Little Devil Read online

  Whatever.

  I run my fingers through my curls and plaster a smile on my face, forcing myself to head back down to the party I never wanted. I find Noah standing in the entryway with a couple of the boys from school and head over there, not so patiently waiting for him to finish talking before I open my mouth to speak.

  “Better?” I ask, hoping he doesn’t notice the sarcasm lacing my tone.

  “Beautiful,” he says quietly, leaning over me to kiss my forehead. “Go have some fun. I’ll find you in a little bit.”

  For sex, he means.

  He’ll find me for sex.

  I bite back a scoff and walk away from him, passing a bunch of people I see almost every day but don’t talk to. I grab a cup from the kitchen island and make myself a vodka soda – full fat, because fuck everybody – rolling my eyes when I spot Penelope and Sienna talking shit to Alyssa Rose, the mousy haired new girl who failed to hide the fact she had a little crush on Noah when she first got here at the beginning of senior year. She doesn’t like him anymore – she realized pretty quickly what a self centred piece of shit he really is – but it seems my friends don’t feel like letting it go just yet.

  “You’re not welcome here, loser.”

  “Noah doesn’t want you.”

  “He’ll never want a cheap whore like you.”

  I do scoff this time. Loudly.

  Fucking please, Penelope.

  “Hey, Alyssa?” I call, tilting my head at the patio doors leading to the back yard. “Grace was looking for you outside just now. I think she’s pretty out of it.”

  She offers me a grateful smile and I wink at her, raising a brow at the girls when they hit me with their pathetic scowls, angry with me for taking away their play thing.

  Sienna’s mostly harmless – the blonde haired, follow the leader, all bark and no bite type of bully – but Penelope’s passive aggressive and toxic – the type of friend who’ll tell you how hot you look in a bikini and then make a gag face behind your back.

  She won’t say shit to me, but I have a feeling that has less to do with our lifelong friendship and more to do with ensuring she stays on my boyfriend’s good side.

  “We’re gonna go do shots with the boys,” she tells me, stepping forward to take a bottle of tequila from the island. “Wanna come?”

  “Maybe later.”

  She rolls her eyes at me and I roll mine right back, leaning my elbows on the counter to run a finger over the edge of my cup.

  I’m so tired of this shit.

  Tired of my mom and Noah treating me like I’m worthless beyond my looks, tired of the parties and my friends and their never ending pissing contest over who’s got the biggest house, the richest parents, the flashiest car, the smallest waist..

  No one fucking cares.

  But even as I think it, I know it’s a lie.

  That’s all anyone cares about.

  It’s pathetic.

  It seems I’m just as pathetic as the rest of them, though, because instead of drinking the vodka soda I made myself just now, I lean over and pour it into the kitchen sink. 21st Century Vampire by Lil Huddy plays through the surround sound and I smile to myself at the lyrics, moving to grab a diet soda from the fridge. I pop the cap off the top and close the door with my elbow, damn near jumping out of my skin when I connect eyes with a strange looking guy I’ve never seen before.

  “Jesus, fu–” I stop before I embarrass myself further and grab a hand towel from the counter, scrunching my nose while I wipe the soda from my hand and wrist.

  He laughs quietly and I glare, crouching down in front of him to clean the mess off the floor. He’s leaning back against the wall with his hands shoved into his pockets and his head cocked to the side, his messy hair falling over his eyes in a way that makes him look.. lost?

  There’s no way he goes to Lakewood.

  Or college.

  That might be a little stereotypical on my part but come on, he’s wearing black ripped jeans and a faded black t–shirt, his arms and throat covered in a bunch of tattoos I can’t make out in the low lighting. Not only that, his hair is purple, for fuck’s sake – long, thick strands sticking up in all directions like he messed it up on purpose and left it that way. He’s got two silver rings in his nostrils and a diagonal slit in his eyebrow, and I don’t miss the nasty looking bruise beneath his left eye or the small cut on the corner of his bottom lip. As if sensing my eyes on it, his tongue slips out to lick the spot and I pull my brows in, oddly fascinated by the flash of metal in his mouth. That same mouth forms a dirty little grin and I lift my eyes up to his, quickly snapping my own mouth shut when I realize he’s caught me gawking at him.

