The Pact: Rebels of Ridgecrest High (Book 1)

It’s now midnight, and Dad text me to say he’s so sorry, but he’s still stuck there. I tell him it’s okay because I’m heading to bed. But how can I when there’s a party outside my window?

I peer out, trying to see if I can spot Grady. Going over to say hi would give me an excuse to be there, since Jace had decided to be an asshole and not invite me. But can I really blame him? I haven’t seen Hunter or Roman anywhere.

I’ve looked them up on social media, but Roman doesn’t have an account. Or, if he does, it’s super private. Hunter and Jace do.

Hunter looks good, like I wanna lick his abs kind of good. He was always cute, but now he has filled out, and the grown-up version of his wicked grin is more than a little enticing. Girls likely throw themselves at him with very little effort on his part.

Jace looks hot too, but after the cold welcome he gave me earlier, he isn’t as appealing. Hot assholes don’t do it for me. If they did, Malcolm Junior would make my knees weak, even though he’s my stepbrother. But, nope, he’s just an asshole.

The music grows louder. It’s as if they’re taunting me. Fuck this. Fuck Jace.

Throwing my sheet off, I roll out of bed. My bare feet hit the carpet, and I jump up and down on the spot, punching the air a few times. “Fuck Jace.”

I search my closet for something appropriate, since I don’t have everything here. Mom said she would ship the rest to me. Yeah, right. She would rather burn my belongings than let me have them.

I pull out my short jean shorts—they hug my ass in all the right places—and a deep purple V-neck tee that clings to my curves. I might not have grown taller in four years, but my boobs sure got bigger. I’m proud of what I’ve been blessed with. They are more than enough.

Yanking my hair tie out, I let my hair fall around my face in waves. I shake it out and get to work on my face. Dark mascara and smoky eyeshadow make my cobalt-blue eyes pop. I also look a little badass. Mom hates it. That’s probably why I love it so much. She’s not here to complain about my make-up choices anymore.

I shove my phone in my back pocket and skip down the stairs and out the front door. The air is still warm and feels nice as I round the hedge between our properties and make my way down Jace’s driveway.

“Holy shit. Mila? Mila Hart? No fucking way.” A circle of guys opens up, and one emerges with his arms wide open.

“Emerson Henty.” No way. Holy fuck. Something must be in the water here, because he was this skinny little kid who wore the thickest glasses I’d ever seen. Now he’s all grown up and looks so different from how I would have imagined. Like, talk about a glow up. Dang.

He laughs and nods, pulling me into a hug. He spins me around a couple times before putting me back on my feet. He smells so good, I can’t help but wonder what cologne he wears.

“Holy shit, when did you get back? Jace and the guys didn’t say you were coming back. Are you, like, back for good?”

I laugh, shrug, and nod. “Yeah, I’m back for good. But Jace forgot my invite.”

He doesn’t question it. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and directs me over to his friends. “Hey, guys, this is Mila Hart. The most badass girl from my childhood. She kicked my ass in football practice every week when we were kids. She tackled my ass into the dirt so hard, I thought for sure I would break a bone.”

“Didn’t you play flag football?” one guy asks, and Emerson nods and chuckles.

He squeezes me tighter to him, the grin on his face contagious. I smile back, remembering that I’d done just that. It got me in trouble each week. He wasn’t the only one I’d tackled. I’d tackled everyone. I might have had a problem back then.

“Yeah, but Mila didn’t care. She went for the tackle, and if she hadn’t, I don’t think I would be as good as I am now. Forced me to learn how to keep my balance.”

I laugh and put my hand on his chest, patting his very hard pec as I glance up at him. “Someone needed to kick your ass. I was honored to be the one to do it.”

We talk for a bit, and I learn he’s on the football team with Jace, Hunter, and Roman. That doesn’t surprise me, but what does surprise me is that Jace is their quarterback. That’s news to me. I didn’t internet stalk him enough before I came over here. But this is better, getting information from a close source.

“Oh, hey, they’re inside if you want to go say hi.”

I nod with a wicked grin. “Yeah, I should say hi. It would be rude not to.”

He shakes his head and laughs. “Come on, girl, I got your back.”

I let him lead me inside the house, the music softens once I close the door behind me. It’s easier to talk in here.

I make my way through to the living room, stopping short when I catch sight of all three guys. Roman sits quietly, a beer in his hand as his eyes roam between Hunter and Jace. He looks the same, but older. Same dirty blond hair, except now I know that’s the color and not because it’s actually dirty.

Hunter has a dark-haired girl on his lap. She’s giggling and touching his chest, and he pulls her close, kissing her. I feel a small stab of jealousy, even though it’s illogical. I can’t be jealous of my old friend hooking up. I’d known this would happen one day, but it should have been something I adapted to over time. Having it thrust into my face so quickly is jarring. But it’s Jace that holds my attention.

Britney fucking Montlake.

She hangs off him, kissing his throat and staring at him like a lost puppy that just found its owner. And Jace is that owner. She throws her head back and laughs…until her eyes meet mine and she freezes. Jace notices the shift and sits up straighter in the armchair.

