The Sinner: A High School Bully Romance (Haven Grace Prep Book 1) Read online

  “I’m sure you are.” I smirk and slip inside. “I need a couple empty bottles of vodka. You got some?”

  He looks confused, but goes over to his recycling bin and pulls out two. I take them from him and head to the sink, filling each one to the brim with water. My father is too drunk to know the difference anyway, and maybe it’ll hydrate him some. Knox watches my actions with amusement.

  “You don’t think he’s going to notice that’s not really alcohol?”

  “Nope. I could convince him sugar is cocaine right now. He’s too drunk to tell.”

  He nods. “Sounds like a party.”

  Not wanting to stay and make small talk, I make my way back toward the front door. “Thanks for the bottles, shithead.”

  “No problem, Princess.”

  It only takes a couple minutes to get back and as soon as I walk in, my father grabs the bottles from my hands. “See? You are good for something.”

  One of his friends looks me up and down. “I’m sure she’d be good for something else, too.”

  My dad laughs, despite the fact that this creep is hitting on his underage daughter. I ignore them completely and go straight to my room, locking the door behind me and barricading it with a chair against the knob, just in case those perverts get any sick ideas while I’m sleeping.

  I take the money out of my pocket and slip it in the envelope labeled “bills.” Then, I put headphones on and drown them out with the beautiful sound of Ed Sheeran. Placing my school-issued laptop on my bed, I place my fingers on the keys and get to work on my essay.

  THE NEXT MORNING, I’M already in a bad mood. My father and his idiotic friends managed to break a window last night, and there were two major altercations where bottles were shattered. Needless to say, I got practically no sleep at all.

  I’m quiet as Brady drives me to school, drifting in and out of sleep in the passenger seat. He tells me to have a good day, like a caring big brother, and I make my way into the building. When I get to my locker, Carter looks me up and down.

  “Late night with the boy toy?” he inquires, only half joking, but I don’t give him an answer. If they want to think that’s why I’m so exhausted, so be it. It’s better than the truth.

  The bell rings, but as I go to walk to class, Grayson steps in front of me, blocking my way. Some of our friends stop to wait, but he gives them a look that makes them all walk away. So much for loyalty.

  I watch him expectantly, too tired to argue, but he doesn’t say anything. Once the hallways are empty, he spins us and pins me to the lockers. My back slams against the cold, hard metal as his hand wraps around my neck.

  “Does your boyfriend know what a fucking liar you are?” he spits. The anger seeping out of him is evident as I pull at his wrist.

  “I’m not a liar, and I haven’t done anything to you. Get off me!”

  A low growl emits from the back of his throat. “Sweet Savi, always playing the victim.”

  “Don’t call me that.” I try to maintain my composure, but everything coming out of his mouth has the potential to break me. “If you don’t like me, fine. Just leave me alone.”

  He laughs darkly. “That’s the thing, I don’t just not like you. I despise you, and I’m going to make sure you know just how much.”

  Putting a little more pressure on my neck, he pushes himself away from me and walks toward the classroom, leaving me panting, and for the first time in my life, wondering if Grayson Hayworth has the potential to literally kill me.

  6

  Grayson

  I can feel Savannah’s eyes on me as I leave her standing there, scared and alone. To be honest, I may have gotten slightly carried away with the way I practically choked her before letting go, but I couldn’t help it. I thought she would at least have the decency to own what she did. Instead, she played innocent and pretended she had no idea what my problem is with her. It infuriated me.

  With more force than necessary, I pull the door open and step inside the classroom. Mr. Englewood’s eyebrows raise at my expression.

  “Nice of you to join us, Mr. Hayworth.” He gestures forward. “Take your seat so I can continue teaching.”

  I don’t bother answering him as I move to my desk and slip into it. Carter and Jace are watching me curiously, probably wondering where Savannah is, but Kinsley gives me a bright smile—one I return as best I can. If she wasn’t so fake all the time, and didn’t sleep with half the damn town, she would probably make a pretty good distraction from everything. Unfortunately for her, STDs aren’t on my wish list.

