Mean to Her Read online

  Leah was upstairs right at that very moment changing into his clothes. His football shirt that he’d imagined her wearing for so long now.

  He poured the coffee into the cups and turned at the sound of a clearing throat.

  “Hey,” she said.

  Damn.

  The shirt looked even better on her than he imagined. Her tits looked nice and plump. Everything about her screamed class and elegance. She tucked her long brown hair behind her ear.

  “You look great.”

  She chuckled. “You say that because it’s your clothes.”

  “And I’ve wanted you in them since forever.”

  “Can we just stop, please, Blake? I don’t … I can’t keep up with you.”

  He put the coffee on the counter near her. “But if I keep being persistent, you’re finally going to catch up?”

  “I don’t understand any of this.” She dropped into one of the chairs, and he placed a cup closer to her. “You can’t go around being mean to a girl and then the next second want to go out with her. It’s not right.”

  Blake stared at her. So what he needed to do was show her just how different he was. “Okay, cool.” He opened up the box of pizza.

  “Cool?”

  “Yep.” He took a large bite just as his oven beeped to let him know it’d warmed up. “You want some pizza and fries?”

  “Sure.”

  He smiled to himself. There was no way she was going to be able to deny him.

  After putting the pizzas on a tray, he put the fries straight on top of the pizza. His mouth watered as he slid them into the oven. “Dinner is in like ten minutes.”

  “You do this often?”

  “Warm up pizza? Hell, yeah. It’s like the best food in the world.”

  She chuckled. “So you like pizza. Good to know.”

  “Tell me what you like,” he said, taking a seat beside her and casually moving it a little closer.

  “I like a lot of food. Pasta is my weakness. Anything with it, I just love.”

  “Good to know. Where are you going to college?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure yet. Anywhere out of this town would be great. My parents went to England. They have some amazing universities there that I’ve been considering.”

  “Wow, out of the country.”

  She nodded. “I’m not sure, though. I think my parents are planning to rent a place near wherever I go. You know how they can get. What about you?”

  “Undecided. I’m being scouted for some, but like you, I’m not picking just yet.”

  She nodded. “It seems crazy how we’ve got to make these life-changing decisions that could affect the rest of our lives. I don’t even know what I want to do when I’m older, you know? I’ve had passions all my life. Cooking, writing, I even considered medicine, but I kind of faint at the sight of blood.”

  “Kind of?”

  “Yeah. It’s a little thing, but I hear to be a doctor, you need to be able to handle a whole lot of mess. Not good if the doctor is being treated before the patient. I can’t believe I’m talking about this with you.”

  “It’s all good.” He wanted her to open up. “A lot of people think all I want to do is play ball. I’m good at it, and it’s fun and all, but I know there’s an expiration date. I need to have a plan B, you know?”

  She agreed with him.

  The oven pinged.

  “Awesome, heated pizza. Just what the doctor ordered.” He winked at her, grabbing a towel to rest the hot trays on.

  He placed them within arm’s reach and grabbed her a plate.

  “This is weird. I can’t believe I’m sitting in your kitchen eating pizza with you.”

  “I know, it’s uncanny.”

  “Well, thank you for this. I’m actually enjoying myself.”

  He watched as she took a bite of pizza. Patience. That was all he needed. “I’m glad. I don’t want you to freak out on me.”

  She laughed. “You’re not a bad guy when you’re not trying to hurt me.”

  “I never wanted to hurt you. Not even a little bit. The guys stayed away from you and I consider that a good thing.”

  “Oh, really? You think no guys wanting to hang with me is a good thing?” she asked.

  “From the look in your eye, I’m going to say no.”

  “It’s fine. Boyfriends complicate life.” She shrugged. “You’ve done me a big favor.”

  This wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. Boyfriends weren’t complicated. “Let me get this straight, you’ve never wanted a boyfriend?”

  “Nope.”

  “What about other things, like making out?” he asked.

  “Blake, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but there is so much more to life than sex. You should give it a try sometime.”

  He had. He hadn’t had sex in three years. Unless making love to one’s own hand was considered sex, and he highly doubted it.

  Fuck. This wasn’t going how he wanted, and it pissed him off.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Tough.”

  “I’m calling bullshit.”

  “You can call what you like. It’s not going to change the fact. You can’t miss what you’ve never had.” She moaned. “This pizza, though, this is heaven.”

  He ate his pizza but was rather pissed off by the outcome of the night. What he needed to do was get under her skin or at least work at it so she knew what getting a kiss from him would be like.

  She would want to make out with him then.

  Being mean had really fucked up with his plans, but he was going to rectify the situation instantly.

  Chapter Three

  For the next week, Blake was everywhere. Leah couldn’t get away from him.

  He turned up at her front door to drive her to school and back home again. In each of the classes they shared, he started to sit beside her.

  So far, the only break she’d had from Blake was when she snuck off to eat her food at the library.

  She was just heading there now when Blake appeared, coming toward her.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said.

