Twisted Sins: A Dark High School Romance (Twisted Pine Academy Book 2) Read online

  Chapter Two

  "You want me to act," I say. "Pretend she's not helping."

  "You won't be acting. Ms. Adams is incapable of helping you. She's too inexperienced. I just need you to communicate that to Principal Edwards, after a couple sessions, of course, so it looks like you tried."

  "And what if I don't like the next counselor? Can I quit?"

  "We'll see. I want you to at least give it a chance. What Principal Edwards said is true. You've been through a lot the past few weeks. The loss of your mother alone is enough reason for you to talk to someone." He reaches over and pats my hand. "Just try it. At least give it a chance."

  I nod and try the door handle again. Brock clicks the lock open and I hurry to get out.

  As we're walking into the house, Brock says, "We'll leave at seven."

  I turn back. "The game starts at seven. We'll miss most of the first quarter if we leave that late."

  He smiles. "I didn't know you were so interested in Braden's game." He checks his watch. "It's almost six. I suppose we could leave at six-thirty."

  "What about dinner? Can we go out?"

  He eyes me like this is some kind of trick. I never want to be around him and now I'm suggesting we go to dinner? I think this acting thing is starting to come naturally to me now. Act to get what you want, and right now, I don't want to be punished for hitting Kristen. The school punishment is bad enough. I don't want another one from Brock. If I get on his good side, maybe he won't punish me.

  "Where would you like to go?" Brock asks.

  "The taco place?" I say with a smile.

  "What taco place?"

  "The one that looks like a metal warehouse. It's not much from the outside but the food is good."

  "You've been there?"

  "I went with some people from school," I lie, knowing he'd yell at me if he knew I'd gone with Jackson and Shayla, the two people he doesn't want me around.

  "I'm not sure why I'm going along with this after what happened today," he says, rubbing his jaw, "but yes, we can go."

  "Great! I'll go change and meet you back here in ten."

  I hurry off before he changes his mind. He's going to hate the taco place but we don't have time for the fancy restaurants he likes. We need to get to the game. I don't even like football but I want to see Braden play. I want to see if he's as good as everyone says. I'd rather see Jackson play but since I can't, I'll settle for Braden, cheering him on as I play the role of supportive cousin. I have so many roles I can't keep track of them all.

  After changing into jeans and a t-shirt, I meet up with Brock in the living room. He's wearing jeans too, which looks strange on him. I'm used to seeing him in nicer clothes. Not that his jeans aren't nice. They're a dark denim and look brand new. I'm sure they're designer. He paired them with a white button-up shirt, rolling up the sleeves for a more casual look. Instead of sneakers, like I'm wearing, he has on tan leather loafers, which match the tan leather coat he's putting on.

  "You think it'll be cold?" I ask.

  "It can get chilly at night. I'd suggest you bring a jacket."

  Running back to my room, I grab a hoodie and meet him at the door.

  "Have you heard from Trystan?" I ask as we walk to the car.

  "No, but I'm sure he's with his friends."

  "I'll text him." I get in the car.

  Brock smiles at me as he puts his seatbelt on. "You two are texting now?"

  "Yeah. Why?"

  "No reason." He pulls out of the driveway. "I'm glad you two are getting along."

  "He likes me now that I punched Kristen. If I punch her again, I might be his new best friend."

  Brock glances at me, his eyes narrowed. "Rumor."

  "I'm kidding. Geez, lighten up."

  As he drives down the street, I text Trystan. Where are you?

  Out with the team, he texts back. You still going to the game?

  Yeah. With your dad.

  My phone rings.

  "You're joking, right?" he says when I answer.

  "No. We're going there after we eat."

  "What the hell? I thought he was going to LA tonight."

  "He couldn't." I glance at Brock. "We had a meeting with the principal."

  "No shit?" He laughs. "What happened?"

  "Your dad got a bill and I got sent to counseling."

  He laughs again. "I knew it. They send everyone to counseling. Gives Ms. Adams something to do."

