Rowdy Boy (A High School Bully Romance): Black Mountain Academy Read online

  I don’t think I’ll be able to stay away, even if I tried.

  Cole

  Sweet fucking mercy.

  Those eyes.

  The way she watches me adjust the mic, as if I’m touching myself instead of the mic, makes all the blood rush to my dick. Fuck.

  I haven’t even had a proper look at her ass or her frame yet, but a small glimpse has me turned on.

  I’m already hooked, and I don’t even know her name.

  Do I need to? Maybe. For now, all I need to know is that she’s interested in me … and I’m definitely interested in her too.

  I don’t care who she is or where she came from. She’s new, and fresh meat always gets me excited. It’s not often new girls step onto the Black Mountain property. Once the new school year starts, there’s an influx of new girls, but they’re all so young and inexperienced.

  Unlike this girl.

  I could tell from one glance that she’s been through a world of trouble … and still, she looked like she was ready for more.

  Ready for me.

  Someone pulls her attention away from me, and the spell is broken.

  But I’m far from done with her … and I like a challenge.

  Especially when I haven’t had one in a long time.

  “Oh, Cole … won’t you just sing one song? Please?” a girl in the back asks, interrupting my train of thought.

  I hadn’t even noticed her sitting there in one of the seats. I wasn’t paying attention, and I still don’t really care.

  “No,” I say, clearing my throat as I lower my guitar. The girl who watched me from the doorway is gone, and so is my smirk.

  “Aww …” The girl in the seat makes a pouty face. “But I came all the way here to watch you practice.”

  I raise a brow. “Tough luck.”

  She makes a face as though she didn’t expect me to be such a bag of dicks. Most fans only like me when they hear me sing and play, but when the mic drops and my personality comes out, they finally realize the truth. I’m not someone they should admire. I’m an asshole.

  I don’t like being one, but right now, I don’t have time to play for a single girl when I need to practice. And I can’t do that with a fan watching my every move. I’ll make mistakes and stumble over my words, and that’s fucking bad. I can’t let any fan see it.

  “Don’t you have class, uhh …?” I don’t even know who she is.

  “Judy.” She giggles, tucking her hair behind her ear. “And yeah, but it can wait.”

  Suddenly, the bell rings, and the girl instantly gets up. “Shit.”

  Bet she didn’t think that through.

  “I gotta go, but I have tickets for your next concert, so I’ll see you there!” she says, blowing a kiss at me before leaving through that same door where that one girl was peeking through. Maybe I’ll fuck her backstage later … with the other girl on my mind.

  I can’t help it; I’m a grade A bastard. I enjoy mindless sex with girls who’re only with me because I’m popular, because I’m in a band, and because I can sing and play the guitar. They all fall so easily for the image I’ve crafted, and none of them ever get beneath the surface.

  Just as it should be.

  I tuck my guitar back into the case and snap it shut. Time for my next class, where I’ll most likely have fifteen other girls fawning over every breath I take. I try to ignore them, but it’s so damn hard when they’re hanging on every word uttered from my lips. It does something to a guy’s ego, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.

  BANG!

  I look up. Ariane smacked her bag on the front table.

  “Don’t,” she says.

  “What? Get to class?” I raise my brows and smirk at her.

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  “No, I don’t. What do you want now?” I snarl.

  “Nothing. I want absolutely nothing from you.” She folds her arms. “But she doesn’t either.”

  “She?” I cock my head, and a mischievous grin automatically forms on my face.

  “Don’t pretend you don’t know who I’m talking about,” she says. “I saw you looking at her.”

  Oh … that girl.

  Ariane eyes me down with that violent look that she always has when she’s contemplating calling the headmaster or murdering someone. Who knows when she’ll get to that last option, but no way am I going to wait around and see.

  “Stay away from her.”

  I shrug and throw my bag over my shoulder, clutching my guitar case firmly in my other hand. “Whatever.”

  “I mean it, Cole!” she says, stomping her foot.

  I pause and cock my head. “Why do you care so much?”

  “I … I don’t,” she says, trying to hide a blush behind those luscious blond curls of hers, but I know better. “But she doesn’t need your shit.”

  “Right,” I say. In one ear and out the other, as my mom always says.

  “Cole!” When she grabs my leather jacket, I stop and jerk myself loose from her grip.

  “Don’t,” I growl, and I throw her a harsh look.

  She immediately backs off, as she should.

  No one fucking touches me, especially not her.

  “You can’t,” she says through gritted teeth. “You hear me?”

  “You think I’m gonna listen to you?” I scoff. “You’ve got some nerve.”

  “Cole, please …” Her lips grow thin, and the concerned look on her face throws me off. She knows how to pack enough punch in her words to go straight for the jugular, and I fucking hate it. I hate that after all this time she still manages to get to me.

  “I don’t even care,” I say. “And neither should you.”

  When I walk off, she calls after me. “She deserves better than you.”

  That hurt. And for a second, she almost makes me wish I didn’t exist. But then I realize who she is, and I snort.

  “Or maybe she deserves all of me …” I say, glancing at Ariane over my shoulder. “And you just wish you did.”

