Chapter 5

Shay-Lee

Ididn't want to be back at Bay High, and yet, being in the cafeteria, surrounded by my teammates I didn't give a flying fuck about, was much better than being in London with my father and Orson. But today, right before I headed to school, Dad called to inform me that he'd been forced to extend his stay abroad for a few more days. The news was a sweet way to start an even sweeter morning.

After returning home last night from the Venetian, I was pumped as fuck. The Black Gatto was all I could think about since the moment I laid eyes on him. I knew I was an obsessive freak, and fuck if he wasn't about to become my new obsession.

The Black Gatto made me hard. As simple and trivial as it may sound, it was a big deal. It wasn't that I didn't get hard. I did. Just never sober. Not wanting to get into why I couldn't get my dick to function like a normal man in his prime, I focused on how it had throbbed in my pants simply from being under his intense stare for a few minutes.

After telling Dion all his wishes were about to come true, he took me to a private room, where we fucked for hours. Sure, I didn't reach my climax sober, and at some point, we ran some lines, but it was still something. During my whole time with Jordan, which was hot, not once did I manage to finish clean. It always involved some heavy drinking or getting high. I knew Jordan noticed it, but he never questioned me. Not too much, anyway. My sweet Jordan was a bit of a pushover. It was why I liked him so much but also why I had no choice but to let him go.

"Yo, Rogers, check this out." Kamper, one of the idiots who stuck to me like glue, slapped my arm for attention. It worked because instead of thinking about the Black Gatto and how much I wanted to watch him again, my eyes focused on Miles, who'd just entered the cafeteria. He wasn't alone. Holding his hand was his boyfriend, Andrei, the son of a bitch who started this whole mess. Well, technically, I knew I was the bad guy in that story, but it was time to move forward. My jealousy of their relationship ended the minute Miles kicked me out. His words, forever engraved into my core, still pained me.

How can someone ever love somebody like you? You're a terrible human, Shay-Lee. Horrendous, truly. I'm shocked we've been friends for so long.

Every word he said was the harsh truth, crushing the illusion I had built for years. It hurt a lot, and I regretted everything I did that led me to that point. And yet, I did want to fix what I ruined because I missed him, and not just him. I missed sitting around their table for dinner, tanning by the pool with Elliot, and talking football with Daniel.

"Did you know he was coming back to school?" Kamper asked as I kept quiet.

After his mania episode that ended terribly with his suicide attempt, Miles took a break from school.

"I guess you didn't. After all, you're no longer besties." Kamper continued to speak like he had a clue, while I continued to ignore him.

We weren't friends anymore, but perhaps there was a chance I could fix it?

"Hey," I said, catching Miles by surprise as he was loading books into his locker. The moment he noticed me, he slammed it shut and turned around.

"Why are you talking to me?" he hissed, his eyes narrowed with hostility.

We used to be inseparable.

Not anymore.

Actually, this was the first time in weeks I'd stood so close to him. In fact, I remembered the last time clearly.

"What are you doing here?" Elliot asked as he opened the door, keeping his hand on the frame, making it very clear I wasn't welcome to come in.

"Elliot." My throat was dry. "I came to see Miles."

Tears welled in his eyes, and he bit back on his bottom lip before his sculpted jaw clenched with rage. A man who only knew love was looking at me with nothing but hate and contempt.

"You don't get to see my son, not anymore, not after what you have done." His accent thickened with the anger that flooded his words and made it harder to understand.

Trying to shut the door in my face, I moved quickly and stopped him by grabbing it.

"Please, just let me see him. Even just for a few minutes." I fought hard to keep the door open, all while watching the rage on his face grow.

"Pour qui tu te prends?" he asked as if I knew what he meant.

"I don't know what you're saying." I took a step closer. "But please don't slam the door in my face, please."

"That is my mistake," he hissed. "I should have slammed it in your face years ago when my Miles first brought you here."

"Papa?" We both stopped at the fragile sound of Miles's voice coming from inside the house, and I took advantage of Elliot's lost focus to step in.

"Miles." Throwing my arms around him, I held on to his body.

Pressing my head to his shoulder, I breathed his familiar scent in before stepping back and looking at him. Ignoring the shock written on his face, I focused on the fact that he was there, right before me, looking as normal as always.

I could finally breathe in relief.

He wasn't broken.

Unlike me, he was still in one piece.

Before realizing what was happening, I was yanked away from him. The sound of a slap echoed around the ample space, and the bruised skin on my cheek burned with disgrace.

"Get out of here," Elliot yelled. "Get out of my home, and never come here again."

Daniel, who I didn't notice even came in, held Elliot back while I stood in front of them, feeling more ashamed than ever before.

"Get out!" Elliot screamed again, but for some reason, my legs didn't move.