  "Did they make you see her?"

  "Hell no. They know better than to try that shit on me."

  "Why?"

  "I'm too much of a challenge. She'd be the one needing counseling after a session with me."

  "Do you know anything about her?"

  "I know she shouldn't be a counselor. She's barely older than us. Just graduated college. Went to high school at Twisted Pine."

  A guy yells something in the background.

  "Shut the hell up!" Trystan says to him. "I'm on the phone."

  "I'll let you go. We're almost there."

  "Why are you going so early?"

  "We're having dinner first at that taco place in the green warehouse."

  "Yeah, right."

  "No, really. We're going to the taco place."

  "What the fuck? Did you drug my dad?"

  I look over at Brock. "He thinks I drugged you."

  "Put him on speaker."

  "Your dad wants to talk to you," I say to Trystan.

  "No! Don't—"

  "You're on speaker," I tell him.

  Trystan sighs. "What do you want, Dad?"

  "I need to know where to sit. I haven't been to one of these games since they built the new stadium."

  "Just sit in the parent section."

  "With Rumor? Shouldn't she be with the other students?"

  "Not after what she did." He chuckles. "Nobody's gonna want to be seen with her. Will Kristen be there tonight?"

  "She's home healing from her wounds." I roll my eyes. "She thinks she might need surgery."

  "She was barely bleeding."

  "I think it's just an excuse to get a nose job. She's going to her mom's plastic surgeon tomorrow."

  "If she's not gonna be there, you can probably sit wherever you want, although people still may not want to be seen with you if they think it'll get back to Kristen."

  "I think that's a little extreme," Brock says.

  "Believe me, it's not," Trystan says. "People are fucking scared of her because of her dad. And then my cousin goes and punches her in the face." He laughs.

  "She deserved it," I say, smiling, because Trystan finally called me his cousin. He keeps denying I am, refusing to even call me that.

  "What time will you be at the game?" Brock asks.

  "I don't know. Probably around six-thirty. Why are you going? Why didn't you drive to LA?"

  "I want to see Braden play."

  "Since when? You didn't go to his games before."

  "Trystan, we're not going to start arguing about this. I'm going. We'll see you there." He motions me to end the call.

  "Will you be home tonight?" I ask Trystan, taking him off speaker.

  "Not sure. I might stay over at Porter's."

  Porter is one of his soccer player friends. He's gorgeous, but has a girlfriend. Not that I'd date him if he was single. I have Jackson, who's even hotter than Porter, and an amazing kisser. The kiss we had earlier was supposed to lead to more later tonight but now that plan is off because of Brock. Because he decided to stay here because of Kristen. If Kristen had just kept her mouth shut, everything would've gone as planned and I'd be spending the night with Jackson.

  "I gotta go," Trystan says. "We're leaving."

  As I put my phone away, Brock pulls up to the taco place.

  "You sure you want to eat here?" he says, eyeing the place.

  "It's good. And it's fast and we don't have much time."

  He sighs as he gets out of the car. "I think I'll pass."

  "C'mon," I say, motioning
him to the door. "Trystan and Braden eat here. They like it."

  "I didn't know they came here," he says as we go inside.

  We order our meals and sit down at a table. Brock gets his phone out and ignores me, as usual, but I don't mind. It gives me a chance to text Burt, my code name for Jackson.

  Can't meet tonight, I text.

  He texts back. Why not?

  Brock is staying here. We're going to the game.

  He never goes.

  He has to. I glance up at Brock. He's swiping through his phone, totally clueless I'm talking about him. The principal guilted him into it.

  He talked to the principal? About Kristen?

  We both got called into his office. I have to go to counseling.

  I wait for his response but he doesn't text back.

  "Halliway," the guy at the counter yells out.

  "Uncle Brock?" I say.

  He looks up. "What?"

  "Could you get the food?"

  "They don't bring it to us?"

  "Never mind. I'll get it." I go over there and bring the food back. Brock's still scrolling through his phone.

