Bad Girls Read online

  In all honesty, I had fallen, and fallen hard, for Wesley unknowingly, even if I hadn’t mentioned those words to him yet. Those words are almost sacred. They either bring about happiness, or they bring about fear.

  Happiness is when someone you personally love says those words to you. You will feel like you are floating on clouds toward the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

  Fear, however, is when you don’t feel the same thing for the person who says those words to you, and you start to panic. You are afraid of what will happen if that person gets too close to you. It’s either that or you have never even loved him or her to begin with.

  The world works in cruel, twisted ways that cannot be understood by the simple human mind. Our brains are designed in such a way that we always crave to know more, to understand the way the world works. But that’s just not the way the world wants us to work. We are not programmed to be able to take in everything. The information in our minds are limited, and there is no such thing as infinite knowledge. True, we can all learn forever and ever, but we can never ever understand everything.

  Understanding everything would be to understand life itself. And then you see some idiots trying to sell the meaning of life, or so they say, on websites like eBay. Humans just aren’t that smart, actually. We just can’t understand the way the universe works because it is unattainable.

  But we try anyway, and we use every breathing moment to think. In the shower, before bed, in class. We are always thinking. Lying on my bed at four in the morning on a school night is not exactly the brightest of all ideas, yet I still do it.

  Blake.

  He had been on my mind ever since William drove me back home, along with Wesley and Winnie. Thankfully, Wesley didn’t question my behavior. He knew something was up with me, but he didn’t ask, and for that I was thankful. That boy was too good for me sometimes.

  My phone buzzed on the bedside table, and I sat up, grabbed it swiftly, and opened the message.

  Wes: Still awake?

  Avery: Yes, can’t sleep. Why?

  Wes: Open your window.

  I turned to look at my balcony, only to find Wesley standing there like an idiot with his phone in his hands. He gave me a smirk, followed by a small wave as I got up, opening the lock of the window to let him in.

  “Thank fucking God you’re not asleep yet. It’s freezing out there.” Wesley scurried in, his hands rubbing his arms to keep himself warm.

  “It’s California. It’s never freezing out there.” I scoffed, locking the glass doors and sliding back into the comforts of my bed. “What are you doing here at this insane hour?”

  “Tell me what’s wrong, Ava. You’ve been awfully quiet just now.” Wesley plopped himself on my bed and leaned against his left arm to look at me properly.

  “I…it’s not really my story to tell.” I shrugged slightly.

  Wesley’s face was completely unreadable, and I couldn’t find a single trace of emotion. He was just sitting there, watching me, and I shifted my position slightly under his intense stare.

  “What?” I questioned, pulling the blanket higher up my body to shield myself from his gaze. It was not like I had something to hide, but by the way Wesley was staring at me, I felt bare.

  “You know you can tell me anything, right? I wouldn’t judge you.” His gaze softened as he brought up a hand to comb a stray strand of my hair. The warmth of his hand seeped into my skin as I nuzzled into his hold, my eyes fluttering close for a long second before opening them again.

  “I know, and I really do tell you everything about me. But it’s really not my story to tell this time.”

  “Okay.” He got up from the bed and walked toward the sliding glass doors, stopping there for a moment. “If you need anything, you know I’m just a dial away.” Wesley’s words felt like a sword straight through my heart, puncturing every organ and every fiber of my being with guilt and misery as I scrambled to sit upright. He had bothered to come over and check on me when I was down, not to mention stayed over at the hospital for two entire months just so he could keep me company and be there in case I was awake. I wasn’t about to let him leave with what seemed like a broken heart.

  “Wait! Don’t go.” I bit my lip slightly as Wesley’s hand rested on the shiny handle of the glass sliding doors. “Can you stay over? For the night, I mean.”

  Within seconds, I was being engulfed by the sweet scent of pine and mint, completely wrapped in Wesley’s arms. “Thought you wouldn’t ask, my purple unicorn.” He kissed the top of my head, lingering for a few seconds longer as I laughed in response, moving in to make some space for him.

