Serenity (22 page)

Ren.

Brock had his hand extended. Jolin slid closer and saw he had Ren’s chin gripped tightly between his fingers. “I told you what I expected if you didn’t do it.”

Ren pulled her face from his hand. “I did it. You asked if I sucked his cock and I did. How is it my fault if I couldn’t get him off? I couldn’t stand there all day with his dick in my mouth.”

“Jolin made it pretty clear nothing happened.”

“Well Jolin is a moron because I am pretty sure what went where and it was a blow job,” Ren spat back.

“We had an arrangement.” Brock pulled her in close.

“And I…” Ren turned her face to get away from him and saw Jolin standing in the hall.

Brock followed her gaze and dropped his hand. He stepped away from her and put a dead smile on his face. “Daniel. Better hurry. You’re late.” He turned back to Ren, pointing at her. “You’ll pay your debt.” Taking a step backward, he walked away from them. “Nice seeing you again, Daniel.”

Ren collapsed against her locker, resting her hands on her knees. “Shit,” she muttered.

“Are y-y-you okay?” Jolin asked.

“Leave me alone. Why couldn’t you have kept your mouth shut?” She grabbed her books and headed to Biology.

“I didn’t tell anyone what happened at my house.” Jolin jogged to catch up.

Ren turned on him and smacked him in the chest with the palm of her hand. “At the party. You shit. You told him at the party nothing happened. Why would you do that?” Ren took a step back and laughed dryly. “Oh yeah. Because you were trying to get into your ex-girlfriends pants so you could fuck your way back into popularity. How’d that work for you?”

“About as good as letting Ty into yours worked for you.” The words left Jolin’s mouth before he could stop them.

Ren’s hand flew up to slap him, but he caught her wrist before it made contact. He pulled her in close. “I did not have sex with her.”

Ren’s hard exterior wavered then returned. “I. Don’t. Care.” She ripped her hand from his. “Stay out of my life.” She turned and walked away.

“I wish I could,” he said under his breath. “But you’re my fucking lab partner.”

Serenity

Monday, October 27

12:30 p.m.

Quill met Ren at their lunch table and sat with his mouth in a perfect O shape while she told him the mess she was in.

“Stop staring at me.” Ren put her head in her hands.

“I told you to stop playing with him,” Quill said.

“I wasn’t playing with him. You don’t understand. This has gotten out of control.”

“I told you it would. If you want control don’t go down on your knees for a man.”

Ren looked up and hissed. “I’m doing it for you.”

Quill stood, causing his chair to slide across the floor. “Don’t. Don’t use me as an excuse for what you do. I can take care of myself.”

She stood to confront him. “Then do it. Get a job why don’t you, because all you’ve done is move in with a different girl. Take care of yourself for once and stop mooching off everyone else. You do the same thing as me. Use your charm and who knows what else to get the foster families to fall in love with you. Get the girls to pay your way. You are just like me so stop getting all high and mighty. See how long you last on your own. And don’t come running to me when she kicks your sorry ass out because you slip up and flirt with another girl to get something new. She’ll be done with you. I’m the only one that let’s your lazy ass get away with it.” Ren stomped off out the back door and into ran into Jolin.

“Get out of my way.” She shoved him to the side, but he grabbed her wrist and twirled her around.

“Why are you mad at me?” he asked.

She pulled at her wrist. “You’re stupid that’s why.” She pulled harder, but Jolin was stronger and pulled herinto his chest.

“Why am I stupid?”

“You’re hurting me.”

“Then stop twisting your arm around. Talk to me, Ren.” Jolin’s voice pleaded, making her stop.

“Why? What difference would it make?”

He seemed at a loss, but then a sly small pulled at his lips. “I’m your lab partner.”

She rolled her eyes. “Which is how this situation started.”

“Come to my house today.”

For a brief moment she thought about going to his house and convincing him to let her finish what had gotten her into this mess in the first place, but she couldn’t. She didn’t have control when she was with him. Just being near him knocked her down at the knees and not for a blow job. He was playing with her heart, and she couldn’t risk it. She didn’t have the luxury of liking someone.

“No. Letting me finish you off now won’t change anything. I’ll take the consequences.” Ren shook her head. “Look, I’ll write up my part of the project and give it to you by the end of the week.”