  A text pops up from Burt. You gonna do it?

  Counseling? I don't have a choice, I text back.

  I have to go. The guys are leaving.

  Good luck at the game, I text, then set my phone down.

  Brock sets his down too. "Who is he?"

  "Who? What are you talking about?"

  "The boy you were texting." Brock takes a taco from the tray. "Anyone I know?"

  "It wasn't a boy. It was a friend from back home."

  He laughs a little. "I'm not that naive, Rumor. I have two other teenagers. I've learned to know when they're lying."

  "I'm not lying. I've only been here a couple weeks. How could I meet someone that fast?"

  "You're a pretty girl. You go to school with plenty of good-looking young men. It's quite possible you've met someone by now. Is it one of Braden's friends?" He grabs a napkin from the dispenser. "You can tell me. I won't tell Braden, if that's what you're worried about."

  I pause to think about this. If I told him I was dating one of Braden's friends, Brock would stop questioning me every time I text someone or talk on the phone in my room.

  "Okay, yeah," I say. "It's one of Braden's friends but I don't want him to find out. He hasn't fully accepted me being part of his group, and until he has, I don't want to tell him about this."

  Brock nods. "I understand."

  I bite into my taco, hoping that'll make him stop questioning me.

  "Is it the Stevens kid?" he asks.

  "Stevens?"

  "Dante." He smiles. "I'm guessing that's a no if you don't even know his last name."

  "It's not him. I'd rather not say who it is." I point to his food. "What do you think?"

  He sets his taco down. "I'm not hungry."

  "Not fancy enough?"

  "My tastes have improved over the years. I can't go back to eating that way."

  "You didn't have money growing up?" I ask, finishing my taco and grabbing another.

  "Not much. We always had food on the table but my parents struggled to pay the bills."

  "They weren't in show biz?"

  "They were teachers. My mother taught drama, which is why your father and I got into acting. She was always taking us to plays or movie sets. Several of her friends were actors so we were exposed to the industry at an early age."

  "They died in a car accident, right? Your parents?"

  He nods. "Years ago. Before you were born." He cocks his head. "Devon never told you about them?"

  "He just told me they died." I shove my tray aside and grab some napkins to wipe my hands. I really want to tell Brock what Jackson found out about my dad but I can't. He'll ask where I got the information, which is something I can't tell him. And asking Brock about my dad will cause a fight, which I need to avoid. I need to stay on his good side so he doesn't punish me. Then in the morning he'll hopefully go to LA and forget all about it.

  "Are you going to see Morgan tomorrow?" I ask.

  "I haven't decided." He checks his phone. "She might be doing something with Livia."

  "You could all do something together."

  "That never turns out well. As I'm sure you noticed last week at dinner, I'm not Livia's favorite person."

  "It might help if you called her Liv instead of Livia. She reminded you of that three times that night."

  "It wouldn't make a difference. She wants her mother to remain single. She gets more attention that way."

  "When are you going to propose?"

  "Maybe in the spring." He gets up. "Ready to go?"

  We drive to the school and Brock takes me to the stadium, which is down a long sidewalk that winds through some trees. I didn't even know it was there.

  "They built the new stadium farther from the school," he says as we walk. "The noise during practice was disturbing to the students who were trying to study. Braden probably told you they practice all hours of the day and night."

  "He did, but I didn't think it was during school hours."

  "It's not, but students hold study groups after school and want it to be quiet."

  We arrive at the stadium, which is only half full. It's all Twisted Pine students, wearing school t-shirts and sweatshirts.

  "I thought there'd be more people," I say, following Brock to the section that has all adults.

  "I haven't been to a game for awhile but usually it's just Twisted Pine students. The other schools don't like being here due to the rules."

  "What rules?"

  "They're very strict about noise and disruptions."

  "You can't make noise?"

  "You can cheer, but they don't allow booing or calling out insults to players. And they throw out anyone who starts a fight." He shoots me a look.