  I listened as his breathing slowly evened out, one arm still draped around my torso and the other under the pillow. My back was completely pressed against his stomach, and his calm breaths told me that he had already drifted off to sleep. Instead, I just laid there, relishing in the comfort of his warmth and the feeling of safety that he provided me. When sleep had finally taken pity on me and allowed me to dreamlessly drift off into a place where reality was no longer constant, the one last thing that ran through my mind was that, no matter what I do and what happens, Wesley would always be too good for me. And because of that, I was selfish for never wanting to let him go.

  Chapter 26

  “I don’t even want to know.”

  My eyes sprang awake, and I jolted up into sitting position, pushing Wesley off the bed as I stared at the door, totally startled. There, Winnie stood with her arms crossed across her chest and a smirk on her face. Peter stood on her left, and William stood behind him, covering Peter’s eyes with his own hands.

  “I can’t believe that you would subject a child to that!” William faked a gasp as Peter chuckled, moving William’s hand away from his face as he protested under his breath.

  “Why are you guys here? It’s bloody early in the morning,” Wesley grumbled, rubbing his eyes and his back.

  “It’s already 8:00 a.m., dipshit,” William said, and I sighed.

  “So? I don’t wanna go to school,” I grumbled, burying my head back into the pillow as Winnie’s laugh echoed in my room. “Why isn’t pipsqueak in school?”

  “If by pipsqueak you meant me, then it’s because there’s this charity fair going on held by the teachers, and school is canceled today.” Peter grinned, giving William a high-five as I groaned.

  “I hate you guys. I’m not going to school no matter what.” I tucked myself back into the blanket and dozed back to sleep, the road to rest much more forgiving than the night before.

  ***

  “I can’t believe you guys.” I shivered, holding back a sneeze, as I sipped on the hot tea Peter had brought out for me.

  “We resort to crazy attempts when you leave us with no choice, sweet Ava.” Wesley grinned and laughed further when I glared at him.

  As soon as I had dozed off into dreamland, the evil triple threats, aided by Peter (that traitor!), had flung me into the pool, leaving me startled and almost drowning. Shivering by the pool in my pajamas, which was actually just an oversized shirt and really short booty shorts, I had never been more awake. Droplets of water clung to my skin and my clothes, making the fabric stick to every curve and crevice of my body as I shivered to generate body warmth.

  When winter draws near, even the winds in California will start to grow a tad bit colder than usual. This, unfortunately, was not in my favor.

  “I’ll give it to you, William. Your ideas finally worked!” Winnie cackled, patting her brother on the shoulder as he grinned.

  “You four are all devils escaped from hell.” I hugged myself, pulling the towel closer to my body as I took another sip of the tea, dripping some in the process due to my trembling hands. I had never resented the fact that I had a pool in my backyard until that moment.

  “But you still love us.” Wesley winked, nudging me a little as I turned away from him right after sticking my tongue out childishly.

  “I’m going back to bed after a nice warm bath. You guys c
an go to school all you want. I’m disappointed in you, Peter!” I screamed at them as I hoisted myself up the balcony of my room, with the help of a conveniently located tree, and slipped inside, locking the glass sliding doors and the main doors to my bedroom. Sighing, I stripped out of the wet clothing, took a quick shower, changed into a huge sweater and yoga pants, and wrapped my wet hair in the towel.

  I sat down on my bed and, for the first time in a long while, thought about what went on the previous day. I grabbed my phone from my bedside table, opened up the message app, and typed a number I had memorized by heart before I had even hit my teenage years.

  Ava: Can you come over?

  The reply came back almost instantly.

  Blake: I just got to school. Why?

  Ava: Skip. You know the way.

  Blake: I’ll be there in 10.

  I locked my phone as I listened closely to the sounds outside, hearing Winnie’s Mustang tear down the street and away from my house. I was left alone again in the silence, allowing me to think about just what the hell was going on in my life those days.