“I’m not asking you to finish me of and
this
isn’t about biology. Why did you tell Brock you’d blow me? What did I do to piss you off? Why do you hate me so much?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “It wasn’t like that. It isn’t…what did Brock tell you?”

“Come to my house and I’ll tell you.”

Ren expected him to wink or grin when he said those words, but he didn’t. In fact his expression was very serious. She looked at her feet and shook her head. She couldn’t. “No.”

“I’ll pick you up tonight? After work.”

She shook her head again.

“Are you seeing Ty now?”

Ren laughed.

Jolin cleared his throat and diverted his gaze. “Did you sleep with him?”

Ren’s heart hurt with his words. She’d let a tiny part of her shield come down and it turned out he was just like the others.

“Fuck you.” She jerked away and left him standing in the hall.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Ren tracked down Quill and made him give her a ride home. It was raining, and she didn’t want to walk in it. How he ended up with a car when she was the one working was a mystery, but that’s the way it was.

“Get in. I have football practice in a half an hour.” Quill pushed the gas to keep the car from dying.

“Cool your jets bro.” She slid into the seat and buckled up.

“You going to be okay at the house until work?” He turned to look over his shoulder and backed out.

“Yeah I’ll be fine. I’ll give her a wide berth and slip her a few bucks to leave me alone.” She pulled her hair off her neck and tied it in a high ponytail.

“When do you get off tonight?”

“I close.” She knew what Quill was going to ask next.

“Is Brock picking you up?”

“Q. Stop.” She shifted in her seat.

“Just because other guys expected it from you doesn’t mean you have to do it now.” Quill was playing his big brother card.

“I made a deal with Brock and it didn’t work out like it was supposed to. I owe him.” She looked at the window at the world flying by. She didn’t want Quill to know what she was doing, but he always seemed to know.

“You’re so much better than this Nety. It kills me to see you let guys use you.” His knuckles were white against the steering wheel.

“I’m not letting them use me. I’m using them to get money for rent and food. When I’m…you know when I’m with them, they’re at my mercy. Putty in my hands. I can make the toughest guy go weak. I get off on that control. I crave it. You can’t understand, but I’m not the one being used here.”

“Yeah I don’t see it like that.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Ren wasn’t sure how else to explain it. The only time it hadn’t worked that way was when she was with Jolin. He took all of her control with one word. ‘
Stop.
’ No one ever told her to stop before.

Quill pulled up in front of the house. It looked quiet. Ren hoped it was empty so she could take a shower before work.

“Call me if you need me,” Quill said.

“You’re going to be at practice. Don’t worry. I can take care of myself.” Ren punched him in the shoulder and hopped out of the car. She swung her bag over her shoulder, straightened her shirt, and walked to the front door hoping she exuded a confidence she didn’t really feel.

Ren gave Quill a wave then opened the door. The front room was quiet, but that didn’t mean much. She made her way up the stairs and dropped her bag in her room. A line of light shone from under her mom’s door and from the thump, thump, thump, coming from her room it was pretty clear what they were doing. She felt a little sick to her stomach. However, it was a good opportunity to jump in the shower while they were occupied.

Ren grabbed her bag of stuff and a towel then snuck into the bathroom. She turned on the shower, keeping her ears tuned to any noises. Mom’s old boyfriends liked to walk in like they didn’t know she was there. She wasn’t taking any chances on this new guy or any other random fuck she brought home. When the water was hot, she stripped down and climbed in. Pouring soap onto her hands, she ran them over her body, getting rid of the grime of the day. Then she ducked her head under the stream of water and let it take the tension from her shoulders.

She was finally relaxing when an arm shot through the shower curtain and pinned her to the wall. His forearm held her firm across the chest. Ren’s feet slid on the slick surface of the bathtub, and she fell to the side, her temple skimmed the faucet, dazing her. The man got tangled in the shower curtain, Ren had just enough time to regain her senses and spring over the edge of the tub, bolting for the door. The man grabbed at her ankles, the first one slid through his hands, but he got ahold of the other and pulled her back to the floor. Her side hit the counter and her head hit the floor with a crack. Ren fought for consciousness. She wouldn’t let him touch her.