  A few minutes later, the door opens again and Sav walks in. She doesn’t dare look at me, let alone ask me to sit somewhere else. Instead, she walks straight up to Kinsley and stands in front of her desk.

  “Move,” Savannah demands.

  Her eyes widen. “What? Why?”

  “Because I said so. Go sit somewhere else or don’t show up for practice today.”

  She rolls her eyes but ultimately gets up. Savannah takes her seat with a smug look on her face, fist bumping Carter as he fails at controlling his laughter. I’m almost impressed with the way she’s managing to stay strong. I half expected her to cower to me, but maybe I underestimated her. She is definitely not the same shy girl I left behind. Then again, perhaps I never knew her at all.

  My mom and I pull up to the large gate, rolling down the window to speak to the guard.

  “Hello,” she says. “We’re here to see my husband.”

  “Inmate or corrections officer, ma’am?”

  She swallows. “Inmate.”

  He types a couple things into his computer before giving us directions and opening the gate. No matter how many times we come here, it never gets any less intimidating. As we walk into the building, we have to go through metal detectors, and they even search my mom’s purse. I can’t wait for the day my dad gets out of this place. Then he’ll be back home with us where he belongs.

  Sitting at the table, we wait until two guards bring my dad into the room. His wrists and ankles are shackled, connected to a belt around his waist. The orange jumpsuit is such a contrast to the suits he usually wears. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing him in here.

  “Hi guys!” He greets us excitedly. All I want to do is hug him, but we’re not allowed to touch. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  My mom gives him a sad smile. It’s hard to see how much this has broken her down. My parents have always been inseparable. To see them torn apart like this even makes my heart hurt. Still, I try to make it a point to enjoy these visits. They’re the only ones I get.

  “I missed you too, Dad! I’ve been playing with Tyson a lot lately.”

  He grins. “That’s great, bud. You and your cousin should be close. You’re family.”

  I nod. “I miss Savi though. Mommy said maybe next month she’ll take me to see her!”

  His happy expression drops right off his face, and his eyes narrow on my mother. “You said what?” His voice is a whisper, but you can hear the anger in his tone. “Grayson, there is something I need to tell you.”

  “Landon,” my mom warns. “He’s just a child. Don’t concern him with this.”

  “No,” he demands. “He needs to know.” His attention turns entirely to me. “Gray, buddy, you have to stay away from Savi and her dad.”

  My brows furrow in confusion. “What? Why? S-she’s my best friend.”

  “Because they’re not who you think they are. They’re dangerous. I don’t want you to get caught up in something that could get you in trouble.” It’s not nearly the explanation I was looking for, but his face shows his desperation. “You have to promise me you’ll stay away from them. I need you to promise.”

  My stomach churns with the thought of never seeing her again. For the past five years, Savannah has been everything. She’s the one I tell all my secrets to. The one who can cheer me up when I’m having a bad day. The one who gets my heart racing just by smiling at me. But as I’m sitting here, seeing the she
er terror in his eyes at the idea of me being anywhere near her, I can’t help but agree.

  “Okay, I promise.”

  The fact that I’m breaking the last promise I made to my dad weighs heavily on me. However, after finding what I did only a few months ago, I knew I had to come back. To let her get away with ruining my entire life is not something I’m willing to do. If it takes breaking a promise in order for Savannah to get what’s coming to her, then so be it.

  THE CAFETERIA IS CROWDED with students trying to get their lunch fast enough to be able to eat it. By the time I walk in, Savannah is already at the table with Carter, Jace, and Emma. I spot the seat next to her royal bitchness and smirk, making my way over and plopping my ass right next to her. The way her whole body tenses at my presence does not go unnoticed. Perfect. I want her to fear me.

  “Grayson, just the man I wanted to see.” Carter slaps my back. “Practice was moved from tomorrow to this afternoon. So, make sure you’re there.”