  As I slowly made my way downstairs to the front door, the doorbell rang, and I quickened my pace. He was faster than I thought. Pulling the door open, I came face to face with a very stressed looking Blake Ryder. Because I finally knew what exactly was going on, I noticed how his skin was paler than before, his eyes tired with almost no vibrancy in them, dark rings hanging below them as though he had not slept properly in days. His lips were chapped and pale, almost enough to match his skin. I opened the door wider and stepped to one side, gesturing for him to come in.

  “Take a seat. I’ll be back shortly.” Awkwardly, I shuffled away from the living room and into the kitchen, grabbed two mugs, placed two teabags inside, and filled them with water. Then, almost like a mantra, I repeated to myself, one teaspoon of milk, three teaspoons of sugar. I shuffled back into the living room and passed one of the cups to Blake, and he received it with a grateful smile.

  “Thanks.” He took a small sip of it, and his face lit up slightly. “I can’t believe you still remember how I like my tea. You always did make the best drinks.”

  “One year isn’t a very long time,” I mumbled, stirring the little teaspoon inside the mug carefully before taking a small sip.

  “It was too long,” Blake muttered under his breath, but I had caught it anyway. Other than the occasional clink of the silver teaspoon against the mug, silence enveloped us until I cleared my throat.

  “Why?” Curiosity was eating me from the inside. I just had to know the reason behind Blake’s actions.

  “Huh?” He lifted his head slightly to look at me, his eyes filled with confusion.

  “Why did you lie to me? You could have just told me.” I placed the cup on the glass coffee table, and Blake did so too shortly after.

  “You will worry. It’s just the type of person you are. You worry too much about things. If I had told you, you would have worried about me and demanded that I go get treatments and such. They are not much of use when I already have one foot in the grave.”

  “At least I could have been there for you.” I dropped my eyes to my hands, playing with my fingers anxiously. “Instead of thrashing your house and giving you such mean and hurtful comments on a daily basis.”

  “That’s the thing. I don’t want you to be there for me. I don’t want you to cry for me when I finally die. It just seemed like a better idea to make you hate me than care for me, so when I die, it doesn’t affect you that much, you know? I purposely said hurtful things to you or about you so that you would distance yourself from me. If I had told you to stay away, honestly, would you?”

  “You mean if you die.” I corrected. “And I guess not. I would have insisted on staying.”

  “When, Avery. When I die. Everyone’s gotta die sooner or later. It’s just mine is too soon to properly spend enough time with the people I love.”

  “I know what you did in the hospital when Wesley asked you to donate blood to me. You didn’t want to. Is it because…”

  “I have leukemia, Ave. Leukemia patients can’t exactly donate blood unless the receiver has a death wish.” He joked, attempting to lighten up the situation, but misery still showed from his every movement, his every word. It seemed as though it physically hurt him to stand on the sidelines and watch instead of being able to help.

  I was just about to reply when I was interrupted. “Avery, Dad said that…What are you doing here?” Peter’s voice filled the vast living room. We turned to look at the little boy whose expression was filled with caution and anger.

  “Peter, this is—” I gestured toward Blake but was cut off almost immediately.

  “I know who he is. He is Ms. Brooke’s boy toy. He was with her in the park.” Peter pointed an accusing finger at Blake, who then got up from the couch with a frown.

  “Ave, I think I should go. I’ve overstayed my welcome.” He shot out of the door and out of the house, and I heard his car tear down the street.

  “What are you doing with him, Avery? I thought you were with Wesley.” Peter’s anger quickly subsided, but his eyes were slightly shining with tears.

  Tears of betrayal, to be exact.

  “Blake isn’t actually the bad guy here. He used to be one of my best friends, along with Wesley. It’s just”—I struggled to find a word—“circumstances brought us apart.” I made my way toward Peter, crouched down to his height, and grabbed his shoulders gently. “Never lose sight of your real enemy, Peter. The enemy is Charlotte. And I thought you hated her. She was the one that did horrible things to you and your friends. Blake never laid a hand. Although, yes, he should’ve stopped her, and that makes him sort of the bad guy here, but he had been the sidekick. We take down the villain, we win.”

