F*ck You: Knox Academy - Term One Read online

  I make my way towards Sawyer, who is stretching. “Start running, Miss Rossi.”

  “Stop,” I plead. “Don’t be like this.”

  “Run,” is all he says.

  “What does running have to do with self-defence?” I ask, hands on hips, frowning. My temper is flaring to life.

  “In most situations, if you can, then you run away before engaging your attacker. Also, I have somewhere to be, so I asked for someone to supervise you. They run at this time, and so will you.”

  Onyx decides to join us, wearing some loose-fitting shorts and no shirt. The shorts hang low on his hips, not leaving much to the imagination, and showing the hint of a tattoo on his left hip bone. Curiosity piqued, I want to see more.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I say.

  “No, fucking is what you and Kalen were about to do on school premises before you were caught...and I don’t kid,” Sawyer says.

  “Have fun on your date, Mr Knox, I’m sure it has big shoes to fill.” I wink, but he just shakes his head. He doesn’t respond. If I’m being truthful with myself, it stings a little to know he’s going out with someone else. Which is stupid, considering the game I’m playing right now with them all. Still, it makes me madder than hell that I can’t get a reaction out of him.

  “Let's get a move on, I don’t have all night,” Onyx snaps.

  I take off running and Onyx follows behind.

  “Look ahead when you're running, you want to look about ten feet ahead.”

  Jesus Christ if I don’t look down, I may fall on my ass from tripping over my own feet. My getaway from trouble is hiding, not running. I have a talent of squishing my body into small tight places.

  “That’s it...no, relax your hands and shoulders, keep your arms at your side.”

  “Relax? I’m about to go into cardiac arrest. The only exercise I do that involves running is chasing the ice cream truck down the street, all because the asshole wants to see my tits bounce.”

  “Nice story, keep jogging.”

  We jog in silence and keep going. Sweat pours from my entire body, my lungs feel like they’re on fire. I stop. I don't even care; what can he do, drag me along? I drop to the ground and lie flat on my back, drawing in big breaths.

  “Is that all you got?” he says, casting a slight shadow over me.

  “I can’t breathe,” I gasp, between breaths. He squats down beside me.

  “Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Focus on slowing your breathing down a little.”

  For a few minutes, he almost seems normal.

  “Let’s go stretch,” he says, holding out his hand for me. I take the friendly gesture and he pulls me to my feet. We walk back slowly side by side.

  “You know, no one wants you here.” Way to break the silence, give the man an A.

  “And I care...because? I don’t want to be here, but unlucky for me, the court ordered me here for three fucking years, so you better get used to seeing my face.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “I guess we will.”

  We walk the rest of the way in silence, and once we are back on the oval behind the sports building, he starts stretching, so I follow suit.

  I attempt to copy him with a quad stretch, but my balance is shit. I wobble all over the place and almost faceplant the floor when Onyx unexpectedly comes to my rescue. He places one hand on the small of my back and one on my abdomen to steady me and hold me straight.

  “Focus on a point in the middle distance. It will help,” he tells me. He’s so close his breath tickles my neck.

  His hands slide across my skin, and I never imagined in a million years that his touch would affect me the way it is.

  When he realises what is happening, he steps back, shaking his hands like he just caught cooties from me.

  Clearing his throat he says, “I run every day just as the sun starts to go down. I leave from the boys’ dorms if you want to join me. If you don’t want to, then don’t. Just thought since we’re stuck with each other, maybe we should try harder to be civil. I owe my father a lot, and this is the least I can do, even if it kills me.”

  Great! I thought today was too good to be true, that the twins would actually want to call a truce. Monty must have forced their hand to be nice to me. This makes me even more determined to take them down, along with the incubator. I’m just a pawn in some sick game to them all.

