Mr. Heartbreaker: Black Mountain Academy

“Who says I’m not hung over?” I grumble. I’m not, but he’s giving me a headache. Who the hell is this cheerful and talks this loud before eleven in the morning on a Saturday? It’s annoying as fuck.

“You’re right, you do look a little strung out,” Parker replies, second guessing himself.

“That’s because he played like a fucking loser last night,” Dad chimes in and I close my eyes. Perfect. This is exactly what I need. As if the old man didn’t rip me a new one last night on how I played. I did decent until I saw Violet get up and leave. I watched her walk away and while I did, the damn batter seemed to aim right for me.

The ball popped me in the side of the head. I didn’t catch it. I wasn’t even watching for it. My eyes were glued to Violet’s ass as she jogged away from the field. My missing that catch allowed the other team to get three runs in and cost us the game. Coach bitched me out and when he was done reaming my ass, my father started. Which is probably the real reason I have a headache, but I can still blame part of that on Parker – especially since he gave Dad another opening to start his shit on me.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Mike,” Parker murmurs as he sits down beside me.

“There were scouts in the stands, too. Dumb ass stands out in the middle of the field zoned out and lets the damn ball hit him in the side of the head. He didn’t even try to catch it. It was the fucking ninth inning and we were ahead by two runs. What does Mike do? Loses the damn game for us.”

“Dad, let it go.”

“The hell I will. I told you Mike, this is your last go around. We can’t hold you back any longer. You either apply yourself and get the scouts to take special interest in you, or you’re toast. No fucking team wants a mediocre kid who is pushing twenty and still playing like he’s seven and in the damn little league. It doesn’t matter that your name is Huntington or who your brother is. No school will take a chance on you,” he growls. I push my bowl back, the heavy ceramic clanging against the glass table as milk goes everywhere and I push out of my seat.

“I’m out of here,” I growl.

“Sure, run away. I swear, you’re just like your mother. I wonder if you have any of my blood in you at all. At least Parker seems to take after me,” he growls.

“Dad stop—” Parker interjects, but I don’t stick around to hear what else he says.

I head out the door and climb into my Vette. I gun the engine and squeal the tires, leaving rubber on the old man’s concrete as I peel out of the drive and down past the gates. I don’t let off the accelerator until I’m on the open road and likely doing at least eighty. I hear horns blowing as I merge onto the main drag, but I ignore them. I crank up my music and just drive.

There are days the temptation to leave Black Mountain in my rearview mirror is so strong that it almost strangles me. I’m gone after this year. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I also don’t give a fuck. As long as it’s away from my father and Black Mountain in general.

The only thing in this damn town that is holding one bit of interest for me is Violet Raines.

I wonder where that little beauty is planning on going after graduation…8Violet“You ran away from me, Violet.”

I jerk when I hear his voice. I lift my gaze over the top of my locker and suddenly I have the urge to cry. There in all of his cocky glory is Mike Huntington. He’s dressed in the school uniform, although he’s clearly taken the tie off and who knows what he’s done with it. He probably used it to tie up some chick and she’s waiting for him under the stairs, or in the weight room. With the muscles he has, he definitely has to use the weight room often – either that or steroids. And from what the girls in the school talk about when it comes to Big Mike, steroid use doesn’t seem a possibility.

“What are you talking about?” I mutter, pulling out my geometry book and slamming my locker shut.

“My game. You practically ran away before it was finished.”

“If I knew you were going to fuck up so royally,” I murmur with a saccharine smile on my face, “I would have totally hung around to watch.”

“Damn,” he whistles under his breath. “You’re a sexy little kitten with claws, aren’t you? I wonder what’ll happen when I make you purr?”