“Mila, what the fuck?” Jace growls out. I plaster on a fake smile as I move into the room. Gotta fake it to make it.

“Hey, guys. Long time, no see. Guess Jace forgot my invite.”

Hunter moves the girl off his lap, and she squeaks. He starts to stand, but Jace makes a throaty sound, and Hunter’s shoulders drop as he sits while watching me.

“Holy shit, Mila. You’re really back.” His eyes roam up my legs and settles on my mouth. His tongue dips out, and he wets his lower lip, nodding slowly to himself.

“I’m back. I don’t know what Jace told you, but I’m here to stay.”

Roman watches me out of the corner of his eye. The hand holding his beer is now fisted tightly. I’m a little worried he’ll smash it and end up with glass embedded in his hand.

“Hell yeah, Mila,” Hunter responds, looking genuinely happy to see me.

Roman doesn’t speak. He just turns to Jace. Like, when did Jace become the one they turn to? What happened while I was gone?

“You need to leave, Mila. You weren’t invited, and you never will be. We don’t want you here,” Jace says in an almost bored tone.

I watch as Britney practically humps him like a bitch marking her territory. She’s not a lost puppy, like I first thought. She’s a bitch in heat. “Yeah, you have to leave. Jace is my boyfriend.”

My brows raise at that. “Really? You’re dating Britney?” The words are out of my mouth before I can even think.

That’s truly the biggest surprise so far. Jace—the boy who couldn’t stand Britney to the point he would fake being sick just to get her to go away—is now dating her?

Jace doesn’t answer. He just wraps his arm around Britney and pulls her closer. She beams over at me, like she won a prize and I lost. But I wasn’t playing a game. She doesn’t have to worry about losing her precious Jace. She can have him. If this is his reaction to my return, then they deserve each other.

“Don’t act all surprised. I knew when we were picked as partners on the school field trips that Jace and I were meant to be.” Britney puffs up her chest and looks down her nose at me as if waiting for me to challenge her.

I blink. Is she for real? “You were picked because he’s a Montero, and you’re a Montlake. It wasn’t some magical matchmaking scheme by the teachers. It was alphabetical order.”

God, what a dumbass.

“No, it wasn’t,” she huffs out, plastering herself against Jace.

I see his eye twitch…just a little. He doesn’t like this, me being in his space. He wants me to leave, but at the same time, he wants me to witness this. To make me upset? Jealous? I have no idea what his goal is, but I love it even more because it isn’t working, and that’s annoying him.

“If that’s the case, Britney—” I turn to the other guys. The girl is back on Hunter’s lap, eyeing me, and Roman still won’t face me. “Hunter and Roman should be madly in love right now and…”

Someone behind me laughs, and I spin to see Emerson moving farther into the room. He grins, knowing where this is going.

“I guess I’m supposed to marry Emerson here,” I conclude.

Jace stands, and Britney almost topples off him, catching and righting herself at the last moment. He points to the door behind me. “Get the fuck out, Mila.”

Britney sticks her chest out. “Yeah, you weren’t invited. And it’s true that Jace and I are meant to be. He used to hold my hand. No one made him, but he did it. You just can’t handle I’m with him, Mila. But you left, and he was fair game. Jace is mine. Forever.”

I bite my lower lip to stop from laughing. The look on Jace’s face at the word forever is priceless. Nevertheless, he growls at me, like I’m the one pledging my eternal love.

He made his bed. Not me. I throw my hands up. If we were gonna do this…then let’s do this.

“Britney, Jace held your hand because you cried for your mom every field trip without fail, and you wouldn’t walk, you would stand there and cry. He held it to keep you moving so the rest of us could enjoy ourselves. You made every school outing a nightmare with your sobbing, and Jace told everyone that you smelled and called you Stink-ney. If you were ever wondering where that nickname came from, you have been kissing that very mouth.”

Britney screams and lunges for me, but Jace manages to grab her before she can get me. His face reddens as he glares daggers at me. Probably because he’s guilty. He gave her the nickname in second grade, and he very well knows it. Everyone called her that up until I left.

She’s spouting off a bunch of words my way as Jace tries to calm her down. Emerson moves in closer, his body pressing up against mine as he whispers into my ear, “Hey, Mila…you wanna go for a walk?”

I know what he means by that, but I’m not here to hook up with someone. That wasn’t the plan.

I watch my old friends. Jace is calming Britney down, the girl on Hunter’s lap is sucking on his neck as he watches me out of one eye, and Roman looks stiff and hasn’t moved at all. His eyes now on me, I shiver from his intense gaze. He’s changed the most out of the three of them. He looks older than his sixteen years.

“Nah, let’s stay here and have some fun.” I tell Em.

Jace looks over at me now. His face is unreadable.

Emerson sits down on the empty end of the sofa, and I observe Jace’s expression as I move in to sit with Em. I watch the way his jaw ticks, and I know I’m pissing him off to the extreme.