  Goddamnit.

  I straighten up with as much dignity as I can muster and set my soda down on the counter, side eyeing him over my shoulder when I feel him staring at me. I have no idea who he is or who he came here with, but asking him what the hell he thinks he’s doing in my house seems a little rude and presumptuous, so I decide on a safer option.

  Ignoring him.

  “You need some help with that?”

  I blink at the sound of his voice behind me, somewhat surprised he said anything. “Excuse me?”

  “Your drink,” he explains, pushing himself off the wall to move in next to me.

  He takes a clean cup from the stack and I frown at the ink on his arms, unsure what to make of him. The way he looks screams troubled loner boy, but the way he moves and handles himself screams fuck me sideways.

  He’s not horrible to look at, not really, but he’s not what I consider hot, either.

  Right?

  Right.

  “You think a lot of words for such a quiet little thing,” he says, looking over at me from beneath his dark lashes, and I can’t help but note the way he hasn’t taken his eyes off me in I don’t know how long.

  “What makes you think I’m quiet?”

  “Lucky guess.”

  “Or maybe you’re stalking me.”

  “Maybe,” he muses, smiling to himself while he hands me my new drink.

  I raise a brow and look from him to it and back again, making him laugh. Knowing exactly what I’m thinking, he lifts it to his mouth and takes a sip.

  “Happy?”

  “Finish it,” I offer, reaching over him to take an unopened bottle of vodka from the side. “That way if you did put something in it, you’ll be the one on your ass tonight and it’ll serve you right.”

  He laughs at me again but does as he’s told, necking the entire thing in one go before resting his elbows on the counter beside me. “Hey, Jordyn?”

  “It’s JJ,” I correct him, not even bothering to ask how he knows my name when I didn’t give it to him yet.

  For some reason I’m more interested in what he has to say than interrogating him on his stalking abilities.

  “JJ,” he says mockingly, leaning in even further like he’s about to tell me a secret. “Wanna fuck?”

  My jaw drops and I pull my head back, amazed and a little speechless at the audacity. “You’re joking, right?”

  “Not even a little bit.”

  Jesus Christ.

  “I.. I have a boyfriend.”

  “I have a cat.”

  I frown at that, scrunching my nose in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  He smirks, cocky as shit. “Exactly.”

  It takes me a second, but then it hits me and I gape at him. “Are you serious right now?”

  “No,” he chuckles, somehow managing to keep a straight face when he adds, “I don’t have a cat.”

  “You’re an asshole,” I point out, but he just shrugs like he doesn’t give a fuck, not at all offended by the fact.

  “I know.”

  “You know–”

  “Hey, JJ.”

  I shut my mouth and turn to face my friend Kian, laughing lightly when he takes my hand and lifts it up over my head to spin me around in a circle.

  “Gorgeous,” he prais
es, leaning over me to kiss my cheeks. “I see you’ve met the new boy I can’t stop thinking about. He’s hot, right?”

  “So hot,” I deadpan, narrowing my eyes when the new boy grins like I’m serious. “You know this guy, Ki?”

  “Yeah, that’s Xander Reid, Travis’ cousin. He just moved here from California. Isn’t that great?”

  I have nothing to say to that so I say nothing, looking up when I spot Noah headed this way with his arm wrapped around Penelope’s waist.

  “This one’s done for the night,” he laughs, reaching over to grab her phone from the counter. “I’m gonna take her up to her room before she passes out.”

  Yet another forced smile crosses my lips and I watch them leave, ignoring the bile creeping up my throat when he looks down and grins at whatever she’s mumbling into his shoulder. Kian clears his throat while he turns around to pour himself another drink and Xander stares at me, moving in to retake his spot at the counter beside me.