She screamed, kicking at his face. “Let go you fucking asshole.”

The fact she was completely naked wasn’t lost to her, but she needed to get away and wasn’t going to call a time out so she could get dressed. Ren didn’t recognize this asshole. He wasn’t the last guy she’d seen, but she hadn’t seen anyone for the last few days and Mom could have easily picked up a new loser. He untangled himself from the shower curtain and threw himself onto her. Straddling her waist, he pinned her hands over her head. Ren bucked her hips, kicking and screaming bloody murder. Finally, her mom came to the door. Her clothes were disheveled, and her hair was a rats’ nest.

She started screaming. “Ren? What the fuck. Where are your clothes? You fucking whore. You’re always parading around trying to steal my men.”

She was nuts. The guy seemed just as confused by her mother’s rant as Ren was.

Then there was a thud, and her mom went flying into the hall. A splatter of blood sprayed across Ren’s face and the guy fell backward against the tub. Quill’s boot had made direct contact with his nose. Ren scrambled backward into the hall, then ran to her room, but not before she watched Quill step into the bathroom and start beating the shit out of the guy. The sound of his fist making contact with the man’s face made her sick. She covered her mouth with her hand, but threw up in the hall anyway. Her mom regained her balance and came after her, grabbing Ren by the back of her hair.

“I told you to get rid of this!” she screamed like a maniac, pulling at Ren’s hair. She smacked Ren’s head into the wall. Ren reached out to grab her mom’s legs and pulled her down, then attempted to crawl to her room again. Her mom came at her again, tackling Ren to the ground.

Ren’s face was smashed into the carpet, held there by her mom’s knee. “If you can’t take the time to do what I asked, I will take care of it for you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ren saw the flash of metal. Her mom wrapped Ren’s long hair around her fist and brought a shiny pair of pointy scissors toward her.

Holy fuck her mom was going to cut her hair. The sharp edge of the scissors ran across the strands, sticking to her mom’s fingers. Ren bucked her hips and knocked her mom to the side. Her scalp burned with the pull of her hair. Turning, Ren kicked her mother in the stomach and made it into her room. Slamming the door she pushed her back against it. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest heaved. She was hyperventilating. Sobs racked her body.

Ren tried to pull herself together, but the sound of Quill’s fist echoed in her head. Ren put her hands to her face. They came away covered in blood and loose strands of her sheered hair. Her mom started screaming again. Ren’s anger was overflowing. She wished her mom was dead. She wished she could kill her. The pain inside was too much. She dove forward, digging through her stuff to find the razor. She had to release the pain or she was going to explode. She ran the sharp edge down her forearm and waited for the release… but it didn’t come. She lowered her head onto her knees and pushed in deeper until the blood flowed quickly from her arm.

It seemed like hours she sat there but it was only minutes before sirens filled the air and the police pounded on the door.

“My son. That’s him. He tried to kill my boyfriend. Arrest him,” Mom screamed.

Ren pulled herself out of her daze. Blood dripped from her fingertips, emptying from the deep cuts on her forearms. She found some shorts and a tank top to slip on and slowly opened the door. Quill was against the wall handcuffed. Mom screamed in his face and he screamed at the man sprawled in the bathroom.

“Mother fucker. Keep your God damn hands off my sister. You asshole prick.” Quill continued a string of profanity even though he was told to shut up. When the police loosened their grip, he tried to kick the man.

“He’s crazy!” the man yelled. “He was in the bathroom with his sister. I won’t stand for that behavior in my house.”

“Your house? This isn’t your house you ass. You fucking asshole.” Quill struggled against the police officer, trying to go after the man again. The man’s shirt was torn and bloody. His face was a mess and blood dripped from Quill’s knuckles.

Ren walked into the hallway.

“There she is—the little hussy,” Mom screamed and pointed at Ren. “She flaunts herself all over town. Sticks her ass in all the boys’ faces. Whore!” She yelled again, “Opening your legs for everyone. You disgust me trying to fuck your brother.”

Ren could tell from the fire in her eyes, she was high. She didn’t know what she was saying, but the words still hurt. Ren didn’t have any fight left. She retreated to her room and shut the door.