My phone pulls me from a dead sleep. Beeping over and over like a triggered car alarm, making my head thump painfully.
"Ugh," Jace groans, his grip tightening around my waist. "Turn it off."
Yeah, cause that's easy to do with his iron-strong arm holding me tightly against him.
Rolling my eyes, I try to wiggle free but the second I've gained any space between us, Jace pulls me right back. I giggle and squirm around.
"Stop that," he growls in my ear, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
"If you want me to turn off the alarm, you have to let me go."
"No."
Stubborn ass.
I try wiggling again but freeze when I feel Jace's morning wood pressing into my ass. A sly smile tips my lips and when I move around this time, I make sure to arch my back and grind against him.
His hand shoots out and grabs onto my hip. "Don't start what you can't finish, sweetheart."
"Who says I can't finish?" I ask, my voice already breathy and eager.
"Your alarm clock, that's who." He lets go and scoots away. "You got school."
I hate that he's right and worse of all, I hate going without him. Our first day at school as an official couple and Derek just had to fuck it up. Now I gotta go back in there without Jace and play nice with the asshole who's responsible.
This is not going to be an easy day.
Sighing heavily, I crawl out of bed and shut down the headache-inducing noise on my phone. I start getting ready for the day and by the time I'm fully dressed, Jace is rolling out of bed. He stretches and I pause halfway through brushing my hair, watching his muscles strain and flex.
Damn.
"You didn't get enough last night, baby?" Jace asks without looking at me.
My face heats up as I bite back a grin and continue brushing my hair. "Maybe...maybe not."
I'm pretty sure I'll never get enough of Jace. After we went to bed, we barely slept an hour or two before Jace was sliding between my legs and making me bite back every noise to keep from waking my mom. And if it wasn't for school, I'd be pushing him back into bed and climbing on top for more.
What has this guy done to me?
"So, what's the plan for the day?" Jace asks, picking his jeans up off the floor and sliding them on.
I shrug and start chewing the inside of my cheek, nerves already going crazy just thinking about it. "Gonna try and talk to Derek today. Caleb said..."
"Caleb?" Jace's head jerks in my direction. "When did you talk to Caleb?"
Shit. I didn't get a chance to talk to him about that last night.
"I went over his place last night. You guys said I should talk to him."
Jace grabs his shirt and walks over. "Yeah, but I didn't fucking mean alone. Why didn't Marcel go with you?"
"I told him not to," I mumble and turn back toward my mirror.
But when I look up, Jace's angry gaze stares back at me in the reflective glass. He closes the distance between us, keeping his eyes locked with mine as he crowds behind me.
"Tell me everything that happened."
I roll my eyes. "It's not a big deal. It was just Caleb."
"Alexis," he warns through gritted teeth.
Drawing in a deep breath, I try to avoid holding Jace's stern glare and start putting on a light layer of eyeliner. "I waited at his place for him to show up and when we got there, he was a little tipsy. So I took him inside..." A growl rumbles behind me but I resist the urge to give Jace my attention. "I made him something to eat and then we talked. Nothing happened. He confessed to helping Derek and apologized. Said he'd do whatever it takes to help us, and then I left. No harm. No foul."
As soon as I place my eyeliner back down, Jace spins me around and has me up against my dresser.
"This isn't a joke, Alexis." His dark blue eyes seem darker while also flaring with a deep heat that steals my breath away. "We may need his help but that doesn't mean you should fucking trust him. Being alone with him was a bad idea. What if something had happened? Especially with him fucking drinking?"
"Caleb wouldn't do anything to me."
Jace tilts his head to the side, his jaw twitching. "Just like he wouldn't scheme with Derek to stash drugs and weapons in our lockers?"
Sliding my arms around Jace's neck, I try to soothe him. "He tried to stop Derek, and he didn't know about the other guys being targeted."
The look on Jace's face says he doesn't completely believe that and maybe I'm being naive to take Caleb's word as the total truth. But I need to believe that the guy I've been friends with since elementary school is still there. The one that would never do anything to hurt me. Last night, talking with him in his kitchen, it felt like I had that guy back.