  “You got it.”

  Kinsley sits down across from me, looking at me like a heart-eyed emoji. Savannah follows her gaze to me then drops the pen she was holding onto the table.

  “Kins, be a doll and go get me a blackberry Snapple.”

  She gives her a disbelieving look. “I just sat down.”

  Savannah leans her elbows on the table and levels her with a look. “You’ll be sitting down plenty at practice if you don’t go get me a blackberry Snapple.” Kinsley sighs but gets up to do it anyway. “And don’t come back without one.”

  As soon as she walks away, Jace smirks. “Do they even sell that here?”

  “Nope,” she replies, popping the P for emphasis. “I had to get rid of that chick. She’s been getting on my last nerve lately.”

  He chuckles. “Not everyone can be flawlessly gorgeous with a killer personality, Sav.”

  “Flawlessly gorgeous, huh?”

  “Oh, come on. Don’t act like you don’t know it.” His fingers run through his hair, messing it up intentionally. “Whenever you decide to ditch that Brady fucker, just say the word, babe, and I’ll pick you up.”

  She laughs. “I may just take you up on that.”

  Unable to listen to their blatant flirting any longer, I subtly sneak my hand under the table and grip onto her thigh. She lets out a squeal as she jumps, and then smacks my wrist. Everyone looks confused, but I play it off perfectly. The conversation between Savannah and Jace is effectively ended, and if the way she lets my hand stay on her leg is any indication, that’s exactly how she wants it.

  The thought of Savannah being with any guy puts an uneasy feeling in my stomach. There was a point in time where she belonged to me, and swore it would stay that way. Now, she’s anything but mine.

  I know I shouldn’t want her. It’s bad enough that I’m here. To even be friends with her again would be a completely betrayal to my dad and not something I’m interested in. So, I force away the feelings that come alive when she’s near and chalk them up to teenage hormones and nostalgia.

  THE COACH HAS US running drills and practicing our throws. Personally, I liked practice better when Carter was in charge. All he did was had us scrimmage for a couple hours and run some plays out of the book. Today, however, we’re under different authority—which means drills.

  Running back and forth across the field is annoying, but nothing is worse than seeing the entire team basically undress Savannah with their eyes. A few of them don’t even try to hide it, whistling at her as she bends over to stretch. I clench my fist when I hear it, and it takes every ounce of restraint I have to keep from pounding their faces into the ground.

  “All right. Shirts versus skins,” Coach announces. “We’re going to run plays for the next half hour.”

  He calls out names to be on the skins’ team, including myself, Jace, and Wyatt—so we pull our shirts off and toss them onto the sidelines. We call tails on the coin toss, getting the ball first. As I listen to Coach tell me the play, I’m having trouble focusing. Savannah is on the sidelines, wearing her booty shorts and a tight-fitting tank top. It leaves practically nothing to the imagination, and I’m drowning in the thoughts of her skin and curves.

  “Hayworth!” Coach yells in my face. “Get your damn head in the game!”

  I roll my eyes as I jog over to the guys. After I repeat the play, we get into formation. I receive the ball from Wyatt and throw it down the field to Peyton. No part of me cares to watch how it plays out. I’m too focused on Savannah.

  It’s as if I can still feel the softness of her skin. The way her body fit against mine as I had her pressed up against the locker. If she was able to feel my heart racing in that moment, it would have given everything away—but God, she felt so damn good against me.

  It isn’t until Wyatt steps up beside me that I even acknowledge there are other people around.

  “Don’t even think about it, man. You’re wasting your time,” he tells me.

  I don’t turn away. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Savannah. I see the way you’re looking at her, but trust me. You don’t have a chance. She only dates college guys. Specifically, ones named Brady Laurence.”

  I chuckle and shake my head. “You’ve got me all wrong, man. I don’t want a chance with her.”