  I nod at him and walk away. I need to find Kalen and explain. He at least deserves that; he’s been the only one to actually be genuinely nice to me, unless that’s all an act too. I hope it isn’t. Also, finding him will keep my mind off Sawyer and what he’s doing.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Slate

  Why did I have to ask Amelie to partner with me for the showcase? It’s worth twenty-five percent of my grade! What if she screws up, and I pay the price? Yet in that damn moment, we connected on a level I never have with any other person. Music can do that to people. Her voice intertwines with mine like the sweet scent of flowers on a spring day.

  Since the day I first set eyes on Amelie, even before I knew who she was, my damn heart skipped a beat. She is so damn beautiful. Finding out not one, but two of my brothers have been with her, made me jealous. It’s always been that way. We may be tight and choose family over everyone, but that just boils down to actually having a family unit. Onyx and I have always had each other, but under shitty circumstances. So when Monty adopted us, we decided it was family first. But we’re brothers, and jealousy is a natural instinct: Kalen gets jealous of our father paying everyone more attention than him, Sawyer is the most level-headed but that’s just because he’s older. I think Sawyer sometimes gets jealous of our lack of responsibility.

  “What are we going to do about Amelie?” Onyx grumbles at me.

  “I don’t know. What can we do? Dad is on our case to make an effort and says she’s going nowhere, Kalen is fucking her and has become attached to her – which we know isn’t good for him – and Sawyer is trying to pretend what happened between them meant nothing, when we can both see that isn’t true.” I decide to leave my own confused feelings out of this shit storm of an equation.

  “Maybe we have to do what Kalen said, get close to her to find her weakness. So far we don’t seem to bother her.”

  “What are you pussies complaining about?” Kalen asks, letting himself into our room and throwing himself onto the recliner.

  “Nothing,” Onyx snaps. “Thought you would be off with our new sister, trying to get into her pants.”

  “You sound jealous, O…and I don’t have to try, it’s a sure thing now.”

  “What do I have to be jealous of?” Onyx barks at Kalen, throwing his sweaty shirt in his direction, and Kalen swats it away.

  “A few things actually. One, I have a bigger cock than you, and two, Amelie's pussy feels amazing.” Kalen laughs, thrusting his hips in a sexual way.

  “You think I couldn’t fuck her if I wanted to? Shit, even Slate could.”

  “Leave me out of this argument,” I throw in, getting dressed for the day.

  “I know you couldn’t brother. And don’t act like you both don’t want her, you may mouth off about me staying away from her, but I see the way you both look at her, like she’s your next meal. I’m surprised you haven’t made any moves yet. It got a nice bite out of Sawyer – me screwing her ass – enough that he willingly asked out Miss Hart.”

  “You both know he only agreed to the first date with her, so one of us would go after her and she would be fired. Our jig is up, Sawyer knows we go after his women to piss him off and try to get him to realise he is capable of having feelings. When is he going to realise that it’s okay to have them? He still believes he should be punished for what he did,” I say trying to reason with them both.

  “Well, I’m not putting my dick anywhere near Miss Hart. I bet her coochie has cobwebs…or teeth!”

  I snigger at Kalen, but he has a point, I don’t want
to do it either.

  “I vote that none of us do. I would honestly prefer Laura and Amelie in the family than Miss Hart, she’s a money-hungry bitch and would eat Sawyer alive. I say we make her realise staying away from him would be the best thing to do,” I add.

  They both agree, so we spend some time talking strategy. Lucky for us, our father will do whatever it takes to keep us out of trouble; he knows he needs us.

  We all leave together because we have to stop and see Mum before class. I know she wants to give us a lecture about Amelie, she swears she is bad news and out to get us all, but honestly how would a girl like her take any of us down? If she thinks fucking all of us will tear us apart, she is seriously wrong. Sharing is not uncommon for us, a game really. Sawyer never sleeps with the girls here at school, the age gap makes the game harder for him to play, but we have no issues going after older women. It makes it more fun; the girls here are all too willing to share us. We’re a conquest to tell all their friends about. No, an older challenge is much better.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “You are coming to the party tonight!” Elsie demands. “The Knox boys have not had one since you arrived and you can’t miss it; everyone attends. You never do anything fun on a Friday night! And word has it that Kalen has said the party is in honour of your birthday.”

