Desolate (Riverband #2) Read online

  "You live under our roof which means our rules."

  "And if I move out? Because I can!"

  "You could, but you can't. You wouldn't have enough money to travel after school."

  She had me there. I'd tough it out here before I tapped into my savings. I hung up on her.

  I texted Reese.

  Me: I'm hanging out with Jude after he gets out of school.

  Reese: All right. Do me a favor, please?

  Me: ?

  Reese: No drugs pretty please. Oh, and I'm working on your late birthday gift.

  Me: Maybe and cool.

  Reese: I guess I'll talk to you later.

  Me: Love you.

  Reese: I love you too, My Prince Charming.

  I laughed. Prince Charming? Yeah right. I’m the villain.

  ~~~

  Jude pulled up in his car that was shittier than my truck. I looked at my truck wondering if we should take it.

  He stuck his head out his window. “Oh, hell no. While she’s running, we take her.”

  A storm was rolling and the wind was kicking. I got in and adjusted the seat.

  “What's up?” He asked as we bounced down the road. The shocks were gone. I was half embarrassed to ride in this thing.

  I grabbed the “oh shit” handle as we rounded a curve. “Grounded, but you see how seriously I'm taking it.”

  Jude laughed. “Your mom is nice, dude. You should respect her.”

  “And my dad?”

  "Scares the shit out of me. He doesn't say anything, but when he does, it's all serious and shit."

  I laughed and lit a cigarette. "Yeah..."

  He started driving towards the River. "How's the mayor?"

  “Not great.”

  “Damn.”

  When we got to the river, got out and sat on the bank. It looked like it would start pouring any minute, but we didn't care. The humidity was killer. I was sweating just sitting here.

  I looked at Jude. He lit a joint he pulled from his jean pocket. He took a hit and passed it to me. I remembered Reese's text but didn't care. I was who I was and she'd either accept it or not. I took a long hit.

  "Prom is coming up, and Selena wants me to take her."

  I cracked up. "Selena Nixon, the anti-social tatted up bitch of Riverbend High. You've got to be shittin' me?"

  "Yeah, weird right?" He laughed. "But I'm gonna take her."

  "So, you and Selena are a thing then?"

  He shrugged. "Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Our relationship is purely sex. But I like her, though. It’s confusing."

  He passed the joint. I took another hit and handed it back to him. "I haven't even thought about prom with everything going on with Jackson and Reese's dad. It’s not really my scene anyway."

  "Speaking of that jackass, how are you feelin’?”

  "Fine. If I had never done meth before I wouldn't have been prepared for the way it makes you feel the first few days after the high, but I'm good. Just tired. He gave me too much I think."

  An hour passed, and I was stoned out of my mind. The wind picked up and we felt a few sprinkles. We grabbed our phones and hurried towards his car.

  I waited for him to unlock my door but he just stood at his door. “What’s the deal? It’s about to start pouring.”

  Jude felt his pockets then looked at the ground around him. He then put his face to the window and cursed. “Ummm, my keys are in the car.”

  “Well that’s brilliant.” I looked at my phone.

  We both refused to call for help because we didn't want to get caught being high, so we waited. But then it started pouring and thundering and not just a little. A lot. We were drenched in a matter of seconds. Even if we wanted to text or call for help we couldn’t now. Our phones were water logged.

  Jude was laughing so hard he could barely catch his breath.

  Reese was gonna freak when she couldn’t get in touch with me. Jude and I sat down under a tree but there was no point. It didn’t shield us from the downpour at all.

  Jude stood and started looking around.

  “What are you looking for?” I had to yell over the monsoon.

  “A large rock!” He yelled back. He smiled when he found one.

  “What are you doing with it?!”

  He didn’t answer. He walked towards his car and busted his window out with it. He got in and I hurried over to get in. Just as I was sitting down I saw headlights.

  "Shiiiiit," I said when I saw it was Garrett's truck.

  I looked at Jude. "Are my eyes red?"

  Jude laughed. "Naw."

  I cursed. "Shit."

  It wasn't Garrett but Reese who got out of the truck. She took one look at me frowned.

  Jude looked at me. “You coming with me?”

  “No. See you later.” Reese walked up to me. She was soaking as well. “He locked his keys in car. Then he busted the window out.”

  "I could have unlocked that," Reese said loudly, her frown deepening.

  "He's not in his right mind. He'll be pissed tomorrow."

  I looked at her. "Why are we out here? It's pouring."