"So, he's gonna help?" Jace asks, his muscles tense like the mere idea of this goes against every instinct in his body.
"Yes. We have a plan."
Jace exhales slowly and cradles my face between his hands. The look in his ocean-deep eyes is tortured, filled with agony. "I need you to be careful. I can't be there if shit goes downhill."
This is killing him. Tearing at him from the inside out and I can feel each slice of pain as if it's my own. My strong protective guy isn't used to this, having his hands tied with no control. Helpless.
"I'll be careful." I nod and kiss him briefly. "I have an idea of how to get him to talk."
Jace's eyes narrow, his brows knitting tightly together. "And how's that?"
Seduction isn't going to work, not after Derek and I faced off yesterday. And playing dumb would only tip him off that something's going on. Which leaves me with one option.
"You're not gonna like it."
"Tell me," Jace growls.
I bite my lip, fighting to control my restless nerves. My stomach is already turning just thinking about it.
"I have to twist the truth a little."
Jace doesn't like my plan. He doesn't say it out loud but the way his eyes glaze over with a tense uneasiness is enough. But he keeps his lips sealed regarding the subject until it's time for us to part ways.
After a deep passionate kiss that shakes me to my core, his gravelly voice pleads with me once again. "Be careful, baby. Please."
"I will." I nod, knowing that if I'm not, it's more than just my ass on the line.
Forget tipping my hand to Derek or risking him retaliating against me. If this doesn't work, Jace and the guys will be kicked out of school. No graduation. Their whole year down the fucking drain. It's their futures at stake here, so screwing up is not an option. I have to be careful, for them.
Jace is reluctant to let me go, his hold on my tightening as he kisses me once more. Though it's me who ultimately has to step away.
I slide into my car at the same time Jace climbs on his bike, the two of us driving off in opposite directions. The further I drive, the more the storm raging in my gut grows. I'm positive I'm going to throw up before I even get the chance to talk to Derek. The words I'll have to say alone or enough to make me nauseous.
I don't like this plan. I downright fucking hate it. But like Jace, I understand the chances of anything else working are slim to none. I have to just suck it up and push all my anxiety down. If there's even a hint of uncertainty showing on the surface, this will all be for nothing.
The morning goes by uneventfully. Almost everyone is MIA except for Ava. And despite texting Caleb several times to go over the plan, I don't get a single response. I'm on the verge of saying 'fuck this' and searching out Derek myself during lunch when Caleb finally shows his face.
Walking in through the courtyard doors, Caleb walks straight towards Ava and me. His wide shoulders bunch and tense with each step while his head hangs low allowing his blonde hair to hang in his face. It's like watching a walking talking storm cloud approaching with one mission, to rain on me and me alone.
"Hey, Lex," Caleb says once he reaches our table, keeping his head down.
Ava sits up straight, her big brown eyes alert and cautious as she takes in the new addition to our table. When that same careful gaze turns to me, I can practically see the questions stirring in her mind. I haven't told anyone other than Jace that I spoke to Caleb, so her concern is warranted. But now is not the time or the place to explain.
With a simple tip of my chin and a steady stare, I try to silently convey to her that everything is okay. Her brows pinch together but she nods and goes back to eating as if Caleb isn't here.
"Where have you been?" I ask Caleb, dipping my head to try and see past his mask of golden strands.
As if sensing my prying, Caleb finally lifts his head with a sigh and reveals the swelling black and purple bruise around his left eye along with a wide split through his eyebrow.
"Holy shit, Caleb!" I jump out of my chair and grab his chin, tilting his face where I can get a better look. "What happened?"
"It's nothing."
"Bullshit." I let go of him and step back. "Was this Derek? Did he do this?"
He hesitates to make eye contact but once those forest green irises fall on me, I already know the answer.
"Son of a bitch."