  “What?” I bite out, a little meaner than I intended.

  “What?” he laughs, feigning innocence, but I’m not falling for it.

  There’s nothing innocent about him.

  Not a damn thing.

  “Spit it out, new boy.”

  He fails to hide his amusement and runs his tongue bar over his teeth, shamelessly moving his eyes over my form like he has the right. “You look hot in white.”

  “But..” I push, knowing there’s more.

  “But..” he goes on, leaning into me until his lips are just an inch from mine. “The black one suited you better.”

  My eyes cut to his and he winks at me, backing away to leave me here with my mouth hanging open for the fourth time in ten minutes.

  “I dare you to speak your words, Jordyn James.”

  Make that the fifth time.

  h

  My mom never called me back.

  Never even sent me a text to let me know she was too busy to talk.

  She forgot about me, just like she always does.

  I sigh and lie back on the cushioned porch swing outside, enjoying the view of the ocean beneath the black sky in the distance. This little corner of the world is close enough to the city that you can grab whatever you need within an hour, but far enough away that you can actually see the stars in the sky.

  It’s beautiful down there.

  Picture worthy.

  My phone buzzes in my hand and I immediately look down at it, rolling my eyes at myself when I realize it’s not my mother, just an Instagram notification. My feed is full of pictures and stories from the party tonight, a few of the people from school tagging me in their posts to wish me a happy birthday. I scroll through and stop when I get to the video Sienna tagged me in a little while ago. She’s posing in front of the camera with a pink shot glass in her hand and a few of the boys either side of her, but that’s not what I’m looking at. Noah’s standing in the corner behind them with his hands on Penelope’s hips, playfully shaking his head at whatever she’s saying to him. She runs her hands over his chest and he looks around to check no one’s looking, then he leans over her and teases her lips with his.

  Jesus.

  My eyes water and I look up at Penelope’s balcony, wincing at the sting when I catch them in her bedroom together. He’s got her pinned up against the glass with her legs wrapped around his waist and his mouth on her neck, squeezing her ass with one hand while he tears the dress from her body with the other.

  So much for her being done for the night.

  I swear to god they think I’m stupid, but then maybe I am stupid for ignoring my gut for so long.

  You always knew, JJ.

  Embarrassment courses through me and I swallow the lump in my throat, hesitating a second while I decide what to do. I don’t usually like confrontation – I’d rather dissolve conflict than be the one to create it – but something inside me has me feeling brave tonight.

  I dare you to speak your words, Jordyn James.

  I stand up before I can talk myself out of it and walk back inside the house, ignoring everyone and everything around me while I move through the crowd like a zombie on autopilot. I get up to the second floor and enter my bedroom, grabbing the spare key for Penelope’s room from my nightstand – the same room I gave her a couple years ago to ensure she always has a safe place to hook up whenever she needs it.

  Fucking figures she’s using it to hook up with my boyfriend right under my nose, but there you have it.

  I make my way to the end of the hall and stop just outside her bedroom door, taking a minute to get my nerves in check before I move to unlock it. I walk inside and Penelope squeals from her spot on the bed beneath Noah, quickly snatching a pillow from the headboard to cover her naked body. Noah jumps up to shove his cock back into his jeans and Penelope slaps a hand over her mouth, only just realizing it’s me, it seems.

  “Oh, shit.”

  Yeah. Shit.

  She opens her mouth like she’s about to try and explain her way out of it but I shake my head to stop her, not even a little bit interested in whatever she has to say.

  “Get out.”

  “JJ, please, just let m–”

  “I said get out,” I repeat, tilting my head at the door to dismiss her. “Now.”

  She swallows and leans over to grab her dress from the floor, awkwardly throwing it on over her head before she moves to do as she’s told. She scurries off through the door and I look at Noah, laughing lightly when I catch the regret on his face, but I don’t find him funny.