  "I thought I'd say bye to my boyfriend before I went back to the hospital, but I see that was a bad idea. Come on I'll give you a ride home."

  She started to walk towards the truck.

  “I'm not going home,” I shouted as I followed.

  "Fine, then where do I need to take you?" She asked not looking at me.

  I got in the truck and so did she. "Nowhere. Can we just sit here until the high wears off then I'll go home?"

  She nodded and sat there.

  Garrett's truck seats were gonna be soaked. I started laughing. He was so picky about his truck. I took off my shirt and threw it in the floorboard. I then took off my jeans and shoes. I leaned over to crank the truck so I could turn on the heat.

  "You're being a bitchy little witch princess tonight." I started flipping through the radio stations.

  Her hands gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turned white. She then got out of the truck slamming the door behind her and started walking.

  Shit. Seriously? I got out in just my boxers. I took off after her. "You're damn buzz kill. What is your problem?!"

  "What is my problem?!" She asked in a snapped as she kept walking. "Go back to the truck Havock and have a fun trip."

  “Seriously?!” And did she have to use Jackson’s words?

  I moved in front of her. "I didn't ask you to come here, Reese! You came. If you didn't want to see me like this then you shouldn't have come at all! As a matter of fact, you better get used to it because I enjoy it!"

  She looked at me and shook her head. "What's so bad about this world that you don't want to be in it?! That you don't want to be with me?!"

  I laughed at how stupid this was. I hit my head with the palm of my hand and shook my head. And I swear the rain just started pouring harder. "I enjoy the world and I want to be with you! What does smoking dope have to do with me liking my life and wanting to be with you!? You turn shit into bigger deals than they are!"

  She shook her head at me. "You’re right. I'm just a delusional bitch." She started walking again. She was heading back towards town.

  "Reese! It's pouring! Just get in the damn truck!"

  "No!" She snapped back. "I'd hate to ruin your buzz!"

  "It's already ruined! You were a bitch to me the moment you saw me! Just get in the truck! I'll stay here!" The thunder and lightning were so close together there really wasn’t a break anymore. The wind picked up.

  She turned, faced me and poked me hard in the chest. Water poured down her face, mixing with her tears. "Why do you do this? Why can't you just be happy? It's like you start doing better and you’re happy then you say screw it all - I want to prove to everyone that they're right about me!"

  "I don't care what people think about me! Maybe drugs are a part of who I am! Accept it or not: I don't care!"

  I didn't really mean that. I'd quit anything for her. Anything
. But I was pissed. I didn't like people telling me what I shouldn't be doing. And when I got pissed, I said things to hurt on purpose. I was an asshole. Bottom line.

  She took another step towards me and poked at my chest again. "You know what? You wanted me to get a backbone and yell at you, so I’m going to! I love you more than anything, but I can't watch you waste your life because you want to prove to everyone that you don't care what they think or that you don't follow the rules!" She locked her eyes with mine. "Why can't it be enough for me to love you?"

  I wanted to yell. I wanted to prove my case, but I couldn't. She was so damn sexy when she got mad. And not to mention her clothes were so wet they were sticking to her, showing the voluptuous curves that I adored. Her hair was dripping wet and she was so annoyingly irresistible while I was trying to be mad. I couldn’t take it anymore. My hands needed to be all over my Princess STAT.

  I looked at her finger on my bare chest. Was I the only one aware that I was just in my boxers? I smiled when I saw her eyes do a quick glance at my body. She was doing her best to resist me.

  "Want to know what I think?!" I yelled.

  “What?!” she snapped. Or at least tried to. It came out more strangled and forced than before.

  I cupped the back of her head and tangled my fingers in her hair. I leaned down until my lips crushed against hers. Lightening lit the sky and thunder echoed. Rain poured harder, but it didn’t stop us. I stopped kissing her so I get her shirt off. It took longer than usual to get her clothes off because the damn things were soaked. I picked her up, her legs wrapped around my waist, and leaned her back against the hood of the truck. One of her hands gripped my hair and the other gripped front of my shirt as I kissed her neck.

