Page 38 of Hell House
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Pierce
Iwiggle my pen in the air until it looks rubbery. I’m fucking bored as hell waiting for the group to arrive. How I’m the first one here today boggles my mind. The rain is coming down hard echoing off the high dome shaped ceiling of the library. There are not many people here this morning, but at least my favorite sunshine librarian is here and she looks about two seconds away from chucking a hardback at anyone that talks above a tolerable decibel.
“Hey. Am I late?” Javelynn looks at their smartwatch as they shake off the rain from their coat and hanging it on the back of the chair.
“I’m just early.” Javelynn doesn’t hide their shock, before sitting on the opposite side of the table. Maybe I came here wanting to catch Salem after my morning football practice. We had a home game tonight and coach wanted us to work on some last-minute plays. I hadn’t been able to get the feel of her body out of my mind, and she’d been avoiding me since I woke up, cock nestled right up against her throbbing clit. I might have had to take an extra long shower to release some pent-up tension she’d made me feel.
Jackson breezes in, his glasses nearly all the way fogged up. It’s a miracle he hasn’t run into something already. Just as I think he’s managed to get to his seat unscathed, he knocks straight into Javelynn causing them to become a tangle of limbs while Jackson’s glasses go flying.
“What the hell happened here?” Salem asks, popping a bubble, her dark eyebrow raised as she scrutinizes the scene in front of her.
Jackson has managed to grab ahold of his glasses that have landed on the table without breaking. He places them on his nose slightly askew, clearing his throat. “Sorry about that Javelynn.”
Javelynn’s face looks flushed as they lick their lips and readjust their shirt back into place. They flick their hand in the air like it’s no big deal.
Salem takes the available seat next to me, and immediately my entire body is tuned into hers. The smell of her minty gum with an undercurrent of vanilla hits me square in the chest.
Never in a million years.
Her words circle around my head, taunting me like my own personal version of hell. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking of how good it felt to wake up next to her, my body draped around hers.
Javelynn passes a laminated portfolio to each of us. I leaf through it, more than impressed. This looks professional as hell.
“Jave, when did you get time to do all of this?” Salem asks, her fingers skimming over the shiny pages.
“I like to be thorough.” They reply like this isn’t weeks worth of work. I feel a sense of inadequacy filling up in my stomach. I pull at my shirt collar, knowing I’ll need to put more effort into this project, and I sit up straighter. I paw through the contents. It’s good. Real good. Javelynn obviously knows the inner workings of what makes a company tick. I bristle at that. As much as my father drilled into us about the company, he never actually showed either Lukas or I anything about what it will take to be successful in taking over the family business. He’s always made it look easy, like coasting on our name alone would be enough, but looking down at this packet in my hand I realize just how out of my depth I am. And fuck, isn’t that a tough pill to swallow. My Pride shifts uncomfortably within me, clearly displeased at not being the best.
We work diligently together in silence this time and manage to make some progress- the project is really starting to take shape. My leg closest to Salem bounces and I find myself wishing she’d brush up against it for a fraction of a second. God, I was pathetic. Is this what I’d been reduced to? I cuddle a girl for one night, something I never fucking did, and I was salivating over mere scraps of her attention.
I run my hand over my chin, setting my pen down. The words are starting to blend together, and I need to get my ass ready for tonight’s game.
I slap the sides of my face, which earns me a glare from both the librarian and Salem.
I note the injustice of the librarian saving her glare for me, but Jackson nearly tackles Javelynn and not a peep of disapproval. I see how it is lady. I see how it is. I rap my knuckles against the table before standing to leave.
“Anyone coming to the game later?” Salem hadn’t so much as grunted in my direction and I was feeling desperate for any reaction. I’m not above yanking her hair at this point just to get her sage green eyes to look at me. I’m met with tired grumbles and Salem doesn’t even look up at me, which makes my hand flex just a touch. I force my Pride down, barely able to grasp it before it leaks out of me. I can feel it fighting inside of me, trying to overtake me. I hurriedly grab my stuff and am out the door before it can spill out as it takes control of me. The longer it’s in me, the less and less I’m able to get a handle on it and I’m afraid if I don’t get it out of me, I won’t know where the demon begins, and I end.
Mud clings to me from my toes up to my neck. I’m pretty sure I resemble a fucking swamp monster right now with the rain pelting the field making it into a literal mud bath. We’re down by three and have only 2 minutes left of the 4thquarter. The roar of the crowd assaults my ears as hard as the pelting rain pinging off my helmet. My head’s not in the fucking game, instead I’ve been preoccupied with getting control of this thing inside of my chest and trying not to think about Salem and wonder if she’s here, wondering if I’m doing the right thing by listening to the headmaster, not being able to even tell my brother. I needed to pull myself together and win this game.
“Where’s your head at Ledger?” Coach yells at me during our last time out.
My team looks to me as we huddle together. We have one last chance to get some points up on the board and close out this shit show of a game.
“What are we doin’ Ledge?” Hunter asks.
“You ready to run, Hunt?”
He gives me a sharp nod and I tell him the play. We break and line up in formation. I feel a mix of sweat and rain rolls down my back as I wait for the ball to snap. I flex my fingers readying them to catch the ball and breathe out, my teeth clamping down hard on my mouth guard. Before I know it, the ball is spiraling into my hands and they clamp down working on muscle memory from years of practice.
I scan the field waiting for Hunter to get free of the defense. My arm winds up ready to let the football fly. As my fingertips let go I turn my head to look in the stands, a rookie mistake to take your eye off the ball, but as I lock eyes with someone who looks a lot like Salem, the sky erupts in a flash. A bolt of lightning cracks open from the sky hitting the ground next to me knocking me straight on my ass.
The rain smacks my face as I stare up at the sky, unable to move. That shit threw me harder than all the times I’d been hit tonight. I let out a groan trying to raise myself off the ground. As I prop myself up on my elbow, I overhear the announcer directing people to leave the stadium amongst several loud screams. The deep authoritative voice crackles over the loudspeaker. Thunder and the sound of hundreds of people fleeing the bleachers reverberates around me. I tilt my head to look at the downpour and see another flash of light coming straight towards me. I don’t even have time to move out of the way as it barrels straight down towards me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Salem