Em pats the spot beside him, but I glance once more over to Jace before straddling Em. His large hands go to my waist as he pulls me in close, so I can feel what he’s hiding under those jeans. Maybe a walk isn’t such a bad idea. Nothing like a good fuck to relieve some tension.

With a smirk, I grind down on him. Em sucks in his lower lip and groans a little as he tilts his head back. “Fuck, Mila, did I tell you how sexy you are?”

“Em, she isn’t staying, man.” Hunter finally speaks up after being quiet through the whole Britney thing. I’d started to think he might want me here. But I guess the boss man said, “No Mila,” so he was being a good boy and telling me to leave.

I peer at Hunter under my lashes and raise a brow before arching my back and pressing my chest against Em. My nipples peak and the friction sends little flutters lower. Hunter shifts a little, watching as I run my finger up Em’s arm.

Jace growls my name again, and Hunter tries to hide his smile as I wink at him. He knows I’m pushing Jace’s buttons. But in a new way that I had never done before. I don’t know why I’m loving this so much, but I am.

Is Jace jealous? I hope so.

“Fuck you guys,” Em declares. “I always had the hots for Mila. Now she is all grown up and rocking this hot ass body against mine. No way is she leaving…unless it’s with me.”

Jace grumbles something as he runs his hands through his hair. It looks messy and sexy. Ugh…no one can piss me off like him.

Why can’t we go back to being friends? Why does he have to be an asshole? Yeah, okay, it’s been four years, but he could at least understand that those years have been just as hard on me. Did he ever think that I lost all my friends and my father on the same day? No, he’s only thinking about himself.

Roman, my big teddy bear. He’d loved to hug me. Every day I would wake knowing I was getting a Roman hug, and they were the best. No one saw him the way I did. Everyone was scared of him. Even now, I can tell not much has changed on that front. The only other girl in the room watches him warily. Like she wants to reach out and comfort him, but if she did, he would bite her head off.

“Fine, have her. No one else wants her,” Jace calls over to Em.

Well, that hurts.

Em chuckles and I feel it reverberate through my chest. He wraps his arm around me as I sit up, trying to hold me close.

“Who said I wanted anyone else? I didn’t. So, you don’t need to worry. I’m not gonna be chasing after you, Hunter, or Roman.”

Jace straightens and watches me as Em slides his hand up my back and into my hair. Em is huge…everywhere. His hand grips my hair a little, enough pressure to cause me to gasp and arch my back. Dang, Em was good at this.

“Yeah, Em, you can have her. Just know that I was her first kiss. I was there first.”

It’s like a bucket of cold water hits me while Hunter sits there, his eyes boring into mine, as the room slowly registers what he just said. Fuck.

“What the fuck?” Jace is back up on his feet. Britney thumps to the ground without a chance to right herself. I would have laughed if I didn’t know where this is going.

Meanwhile, Hunter moves the girl off his lap to sit beside him. He’s a little nicer with his toys than Jace is.

Roman also stands, his broad chest and the sharp lines of his jaw more prominent as he towers above the other two. He’s so tall now. God, he’s sexy too. Like a Viking. I shake my head to clear my thoughts. This isn’t good. The room seems much smaller now, and I need to hide from the three of them.

Hunter holds his hands up as he faces Jace. “Look, man. I know, alright? I broke the pact. But I didn’t think she was coming back, so when she came to me and asked me to be her first kiss, I couldn’t say no. You wouldn’t have either.”

Jace is mad, but not at that. I know exactly what he’s going to say next. Pushing away from Emerson, I quickly stand. I take a few steps back, but Jace pins me with his glare, his finger pointing at me. “You came to me on that last day and asked me to be your first kiss. So, which one was it, me or Hunter?”

Hunter spins to face me, then Jace. “What the fuck? You kissed her?” he yells. I hear the anger and confusion in his voice and grit my teeth as I watch the two of them square off with each other.

“You just said I wouldn’t have said no. You were right—I didn’t when she asked me to be her first.”

“You weren’t her first kiss. I was. It was right before her mom came to take her. She rode to my house on her bike and asked me to be her first kiss. She was leaving at two and came to me at…fuck.” Hunter’s brow furrows as he looks down at his fingers. Is he counting? Shit.

“She came to me that same day. Told me she didn’t want to go away and wanted to have her first kiss with me. I was her first.”

“What time did she come to you?” Hunter questions Jace.

“How should I know? It was four years ago. I didn’t look at the time and mark it on my calendar. But it was before you. I would have known if I wasn’t her first.”

Jace is no longer watching me, so I start backing up. Em waves at me to leave, and I planned to do exactly that. That is, until Roman steps forward between them while they argue over the time of day.

They stop and watch as Roman approaches until he’s towering over me. His impenetrable stare drills into me. It’s as though all the air has left my lungs, and I’m choking on the weight of it. “Which one of us was your first?”

I swallow and inhale a ragged breath. Fuck him, fuck Hunter, fuck Jace…fuck them all.

Hunter and Jace stand there, speechless. And that’s my cue to run. I spin on my heels and bolt out of there.

I’m the only one who knows the truth on who was my first.

But I will never kiss and tell.