  “But my birthday was weeks ago!”

  “It’s just an excuse. Kalen will give any reason he can think of. He’s planning a big Halloween party too.”

  Of course he would, everyone knows we are almost step-siblings – even though our parents aren’t married, for now. I’m surprised my incubator hasn’t tried to lock Monty down yet. I also can’t help but wonder how she’s been funding her lifestyle for the last decade if her and Monty haven’t been together that long. How did they meet? What’s their story? I don’t give a shit, but it’s a way to get information on her and use it against her.

  “Fine, under one condition, if you see me get wasted and run off with a Knox, you stop me by any means necessary.”

  Her eyebrows raise. “Care to share?”

  “I may have slept with Kalen and possibly gotten close with another.”

  “You did not!” she squeals, jumping up and down. “I thought you were anti-Kalen.”

  “I am.”

  “But that means you were with another Knox, and that is rarer than spotting a unicorn around here. Let it be Onyx, that guy needs to get laid.”

  I place my hands on her shoulders and give her a little shake. “You have to stop me from doing anything stupid, my damn hormones are taking over and it has to stop.”

  “I will try my best, but wear something slutty.”

  “I don’t own anything slutty and I’m going to be late for my class with Mr Knox.”

  “Fine, go. But come to my room when you’re done and we will find you something hot.”

  “Just remember, I’m not from around here and don’t want to freeze.”

  “That is the joy of a Knox party, they are always held in an abandoned underground bunker. It is awesome. Hot and sweaty in confined spaces, so dress the part!”

  I laugh at her and make my exit as fast as I can before she drags me back to her room and I miss my lesson. I’m really hoping Sawyer is there today because I am still as mad as a cut snake about him ditching me and dating; even if it isn't rational.

  I see Sawyer and Onyx warming up and stop to watch from a distance. They both really do look amazing from behind.

  Onyx must feel me watching; he spins around and smiles, sending a tingle of emotion all over my body. It isn’t often that he smiles, and for the first time, he seems genuine.

  Sawyer notices his brother's change of attitude and looks my way, then back to his brother, his jaw tense.

  “Don’t stop on my account,” I say, coming to stand closer to them.

  “Checking me out, huh?” Onyx jokes.

  “Close your mouth, Amelie, it looks like you’re catching flies,” Sawyer snarks.

  “He jokes! I almost had my Onyx-is-a-robot theory complete.”

  “Hurry up and stretch, we need to get this lesson over with,” Sawyer snaps, looking down at his phone.

  “Another hot date?” I snap back, starting to stretch. If he wants to be pissy at me, fine, but he still owes me and I will get him alone eventually so he has to tell me. A deal is a deal.

  “If you call a grade-A-clinger a date.” Onyx snorts.

  “Get lost and run brother. Amelie can I talk to you for a minute?” I look to Sawyer, but Onyx interrupts.

  “Last one to the tree line is a rotten egg!” I turn to face Onyx.

  “Sorry Mr Knox, but I wouldn’t want to be a rotten egg.” Onyx laughs, and I turn away before I can see the look on Sawyer's face, not before kicking Onyx as hard as I can in the shin and making a run for it.

  “Cheating won’t help you win,” Onyx calls after me, but I just lift my middle finger in the air and sprint as fast as I can towards the tree line on the far side of the oval. He’ll catch me quickly, I have no doubt about that. His taunts get clearer and clearer the closer he gets.

  With a hundred metres to go, I can feel him on my ass. My lungs are starting to hurt, my foot connects with his, and I fall with zero grace. Normal people would use their arms to brace for landing. Me? I fall like a sack of shit, hitting my chin on impact, and the air is knocked out of me from the intense pain.

