The Pact: Rebels of Ridgecrest High (Book 1)

“Tonight’s the big game. How do you think you’ll do?” I ask Jace as he taps away to the beat of the old rock song he’s been listening to each morning. He seems nervous.

“We are gonna win, there isn’t a doubt.”

He looks over at me with that grin he wears. Each time I see it, it brings my mind back to that moment in his room, and heat flares all over my body. Fuck, I can’t keep thinking about that. It’s not gonna happen again. We’re friends now. That’s what I asked for. Nothing is gonna happen again.

His abs tensing as ropes of his cum hit them…oh, god, I have a problem. Or I’m really needing to rub one out, because fuck, I have sex on the brain.

Friends with benefits?

Oh, god, why does that even pop into my head? I can’t do that. Hell, with how much the three of them fought over the first kiss thing, I’m pretty sure having sex with one would blow up way worse than that.

Grady has artfully avoided me since that kiss in his car on Monday. I confronted him about it yesterday. He said he isn’t avoiding me, but we need to keep the kiss to ourselves. No telling anyone, he wants to be the one to tell him. If it comes up. That sounds fair enough to me. Jace has been amazing this week, and I don’t want anything to rock the boat. I have my best friend back.

Grady has been busy getting extra workouts in and studying heaps with Makai. He’s tutoring Grady in some of his classes. I’m failing Algebra already, and I’m tempted to ask if Makai will help me too.

The halls are alive with red as we enter the school. Girls run to Jace and giggle; cheerleaders are kinda annoying. But I press past them and ignore Jace calling out for me to wait up. He needs to address his fan club. I’m sure he’ll want to party with one of them later now that he’s single.

Britney hasn’t been taking their breakup well. Yesterday, she threw a tampon at me. It wasn’t used, so that was a good start. I shoved her slightly, and she fell over a trash can. It fell on her, and some of the garbage tipped out onto her. She screamed at the sight of a banana peel touching her leg.

I’m waiting for her to come at me harder now. I think the days of the PG version mean girl of Britney are over. So, I came prepared with extra clothes in my bag. I’ve been trying to think of what she might do next. I’m thinking a drink or something spilled on me. Or she takes my clothes while I’m in the shower after PE.

Either way, I’m prepared. But I’m not prepared for anything else, so I hope she doesn’t get too creative.

“Hey, Mila.”

I turn to see Hunter jogging toward me. A few girls call out his name as he passes them. He slings his arm around my shoulder and leads me to my locker. I can’t stop myself from breathing him in. He smells so good. Much better than his gym bag.

“So, you gonna cheer me on tonight? I’ll be looking for you up in the stands…wearing red.”

I hit his side playfully, and he fakes a painful groan.

Shaking my head, I laugh. “I’ll be cheering on the whole team. Not just you, Hunter.”

I get to my locker, and he leans against the one beside it as I open mine, pulling books out of my bag and placing them on the shelf.

“Hey, Hunter,” a girl practically purrs from behind me.

I know that voice—it’s Summer Waters.

“Yeah?” He sounds bored when he answers. His eyes are still on me, and my lip twitches.

“You going to the party after the game? It’s at Zack’s.”

Hunter grunts. “I know where it is, Summer. He’s my teammate, and it’s a football party. Are you going to be there?”

I spin to see her batting her lashes at him with a flirty smile. I roll my eyes. Come on, really? I find myself clenching my teeth. Who does she think she is?

But, deep down, a flare of jealously sparks. Even though he doesn’t seem interested, she doesn’t stop. I don’t want him with her. She isn’t good enough for him. No one is.

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting for you.” She reaches out to touch him, and he pulls away before she can make contact. She makes a sad sound, and I snort. Her eyes bore into me, and I try to cover my smile by looking away.

But Hunter catches my eye and grins. “You’re gonna be waiting a long time, because if you’re there, I’m not going.” I close my locker, and he swings his arm around me again. “I’m gonna be wherever Mila is.”

The look Summer gives me is a warning of what’s to come later. Thanks for painting an extra target on my back, Hunter. But I can handle her. Hell, she’s Britney’s best friend, and so far, their attempts to hurt or humiliate me have been so sad that I don’t think they understand how that looks on them.

He looks down at me with that stupid, sexy smile of his, showing off his perfect teeth. Summer stomps her foot and storms off.

“So, where are you gonna be tonight, Mila?” he asks.