  “JJ, listen–”

  “No, I won’t liste–”

  “But it’s not what you thin–”

  “Shut the fuck up!” I shout, effectively shocking him into silence. “Jesus, Noah, what the hell is the matter with you? You said you’d find me later, remember? How many times have you fucked my best friend and left her here just to come back and fuck me an hour later?”

  He scrubs a hand over his mouth and moves forward like he’s about to touch me, frowning in confusion when I take a step back to get away from him.

  “No.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t come near me.”

  “JJ..”

  Silent tears spill over my cheeks and I curse myself for crying in front of him, but they’re not sad tears. They’re tears of anger and betrayal and..

  Jesus, is that relief?

  That crushing weight I’ve been carrying around for months now finally eases up some and I release the breath I’ve been holding, dipping my head as discreetly as I can to wipe my eyes with my fingers.

  “Damn it, JJ, please don’t get upset.”

  “I’m not upset, Noah,” I say quietly, backing up towards the door with my hands raised. “I’m just done.”

  “What do you mean, you’re done?”

  “I mean I’m done,” I repeat, unsure how I can make this any clearer for him. “We’re done.”

  “JJ, wait–”

  But I don’t wait.

  Instead I turn around and head back downstairs, not missing the way almost every person I pass has their phone in their hand and their eyes on me.

  Word got out fast, it seems.

  I pretend they don’t exist and grab my car keys from the kitchen, inwardly rolling my eyes when I spot Sienna comforting Penelope while she cries into her hands in the corner. Noah’s raised voice rings out from somewhere behind me and I slip out through the front door, freezing where I stand when I run right into Xander Reid on the front steps.

  Shit.

  He cocks his head at me and inhales a hit of his cigarette, casually craning his neck to get a look at the commotion behind me. “What are you running fro–”

  “I spoke my words,” I blurt out, immediately feeling stupid for saying it when he was probably just messing with me, but he doesn’t make me feel stupid.

  His brows jump in surprise and he bounces his eyes between mine, searching for I don’t know what, then he runs his thumb over his lip to hide a grin a
nd steps aside to move out of the way. I blow out a breath and make a beeline for my car, quickly tossing my heels over to the passenger seat before I jump inside. I hit the gas and drive down to the beach a couple miles away, pulling up at the back of the empty parking lot to grab my camera bag from the glove compartment. Leaving my heels behind, I walk down to the shoreline and take out my Nikon, carefully twisting the lens to zoom in on the stars in the distance.

  Like I said.. beautiful.

  5

  Xander

  She’s fucking amazing.

  A pretty little princess who drives a pristine white Tesla to match her disgustingly pristine life, but still amazing all the same.

  I didn’t think she’d actually do it, didn’t think she’d have the nerve to stand up to that douchebag boyfriend of hers and the girl she calls a best friend, but here we are.

  She fucking did it.

  All because I dared her to.

  I probably don’t deserve all the credit for her little outburst tonight – that was all her – but I won’t deny the twisted thrill rushing through me at the fact I played at least a part in the unravelling of this epic shit show.

  Penelope’s still sobbing in the kitchen with some blonde chick I think is Sienna, Travis and Kian are swallowing shot after shot with their heads hung low, looking sheepish and guilty as fuck, and Noah’s still searching this big ass house from top to bottom, still looking for the girl who got the fuck out of here the first chance she got.

  I should probably tell him she left, be the good guy my mother raised me to be and put him out of his misery, but it’s more enjoyable for me to watch him seethe like an angry toddler who’s gone and lost his favorite toy.

  “Where the fuck is she?” he growls, spinning in a half circle to glare at Sienna for the third time in ten minutes. “This is all your fault, you know?”

  “My fault?”

  “Yes, your fault,” he grits out, lifting his phone to show her the video she posted on Instagram earlier tonight. “If you weren’t such an attention seeking slut she’d have never caught me up there.”