"Relax," Caleb whispers as he looks around. "He's pissed about me bailing on the plan and thought he'd teach me a lesson. I could've taken him but I let him do it, make him think I feel guilty for letting him down."
I don't like this. Caleb didn't need to do that. He was only supposed to send Derek a text asking to meet up, not actually go talk to him on his own.
Blindly reaching out, I brush my fingertips over the gash on his eyebrow. "Caleb..."
"Don't." He grits his teeth and pulls away. "I'm fine, and it worked. Now he'll be less suspicious when I meet with him next period. Well...when we meet with him."
"Next period?" Ava quietly asks, her curiosity getting the best of her as she leans forward, resting her arms on the table.
"Yeah, in the boy's locker room. Coach Sims is taking his class on a run through the trail in the woods out back, so the gym and locker rooms will be empty for a while."
"And he'll never suspect it's me coming to talk to him considering it's the 'boy's' locker room," I add.
Caleb nods. "Exactly."
"You're going with her?" Ava asks Caleb, getting up from her seat to walk around to us.
Caleb watches her approach like a wounded animal but I get the feeling it's more of his guilt digging into him. He may not feel for Ava the way she wants him to, but he still cares about her, and the look on his face is enough for me to know that he's still beating himself up for hurting her.
"Yeah. I won't leave her side," Caleb answers, unable to look Ava in the eyes.
She gives him a curt nod, keeping her head held high.
The broken dynamics between the two of them pull at me deep down but I have to stay focussed. Get through this and then we can work on fixing our broken bonds.
"I don't get it though," I say, breaking down everything Caleb's said in my mind. "Why couldn't you just text him? Why let him do that to you?"
Caleb shrugs. "He blocked my number. To set all this up, I had to talk to him face to face this morning."
"You didn't have to do that. We could've tried something else."
Ava nods, agreeing with me.
With another, less convincing raise of his shoulders Caleb answers, "It's fine. I deserve worse for stabbing you in the back anyway."
I don't agree. He fucked up, yeah, but he didn't need to do this. It's too much. But before I can try to argue some more, Caleb steps back, already making a move to leave.
"Ten minutes after the bell, meet me outside the locker rooms."
I bite my tongue and nod, watching him turn and walk away with a stabbing pain in the center of my chest.
Next class, I do as Caleb said. I wait for the bell to ring and watch the clock. The second ten minutes tick by, I request a bathroom pass and exit the room. It doesn't take me long to reach the locker rooms on the first floor and I instantly breathe a sigh of relief when I see Caleb waiting in the hall for me.
"Is he in there?" I nod toward the door to the boy's room.
Caleb nods, every muscle in his body more rigid than earlier. "Yeah. He's there."
"You ready then?"
Caleb chews on his bottom lip as he side-eyes the entrance like it's the portal to hell. "You sure about this?"
There's no hesitancy in my answer because there's only one answer to give.
"Yes."
With a deep breath, he nods and pulls out his phone. I anxiously watch as he opens the voice recorder app he downloaded last night, hits record, and slips it back into his pocket.
"I don't know why I couldn't have just done this on my own," Caleb grumbles.
"Did he say anything this morning when he was giving you that black eye? Anything we could've used?"
He doesn't answer.
"That's what I thought. He doesn't trust you enough to say anything, not anymore. Fighting you is one thing, but throwing hands isn't a confession."
Caleb raises a brow at me. "And he'll trust you?"
He will. All I have to do is lie through my teeth and play the victim card, but Caleb doesn't know about that part. I didn't have the guts to tell him how I planned on getting the information I need, and I still don't.
Without answering him, I walk for the locker room door and push it open knowing Caleb's close behind me as he blows out another deep apprehensive breath.
The boy's locker room looks just like the girls; ugly beige walls, rows of sandy brown lockers with benches in front, and what looks like the shower and bathroom stalls towards the back. But there's no sign of Derek, just the gag-worthy stench of sweat and dirty socks.
"Where is he?" I ask, turning to Caleb.
