Page 27 of Twisted Heathens
I’ve been through this before. In the hellhole that is Clearview, watching Brooklyn became my obsession. I was fascinated by her. The day she arrived, kicking and screaming, years of boredom ended. She was a spark of interest in the dull landscape of my life. I never said a single word to her face, just studied her from afar. If she ever realises, she’ll think I’m some kind of sick stalker.
The ball rolls up next to me, disturbing the stack of papers and sending sheets flying. Phoenix gives me a devious grin. Asshole. It’s his homework I’m doing here, he’s a lazy son of a bitch who loves to exploit my soft spot for him.
Tossing the ball back, I sneak another glance to the side. While the other girls begin to head in, Brooklyn’s being yelled at for standing and refusing to participate. Coach is a stickler for getting students involved. But she’s taking none of it, giving one of her classic shrugs.
“Eli! You coming in?”
I yank the headphones out, offering a nod to the guys.
“Reckon you can hijack movie night? Get something decent on?”
Phoenix is cajoling Kade, who looks suitably unimpressed by the suggestion. “Nix, I can’t just do that. You want to get me fired?”
“Come on, man. It’s a fucking movie, hardly the peak of criminality.”
He won’t get anywhere. Kade is a straight flyer through and through, he lives by the book and never bends the rules. It’s one of the things I admire most about him. There isn’t a bad bone in his body. He really doesn’t belong here.
The rest of us sold our souls to the devil long ago.
Joining the others, I watch as Brooklyn is assigned to collect all the balls. She’s muttering to herself, probably cursing with that potty mouth of hers. It’s fucking hot if you ask me, I’d love to make her cuss and scream myself.
The group of girls still hold their balls, and I recognise Britt among them. Hudson’s slimy fuck buddy, she’s the ringleader of a clan of anorexics, all competing against one another in some sick competition to die first. It makes my skin crawl.
“What’s taking you so long? Hurry up, I’m freezing my bollocks off.” Phoenix pulls me into a side-hug. “Did you get my homework done? Crawley will kill me if it’s late again. I’ll make it well worth your time, don’t worry.”
I’m not paying attention to his flirting, too focused on the unfolding situation. Brooklyn’s trying to collect the balls and being heckled by the pack of hyenas. It’s a scene I’ve watched countless times, they always find a target to focus their hatred on. Usually the newbie and especially if she’s thin. Girls can be so goddamn cruel, particularly in this place.
I almost shout out loud when the first fist sails her way, the need to warn her bubbling up inside of me. It connects with her jaw and sends her reeling back in shock.
“Seriously, what’s up with you?” Phoenix demands.
I point frantically. Rather than run or cower, Brooklyn is flying straight back at the other girls. She takes two down with brutal blows, the high-pitched screams reaching us even from afar.
“We’ve got to stop this!” Kade shouts, taking off.
Phoenix remains still, his arm tight around my waist. He’s watching just like me, with a kind of morbid fascination for this brilliantly violent girl, giving as good as she gets. I know he’s a sick fuck like me, he’s probably hard just at the sight of her bloody nose and scraped knuckles. We think in similar depraved ways.
“Damn, she knows how to put up a fight,” he mutters.
Britt’s standing back, letting her lackeys scratch and claw, but they are no match for Brooklyn. She rolls with the punches, taking the punishment while dishing out her own. By the time Kade reaches Coach Matthews and breaks it up, I’m having to adjust my own jeans, which feels a little snug. Phoenix offers me a sultry grin, reaching out to run his thumb over my bottom lip. I resist the urge to stick my tongue out and lick it.
“Don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind spending some quality time with our cute newbie. With or without your company, although I’d prefer with. It worked for us before.” He winks.
I feel my cheeks flush. It certainly did work. Pretty fucking well.
We join Kade, the three of us watching as the coach plants herself between the brawling group, separating a roughed-up girl and Brooklyn. She’s visibly seething, blood leaking down her face and chin, one eye already swollen.
Who jumps on someone over a handful of balls? Nearly 5-1, outnumbering them? Welcome to the madhouse.
“Are you okay? What the hell happened?” Kade demands.
Waving him off, Brooklyn wipes her face on her sleeve, successfully smearing more blood around. “Yeah, fine. Just broke some cunt’s nose, so that’s my day made.”
A round of inappropriate high-fives from Phoenix later, we’re fleeing the pitch and heading back across the quad, making a beeline for home. In my periphery, I can see Kade trying to offer her an arm and being swiftly shoved away with a grunted ‘fuck right off’ from Brooklyn.
We get into the dorms without further incident and follow Brooklyn up to the fourth floor, taking a right rather than heading to our own rooms. She’s fumbling with her key card and muttering before she realises that we’re all still here.
“Um, what are you guys doing?”