  This was another thing. Beautiful, babe, sunshine, darling, all terms of endearment he seemed determined to use around her and near his friends as well. Some days, he’d come right up to her, taken her books and bag, and carried them around for her.

  It was like he’d turned his asshole switch to protective boyfriend.

  “Hey,” she said.

  He grabbed her arm.

  “Seriously, Blake, this isn’t cute. I eat in the library.”

  “And today you’re going to eat with me.”

  “I’m not going out with you.” She wasn’t going to give in to him.

  “I know.”

  “Come on, seriously, this is weird.”

  “No, what’s weird is eating all by yourself when you don’t have to.”

  He did have a point. “I like eating in the library. It’s fun.”

  “And you’re calling me weird.”

  “Your friends are not my friends, Blake. Enough of all of this.”

  “It’s senior year then all of this is over. We’ll go our separate ways, and we’ll do whatever the hell we want to. Enjoy this while you can. I’m not trying to make your life hard, I promise. I’m trying to encourage you to enjoy new experiences. Is that so bad?” he asked.

  He seemed genuine, and she didn’t wish to be mean to him. “Okay, fine. I’ll agree to this.”

  Blake held her hand as they walked into the cafeteria. She ignored everyone, very much aware of some of their stares. They were burning a hole right through her back. It was somewhat disturbing and a little scary.

  “Right, John, do me a favor, and keep an eye on my girl while I go and get lunch.”

  She dropped into a chair, pulling her lunch out of her bag. This wasn’t bad at all. The table had gone completely silent. Great, just what she needed.

  “So, party at my house this Friday. The parents are out and
I think it’s only fair I raid their liquor cabinet. They’ve had a fresh new delivery,” Rebecca said. “What do you think?”

  “If there are chicks, I’m in,” John said.

  “What are we in for?” Blake asked, returning to the table with his tray piled high with food. He picked up a burger and took a large bite.

  “Party, my place, and you can bring your girlfriend.” Rebecca smiled. “I don’t think you’ve ever come to one of my parties.”

  She shook her head. “And I’m not his girlfriend. We’re not even friends.”

  The table laughed. Clearly, they didn’t believe her.

  “Do you want to go? We can do something different.” Blake took another bite of his burger and then offered her some.

  “No, thanks. It’s fine.” She had no intention of going to a party in the first place. Eating her pasta salad, she tuned out the boring banter, wishing she had her own company. By the time the bell rang to give the first initial warning lunch was nearly over, she was so happy to be out of there.

  Without waiting for Blake, she took off to her locker, put her bag with her empty lunch container inside, and grabbed the books she needed.

  For the rest of the day, she was able to avoid Blake. Rather than take an empty table, she sat next to someone with only one available seat. Blake took note and smirked at her. For the rest of the week, she did that and left to get to school early as well.

  She’d found a shortcut that meant she could also walk home without him offering her a lift. Her car was in the shop and since she didn’t want her parents to buy her a different car, she had to wait until the parts arrived.

  On Friday night, her parents had a date night. She intended to have a television marathon of one of the dramas she loved to watch, but the doorbell rang.

  Opening the door, she went still as Blake stood there in jeans, a crisp white shirt, and a denim jacket. His hair still hadn’t been cut, and it fell even further into his eyes, which he pushed back by running his fingers through the long length.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Rebecca’s party. You agreed to come.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean— I wasn’t going to go.”

  “You know going to a party and having some fun won’t kill you. It might even make you happy.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “You’re not very good when it comes to relaxing.”

  “I can relax.”

  “Then come to the party. Make a believer out of me, Leah.”

  “I…” She glanced back into the house. There was nothing for her to do other than watch television. She’d completed all of her homework. All that remained was to do nothing. “I will go to this one party if you promise you’ll stop stalking me. Do we have a deal?”

  “I’m not stalking you.”

  “You could have fooled me. It feels a lot like stalking.”

  “Okay, I’m trying to be your friend and make up for being a dick to you these past few years. That’s all it is. Honestly, friends.”

  She took a deep breath and sighed. “Let me grab my jacket.”

  He chuckled.

  Grabbing her jacket and keys, she quickly turned off the television and then made her way outside. His car waited in the drive.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Just a warning, some of these parties can get pretty rowdy, but I’ll protect you.”

  “Good to know.” She climbed into his car, knowing this was going to be the biggest mistake of her life.

  ****

  The drinks were flowing.

  Music playing so loud she couldn’t hear herself think.

  Couples making out.

  It was all happening.

  Blake put his arm around Leah to keep her close, not that he was worried about anything, but he wanted her to feel safe.

  They headed into the kitchen where John handed out beer. “It’s about time you showed up. All the hot babes are in the pool.”

  He glared at him and pulled Leah in close.

  “Oh, hi, Leah.”

  “Hey.”

  John offered them a beer.

  She took it.

  “That’s my cue to leave,” John said.

  “Wow, I’ve been at a party for less than five minutes and already he’s uncomfortable. Do you want to go see all the hot babes in the pool?”

