Page 49 of Charming Cruel Boys

Theweekshavezoomedby, and now we’re midway through October. My favorite month with my favorite holiday. I love fall, and October is perfect. September in Mountain Ridge is still too hot to wear flannels and boots. November is a bit chilly for an evening stroll. But October is just right. Cute clothes, hot cocos, beautiful reds and oranges everywhere you look. And don’t even get me started on Halloween.

Becoming anyone you want for a night? It’s like a dream. One night a year, I can shed away my life and leave everything behind. My dad’s cruel words and tight grip. The combined stress and heartbreak and elation that I feel regarding my boys.My boys.

Speaking of, things with them have been... swell.Does that word make me sound like someone from the nineteen-thirties?Oh well. I’ve been playing around with new words lately. I’ve been spending my free time applying to colleges, and I’m getting really freaking pumped about going after my dream job. One day, I’ll be Executive Publisher at some big-name company. First, though, is conquering a double-major in Business and English.

But back to the twins.

Duke and I have grown really close over the last few weeks, spending lazy afternoons getting frozen yogurt or sneaking out to Lover’s Lane.A lot. Any second we can spare, we’re together and we’re happy, and it’s like that year apart never happened. When we’re not together, he’s writing a ridiculous amount of new songs and practicing for the senior concert in May. He’s been busy with that so I hardly see him around the house anymore, but he makes it up to me whenever he can.

Knight and I work on calculus a couple of evenings a week. Let me fucking tell you, it is torture. Last week, Knight waltzed into my room after football practice, fresh out of a shower, shirtless and slightly damp. And holy fucking mother of god, I could have had an orgasm on the spot. Ijustmanaged not to make a fool of myself. Barely. I had an embarrassingly detailed and vivid wet dream when I went to sleep.

Now I can’t even look at him without thinking about the dirty words he’d whispered in my ear when he was thrusting into me.It’s was a dream, Remi.The amount of times I’ve had to remind myself of that is really sad. You’d think I’m not already getting laid regularly by a guy who actually loves and adores me.

It’s Saturday night and I’m going to dinner with Sara and George, hoping they can distract me from my spiraling thoughts for a few hours. George complained about having to spend any of his time with Sara, but I bitched him out and now he’ll sulk through the whole thing just to be there for me.

Sara texts to tell me she’ll be over in twenty minutes and then we’ll go pick up George. I make my way downstairs and wait in the kitchen, munching on some homemade cookies that Rose baked yesterday. She’s not a pro in the kitchen yet, but I’ve taught her a few skills, and she can do the basics really well now. It makes me really proud whenever she leaves snacks out with a note saying she made it herself.

“You look good,” Duke says and I turn with half a cookie shoved in mouth as him and Knight walk in.

“Thanks,” I say with an awkward smile after chewing and swallowing. He’s been weird around the house lately whenever I do see him. I don’t know what’s going on. He gives me all the affection at school and fucks me out of my mind whenever we can slip away in my car, but here, it’s like he doesn’t want to get too close. Even when we’re home alone and there’s zero chance of my father catching us. I glare at Knight, convinced it’s his doing.

“Where the hell are you going dressed like that?” Knight snarls, giving me a once-over. I’m wearing black leggings, a muted blue crop top, and a black jean jacket with my hair up in a ponytail.

I shrug and give him my back. “None of your damn business,” I say lightly.

Knight grabs my arm and spins me around to face him again. He’s far too close, and the spice of his cologne makes my knees weak. Damn him for smelling so good. “Unless Duke is taking you out, which I know for a fact he isn’t, there’s no reason to wear shit like that. Go change.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” I bite back. Knight can go fuck a blender if he thinks he can order me around. Maybe if Duke,my boyfriend, was uncomfortable with my outfit and brought it up nicely, I’d change. Knight snarling at me like a fucking caveman? Uh no, I’m not here for that. I glance at Duke over Knight’s shoulder, hoping he’ll help me out. He gives me an apologetic look and wanders to the fridge instead.Traitor.

“Your stomach is showing and I can practically see your panties through those leggings,” Knight argues, skimming a finger along the sliver of exposed skin between my leggings and shirt.

I shudder from the touch even as my anger flares. Before I can tell him to go fuck himself, though, Rose and my dad walk in, and Knight backs away from me so fast, I swear he’s got superpowers.

“Hi, sweetheart. Don’t you look cute,” Rose says with a loving smile that melts my abused heart. “Going out tonight?”

I give Knight a sarcastic smile before turning to his mom. “Thank you, Rose. Sara, George, and I are grabbing a bite to eat downtown.”

My dad steps closer and glances between Knight and I. “There a reason why you had your hands on my daughter?” he asks Knight, his voice deathly calm.

“Dad, it’s fine, he was—“

“It’s not fine!” he barks, and I snap my mouth shut. “I didn’t realize moving them in would be such a problem for you. Maybe if you spent more time studying and less time trying to get attention, I wouldn’t have to worry, but since your calculus grade is shit and you dress like a whore, I—“

“Charles!” Rose snaps, making my stomach churn with nerves. She walks over and places herself slightly in front of me, holding herself with unwavering strength. “Remi looks perfectly fine. The boys aren’t doing anything nefarious. What is the problem?”

He snarls at her like he wants to rip her head clean off. “Don’t ever interrupt me again, or you’ll get acquainted with the back of my hand.” She visibly cowers and then he swings his cold eyes back to me. “I expect better from you. Tell your friends you’re not going out and then go work on math. If you can’t bring that class up to an A before winter break, you’ll be incredibly sorry.”

Knight grunts, and I turn enough to see Duke holding his arm in a vice-like grip, both of them glaring daggers at my dad. I nod and mumble, “Yes, sir,” and then slink back to my room before my embarrassment kills me. I despise that man and the way he speaks to me, but it’s especially bad when it’s in front of other people. Nothing makes me feel smaller and more worthless than having people watch me cower from someone who’s supposed to love me.

***

A couple hours later, I’m sitting in bed, staring numbly at my schoolwork when Knight pokes his head in.

“Hey,” he says gently, moving into my room and sitting on the bed. He takes my worksheet out of my hand and gives it a look. Grabbing my pencil, he goes over my answers and marks things up while I watch him. I’m too tired to do anything else. Handing it back to me, he says, “You’re getting better. You got the answers right, you’re just doing it wrong.”

I huff out a breath and slouch down. My eyes feel like sandpaper from staring at textbooks and math equations all night and my brain feels fried to a crisp. “If I’m getting it right, it shouldn’t matter.”

He chuckles. “I agree, but Mr. Maxwell wants to see that you can do the new formula and still reach the same answer. You’re going to have to figure it out.”

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