  “Holy shit, are you okay?” he asks falling down beside me. For once he doesn’t look like he wants to kill me. His eyes are filled with a warmth I rarely get to see, and maybe concern? Ridiculous. His dark orbs have flecks of hazel in them that make him seem more human.

  A smile reaches my lips because I think I can still win this. I roll onto my side, and even though the angle isn’t right, I have enough swing to tap him on the nuts.

  I scramble to my feet, run the few steps to the edge of the forest, falling back against a tree. Onyx has managed to get up and join me, a slight limp to his step.

  “That was a low blow,” he says taking a seat beside me, making me look his way so he can check my chin. I snigger at the double entendre.

  “I don’t think it needs stitches, but we should get it cleaned up.”

  I agree, so he helps me up and we walk in silence. When he walks straight past the sports building, I stop and ask where we are going. He informs me that Sawyer would have locked up when he left, and sure enough he has. Thankfully, I went back to my room to change today before our lesson.

  Onyx takes my hand and drags me along. I expect it’s because he just wants to get this over with.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Elsie asks from the doorway of the dining hall. I go to answer but Onyx cuts me off.

  “She’ll be fine, now fuck off, vagitarian.”

  I wave to Elsie while Onyx starts dragging me off again.

  “Hey, that was rude,” I snap.

  “So what? You have blood dripping from your chin and you’re worried about her feelings?”

  “What’s her name?” I push.

  “Vagitarian.”

  “Her actual name?”

  “Why the fuck do I care?”

  “Ugh.” I groan because I know I won’t win this one with him. I let it go, stop fighting, let him drag me to Christ knows where. Anything for an easy life. Get in, get fixed, get out again.

  After being dragged halfway across campus and into what I’m presuming is his dorm building, he stops at a room and opens the door, no key required.

  Slate is seated at a desk, laptop open, staring at the screen.

  “We need to have a chat with Kalen before things get too f…” he stops talking when he swings his chair around and notices me standing next to Onyx. “What the fuck did you do to her?” he growls, stopping his previous statement mid-sentence when his eyes drink in the state of me.

  “She started it. Don’t just blame me,” Onyx grumbles, but there’s a definite whine to his tone.

  Slate gestures for me to sit on his bed an
d slides a first aid kit from under his desk.

  “I kicked you in the shin for a small advantage,” I defend myself. “I didn’t want to be a rotten egg.”

  “She also kicked me in the nuts.”

  “Please, your big brother taught me self-defence. That wasn’t a kick, more of a love-tap.” I laugh. That’s what he gets for making me bleed.

  “Sounds like you deserved it, bro.”

  Onyx tells his brother where to go and pops in their en suite bathroom for a shower.

  “Are you magic?” Slate whispers in awe, and I shake my head. “He’s never nice to anyone.”

  “I’m sure your father is making you all be nice to me, but I’m not complaining. It’s nicer than being dragged off and pinched.” He looks down, ashamed, at my reference of that day in the library. “Maybe you’ll all get to know me and realise I am not the enemy here, the she-bitch is a mutual issue for all of us.”

  “So, things really are that bad between you two?”

  “If you call a mother who drank and took too many pills leading up to her leaving ‘bad’, then yeah. Also, let’s not forget that she’s a mother who ditched her eight-year-old daughter and eleven-year-old son.”

  “That’s not that bad,” Slate mumbles.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m just saying, as an adopted kid, your story isn’t that unique.”

  I turn away from him, gently lift my hair out of the way, and slip my shirt down off my shoulder to reveal three small triangular scars on my shoulder blade.

  “What’s that?” Slate asks. He reaches out to touch the raised, puckered skin. I haven’t looked in a while, but these old scars haven’t faded with time. They’ve just changed. No longer red, raised, angry welts, the scars are something you can now only feel or see when the light catches them in the right way. They’re so pale and silvery that they’re almost luminescent.