  “Nah, there’s only one hot babe I want to see.” He took a drink of beer.

  “Do I need to take your car keys?”

  “I’m only having one beer,” he said. “I’ll have soda for the rest of the night.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  “Here, let me take your jacket. I’ll be back down in a minute.” He took her jacket and headed upstairs, adding to the pile on the bed. After making his way back down, he didn’t find her in the kitchen. He walked outside to where she stood at the edge of the pool, drinking a beer. John was talking to her.

  Closing the distance, he smiled at John, who smirked at him. “What are we all talking about?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” John and Leah said in unison.

  “I need to use the bathroom.” She put her beer down and as she walked away, he picked it up so no one could mess with it.

  Leah was new to the party scene and he had to keep her safe.

  “Dude, you’ve got it bad.”

  “Do you want to tell me what you two were talking about?” he asked.

  “Sure, we were talking about a science paper because we had nothing else to discuss. This is all awkward for everyone, her included. I get that she means a lot to you, man, but you’ve got to give up, or show her you mean business.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Go kiss her. Stop looking for excuses. What the fuck was it this week at lunch? I got the text where you wanted me to randomly dare her to kiss you.” John shook his head. “You need to get your head out of your ass. Bullying her was bullshit, but playing this part is even more so, and it’s so damn weird to watch. You’re a grown-ass man. You can be a gentleman and get your point across without being a dick. If you excuse me, I need a drink.”

  Blake still held Leah’s drink.

  Seconds later, she came out. Her long hair cascaded all around her face and her cheeks were a little flushed. She had a brand-new drink and she smiled when she saw him holding the same one in his hands.

  “You’re so sweet.”

  He had to make a choice. He’d been trying all week to figure out how to get her to kiss him, when the truth was he had to stop making up excuses. Closing the distance between them, he cupped her face.

  “Blake, what are you doing?”

  In answer, he slammed his lips down on hers, kissing her. He pressed their bodies close together, making her spill her drink, which wasn’t his intention, but it happened. Her hands went to his arms, and he paused for a split second to see if she was pushing him away.

  She wasn’t. Sinking his fingers into her hair, he tugged on the strands and she gasped, arching up.

  That was all it took for him to plunge his tongue into her mouth, tasting her. She met her tongue against his.

  She was everything he knew she’d be and even more.

  Nipping at her lips, he pulled away. Her eyes were a little closed, but he became aware of their audience.

  She opened her eyes, her cheeks going beet red. There was a slight frown on her face and he hoped she wasn’t thinking about the times he’d been a complete and total ass to her.

  “Let’s get out of here.” He took her hand, ignoring the spilled beer. Someone else could clean it up, and it wasn’t like it would be the worst mess to happen.

  He got to his car, opening up the door for her to slide inside.

  Once he was behind the wheel, he turned over the ignition and took off, heading to her house.

  She didn’t speak, and he had no way to fill the silence.

  His cock was rock-hard. That kiss had been everything.

  He wanted to take her lips again. The reality was by far
better than any daydream. Every now and then, he found himself glancing toward her. Her lips looked beautiful and plump, calling to him to kiss even more.

  Arriving at her house, he turned off the ignition and followed her up to her door. This was where he wasn’t going to push. He knew what he wanted, but he also didn’t want to scare her off.

  Shoving his hands into his back pocket, he watched her as she fumbled with her key.

  “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long,” he said.

  She sighed and turned toward him. “I don’t know what to do about this, Blake.”

  “Did you like the kiss?” he asked.

  “Yes, no, I mean, yes. Yes, I liked the kiss.”

  “Then what is the problem?” He didn’t see one.

  She laughed. “The problem is for as much as I liked that kiss and I really, really did, you still bullied me. You were still mean to me, and that, I can’t forgive.”

  “I told you why.”

  “It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference.” She pressed her lips together.

  “I will make it up to you.”

  “Blake, after graduation, I’m leaving here. I want to make a life and…”

  “I get it. I don’t fit into your life but, Leah, I’m good for you. I can prove it.” He stepped up to her, cupping her cheek. “And I know deep down, you don’t want me to stop fighting this, and I won’t.”

  Chapter Four

  For the next few weeks, Leah didn’t try to avoid Blake. There was no reason to. He was everywhere. Even though she didn’t feel the need to be in his company, she decided to see what would happen.

  The kisses were at a minimum. She hadn’t encouraged him to kiss her, nor did she have any plans for him to think it could go any further. It wouldn’t. She couldn’t help but be reminded of some of the horrible things he’d done, how he treated her when he kissed her. From the times he spread nasty rumors about her. Her personal favorite was saying she’d gotten some kind of weird rash. Then of course there were times he tried to make out she fancied people and would completely embarrass her.

  Lunchtimes were now spent by his side with his arm constantly around her. Not to mention the fact he’d driven her home from school until her car came back from the shop. He still tried to pick her up and kept arriving earlier each day just to make sure she didn’t disappear that morning.