Into dark water

  INTO DARK WATER

  Copyright © 2017 Regina Bartley

  All rights reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a work of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity between actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any uses of locales, or events are used fictitiously.

  Cover Design by: Sofie Hartley – Hart & Bailey Design Co.

  Format by: Ready, Set, Edit

  Other Books by Regina Bartley:

  The Unbroken Series:

  Escaping Heartbreak

  Causing Heartbreak

  Lasting Heartbreak

  The Rosen Brother’s Series:

  Klay

  A home for Caroline

  Kory

  Trinity Series:

  Do You Love Me

  Standalones:

  Moonshine

  I am free

  15 years to Life

  Dirty Nails

  Replica

  There is a difference between lies and secrets. It’s usually the lies that are told to cover up the filthiest of secrets. This town is full of both, and I want out…

  Jenny

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Draven and his friends sitting at the corner table. If I couldn’t already tell it was him by the cloud of dread in the room, then his deep laugh would’ve given it away. I couldn’t look. I mean I wanted to, but I couldn’t.

  Eyes forward. Don’t let him see you.

  Maxwell’s coffee shop was my favorite place, and I knew the day would come when he’d ruin it for me. Draven wasn’t known in this town for his quick wit and adorable personality. In fact, people would choose a different part of town to go to just to avoid contact. He was an Asshole with a capital A and that’s putting it mildly.

  Borders, New Hampshire was small. Population 1,983 and that was including pets. A couple more litters of kittens and we’d be hitting the big 2K. With small towns, came large gossip. I despised this place with a passion. Only sixty-eight more days and I could leave it all behind, only sixty-eight more days until graduation. I was pretty sure that the other sixty-four members of my graduating class felt the same way. Everyone who grew up here had the same dream. One day we’d leave this town and everything in it, including Draven Lepage. We all knew everything there was to know about him, and there wasn’t an ounce of good in any story that was told. It was even worse now that his Dad was locked up. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Anyone who’d ever had a run in with Draven most likely regretted it.

  There were a total of ten people who liked him, and nine of them were cheap hussies.

  Well, maybe I was exaggerating a little, but I couldn’t stand the little bastard.

  Sixty.

  Eight.

  More.

  Days.

  I still had this haunting memory of him engraved in my brain to this day. We were in eighth grade at Vista Coast Middle School, and Draven was sitting several tables away from me in the cafeteria. He and Oakland Murray, another guy in our class, were arguing back and forth across the table, and causing a huge commotion. Horrible words were said between the two of them, and the comment that set fire to the whole situation was the one where Oakland called Draven a poor, useless waste of air. I remember watching Draven kick Oakland in the stomach over and over. It was horrible, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Every chance Draven could, he made Oakland’s life a living hell. There were rumors that he could never come back from. We all knew just how bad Draven Lepage was, but to see it first hand scared people. At least it did me. When Oakland was down on the ground, not one single person tried to help him. The lunch ladies were oblivious. I rushed over to Oakland when the kicking was over, and kneeled down beside him. I immediately regretted it. Draven’s fists hung down by his side, and he stared at me like I was his enemy, like I would regret ever getting in his path. There was no coming back from that look. I remember thinking that I never wanted to be treated the way Oakland was. The rumors that were repeated about him were more painful than the blows he endured to the stomach, and for weeks I silently hoped that the next rumors weren’t about me.

  This town thrived off of gossip. I despised it. Just like I despised Draven Lepage.

  Staring down at my freshly baked bagel, the one that I dragged myself out of bed for every Thursday morning, I decided that I wasn’t hungry anymore. His presence made me completely lose my appetite, and the only thing I wanted to do was sneak out of Maxwell’s without getting noticed.

  Sneaking out on Bagel Thursday… Hell must’ve frozen over.

  The old iron chair squeaked as I scooted it back causing a screeching noise that I hoped no one noticed. I didn’t dare peek over my shoulder to find out. I slipped my backpack quickly over my shoulder and grabbed my drink. My eyes were fixated on the floor as I maneuvered through the tables. It was just a couple more steps.

  “Where are you heading in such a hurry?”

  Ugh. Must’ve been my unlucky day. “School. Bye.” I grumbled trying to skirt by.

  Draven moved to block the exit door. It was just like him to be an annoyance to my life. He was the most unpredictable person I’d ever met. He was the reason the eye roll was invented. His body towered over me casting a dark shadow. I hated the way he made me feel –slightly out of control and like the blood had frozen in my veins.

  “What do you want?” I asked in a sour tone. Surely he could’ve found someone else to bother. It was like I had a sign glued to my forehead that said, “Kick Me Good, cause I can take it.”

  “I need a favor?” His eyes locked with mine. Just when I thought I couldn’t feel more uncomfortable, he proved me wrong.

  I sighed and squirmed. “I’m busy.” I tried to pass by him, but he blocked me by sticking his arm right in my way. If I thought a punch in the gut would hurt him, I would’ve given him my best shot. Stupid, arrogant, brooding, pain in my ass cheek.

  “Come on Jen. I really need a favor.”