Caleb opens his mouth to answer but quickly shuts it as someone clears their throat behind me. Spinning back around, my nerves start going haywire as I watch Derek step out from behind a line of lockers a few feet away.
"I knew I couldn't trust you," Derek sneers at Caleb.
It's weird how seeing the ugly inside someone can make them appear so different on the outside. I used to think Derek was good-looking, hot even, but after everything he's done, all I can see is the nasty self-righteous troll beneath the surface.
All I want to do is wrinkle my nose at him and turn away. Everything about him repulses me, especially when his cold glare falls on me and travels the length of my body. Yet I manage to hold it together, fight my body's natural reaction as best I can.
"It's not what you think," Caleb tells Derek, slowly stepping in front of me. "She just wants to talk to you."
Derek's eyes narrow to slits. "Is that right? Sure she's not here to attack me again?"
Caleb's back stiffens and I can imagine the look that must be on his face. Another bit of information I didn't tell him, though I wouldn't call shoving Derek against a locker as attacking him. Not exactly anyway.
Saving Caleb from having to come up with some excuse for my actions, I step out from behind him but don't make any moves to get closer to Derek. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
He gives me a cocky smirk like he doesn't believe I actually could anyway.
Want to find out, asshole?
"I...I wanted to say thank you."
Both boys turn to look at me with equal looks of confusion. But whereas Caleb's is more along the lines of 'what the hell are you doing?' Derek's is laced with disbelief and caution.
Clearing my throat, I try to continue, already feeling the burn in the back of my throat with each twisted word. "I know you set-up Jace and the others, and...I have to thank you for that. You really saved my ass, even if you don't believe me."
Crossing his arms, Derek leans against the lockers, his eyes searching my face for any trace of deception. His inspection makes my heart race and my stomach turn but I attempt to use that. Make my nervousness work in my favor to appear as the weak and broken girl I'm pretending to be.
"What kind of bullshit are you trying to pull, Lexi?" Derek asks as a bit of tension begins to leave his face.
He doesn't believe me, but he wants to.
"None. I swear."
Stone-faced, Caleb steps away and lets me take center stage but stays within distance for his phone to pick up every word.
"I had to go after you in the hall yesterday, and I'm sorry about that." I swallow the rancid taste filling my mouth. "People were watching. They needed to think I was pissed off about Jace getting arrested."
Derek tilts his head to the side. "But you're not?"
"Far from it. Like I said, you did me a favor."
He pushes off the lockers and steps forward. "Why?"
My stomach dives knowing what's coming next. Just the idea of what I have to say makes me want to throw up, forcing bile to rise in the back of my throat.
Don't show it, Lexi!
Swallowing again, I hold my stomach hoping it looks like the action of a powerless lamb rather than me holding myself together as I deliver the biggest lie of my life. "You were right about Jace. He's...not who I thought he was."
Caleb holds completely still but his eyes flick to me with a burning curiosity. Derek, on the other hand, actually manages a smug smile on his arrogant face.
"Go on." He nods, his chest puffing up with unearned bravado.
I open my mouth to continue but the words get stuck in my throat and my hands begin to shake. Crossing my arms helps to hide the tremors but I just can't get the damn words out.
It hurts too much.
Everything inside me is screaming at how wrong this is, how much it feels like I'm betraying Jace. Forget the fact he knows the plan and knows I won't let this get further than right here and right now. Saying such vile things about him just hurts too much. It feels like my chest is ripping open every time I attempt to speak.
"Well?" Derek raises a brow at me, his cocksure attitude slightly wavering.
Gritting my teeth, I go for option-B.
If I can't say it, I'll show it.
Stepping towards Derek, I grab the collar of my shirt and pull it to the side.
"Holy shit, Lex." Derek's jaw drops and his face pinches with disgust.
But he's not the only one in shock. Caleb holds his position off to the side, his face is a near mirror image of Derek's.
I don't want to feel ashamed. Deep down, I'm not. What Jace and I do in the bedroom is our business and feels fucking amazing. Besides, it's not like we're the only couple in the world who gets a little rough. But without Jace here to back me up, I can't help the way I shrink under their scrutiny.
