All the Little Lies (English Prep 1)

Out of nowhere, Kyle came flying into the locker room, slipping on his ass before sprinting up with a stunned look on his face. “HOLY SHIT.”

“Did you forget your ADHD meds again, Voorhies?” A few of my teammates laughed, but I was being serious.

He looked at me, surprise still etched on his face. “I just saw New Girl walking down the hall in her bra and panties, rocking those kickass Converse she wears every day. I don’t know where the fuck her uniform is, but damn! You all have to go look. My spank bank is now full of New Girl images.”

Pure anger rose out of my chest, and I couldn’t figure out if it was because Voorhies said his spank bank was filled with my old best friend or if it was because I was pissed that she was parading around the halls like a stripper. Regardless, it didn’t matter. My legs were sprinting out of the locker room, not giving a shit that Coach was going to bitch that I was late for practice.

What the fuck is she thinking? Walking around my school half-naked. Jesus Christ.

I heard Ollie yell my name as guys tried to plow out of the locker room.

“I’ll take care of this. Cover for me,” I shouted back.

If it had been any other girl, I wouldn’t have cared nearly as much, but Hayley? No. I was looking for a reason to get her kicked out of this school, and I thought I had just found it, especially with the tinge of jealousy that I just felt.

I knew what Ollie thought when I’d told him I’d take care of this. He thought I was trying to do damage control, to keep things under control and running smoothly like I’d done for the last two years in this school. After all, he had no idea how much I truly hated Hayley and wanted her gone. He didn’t know what was said between us the other night. For all I knew, he thought we were making amends. Or hell, there was even a rumor going around that I was in there fucking her. Madeline would surely shut that down soon.

My blood pumped as I jogged the hallway, and when I rounded the corner, my breath hitched. My knees buckled. A perfect, round ass stared back at me. Jesus. Christ.

“What the hell are you doing?” I seethed as I caught up to her. I rested my hand on her forearm and quickly spun her around. Hayley yelped and jerked her arm out of my grasp and flew backwards into the lockers, a loud clang echoing in the hallway.

Fucking shit.

“Get in here,” I chastised, opening the door to the stairwell. Hayley reluctantly followed me inside but put a clear distance between us. Her shoulders, which were bare besides a tiny strap from her bra, stiffened, but her face…it wasn’t the brave, unemotional, bored expression she wore every time I caught her in the hallway. It wasn’t the I-hate-the-world expression, either. She was wounded. There were worry lines around the crinkles of her eyes.

“What the fuck are you doing walking around like that?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips. “Do you want the entire school to see you half-naked? What is this? Proving something?”

She rolled her eyes. “What on earth would I be trying to prove by walking around like this?” She gestured to her body, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I traced the curve of her perky boobs down to her flat belly, and I had already gotten a glimpse of her ass. My chest grew tight, and I had to internally shake myself to remember who she was and what one look at her from across the room made me feel.

Guilt.

I felt even more guilty thinking she was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.

Because fucking shit, she was.

“Then what gives? Wanting to get kicked out of English Prep to put you out of your misery?” I asked, erasing a few feet she had put in between us.

“Why are you so concerned?” She erased the rest of the space between us, peering up into my face. “Afraid to see me go?”

I laughed sarcastically. “Quite the opposite. I’m marching your ass to Headmaster Walton’s office right now. I just wanted to be present when he booted you back to Oakland High.”

Something flickered across her face. Fear? I recognized that look. Her blue eyes grew distant, her arms going around her middle. She nibbled on her bottom lip, and naturally, my eyes zeroed in on them.

“No,” she breathed out, keeping her gaze fixed to mine.

For a moment, I forgot I hated her. It was like I was under a trance, under the same spell she had put on the rest of the guys in this school. They all talked about her—no longer in front of me after I threatened them all, but there was still distant chatter. Hayley was mysterious, different. But she’d always been that way to me. Different. In the best of ways.

But I no longer knew Hayley, and she no longer knew me.

“Yes,” I ground out. “I want you gone, Hayley.” Scratch that. I need her gone. “Now, you and I are going to walk to Headmaster Walton’s office, and I’m going to tell him I found you trying to seduce the guys on the football team by walking around like that.” I pointed with my chin down to her body. “And then you’ll be gone. My word against yours, and we both know I’m the powerful one here.”

She let out a hiccup of air. “I can’t go back to Oakland High. I know you hate me. But I can’t go back there, Christian.”

Why did hearing my name on her lips cause a war inside my body? It erased the past, jumbled up the present, and somehow predicted the future.

Hayley’s pink-tinged cheeks were now ghostly white. Her blue eyes were no longer distant, but instead, wide-eyed and crazed with fear.

Her words rushed out. “I know something; something you’ll want to know. But I’ll only tell you if you keep this under wraps and let me stay.”