Author: L A Cotton
Category: Contemporary
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/l-a-cotton/page,3,592781-tragic_lies_a_forbidden_age-gap_romance_rixon_high.html
“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Laughter rumbled in my chest, as I changed the angle on the target.
“What about you anyway? Everyone’s calling you a hero.”
“Yeah, well, I wish they’d stop.” I swallowed over the giant fucking lump in my throat.
“Can I ask you something…?” Kaiden’s look was pensive.
“Sure, kid.”
“Do you think it was an accident?”
“Peyton says it was.” The hand rubbing my jaw masked my expression. Or at least, I hoped it did. I didn’t want to get into this with him, or anyone for that matter. Peyton was alive. She was going to be okay and get the help she needed. Accident or no accident, it was done.
But as I said the words, something deep inside me twisted. Because I wasn’t sure what I’d seen that night. All I knew was I’d dragged a barely conscious girl from the icy depths of the Susquehanna River and watched as the ambulance carted her off to Rixon General. A girl who, by all accounts, had always been so vibrant and full of life.
“Yeah, but what do you think?” Kaiden stared at me as if I had all the answers.
But even if I did, it wasn’t any of my business.
And I had no plans of getting involved.
Chapter Three
Peyton
“There she is.” My friend Bryan bounced over to us, pulling me into a bear hug. “I’ve been worried about you, Myers,” he whispered, and I gently eased back to meet his crinkled expression.
“I’m fine.”
“Really?” His brow arched. “Because I—”
“Yo, dude, give the girl some room,” his friend Gav nudged him back. They played on the team with Kaiden, and it’s how we’d fallen into this weird friendship. Well, me and Bryan at least. “It’s good to see you back, Peyton.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t like the way they were all watching me. Sympathetic stares glittering with pity.
“Guys, stop.” I yanked open my locker and stuck my head inside, grateful for the reprieve. If I would’ve known how weird they would all act, I probably would have had second thoughts about coming back today.
But there was no going back now.
I was Peyton Myers. I didn’t cower or hide from anyone, and I wasn’t about to start now. Even if everyone was throwing discreet looks in my direction as if I was an exhibit in a zoo. I knew rumors were flying around school. I’d heard at least five of them just on the walk into the building.
Apparently, she was skinny-dipping drunk.
She was wandering drunk along the river and fell in.
I heard she got pushed.
Rixon High was a melting pot of gossip and my name was the word on everyone’s lips.
Of course I’d heard those rumors too—the ones that talked about me trying to kill myself. But I let them roll off my back. It was an accident. A spur of the moment mistake.
That’s all.
“Peyton?” Lily’s voice yanked me back into the moment.
“Huh, yeah?”
“I asked if you’re ready to go to class?”
“Yeah, of course.” I grabbed a couple of textbooks and slammed my locker shut, the sound reverberating through me.
“See you at lunch?” Bryan asked, his eyes lingering a little too long.
Bryan Hughes was a good guy, but he was a mistake I didn’t plan on making again. We hooked up a couple of times. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but he’d worn me down with his charm and goofy humor. And besides, I liked sex.
Or at least, I did… before.
Now, I just felt numb. Like my insides had been yanked out of my body, ground through a meat processor, and then shoved back in. My heart was a shredded ball of flesh in my chest, barely beating.
Not how I ever saw my senior year going.
But I’d been thinking about things a lot over the last few days. I turned eighteen in just a few weeks. Christmas Eve, in fact. I’d walk into the new year as an adult. An adult with no home, no family, and no real plans for the future.
My job at Cindy’s Grill gave me enough money to help the Fords with their weekly groceries and a couple of smaller bills, but it wasn’t enough to save for college or a security deposit on an apartment. Graduation was still another six months away. Six months in which I could be earning better money. I could pick up more hours at Cindy’s or try to get a few hours at one of the various stores downtown.
But I really didn’t want to drop out of high school. Getting my diploma was key to getting better employment or maybe even taking some community college courses.
I needed a plan and fast. But I was exhausted. Weary and numb. Plans could wait, at least for today.
“Yeah,” I whispered, giving him a weak smile. Bryan was a good guy. Funny and loyal, he had a bright future ahead of him playing football at Michigan. He was perfect boyfriend material without a doubt.
There was just one huge problem…
Giving my heart to someone, that definitely wasn’t part of any plan I had.
“Psst,” Bryan whisper-hissed while Mr. Keefer scribbled some algebra on the board.
“What?” I mouthed over at him.
“Want to come over tonight and hang? My parents are out of town.”
“I don’t—”
“Ssh.”
We both turned to find Carrie-Anne Trombley glaring at us. Bryan flashed her a blinding smile and whispered, “Jealous, Caz?”
“Please don’t call me that.” She glowered, but I caught a subtle hitch in her voice.
Interesting.
Did prim and proper bookworm Carrie-Anne have a crush on Bryan? He was everything she despised. Jock. Goofball. All round cocky athlete who paid more attention on the football field than he did in the classroom.
“You love it,” he chuckled.
“Something you’d like to share with the class, Mr. Hughes?” The teacher turned his attention to our corner of the room.