  Her lips twitch as she struggles to hide a sneer, and I can’t help but smile at the thought.

  Fuck her. And fuck everyone trying to contain me.

  She doesn’t want me fucking with the new girl? Too bad because I’ve already decided…

  I’m going to fuck with both of them.

  Chapter 2

  Monica

  When the other students start pouring in, I stay behind and wait until the teacher arrives. “Ah … Monica, right? Welcome to your new school.”

  “Thanks,” I reply as he walks inside.

  “C’mon.” He beckons me to step right in front of the class. “Everyone, quiet please. We’ve got a new student, and she wants to introduce herself.”

  Oh, God.

  Everyone sits down and stares at me, and it feels awkward as hell. Am I the only one who never prepares for these things?

  “I, uh …” My eyes suddenly land on a pair of eyes I recognize, and they twist my stomach into knots. That boy with the guitar and his icy cold stare.

  “Gonna say something or what?” another student hollers from the back, and some begin to laugh.

  “Dexter, stop it,” the teacher grumbles. “Give her a chance.”

  My cheeks turn pink, but I quickly compose myself.

  “I was just thinking about how I’m going to introduce myself, that’s all,” I say. “I’m Monica Romero. Nice to meet y’all.” When there’s silence all around, I shrug and add, “That’s about it, really.”

  I don’t want to tell them anything about me.

  I don’t want to tell them what I liked to do … because it’s not who I am anymore.

  And I certainly don’t want anyone to know the real me.

  I’m trying my best not to look at the boy with the guitar right now, but he’s straight out staring at me like he’s trying to peer into my soul, and I can’t fucking take it.

  A girl with big bushy hair in the front waves, and says, “Hi, Monica.”<
br />
  “What … that’s it?” another boy replies, leaning back in his chair.

  “If that’s all she wants to say, then that’s fine too,” the teacher interjects. “C’mon, give her a warm welcome. You’ll be spending all semester together, so there’s plenty of time to get to know her.” He gives me a gentle nudge toward the class. “Go on and find an empty seat.”

  One swift glance across the empty spots and I realize I have two options … sit down beside the girl in the front nodding at the chair to her left … which is unfortunately situated right behind the boy with the ash-black hair who is giving me a deadly stare … or sit down right next to him.

  I gulp.

  Neither is good, but if I have to choose, I’d rather sit behind him than next to him.

  Because let’s face it … even though he looked sexy as hell, I’m nowhere near ready to get that close to someone like him. Someone who clearly knows how to seduce girls with a single smile. Not me. I won’t fall for the trap.

  That’s what I tell myself as I quietly sit down behind him and grab my books without drawing too much attention to myself. I used to like it but not anymore. I just want to be the silent girl, the one no one notices, the one no one really knows. Because it sure as hell beats being the girl everybody is talking about.

  “Hey,” the girl beside me whispers, “I’m Melanie, but call me Mel.”

  “Hi, Mel.” I smile at her, hoping to make a good impression even though I’m terrible at them. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Your intro was so short,” she says. “But don’t mind the boys, they’re just messing with you.”

  “I won’t,” I reply. “Got those at my old school too. I’ve learned that lesson long ago.”

  She smiles. “Why’d you leave? If you don’t mind me asking?”

  My heart skips a beat and images of Bobby and me in his room flash through my mind, but I quickly push them away. “My dad had a new job somewhere else.”

  “Figured it was something like that,” she says. “What does he do?”

  Shit. Now I gotta make up even more lies.

  “He’s a CEO.” Well, it’s the truth. He just never switched jobs, but she doesn’t need to know exactly where he works. “Got a better offer elsewhere, so here we are.” I smile it off like it’s the most unimportant shit ever.

  “Well, I’m glad you made the switch. I think you’ll fit right in here,” she says, whatever that means. “If you want, I can help you get on track with the assignments. We’re currently reading Shakespeare.”

  “Sure,” I reply. Even though I’ve read almost all of his work, I don’t mind her thinking she can help because she might just be my next friend at this school. And I definitely need more friends at this school than just my cousin.

  “You sure you wanna do that, new girl?”

  I smelled his scent before he even turned around in his seat, but my God … that voice is just as low and husky as I imagined it being.

  “Shut up,” Melanie barks at him.

  “That’s the kind of girl she is,” he says, raising his brow.

  “No one asked you a damn thing,” Melanie says, and she boldly slams her books onto her table.

  “No … she doesn’t have to,” he says, and he’s looking straight at me now with those same seductive green eyes that almost make my heart stop.

  “Hi,” he says.

  “Um … hi,” I mutter back.

  I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m normally never like this, and I always know what to say. But the minute he turned around, I forgot every single word I wanted to say.

  “I didn’t quite catch your name. What was it again?” he muses.

  “Monica,” I reply.

  “Monica,” he repeats in such a salacious way that it makes the hairs on my skin stand up. “Nice.”

  Did he just approve … of my name? Wow.

  “Cole Travis,” he says, licking his lip. “But I bet you already knew that.”

  “Ughh,” Mel grunts, rolling her eyes so far they almost end up in the back of her head. “You’re so full of yourself.”