  “Dude, do you see her? She’s the hottest girl in school,” he deadpans, letting his eyes drift over to Sav. “Everyone wants one.”

  A mumbled groan of obscenities leaves my mouth as I walk away from him and down the field. It’s hard enough to deal with the fact that I’m feeling things for her I shouldn’t. Hell, every part of me should hate her with a burning passion, and most of me does. But there is still part of me that wants to throw myself at her feet and give her everything she’s ever wanted. I need to get this shit under control before it ruins me—before she ruins me. Again.

  I PULL UP TO my house, wanting nothing more than to go inside, take a shower, and climb into my bed. However, fate must have other plans for me, because just as I’m about to get out of my car, Justin walks out the front door. Every bit of frustration that has built up over the past few days boils inside of me. Slamming my car door shut, I storm up to him until I’m right up in his face.

  “The fuck are you doing here? Didn’t I tell your ass to stay away from her?” I don’t budge as he tries to push me back a little.

  “Your mother is a big girl. She can make her own choices.”

  I growl, ready to hit the prick. “Like hell she can. She proved that shit wrong when I had to knock your ass out as you tried to strangle her to death.”

  The smirk that graces his face tells me he would do it again if given the chance. “Yeah, well, clearly she doesn’t quite mind a little breath play. Your mom is quite the freak.”

  Without letting him get another word out, I swing my fist right into the side of his face, immediately knocking him off balance. “Don’t ever fucking talk to me about her like that again! Do you hear me?”

  “Watch it, Grayson.” He stretches out his jaw. “You’re eighteen now. There is nothing to keep me from kicking your ass.”

  I step toward him, once again leaving him with no personal space. “I’d love to see you try.”

  The door opens and my mother stands there, wide eyed and panicked. “What the hell is going on out here?”

  My hand pushes Justin down onto the lower step. “I’m just telling this prick to stay the fuck away from places he doesn’t belong.”

  “Grayson!” She hisses.

  “What? You know what—I’ll make this real fucking easy for you. It’s him or me, because I’m not just going to sit here and play happy family with him until he decides to try his hand at attempted murder again.”

  My mom glances between him and me, not saying a word. When I realize she isn’t going to answer, I shake my head.

  “Un-fucking-believable.”

  Ignoring the calls of my name, I get back into my car. My tires squeal against the pavement as I peel out o
f the driveway. That answer should be one of the simplest decisions of her life. What kind of mother would hesitate when needing to choose between her son or the man who almost took her life? All I know for sure, is that my father would be disgusted with who she’s become.

  I’M DRIVING AROUND, TRYING to kill time and calm down before I go back home. Since we moved back, I haven’t really gotten a chance to look around this place. So much has changed from what I remember. The restaurants have all either closed down or been renovated. The stores I remember going to have all been replaced, except for the big department stores. Even the playground I used to love has been torn down. It’s just another harsh reminder that nothing in my life will ever be the same as it was.

  As I pull down Main Street, a familiar Cadillac catches my eye. The same Haven Grace Prep sticker sits in the back window, making me sure it’s his car. Savannah’s boyfriend. Even thinking about him enrages me. She was supposed to be mine. She and I stood there in that stupid treehouse and promised that when we were old enough, we would get married. We may have only been nine at the time, but I’ve never meant something more in my life. And then she went and ruined it.

  I park my car and get out. It only takes a second before my eyes land on her. She’s moving gracefully across a dance studio floor. I lean against the hood and watch her through the large window. The way she throws herself into every movement, telling a story using only her body—it’s mesmerizing. She lifts her leg as she spins, completing so many rotations I’m getting dizzy just watching her, but she doesn’t seem to falter at all. She continues to move in ways that make me imagine myself pressed against her as her ass grinds into me, touching all the right places.

  Like the universe is playing some kind of sick joke on me, she’s suddenly not alone. Brady joins her and runs his hands over her shoulders. They move together in synchrony, but it’s clear everything he’s doing is meant to showcase her.