  Jen? Very funny, you pig. I thought to myself. He knew my name was Jenny. He just found another way to get under my skin, because existing just wasn’t enough. “Like I said before, I’m busy.”

  The sudden sound of the doorbell as it opened behind him caused Draven to move just enough, giving me room to squeeze through. I was out the door, and to my car in a flash. I heard him call out my name, but pretended I didn’t. What kind of favor could he possibly want from me? It’s not like we frequently talked, we’d only exchanged a few words here and there, and certainly not enough for him to think I was in the business of returning favors.

  My little Nissan roared to life and I sped out of the parking lot of Maxwell’s. I’d thoroughly escaped him, but chances were good that I’d see him at school. I was going to have to stake out the halls all day. Unless… Maybe he didn’t really need a favor. Maybe he was just messing with me. One could hope.

  I was early to school, so I stayed in my car for a bit. I texted my bestie Lola to see what time she’d be there. Of course I had to fill her in on this mornings fiasco. She’d find it amusing. She’s one of the few people in this town who didn’t loathe Draven, mostly because she never knew him the way that the people of this town did. Lola was one of those people who liked to stay off the radar. She preferred to go unnoticed, like myself. It was hard to do in a small town like ours, but she was relatively new here. Her family only moved here a couple of years ago. That was something I still couldn’t figure out. Most people were trying to get out of this town, not move here. But, I was eternally grateful, because she was my very best friend in the whole world. I had other friends, but none of them compared to Lo.

  There was a tap on my window that had me jumping out of my skin.
I suppose I was still on edge after the morning I’d had.

  “You hussie,” I mouthed. Lo stood there with a wide grin stretched across her face. I climbed out of the car mumbling all the obscene words I could think of under my breath. She scared the crap out of me.

  “Are we a little edgy this morning?” She asked in a sarcastic tone. Her big green eyes were gleaming.

  “Very funny.” I slid my backpack over my shoulders. “I owe you one.”

  “I couldn’t resist. You should’ve seen your face.” She continued to laugh.

  I jabbed her arm. “Come on. I want to get inside before you know who finds me.”

  “I don’t see what the big deal is. Hear him out. Maybe he really needs something important.” She tried swaying me to see his side, but all I could do was roll my eyes.

  “So he needs something that only I can give him,” I said. Her eyes grew wide. “Don’t you dare say another word,” I warned her, shoving a finger in her face. I could tell by the look on her face that she was about to say something dirty. She had a way with words.

  “But…”

  I stopped her. “Not another word Lola Clark.”

  She giggled behind me as we made our way through the parking lot and into school.

  As we headed down the main hall, I stopped dead in my tracks. “I’ve got to run to the library before first period. I just remembered. I need to see if Mrs. Larson will let me print my History paper. My printer is out of ink.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Gotta go.” I hurried in the other direction. “See you at lunch,” I called out.

  I hadn’t gotten ten feet when my phone beeped telling me I had a new text message.

  Lo- you just missed him.

  Me- Who?

  Lo- you can’t fool me!

  One crisis averted.

  It was going to be a long day.

  ***

  “I thought we were meeting at lunch?” Lo asked. “Where have you been all day? I texted you twice.”

  “I was busy.”

  “You know you can’t avoid him forever.” She reminded me, with pursed lips and a scolding mom look. “I can’t understand why you’d want to. He’s a hottie.” She shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal.

  I groaned. “Being a hottie doesn’t earn him extra brownie points, Lo.”

  “Who’s a hottie?”

  Dammit! Where’s a cloaking device when you need one?

  Lo smiled at me. “I’ll talk to you later Jen.”

  Oh she was going to get it. I should’ve kept my fat mouth shut and not told her about this morning. That “Jen” comment was perfect, and I was going to stick my perfect boot up her…

  “So who’s hot?” Draven asked again, like I didn’t hear him the first time. I could feel him move closer and my treacherous breath hitched.

  Slowly I turned around to face him. “You wouldn’t know him,” I lied. His head was already abnormally large. No sense in making it bigger.

  Obviously, he knew I was lying. He draped his arm comfortably over my shoulder not caring one bit about my lack of care, or the fact that there were at least thirty people within view of us. “I know you want me.”

  Do guys ever grow up? Ugh!

  I stomped quickly off in the direction of my car, trying to get as far from him as I could.

  “Wait! Jen!” He called after me. That pissed me off worse, so I flipped him the bird over my shoulder. “Jenny Baby!” He called loudly. So much for trying to go unnoticed. I slammed my car door, and let out an ugly growl. He infuriated me. If it were legal to hit him with my car, then I would have. Not too hard, just a little tap in the kneecap, something to bring him to his knees.

  As I was pulling out of the parking lot he was staring me down. There was no way I was going to get away from him. Eventually I was going to have to listen to whatever it was that he had to say, because he wasn’t the type to give up.

  Lucky me.

  Draven

  Like everyone else, Jenny Pearson tried to avoid me like the plague. Normally, that’s how I liked it, but it was different this time. I really needed her help. If she wouldn’t speak to me at school or in public, then I’d just go to her house. What’s the worst that could happen?

