space. I don't want him or any other up here in our sacred space surrounded by nothing but memories worth keeping. "I've got know what with the whole catcus thing! You keep avoiding the question so I need the story behind Catcus Carley," Lachlan asks. His curiosity will get him killed one of these days, but I also know he'll use this story as artistic inspiration. Carley blushes but finally gives Lachlan the story he has been craving to hear. "I fell into cactus when a snake spooked Loki. He went one way and I went the other into the cactus. It was my fault for not paying attention to my surroundings while riding. Being the only girl, it was
Jase I look up to find a frown on Carley's face while she examines the blood on her hand from where it was resting on my thigh. My jeans are soaked in blood. In hindsight, I should have changed the bandage before coming over. "It's nothing," I say now fully awake once again. Her brow creases and she tuts me under her breath. "This too much blood to be 'nothing' Jase Orion Alto." You know you're in trouble when someone addresses you by including your middle name. "Let me look at your thigh," she huffs at me. Her uncle is a doctor and she takes after him, always bandaging us up. I haven't met the man, but she looks up to him. 'I wouldn't mind her being our team medic.' I stand peeling my jeans off my legs until I'm standing in my boxer briefs and Kings of Death band tee. Carley grabs the medical kit we keep hidden up here. She takes out bandaged scissors to remove the bloody bandage wrapped around my thigh. With her kneeling in front of me, all I can think of is how g
Carley I'm in the kitchen setting out all the items Jase requested for him to cook since I took a shower and got ready for morning classes before he did. He is going to cook breakfast when he is done. I can't remember the last time I fell asleep so quickly. Jase's heartbeat is a much better sleeping aid than anything else I've tried. "Okay, sweetheart, I'm going to help you learn how to make breakfast burritos this morning," Jase stays pressing his body close to mine. Hand over hand, he has me mixing ingredients and cooking meat and eggs in a frying pan. He is a very hands-on instructor, which my body more than appreciates. The man is even showing me how to make tortillas from scratch. Storm walks in the backdoor from outside to see Jase and me spreading the dough. The tortilla dough. Get your mind out of the gutter. "Did he stay the night?" Storm asks gruffly. He sits at the kitchen table watching us closely. Instead of wearing a pearl snap shirt and straw cowboy hat like h
"This is weird," Storm mutters to me as he helps me clear the table. "Not really," I say grabbing a rag to wash the table. "The normalcy is nice." Storm sighs, "If you want normal I can have JT and Jen join us for meals." "Storm, that's what I..." "So who riding with this morning, babe?" Arson asks interrupting our hushed conversation while he put the dishes Jase hands him into the washing machine. "I bought my bike." Storm scoffs in disgust, "Of course, he rides a motorcycle." Arson chuckles instead of taking offense to his tone. " Yeah, well, it's all I got since Weston wrecked my car. I haven't found the time to work on rebuilding her yet." Thunder claps, and the sound of rainfall on the tin roof and window proceeds. Arson's smile fades away and his mouth hangs open in shock. Jase smirks. "Didn't check the weather this morning. Did you Ashley?" Jase taunts Arson. I let out a snort and giggle. Since middle school, whenever Arson would do something idiotic we would