  ~~~

  We sat outside my house trying to figure out how to explain why we were soaked and way late. Plus, the whole being grounded thing. There was no doubt mom and dad were raging mad.

  "We could just not go in," I suggested. "We could just go back to the river and repeat our fight. That was fun." I grinned.

  "I need to be going. I'm sure my dad is panicking." She looked at me and smiled. "And it was a nice fight."

  I kissed her. "I'm sorry I upset you."

  "I love you, Havock. And I'm sure we’ll upset each other from time to time but it is fun to make up.”

  I kissed her again. "Don't leave tonight."

  "I have to. Dad panics if I'm gone too long." She kissed me and ran her hand through my wet hair. "I don't like being away from you," she whispered.

  “I'll come with you then.”

  "That may not be a good idea right now. Dad is trying to ban me from you. I told him he can't, but until he's stronger, I'm trying not to fight." She put her head against my chest then moved it up and kissed my neck. She kissed one of the spots that drove me crazy. She then moved away from me. "I really do need to go." She tried to run her hand through her hair but it snagged.

  I laughed. "At least come in and get in dry clothes and brush your hair."

  "All right. I’ll give you your birthday gift too. I finished it earlier." She smiled mischievously at me then got out. She went to a red car and pulled out a bag.

  She grabbed something and hurried back over to me. One was a small square package while the other was large and square. She handed them to me. She smiled. "Happy late birthday! Oh, and I need my drawing book back." She blushed. "I'm hoping you have it." She was bouncing on her feet she was so excited.

  I laughed. We were both still soaking wet. "You could've waited until we were dry. And my book is in a safe place."

  I opened the small one first.

  It was a deck of cards. Each card had something on it. It was something she loved about me. And on the back were pictures painted on the backs of her and I together. This had to have taken her forever to paint the backs of these.

  "No one is to see those," she said blushing. "And now that you have those, I get my book back."

  I smiled. "Maybe." I opened the next one.

  She chuckled. I opened the present and saw ten records. All ones I didn’t have. I loved how she paid attention to everything about me and knew what I had or didn’t.

  "Awesome."

  She kissed me then her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket. "I can’t believe this still works.

  She answered it. "Hello?" She moved it from her ear and I heard her dad. She put it back. "I'm on my way. I got caught in a down pour. I'm going to change then-" she stopped and put her free hand to her temples. "Yes sir." She sighed deeply. "Be right there." She hung up. She kissed me. "I have to go. I love you." She kissed me one more time then went to walk towards the car.

  "You're dripping wet. Don't you think you should go change first? And whose car?"

  "He told me I could change there. He's not too happy right now. And it’s Dad’s." She opened the car door and looked at me. "You be good," she said with a smile. She winked at me then chuckled. "Or not."

  I laughed.

  Her smile faded. "Since you're grounded, I guess I’ll see you at school on Monday."

  "I'm not grounded."

  She raised an eyebrow at me and smirked. "Oh really?" She tapped her chin like she was thinking. "I'm pretty positive Mrs. Johanna said you were." She chewed on her lip to keep from grinning.

  "She just thinks I am." I kissed her. "I'll see you tomorrow, and I still have to give you your gift."

  "I love you." She smiled then got into the car.

  I knew as soon as I walked in it'd be hell. I took my time going inside. I smoked four cigarettes to prepare myself for the fight.

  REESE

  I walked into a house that was for sale. It was my third today. Dad had given me a lot of houses to look at, so that as soon as he got out, we had somewhere to go. He had also given me things he wanted in a place. At the top of the list was a short distance to work and school. Of course, the second on the list was as far away as possible from Havock. I ignored that one.

  Janet leaned against the wall as I looked around. She had agreed to come with me and help. "So, what do you think about this one?"

  I looked around. It was a two story house with a bedroom and office downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs. It also had tons of windows to let light in. Or sneak out of. I smiled to myself.

  I thought it was too large but dad wanted that many rooms. He said he planned on making the second floor just for me like my own apartment. I didn't get why, unless, he was planning on me never leaving.

  "It fits all his criteria." Janet chuckled. "Except the second one. I believe it's only two blocks from Havock," she stated.

  I smiled mischievously. "Is it? I didn't realize that," I said innocently.

  She burst out laughing. "I'm sure you didn't, Darlin’."

  The Realtor came in and I nodded to her. She smiled then hurried to the paperwork. Daddy being the mayor had its perks. It’s not every day that you can decide on a house and they let you move in before you ever close on it.

  I looked at my phone as it started ringing. "Hey, daddy."

  “Did you find one?”

  "Yes, sir. Has the doctor been in?"

  “He just left.”

  “And?” I asked as I put the phone between my shoulder and ear so I could sign dad’s name on the papers.

  "As soon as you get here I can leave."

  "Good!" I looked at the bare house. "Ummm...do you want me to get furniture now or after I get you?"

  "We can move in already? Don't we have to wait for closing?"

  I held the phone away from me. "You did say we could move in today, right?"

  The realtor smiled. "Of course, Dear. Anything for Mayor Johnson and his daughter. The owners just needed that form signed to you agreeing to buy it. Everyone in this town wants you and the mayor to get settled in as soon as possible." She smiled then handed me the keys. "I'll keep you updated when closing will be."

  "Thank you!" I yelled after her as she left and got in her car.

  Janet was laughing.


  I put my ear back to the phone. "Apparently, everyone is ready for us to get settled back in. They’re happy to have you back, Daddy." I chuckled.

  "If you are up for it, go ahead and pick out a few things. Mainly couch and beds. See if Garret and Mr. Rick can help move it," he said, leaving Havock out purposefully.