“No, sir. Just giving the ladies what they want.”
A round of snickers broke out around us, and Carrie-Anne grumbled, dropping her head onto her arms. The girl needed to relax; she was wound tighter than a drum.
“Okay, okay, settle down.” Mr. Keefer rolled his eyes. “And perhaps try the art of silent seduction from now on.”
I smothered the laughter bubbling in my chest. God, it felt good to laugh. But the second I realized it, the feeling evaporated.
The back-and-forth emotions were exhausting.
As soon as Mr. Keefer was done explaining the equation, he sat down and left us to solve some problems. I went through the motions working out each answer.
“Psst, Pey, can you help me?”
“Bryan!” I shook my head.
“What about you, Caz?” He turned his attention to her, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as she blushed.
“No, I’m not helping you. It’s bad enough we got paired together in English.”
“Hey, I’m a great partner.”
She snorted at that. “Whatever, Bryan. Do your own work.”
“Jeez, someone needs to get laid.”
Carrie-Anne gasped, kicking his chair. “Asshole.”
He went to speak, but I leaned over and pinched his arm. “Bryan…” I warned.
“What?” He mouthed around a knowing smile. He knew he pushed her buttons, but did he like it?
Did he like her?
I didn’t know how to feel about that.
I didn’t want to be with Bryan, but we’d had sex and I liked his company. His parents owned this huge house across the river. They had an indoor pool and home theater. It was pretty amazing.
I’d grown up in a trailer until we’d finally moved to a small house downtown, the summer before I started Rixon High. We’d barely had a yard let alone a pool. We’d had a revolving door of men though.
“So, tonight… you in?” Bryan grinned, and my expression softened. He was a hard guy to say no to.
“Fine, I’ll see what Lily and Ashleigh want t
o do.”
At least if we all went to Bryan’s it would keep my mind occupied. I’d wanted to go back to work, but Cindy had insisted I take the week off.
“Yes.” His brows shot up with excitement. “I’ll make it worth your while.” He winked and I rolled my eyes again, but I couldn’t deny his whole ‘treat Peyton like nothing bad happened’ routine was working for me. I didn’t want to keep rehashing that night or talking about my mom. I wanted to put it firmly in the past where it belonged.
And figure out what the hell I was going to do with my life.
“So are we going to talk about the fact you and Bryan are basically FWBs, or we are still pretending that isn’t a thing?” Ashleigh said as she drove us across the river.
Mrs. Ford had been reluctant to let us go, but as Lily reminded her, she and Ashleigh were eighteen now. And Bryan was Kaiden’s best friend. Felicity loved Kaiden. I didn’t blame her. He had pulled Lily out of her shell and given her the confidence to live her life unapologetically. We all loved him for it. Even her dad; not that he would ever admit it.
“FWBs?” Lily asked, glancing back at me.
“Friends-with-benefits.”
“But you’re not, right…?” She frowned. “I mean, it happened like, twice.”
Ashleigh snorted, and I slammed my palm against her headrest. “You promised.”
“Promised? There was a promise?” Hurt flashed over Lily’s face. “But you said—”
“It’s not a big deal,” I said. “We hooked up a few times.”
“Define few.” She gave me a pointed look.
“He picked me up from Cindy’s a few times and we… you know.” I shrugged because it wasn’t a big deal.
At least, not to me.
“Oh wow, I really don’t know what to say to that. My best friend has an FWB, and she didn’t think to mention it.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I repeated.
“So why did you keep it a secret? Although not a secret from everyone apparently.” Her eyes slid to Ashleigh.
“I found out. She didn’t tell me.”
“Can everyone just calm down a second?” I huffed. “I didn’t tell anyone because I knew you’d all make a big deal about it. I don’t like Bryan like that; I don’t. But he’s nice and he makes me feel good and he gets it.”
“Gets what?” Lily’s expression softened.
“That I can’t be with him.”
“But why? You just said it yourself. He’s nice and makes you feel good.”
“I just can’t…”
“Oh, Pey.” She reached between the seats to grab my hand. “You deserve to be happy.”
Happy, yes. But most relationships didn’t end happily. They ended in heartache.
It’s why I kept my distance and didn’t let anyone get too close. I could do sex. Sex was a transaction; a simple case of give and take. But catching feelings… that was a dangerous thing.
Ashleigh turned onto Bryan’s winding driveway. His house always took my breath away. Since ninth grade, I’d grown up with Lily and Ashleigh and their beautiful homes and generous parents, worlds away from my own life. But there was something different about coming here. Bryan liked me. I knew that. Felt it every time he set his ocean eyes in my direction. It was just another thing setting us apart though. His family was rich. Really freaking rich, and my family was… gone, leaving me behind with nothing. I guess deep down, I didn’t want people to think I was using Bryan. The way I knew some people thought I used the Fords.
A trail of shame snaked through me.
“What is it?” Lily asked, studying me.
“Nothing,” I said, averting my eyes. “It’s just been a hard few days.”
It wasn’t a total lie.
“I know. But we’re all so proud of how you’ve handled everything. You’re amazing, Peyton. I hope you know that.”