  “Says the girl who immediately jumps on the new girl like a shark on fresh bait,” he quips.

  “I am not,” she retorts. “I’m just trying to be friendly, that’s all.”

  “I don’t mind,” I interject, laughing a little to ease the tension.

  His eyes narrow. “So … you don’t know anyone here?”

  I shake my head. “Not yet, anyway.” Is this his way of inviting me to get to know him? Because I may or may not take him up on that offer. I shouldn’t, but a guy like him would be hard to deny.

  “My cousin goes to this school, that’s about it,” I explain.

  His eyes narrow for a second. “Interesting.”

  Then he turns around again. Just like that, without saying another word. Weird.

  “Ignore him, he’s always looking for trouble,” Mel says.

  “Ignore her, she’s trying to stir up shit,” he retorts without even looking back at us.

  It feels super awkward to be in the middle of this fight. “Did you two …?”

  Her eyes widen, and she looks as if she’s seen a ghost. “Oh no, God no, I would never,” she says. Leaning forward, she beckons me to do the same. When I do, she whispers, “He’s a player. He uses girls and treats them like trash. I’d stay the hell away from him if I were you.”

  “You’re talking shit about me again, aren’t you, Melanie?” Cole turns around again.

  “Guys,” the teacher interrupts us, and we all quickly focus on our books. “Stop talking, please. Open your books to page eleven and read the first paragraph.”

  While staring at her book, Mel darts glances my way, and she starts penning something down on a piece of paper. Then she chucks it onto my table.

  I pick it up and make sure the teacher isn’t watching before opening it. It’s her phone number with some text underneath that reads: Add me.

  After mouthing, “Thanks,” I quickly grab my phone, but right as I’m about to punch in the numbers, the note is snatched out from underneath my nose.

  It’s him. “You don’t need this.”

  “Hey!”

  He spins around in his seat again, right as the teacher looks up at me, and says, “Eyes on the book, please!”

  With a frown, I lower my eyes, but I won’t let Cole get away with this so easily. “Give it back.”

  When he doesn’t respond, I tap on his back.

  “What do you want?” He’s playing me now.

  I sigh. Whatever he thinks he’s doing, I’m not playing this game. “Give. It. Back.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He glances at me over his shoulder with that same aloof gaze, but instead of being seductive, it’s now infuriating as hell. Or maybe both. Definitely both, goddammit.

  “Yeah, you do. Stop playing around,” I reply.

  “I’m not playing, but I can. You wanna hear it?” he says with a devilish smirk on his face. “We have band practice at four.”

  I frown and try not to look excited because a tiny part of my heart just did a little jump, but I have to ignore it. He’s the kind of guy you’d steer the hell clear from after going through what I went through.

  “I could give this back after you’ve watched us practice …” He flaunts the tiny paper between two fingers, casually flicking it back and forth like a pen. “Or I could keep it.”

  I try to snatch it out of his hand, but he immediately retracts and gives me a coy smile. “Nuh-uh, that wasn’t part of the deal.”

  “I don’t make deals, especially not with boys.”

  He raises a brow. “What do you have against boys?”

  “Nothing,” I say, looking away when the teacher is onto us again.

  I’m not gonna tell him shit.

  There’s silence for a while, but when the teacher’s back to mumbling some things about the text we just read (which I didn’t read because of Cole), I tap his back
again.

  “I need that number,” I say.

  “No, you don’t,” he says.

  Goddammit! Why is he so annoying? What is he trying to achieve?

  “I get it. I’m the new girl, and you like making me the butt of jokes,” I say, “but it’s not funny anymore.”

  “Joke? Who says I’m joking?” he muses without even looking at me. “You want this back?” He holds up the tiny paper again. “Come and get it.”

  Is that a challenge?

  If this was any other day in my old school, I would’ve stood up, punched him, snatched that paper from his hand, and taken the time-out in detention like a big girl. But I’m the new girl now, and I can’t afford to misbehave.

  So I stay down and ignore him. Maybe I can convince Mel to give me her phone number again later when Cole isn’t bothering me.

  “Fine, I’ll keep it then,” he mumbles. “I have enough groupies at the band practice anyway. You won’t be missed.”

  “Fuck you,” I reply. “Asshole.”

  Suddenly, he turns around in his seat, his green, smoldering eyes piercing straight through me. “What’d you say?” he says through gritted teeth.

  “Mr. Travis, is there anything you’d like to share with the rest of the class?” the teacher interrupts. I thought he’d never notice.

  “No, sir. I’m just saying hi to the new girl.”

  This is his way of saying hi?

  “You can do that after class,” the teacher says, clearing his throat. “We’ll continue with page thirteen now. Fifteen minutes. I don’t want anybody talking.”

  Cole’s silent again, but I’m not. “My cousin was right about you. You are an asshole.”

  I don’t even care anymore what he says. He’s already ruined our first meeting. He’s clearly only out to play games with me, and I’m not up for it. Assholes will always be assholes, no matter how pretty they are.

  Chapter 3

  Cole

  Asshole.

  That word … I’ve heard it so many times before, but I never had the urge to defend myself and show them I’m not. But I do now, more than anything. And I don’t know why.