Derek steps forward and reaches out to brush his fingertips over the bruised bite mark near my collarbone. The contact makes my skin crawl and without thinking, I flinch away. Luckily, Derek doesn't seem insulted. His eyes fill with pity and false understanding, seeing me as the victim I wanted him to.
My stomach rolls once again and this time when I feel like I'm about to vomit, I cover my mouth and fight it back down.
"You okay?" Caleb asks, finally stepping away from the wall.
I nod, still holding my mouth, and wait for the nausea to go away. I've never been comfortable with lying, but this is a new level. A sick and twisted kind of lie that's tearing me up on the inside and I haven't even said anything yet.
Derek clears his throat and scratches at his neck like he's lost. "So...he bit you?"
I nod. Not a lie, just not the right context.
"Has he done anything else?"
Do I want to push this trick that far? Is it really needed?
I shake my head and drop my gaze to the tiled floor. "No, but...there's been times when I thought..." I choke on the lie.
"It's okay, Lex." Derek nods and places a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to say it."
He looks genuinely concerned, and if this were a few months ago, I'd feel bad for lying to him like this. But he's crossed a line and to get his confession, I need him to let his guard down. Let him think I'm not a threat.
Drawing in a deep breath, I dig deep down to find my voice. "Like I said, I just wanted to thank you. At least now I don't have to walk around school terrified and pretending like everything's fine."
Derek's dark eyes narrow for a split second before falling on the bite mark, just barely peeking out from behind my collar now. Releasing a sigh, the look on his face softens and he gives me a small smile.
"You're welcome. I would've done more if I had known what was going on." His face strains like he's in physical pain as he looks at me with the first hint of guilt. "Shit, Lex, I could've gotten you in trouble too. That was your locker."
Got him.
A huge weight lifts from my shoulders as my lungs expand with a breath of relief, but I still have to play the part. I need to make it out of here without him knowing what's going on.
Shaking my head, I school my expression to hide my enthusiasm. "It's ok. You didn't know. I...I just hope he isn't coming back."
"He's not." Derek's lips tip to the side with a grin. "I double-checked the policy concerning drugs on school grounds before I did it. Made sure there's no way in hell they'll let him back here."
Asshole.
I attempt a smile before honest confusion plays across my face. "One question though."
Derek doesn't even bat an eye as he nods, happy to tell me whatever I want to know.
"Why go after the others?"
His smile drops, lips thinning, and I mentally curse myself for even asking. I should've just taken what I have and left.
But I need to clear all the guys.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Derek examines me again. The gears in his head mauling over my threat level and if it's safe to say anymore. As his body relaxes, I know he's made up his mind.
With a shrug of his shoulders, he simply says, "That was a favor for someone else."
💋____________________________________💋
Hey loves, happy early update! I didn't think I'd get to this until late tonight but had some extra time to finish it this morning. Anyway, how was it?
Think Jace is right to worry about Caleb? Do you think Caleb's trustworthy now or has redeemed himself? What did you think of Lexi's plan? Was it too much? Do you think they'll be able to pin everything on Derek now? And what do you think will happen next?
Let me know what you think in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button!
Sooooo, as I was writing this it kind of hit me that there might only be a couple more chapters left. I'm thinking two, but we'll see how it goes. Though I am dying to start book 2, especially after I was hit with some inspiration last night for the ending of book 1. How about all of you, are you excited for book 2?
AND.... KME hit 100k READS!!!!!!
As I said yesterday on my profile, I've only been writing and posting KME for 4 and a half months and I am stunned at all the love and support it's received in that time. You readers are awesome! Your comments, votes, and reads brighten my day and I hope you all stick around to enjoy the ending of KME as well as the sequel and many spinoffs after! Thank you all so much!!!😘
As usual, the teaser for chapter 47 will be posted on my Instagram and Twitter in a day or two. Keep an eye out for it!