  I sigh. "I'm not going to fight anyone."

  We're in the front row of the bleachers, right by the end zone. I glance behind me and see nobody my age.

  "I feel like I shouldn't be here," I say, turning to Brock.

  "Of course you should be here. Your cousin's the quarterback."

  "I mean here. In the parents' section."

  He folds his arms over his chest and looks out at the field. "If you'd like to sit with your classmates, go ahead."

  Glancing over at the student section, I don't see anyone I'd want to sit with. And staying here with Brock, I might get some information about the football team, along with getting on his good side.

  "I'm fine staying here," I say. "Gives us a chance to hang out."

  He gives me a sideways glance that makes me think he knows that last comment was bullshit. I'm sure he's figured out I'm doing everything possible to avoid punishment. I just hope it works.

  "Brock," someone says from behind us.

  I turn and see a man in dress pants and a sweater two rows up. Why is he so dressed up for a football game? The other parents are dressed up too. Some of the women are even wearing dresses. They're casual dresses, but still, who wears a dress to a football game?

  "Harris," Brock says, getting up and turning to face the guy. "It's been a long time."

  "It certainly has." The guy walks over the bleachers, stopping in front of us. "Haven't seen you at a game in quite some time."

  Brock smiles. "It's Braden's last season. I'm hoping I'll make it to several more if my job doesn't get in the way."

  What a lie. He doesn't want to come to another game. He's only at this one because he was forced to show up.

  "We're all hoping Braden will bring us to State this year," Harris says.

  "He's definitely feeling the pressure," Brock says. "Spends all his time at the gym or here on the field."

  "I'm not worried about Braden. He's a solid player. It's his teammates I'm worried about." Harris laughs. "He'll need to keep those boys in line, mine in particular."

  "Who's your son?" I ask, standing up next to Brock.

  Harris looks at me. "Miles. He'
s a running back. Do you know much about football?"

  "Not really. But I know Miles. I sit with him at lunch. Well, at his table."

  "You sit at the football table?" Harris asks, sounding surprised.

  "She's Braden's cousin," Brock explains. "My niece. She recently moved here from New York."

  Harris nods. "Yes, Miles mentioned there was someone new at school. So why aren't you sitting with your classmates?"

  I wrap my arm around Brock's. "I didn't want to leave my uncle all alone."

  His eyes go to me, then back to Harris. "I suppose we should take our seats. The game will be starting soon."

  "Won't be much of a game," Harris says with a laugh. "Our opponent hasn't won in over a year. Did you hear Legion got a new coach?"

  "I didn't," Brock says in a surprised tone, feigning interest. He doesn't care about their new coach, or anything else related to football. I bet he'll spend the whole game on his phone. "Who is it?"

  "A guy from the Midwest. College coach. If they're bringing in someone from the college level, you know they're serious. They're making an investment."

  "We could do the same. We have far more resources than they do. And we have the connections."

  Harris shrugs. "We do, but no one wants to replace Coach Davis. Principal Edwards thinks he's top notch, and he obviously is given the improvement in the team since he came on board."

  "I'd like to give at least some of the credit to Braden."

  Harris smiles. "Of course. And Miles. All the boys have been doing their best to beat Legion. Let's hope it finally happens this year." He winks. "Maybe the Legion boys will have an injury or two."

  Why did he wink like that? Is someone planning to hurt the Legion players? During a game, or after?

  They better not be thinking of hurting Jackson. If they do, they'll be the ones getting hurt, even if I have to do it myself.

  Chapter Three

  "Rumor, let's take our seats," Brock says. "Harris, it was good seeing you."

  We sit back on the bleachers and Brock gets out his phone.

  "What did he mean?" I ask. "Is someone going to go beat up the Legion players?"

  Brock doesn't answer, his focus on whatever's on his phone.

  "Uncle Brock?"

  He glances at me. "What do you need?"

  "What that guy said just now. About Legion players getting injured. Are they planning something?"