"We ask you to leave," Daniel said, his voice calm but unwelcoming. "And to never come here again." All three of them had their eyes on me, looking at me with disgust and contempt, and that was when I realized that my father was right. Apart from him, no one in this world could ever truly love a monster like me.

A wide smile crossed my face as I tried to hide my nerves from being this close to Miles. "I didn't know you were coming back today." That was a stupid thing to say because how would I know that? We weren't talking. The impatience on his face told me he thought the same. "How are you?" I asked, trying to sound cool.

His jaw tensed, and his brows pulled together as he remained silent.

"Miley?"

Shaking his head, he let out a strangled laugh that lasted less than a second. "You're joking, right?" He paused, took a step back, and clenched his hold around the strap of his bag. "Don't talk to me, just… don't." After making his point loud and clear, he turned on his heels and walked away.

What an epic failure.

Closing my eyes, I leaned against the locker and huffed some air. That went even worse than I thought, but I deserved it. After what I did to him and Andrei, I didn't deserve redemption. The shit I forced them to go through was fucked-up, and saying I acted the way I did out of desperation didn't make it right.

Someone's hurting me, so I hurt others in return. Some people used that excuse to legitimize their actions, but not me. I didn't see the point.

I was rotten. End of story.

Opening my eyes, I noticed the clock hanging on the wall. "Shit," I grunted after seeing the time and realizing I was late for my next class. Busy thinking about Miles and Elliot, I'd probably missed the bell.

"Thank you for joining us on this fine day, Mr. Rogers," said my English teacher, who, for the love of God, I couldn't remember her name, as I stepped in.

"The pleasure is all mine." I tried to charm her with a smile, which didn't work based on the irritated stare she just gave me.

"Please sit down so we can all continue with the class."

Looking around the full room, I smiled to myself. I almost forgot I took this class with Andrei and the rest of his group. Lucky for me, the only free chair was beside the mutt,aka Diesel.

"Mr. Rogers," the teacher said, urging me to move faster.

Irritated, I made my way between the tables until I reached my final destination and dropped my ass into the chair. To my left was a window, while to my right was Diesel, or should I say, the anger-issues maniac?

Glancing at him, I huffed. The man was always dressed in oversized clothes and long sleeves as if he had something to hide. I recalled that he had dressed that way that night of the party, when I caught him fucking Chloe and her stupid friend. We were in California, for fuck's sake. Why keep your skin covered?

"Lost something?" he hissed, his dark eyes looking at me with contempt.

"Nah." I gave him a cheeky smile and fluttered my eyelashes at him. "I was just repulsed by your taste in clothing." Well, that was a lie. Despite wearing baggy clothes, they were actually epic. If I weren't planning on pursuing a career in football, I would probably do something in fashion. I loved clothes, and even though I'd hate to admit it, the mutt had style.

"At least I don't look like a bitch." He sneered, his lips pulling into a dark smile.

I smirked and stretched back in my chair, making the cropped top I wore rise slightly higher and reveal another strip of my already exposed abs. "I would have to disagree with you. Crop tops look the best on dudes. And it just so happens to be a Ranieri, so piss off." Ranieri was one of the biggest fashion houses in the world. Thinking about the brand reminded me of Elliot, their leading model, and that soured my mood.

"Mr. Rogers, is there a reason you're not taking notes?" The teacher calling my name snapped my attention away from Diesel, and I looked back at her. Why was she so annoying?

"Why are you picking on me? What about him?" I pointed over at Diesel with my thumb, and in response, the jackass lifted a paper with words scribbled on it. Fucker. Now I really did sound like a whiney-ass bitch.

As the class continued and we dug deeper into The Stranger by Albert Camus, I eventually got fed up. Looking down at my open notebook, all I did was doodle an ugly cat. I tapped the paper with my pencil and gazed around the class. Two seats ahead of me was Andrei, taking notes like some nerd. From what I heard, the guy was actually smart. Beside him was Levi, who was sitting next to his boyfriend, Jessie. Yeah, by now, I knew all of their names and connections. Jordan was friends with those two, so I assumed they weren't that bad. In fact, I was pretty sure these guys were much better people than the group of trash I hung with. Maybe in another life, we could have gotten along? Who knows. Maybe in another life, I had a different father, and that father didn't have a devil for an assistant. Maybe in another life, I wouldn't have been born at all.

My line of thought was cut short when someone snatched the pencil from between my fingers, and I looked aside just in time to see Diesel snapping it in two before placing the broken pieces on my open notebook.

"All that tapping drives me nuts," he rasped, crossed his arms over his wide chest, and went back to staring at the board.

Holy shit, I think I got myself a bully.