  “Another girl turn you down, Lepage?”

  I scoffed at Tyler’s smart remark. “She’s just playing hard to get,” I joked.

  He leaned in beside me. “That is one girl you’re never going to get, Buddy. Every guy in this school wants her. She’d be setting her standards pretty low if she got with you.”

  I didn’t want her, but that wasn’t something he needed to know. I just wanted her help. His words irked me though. Was it so far-fetched that someone like her would like someone like me?

  I narrowed my eyes, and lowered my voice. “You’ll never get her either.”

  “Maybe not,” he shrugged. “Or maybe I will.”

  Guys like Tyler only existed so that one-day they could sit in some high-rise office and never do a damn thing, except live off their trust funds.

  He left without another word, and so did I.

  I pulled up in front of the house next to Jenny’s, and turned my car off quickly. People would know I didn’t belong in this neighborhood, especially if I continued to let it idle there. It was loud since the muffler came off months ago, but hey, it got me where I needed to go. That’s all I cared about.

  Closing the car door behind me, I made wide strides towards her house. Her car was in the driveway so I knew she was home. I wondered which window was hers, as I glanced up at the second story. She couldn’t avoid me now.

  Stepping up onto the porch, I tried peeking into the front window where the blinds were half open, but figured I’d better not let her catch me just yet or she’d probably escape out the back door.

  I tapped my fist on the wooden door a few times and then waited for someone to answer. I hoped it would be her, but it wasn’t. Her younger brother Trevor answered instead.

  “Ugh, hey,” he said with a crack in his voice. I didn’t miss those days when puberty made you sound like a sick little girl.

  “Hey,” I replied. “Is Jenny home?”

  There was a confused look on his face, and a brief moment of awkward silence.

  “Jenny?” I said again a little slower. Sheesh. You’d think I was speaking Japanese.

  “Oh right.” He opened the door and waited for me to come in. “Let me get her.” I stood next to the front door. The place was way too shiny for me to be inside of it. I felt like a dirty stray dog in a place that nice –out of place and unwanted. Trevor walked over to the bottom of the stairs. “JENNY!” He yelled.

  “Trevor, who was at the door?” An older lady walked into the room with a dishtowel in her hand. Must’ve been Jenny’s mom. She had the same blonde hair. She smiled when she saw me standing there in the doorway. “Well, hello Draven.”

  She knew who I was? “Hi,” I answered. For someone who actually knew me, she didn’t look at me like the juvenile delinquent that I was, or that most people considered me. Her face was bright and welcoming.

  “Come on inside,” she waved her hand.

  Okay, so maybe she just knew my name and nothing more about me.

  “I’m good. I just came by to speak with Jenny for a second.”

  “That’s fine. You’re welcome anytime. Trevor, go upstairs and tell your sister to come down.”

  He groaned before heading up the steps. “How’s school going, Draven?”

  “Not too good.” My voice was clipped and I knew my tone was harsh. I couldn’t help it. I ran a free hand through my hair, pushing it back away from my face. I was fidgeting on my feet. Parents made me extremely uncomfortable. “That’s actually why I’m here. I thought Jenny could help me.” I tried softening up a bit.

  “Well I’m sure she’d be glad to.” She smiled at me again, and I swear that my forehead started to sweat. One thing for sure though, if I could get her Mom on my side then Jenny would be forc
ed to help me, whether she wanted to or not.

  A shuffling at the top of the stairs caught my attention.

  SHIT!

  Jenny stood at the top of the stairs wearing only a pair of tight stretchy shorts and a sports bra. Those abs, that chest, and those hard thighs… HOT DAYUM!

  Never in a million years did I think she’d look like that under her clothes. I knew she was beautiful, but I hadn’t given that much thought to what she might look like naked. Shocking, I know, since I’m a guy. But Jenny was way out of my league, and I knew better than to go there. There were much easier fish in the sea to catch than her.

  When my eyes finally met hers I saw nothing but pure hatred. She was glaring at me like I had devil horns on the top of my head.

  “What are you doing here?” She spat.

  “Jenny!” Her mom scoffed.

  She rolled her eyes and walked the rest of the way down the stairs until she stood directly in front of me. “I need to talk to you,” I told her before glancing back down at her chest. I couldn’t help it. I didn’t know that body was under her clothes.

  She stormed past me and out the front door, one loud stomp after another. I followed her out.

  “I cannot believe you came to my house. Are you crazy?” Her hands set firmly on her hips. “Maybe you’re just an idiot.”

  “If you would’ve just talked to me earlier then I wouldn’t be here right now.” I bit back shoving my hands in my pockets. I tried to remain unaffected at all times, it was easier that way, but situations like these made me uncomfortable. I was cool shooting the shit with the guys and hanging around my usual crowd, but this was entirely different thing.

  “You’ve got two minutes.”

  I laughed at her attempt to be a smart ass. It just didn’t fit her. She was cute, and sweet, and perky. This was totally off base for her. Guess I brought the attitude right out of her. I had that effect on people. Just call me the asshole whisperer.