  Peter nodded once, rubbing his chin slightly where a little scar rested.

  “Well, now is the time for revenge. We have a huge leverage. And she would be sorry she ever messed with us.” I smirked as Peter’s face lit up instantly.

  It wasn’t even about me anymore. Charlotte made this personal against Peter; she made this personal against my family. Normally, I wouldn’t be one to promote hatred and anger. However, the very second when Charlotte had taken an extra step to mess with Peter and take away my friends from me, she made it difficult for me to forgive.

  Oh, dear Charlotte, Blake was apparently never by your side after all.

  Chapter 27

  On Wednesday, I returned to school with the biggest smile I could ever master. Just like on Monday, I made a grand entrance with the car, making sure that the students here knew that their queen had arrived. That day, however, I had a little outfit change. I came to school with bleached, ripped skinny jeans, a white tank top, a black leather jacket, and heeled black boots. My crazy purple hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. I looked fabulous. Completely utterly fabulous.

  I had never felt so alive; the students roaming the hallways all stopped and looked at me at least once before running off. They needed not say it, but I had already known. They feared me. They knew that I was the one behind Charlotte’s disastrous downfall months back involving the video switch.

  This time, I embraced the blatant fear of others.

  I liked being the evil queen.

  People tend to take what they have for granted. They took me as a nice (well, I hope they thought I was nice), good student in Crescent Grove High, and only when I had a switch of heart and became an evil mastermind did they begin to regret all that they had done. True, I once thought that both Blake and Charlotte were behind my misery and my downfall, but when I knew the truth, I saw that Blake did not even dare to harm a single hair on my body.

  I had underestimated Charlotte; it was a huge miscalculation on my part. Charlotte Brooke was the one in charge this whole time. I never managed to get it out of Blake as to why did he pick Charlotte out of the entire school population, but I didn’t really need to know, come to think of it. I shouldn’t let my mind divide itse
lf into taking care of two separate things at the same time when I already had a looming due date.

  Graduation wasn’t until after prom, which will be in spring, and this was just the beginning of December. But my dad always said to always be prepared no matter the circumstances. On graduation day, it will be the last day I would glance at Charlotte for the rest of my life. I sighed to myself as the thought went through my mind. How I couldn’t wait for that day to finally arrive. When I knew that I had been targeting the wrong person this whole time, I could prepare myself for just one enemy instead of two. Charlotte Brooke was about to go down, and there was no one to stop me.

  When I finally arrived at my first class, I was absolutely startled to see that Blake wasn’t in school that day. His usual spot beside Charlotte, the devil, was instead taken up by a blonde. To be more exact, a certain old friend of mine.

  “Summer, how awfully nice to see you.” I glanced sideways to look at Charlotte, placing my hands on my hips. “And I see you’ve made a new friend.” Summer glared at me, rolling her eyes as she pointed her puffy pink pen at my face.

  “Drop the act, Avery. I know it’s you. You’re that scheming little bitch this whole time, and you’ve got me fooled. My new best friend here had to be the one to tell me the truth. I can’t believe I ever trusted you.” Summer spat her acidic words at me, but I kept on that smile, making her more and more agitated.

  “Oh, darling. I can’t believe I actually trusted you.” With another award-winning smile, I sashayed back to my usual spot and brought my legs up to the table just like the first day of senior year. As the teacher came in, Wesley suddenly barged into the classroom, headed toward me wordlessly with an angry expression, and dragged me out of the classroom despite the teacher’s protests.

  Déjà vu much?

  “Haven’t we gone through this before?” I couldn’t help myself but say once we are completely away from the classroom. Wesley’s face did not relax once, keeping his deadly glare on me. “Calm down. I was just joking. No need to get so mad.”