I duck from under his arm and pull away. I turn, walking backward, watching his brow rise at the move.

“Home alone.”

He cocks his head.

“Not alone?” I ask.

He chuckles. “I will see you there.”

At lunch, I meet Roman outside where he’s been every day this week. Jace and Hunter sit with the other footballer players. They don’t ask me to sit with them or come out to sit with us. It’s like they know Roman needs his space, and he needs it with me. Like this is our private time, and I love it.

“Hey, what ya doing?” I ask as I pull up my ass beside his. I keep a small space between us, as I know he doesn’t like me touching him. And I don’t want to accidently touch him if I’m too close.

“Thinking,” he replies, looking up at the blue sky, squinting at the sunlight.

His hair drapes over his eyes and face as he turns to look at me. I smile, and the corner of his lip lifts. He pushes his hair back, and it falls down again.

I laugh. “Can I braid your hair?” I ask.

I’ve wanted to do it all week. He has an undercut that’s super short, but he keeps it long on top. I want to give him Viking braids. I think that would look hot on him. Plus, he has the cheekbones and jawline to pull that off. He has some blond stubble on his jaw today, like he didn’t shave this morning. I really want to run my finger along his skin and feel the short bristles, but I don’t.

“No,” he says in a monotone voice, but he doesn’t take his eyes from me.

“Please? It will help you play tonight if your hair isn’t in your face.”

“I tie it up for the game.”

I let out a huff and take a bite of my sandwich. I don’t speak, just sit here quietly while he eats beside me. I can feel him looking at me, but I don’t acknowledge it. I pretend to ignore him and take a sip of Coke.

“How does this braid work?” he asks, and I try hide my smile, but I can’t. I’ve found that when he says no, I just need to wait. He’ll change his mind.

“Well, I brought hair ties, so I can do three, and they’ll look really cool.” He appears skeptical, and I chuckle. “I promise they’ll make you look cool.”

He mutters under his breath, “I’m already cool.”

And I burst out laughing.

I love moments like this with Roman. I like that he’s letting me in a little. That he trusts me enough to talk to me. We’re still far from what we used to be, but slow steps are better than none. What’s that saying? Slow and steady wins the race. I’m going with that plan of attack with Roman.

“So, I can give you braids?”

He grunts and nods.

I’d been hoping he would say yes. I have a comb, spray bottle with water, hairspray, and hair ties in a bag sitting beside me. When I start to pull the items out, I hear him chuckle just a little to himself. Like he knew I was gonna get my way no matter what. The sound of his chuckle makes me feel like I’m floating on cloud nine.

I stand up behind him, and he stiffens. “I’m only gonna touch your hair,” I whisper, and I see the tension leave his shoulders. I start running the comb through his tangles and I snicker. “How often do you brush your hair?”

He shrugs.

It’s not too bad, but there are enough knots in there to make me think he only brushes it once a month. He grunts as I comb out all the tangles and knots.

I separate it into three parts, and I hum to myself. “Can you hold this?” When I place the comb in front of his face, he reaches up and takes it.

“Thanks.” I grab my spray bottle and wet his hair, making it damp and easy to braid. When I do mine, this is the easiest way.

I start with the first section in the middle, and it comes out perfect. “Yes, looking awesome,” I say more to myself then to Roman as I dance a little on the spot.

“How often do you braid people’s hair?” he asks as I gesture for the comb.

He hands it up to me, and I start on one of the side braids. “Never. But I promise I’m an expert.”

And that gets a deep chuckle out of him. A warm feeling bursts through me. I’m making him laugh, and I don’t have to do much for it.

It doesn’t take long before it’s all done, and I’m kind of sad. I love touching his hair, and the fact that he let me touch it makes my heart soar. I come around to his front and study my work.

Roman looks up at me, and I can’t wipe the smile from my face.

“Looks good?” he asks.

I clap my hands and nod. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I bring it up to take a photo. He doesn’t move or smile, but he doesn’t tell me I can’t take one. I snap a quick photo then show it to him.

He runs his hand over the braids as he peers at the photo. “They look fantastic, Mila.”

I giggle. “I told you I was an expert.”

He stands up and hands me my phone back. The bell rings as I look down at the photo. God, I wish he could see how handsome he is.

A large, warm body surrounds me, and I freeze. I turn my face and it snuggles…into Roman’s chest. My heart starts to race. He’s hugging me. I don’t know what to do. I want to hug him back, but I’m scared he’ll pull away if I touch him.

