Savage Love (Ash and Innocence 2)

“Dead Ringers. I guess you were too young to really remember it. They have milkshakes and hamburgers. None of it is that great, but anybody who is anybody goes there to hang out.”

“And how will they feel if a nobody shows up?”

“They are all actually dying to talk to you. You’re like the great unsolved mystery of Silver Falls, I mean—” She trailed off at the look on my face. “I’m sorry. That was really insensitive. I know your mom, and…” She stopped and made a show of breathing out slowly. “Can I start over?”

I gave her a sideways smile. “It’s okay. I get it. I’d be curious too if I was on the outside looking in.”

She shrugged a little apologetically. “Something like that. I’m just saying people remember you and I think you’d be surprised how many of them would be happy to see you there.”

I thought about my backpack, which was loaded to the brim with assignments and material to study. I thought about the boxes, which were still not finished being unpacked. And then I thought, fuck it.

There wasn’t enough good in my life to pass up an opportunity to do something fun, even if it might cost me later. “Yeah. I’ll go. Just give me a minute to touch myself up.”

Zoe fist pumped. “Yes!”

I chuckled, then hurried inside and did my best to make a few quick touch ups. I fiddled with my hair and made sure my makeup was still okay. I looked myself in the eyes and leaned on the sink. “Come on, Charli. This is your chance to get a good start somewhere. Maybe you could even have a normal school year. With friends. Just be cool…”

I blew out a breath, then rushed outside.4CassianI was throwing a party later but heading to Dead Ringers after football practice was pretty much a tradition. So I rode with Gage and met up with Logan, Tristan, and Kennedy in the parking lot out front.

The place was a glass box, and there were at least fifty high school kids mulling around. Some were inside at tables—where six and even eight kids tried to squeeze into booths meant for four. Others leaned on their cars outside while sipping milkshakes and snacking on burgers wrapped in greasy tin foil.

Some shitty old music crackled from speakers, too.

We had taken my car, which was a limited-edition Aston Martin. At times, I still felt weird having such expensive shit. When dad was still around, we’d been the family of one beat up truck and coupon cutting. Now our t-shirts cost hundreds of dollars, our cars were collector’s items, and our house was a fucking palace.

The dumbest part of it all was how the kids here practically worshipped me because of it.

I nodded absently as a group of girls that had swarmed Gage and I once we got out of my car babbling about something. It all felt so empty.

Didn’t they realize I hadn’t done shit for the money? My mom had married some soft businessman and spit on the memory of my dad for it. But people didn’t give a shit. They just saw the shiny toys and could barely keep it in their pants.

I left Gage to the girls and headed inside. I was craving a milkshake, and Dead Ringers had a half decent strawberry shake. I was waiting in line when I saw two girls walk in. One was Zoe Ringwald. I knew her because she was something of an athletic phenom. They were always broadcasting school records she was breaking over the intercom in everything from swimming to track and field.

But the girl she was with set my heart pounding.

Charli…

Warring emotions played in my head. The first thing I noticed was how much she’d grown up. The glimpse I’d caught of her in the halls hadn’t even done her justice, because I’d only seen her face. Now I could see the curves that age had given her. She wore leggings that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Below the bulge of her coat, I could see the tantalizing swell of her hips and her long, toned legs.

Briefly, I wondered how good it’d feel to have my hand between her legs—to watch her squirm for me and cry out with pleasure.

But just past the hunger I felt, rage boiled.

I hated her. I could look back on my life and draw a bright red bullseye around her. She was the thing that had gone wrong. The tipping point. The catalyst. Whatever you wanted to call it; Charli was the problem. She’d ruined everything, and I knew I wasn’t ever going to be satisfied until I returned the favor.

Instead of going to her, I headed back outside with my milkshake, careful not to be noticed. Someone like Gage or Logan probably would’ve walked up to her and spoke their minds right then and there. That was too easy, though. It’d be letting her off the hook.