I waited another minute, then poked his shoulder with the half pencil. "Hey," I whispered and was ignored. "Hey." I poked him again until he finally looked at me with death in his eyes. Watching him get so pissed off only stirred me more, and I grinned like a jackass. "Any chance you got a spare to lend me? Some jerk broke mine." I waved the half pencil in the air.

In response, he slammed his hand flat on the table. The loud smacking noise turned all eyes on us, including the teacher.

Shit.

"Mr. Rogers." Of course she'd say my name. "It appears you have trouble concentrating today, so please switch seats with Rachel."

Standing up, I looked at the girl in the first row she was referring to.

"Maybe next time, don't put me with the peasants to begin with," I muttered as I started to walk toward the front of the class, making sure to bump Diesel's shoulder on the way. That son of a bitch was barking up the wrong tree.

My ass had barely touched the seat when I heard the teacher speak.

"Mr. Gómez, sit back down. Mr. Gómez—"

Her words were cut off as I was yanked out of my chair and pushed back until I was thrown out of the class. My back hit the floor as I expelled all the air from my lungs, and the next thing I knew, Diesel was on me.

Here we go again…

Diesel

"Why am I not surprised to see the two of you in my office, yet again?" Mrs. Morrison, the school principal, asked from behind her desk.

Keeping quiet, neither of us answered her question. While I played with a toothpick, Blondie here was busy compressing his left eye with the ice pack the nurse gave him.

"I thought I made myself very clear the last time we spoke," she said.

A few months ago, when we had another small argument, she warned us to behave. Well, what can I say other than that the moment this rich brat looked down on me, I lost my temper.

"It was nothing," I grunted, and she raised her eyebrow at me.

"Nothing?" Her eyes darted to Shay-Lee. "You dragged him out of class only to punch him in the hall."

"I didn't want to disturb the class."

She gaped at me, the wrinkle around her mouth stretching, before she closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her narrow nose. It was hilarious to see her facial expressions after spending too much time at the plastic surgeon. Mostly, 'cause they all looked the fucking same.

"What do you have to say?" she asked, her attention on Shay-Lee.

Busy with my toothpick, I was ready for him to blame me when, instead, he asked an odd question.

"Will the school contact my father about this?" From how his words were barely spoken, it sounded like it was the last thing he wanted to happen. Why? Wasn't his daddy rich enough to get him out of shit like this?

"If it doesn't happen again, then no, we won't need to concern him with this matter. I'm sure your father is a very busy man."

Ignoring her pathetic kiss-assing to his dad, Shay-Lee bit on his full bottom lip before nodding. And did I just eye his plump, red lips? Yeah, I did, and I just did it again, but what could I say? He had pretty lips. Like, extremely pretty. Especially with the bruise I gave him.

"It's almost February," she started saying, snapping my attention away from his pink tongue, darting to lick the dry blood on the corner of his mouth. "Meaning we have about five months left until you're done with high school and move on to college. So, for the love of God, please make it easy for me not to have to expel you." With that being said, she pinned Shay-Lee with her eyes. "You are free to go, Mr. Rogers."

Nodding like a good kid, which was odd for him to do, he grabbed his bag from the floor and stood, not saying a word before leaving the room.

She waited until the door was closed, then got up from her seat behind the desk and took the chair beside me, making sure I'd face her as she crossed her legs. "What am I going to do with you?" Her tone was different from a few moments ago. Now, it was laced with something else. Crossing her legs again as if to make sure I noticed her red panties, she waited for my answer.

"What you normally do," I said, not even slightly interested, which only turned her on more.

The smile on her face grew bigger, and she stood, walked to the door, and locked it. The first time we did it was at the beginning of the year. She'd caught me smoking, and somehow, instead of scolding me, we ended up fucking in her car. Did I enjoy it? No. Did I do it again, anyway? Yes.

"Aren't you afraid to be caught fucking a student in your office?" I asked as she slid her hands underneath my shirt and moved them over my pecs.

"It's part of the thrill," she purred in my ear, causing me to roll my eyes. She had this whole false scenario in her head, thinking this was some sort of a forbidden romance. Well, it wasn't. I didn't give a flying fuck about her and her dirty, old fantasies.

As she continued to whisper all kinds of things she probably thought were turning me on, I counted the minutes for this chore to be over. I could only blame myself for being in this position, but at least it kept me in school. The only reason I didn't want to be expelled, as I should have been many times already, was Chief. He wanted all four of us to graduate so badly, and a small part of me didn't want to disappoint the man. Why? Because I knew respect, and respecting his one demand from us was the least I could do to pay him back after giving me a place to live for the past few years.

As she moved to her knees between my spread legs and pulled out my cock, all I could think about was Shay-Lee's reaction before he left, his weird question about his dad and how his body froze with tension until he got his answer. I kept thinking about him the whole time I was getting my dick sucked and long after it.