I slowly raise one of my hands and place it gently on his side. He lets out a deep breath. “Thank you,” he whispers low, and I smile into his chest.

“Thank you for being my guinea pig, Roman.”

He chuckles again as he pulls away. God, will I ever want to stop listening to his laugh? Unlikely. It’s so Roman.

“Anytime, Mila.” He smiles and walks off, leaving me to gather my thoughts and supplies.

I’m on a high when I meet Ella and Daniel outside their house. They’re taking me to the game tonight. I’m wearing the jersey Hunter gave me…after I washed it, of course. It isn’t like the one Jace had changed me into last Saturday; that one smelled like his cologne and him. Hunter’s smelled like feet.

Jace and Grady’s parents are the best. They greet me with huge hugs, and Ella kisses my head and calls me her long-lost daughter.

“We need to have you over for dinner next week, Mila. We’ve missed you so much,” Ella says from the front seat of the car.

Getting a lift with the Monteros is so much better than being stuck on a bus with a bunch of other students.

“Sounds great to me. Just tell me what day suits you both.”

“How does Monday sound to you? The boys finish at six, but I’ll be home just before to start dinner. You can come over, and we can talk about girl stuff, like makeup, clothes, and boys.”

I laugh at the way she says boys.

“Sounds perfect. I’ll come over early to help you.”

We sit together at the game. Since Sadie and Cadence still aren’t into football, just the players, I don’t have anyone else to sit with. But I’m grateful to have Ella and Daniel with me. They always treated me like I was their daughter, and they still do. Daniel makes sure we get to our seats before he takes off to buy us hot dogs and soda.

“The boys look great this year,” I hear someone tell Daniel as he takes a seat next to Ella. Another says the same thing, and I love the way he beams at the praise for his boys.

It’s true. They do look good. At football…football is what I meant. Yep, good at football.

I find the three of them on the field. I’d put my hair in pigtails, and I twirl the strands of one side through my fingers. I’d be lying if I said I’m not nervous. I want the boys to win so badly. I really believe I’m part of the reason they lost last week, and I don’t want to do that to them ever again. Especially now that we’re all friends again.

Plus, I know how much Jace needs a football scholarship. I assume Hunter won’t? His dad will probably send him somewhere big and pompous. Roman, I haven’t spoken to about it. But with how well he plays, he could get a scholarship. If he wants to go to college, that is.

Hunter looks up at me, and I smile. He found me in the sea of red. I wave down at him. He smirks, taps his chest, and kisses his fingers and points to me. I laugh and shake my head at him, my cheeks flushing.

“OMG, dork,” I mutter to myself. But the butterflies in my stomach tell me I liked that a little too much.

“Are you and Hunter a thing?” Ella asks from beside me.

Oh, God. She saw that?

I turn to her, my cheeks still warm. Shit, I’m blushing; that’s going to be hard to explain. I put a hand on my cheek and shake my head no, but I can’t wipe the smile off my face at what he just did. She raises her brows and gives me a knowing smile.

“No, no. Not a thing. Nope…not at all. I’m not seeing anyone.” I think I said no a little too many times in that sentence.

Not knowing what else to say, I turn back and look down at the guys again. It doesn’t help because, when I see the three of them standing together now, talking and laughing, my heart does a summersault.

I want them all. I want to kiss them, hug them, and have them ask how my day was. I want them to look at me like I’m the first and last person they think about every day.

Roman catches my eye, and the grin he gives me almost sets me on fire. I put my hand to my chest to stop my heart from leaping out and running down there to claim him as mine in front of everyone. Jace is slower to turn, and he winks over at me with a slow, sexy smirk that hits me low, deep in my belly. I’m wet, and my nipples are hard and achy.

Fuck.

Girls can’t be friends with guys. That’s al there is to it.

Sex is definitely getting in the way now. I have no idea how I’m going to handle this. I’ve resisted the flirty banter with Hunter all week. It’s been fun, and I might have gotten a little swept up in it because I wanted it. I don’t want him to stop and try it on someone else. I want all this attention; I want all of Jace’s and Roman’s too. I’m greedy, I know.

I’m excited that Hunter’s coming over to my place after the game. But I’d ended up inviting Roman and Jace too. Having them there would stop me from doing something I shouldn’t with Hunter.

But that’s a lie.

I want to do things—bad things—with all of them.