I appreciated her kind words, but I didn’t feel very amazing. I felt numb; worn down by people’s pity and words of sympathy. I’d never lost anyone before, except my sperm donor, and I could barely remember him. It wasn’t the same. But losing my mom, no matter how much of a waster she was, felt like losing a small piece of myself.
The car ground to a halt and we all climbed out, but my best friends didn’t take the shuddering breath I did, letting my mask slide into place.
The front door opened, and Bryan grinned at the sight of us approaching. “Ladies, welcome to Chez Hughes.”
Ashleigh snickered, ducking inside. Lily went next, leaving the two of us.
“Myers,” he said in that thick, lilting rasp of his.
“Hughes,” I quipped, the faintest smirk tugging the corner of my mouth.
But then his smile melted away, replaced with blistering concern. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I really don’t.”
“Yeah, okay.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “But I want you to know I’m sorry, babe.” Bryan opened his arms. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
I fell into his embrace, soaking up his comfort. His strong arms like a blanket wrapped around me. My fingers twisted in his t-shirt as I swallowed down the unrelenting rush of emotion trying to claw its way up my throat.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He gently eased me back and stared down at me. “Whatever you need, I’m here, you feel me?”
I nodded, too choked up to reply.
“Come on, I already loaded a movie and there’s popcorn.”
This. This was why I liked Bryan. He made everything so easy. It was impossible not to be swept up in his charm.
He tucked me into his side and guided me down the hall to our friends, but the second we found them in the home theater room, he released me. I loosened a breath and his eyes slid to mine, a smile there.
“Go,” he flicked his gaze to the huge sectional, “get comfortable.”
Lily and Kaiden were already curled up on the smaller couch, lost in their own little world as he whispered sweet nothings to her.
My chest cinched.
“Peyton.” Gav gave me a small nod.
“Hey.”
He went back to his conversation with Ashleigh. The two of them seemed to gravitate toward one another whenever the six of us hung out, but he didn’t show any interest in her. I wondered if it was because he knew her interest was elsewhere.
Not that she’d ever admit it.
Folding my legs beneath me, I pulled the soft blanket off the back of the couch and over my body. Bryan pulled a small coffee table over and planted a tub of popcorn on it and my favorite soda.
“Milady.” He flashed me a blinding smile.
“You’re such a goofball.”
“Yeah, but you love me.”
Guilt ploughed through me. I liked him. I liked him a lot… but I didn’t… I couldn’t…
My face must have said it all, because Bryan let out a thin breath as he settled beside me, remote in hand. “It was a joke,” he said. “I was joking, babe.”
“I know.” I didn’t meet his piercing gaze.
“Are you all set for Friday?” Ashleigh asked.
“Hell, yeah.” Bryan puffed out his chest. “That championship is ours. Right, Thatch?” He glanced over at Lily and Kaiden who managed to tear their lips off one another. She buried her face into his shoulder, blushing.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Jeez, man, don’t sound too enthusiastic.”
“Bry,” Gav warned with a little shake of his head.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Bryan added. “We’re stronger than ever and we’re thirsty for it. The whole team is. Besides, the girls will be there to cheer us on, right?” He looked over at me and winked. “Our very own lucky charms.”
“He’s got a point,” Kaiden said to Lily, brushing his nose along hers. Intimately. “With you in the crowd, wearing my number…” His eyes darkened as he leaned in whispering something to her, and only her.
“Get a room,” Bryan mumbled, hitting the remote a
nd dimming the lights. The screen lit up and the opening credits started to roll.
“Hey,” he whispered, and I mouthed, “What?”
“You are coming to the game, right? I missed you last weekend.”
“I guess.” My shoulders lifted in a small shrug. Lily and Ashleigh’s entire family would be there to support Jason and the team. I always went with them, but I’d stayed at the house for the opening game of the playoffs, too weak and upset to attend. Now I was able to go, something felt different.
And not only because I was a part of their family now.
Chapter Four
Xander
I lived for this time of night. The silence. The stillness. A canvas of stars twinkling against the inky night.
My mom had told me once, when I was just a young boy scared of what the future held, that whenever I was afraid, whenever things felt too much for my little mind to process, all I had to do was look to the sky and wish upon a star and she would be with me.
I didn’t remember much about her, but I remembered that.
As I sat on the embankment of the river, staring up at the night’s sky, I felt her.
I always did.
Maybe it was the three glasses of whiskey I had before heading down here, or maybe it was all the shit floating around in my head, but being out here, under the vastness of the stars, I felt her.
“Hi, Mom,” I gritted out. Her name, a bittersweet taste on my tongue.
If anyone could see me now, they’d think I’d lost it, sitting here, talking to the silence. Staring at the sky like it held all the answers.
I couldn’t explain it, had long given up trying… but the hole in my chest left by her, by my father, felt that little bit smaller when I was out here.
It was late, past midnight. I expected to see the odd jogger or dog walker. I didn’t expect to see the flash of blonde out the corner of my eye.
“Xander?” Peyton croaked. Hands stuffed in her hoodie pocket, she blended with the shadows save for the golden braid hanging loosely over one shoulder.
“What the fuck are you doing out here?”