AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Abel wanted me with him, but he relented when I put my foot down and told him I wasn’t leaving Kailey. He constantly checked in with me, which I appreciated.
Kailey slept a lot, so it gave me more than enough time to think. I took to heart what Abel said and listened to what people talked about at the party, and several things started making sense. The cliques at this school and the social standing I was never a part of had raised a lot more questions that the society meeting answered.
What disgusted me about the whole thing was how ruthless the secret society was. Putting it together, I didn’t want anything to do with the secret society. I wasn’t interested in how they lived, planned, and manipulated.
The choice wasn’t mine, though. I didn’t have a blood relative to name as my successor, fresh out of those. I could name my mother. The image of her sloppy, drunk ass strutting around the room, picking up her next husband was not something I wanted to be responsible for. It would probably end up being a guy my age. I giggled at the idea. To be fair, my mother didn’t get sloppy until after the “I do’s.” She could dress up, act poised, and be put together like the best of them. Rich men wouldn’t marry my mother if they truly knew the problems she’d cause.
None of it explained how I got the seat to begin with. I should talk to the president or Richard, but the president seemed like I should avoid him. Richard, on the other hand, I wondered if it explained why he paid for my tuition here.
Since I’d settled Kailey in her bed and watched over her, all of it played repeatedly in my head. I was stuck and hated how I never got to make any decisions in my life thus far. Things always seemed to happen, and I had to fall in line.
Mentally, I took note of everything I witnessed at the party and what I’d seen of Abel because the games were there, and I needed to make sure nothing got turned on me. Everybody there, Abel especially, was ruthless and sharp. Abel controlled everything around him. He was ten steps ahead, no matter where he was or what he was doing.
It impressed me how people wanted to meet with him. Abel, who wasn’t raised like Kailey or Evan, seemed to be the most powerful pledge, and the next generation of leaders listened to what he had to say and took his direction.
Abel also clearly had his own money, which I didn’t know where it came from or how he got it. He played on the lacrosse team, did all the get-togethers, and dealt with his father’s shit when he didn’t have to because he could afford his own education. What made him deal with it all? What made him tick?
Ella brought me my schoolbooks mid-Sunday morning so I could get some reading done. Ella and I chatted for a bit but mostly stayed quiet to let Kailey sleep. Ella, however, had more questions. “Abel was on the field doing laps and getting a workout in. Did he stay with you?” I told her no, but that he’d called and texted a lot.
How in the hell did Abel keep up with his workload, frat stuff, parties, lacrosse, and now the secret society? I struggled with my workload and him.
* * *
Walking into class on Monday morning with Abel behind me, it also dawned on me that he rarely carried notebooks. He only had the book for class or nothing at all. It made no sense because he had one of the highest GPAs.
Before I asked him, Blake walked in and stared at Abel and me. At first, he was cold, but he acted like he mentally shook himself out of it and smiled. Than his whole demeanor changed. The way he had an on-off switch made me nervous as to what he might try with me next.
There was no forgiving him for kissing me the way he did. I still hadn’t told Abel. I wanted to, but I didn’t want to make things worse. I honestly didn’t know what Abel would do to him. He could be unpredictable at the best of times.
Abel and I sat in our regular seats as the professor came in and started in on the lecture. I took copious notes since it was close to midterms, and I wanted to be as prepared as possible.
After the professor dismissed us, Abel escorted me to my next class. The school’s decorations had been put up over the weekend, and the place was ready for Halloween. It was interesting how the snippets of conversations I got from passersby had nothing to do with midterms or the stress of the tests. It was all about who was going to be what for the holiday.
Only a handful talked about the midterms. Then again, they were the people like me who decided to sequester ourselves in the library to get quiet time. I frequently checked in with Kailey and replied to Abel whenever he called or came looking, but other than that, I avoided everybody. I focused on cramming every morsel of everything I’d learned so far into my head to get high marks. I’d be disappointed in myself if I didn’t take advantage of this amazing gift Richard had given me. He didn’t have to pay for my education or give me his blood seat, but he did, so I wanted to show him I took his opportunities seriously.
Abel dragged me from my room Wednesday late afternoon and pushed me against his car. “I’ve missed you this week.”
“It’s only been a few days,” I said.
“Doesn’t matter, I missed you.”
“Oh, you mean you missed sex.”
Abel leaned his hand on his vehicle and hovered over me. “Wrong. Life’s less fun without you to bully all day long.”
I rolled my eyes, but then he sank his fingers in my hair and tugged just hard enough to make me lean my head back. My face was angled up to him and he took me into a bruising, scorching kiss. His tongue didn’t have to battle with mine. He owned the kiss, and I followed his lead as every inch of my body ignited. I grabbed his shirt in my hands and held on tightly. Abel moved in closer, thrusting a thigh between my legs, rubbing against my core. I mewled in his mouth.
Abel stopped and lifted his head while my eyes glazed over, and I blinked back into reality. The kiss was fire and made me want more since it ended too soon.
Abel’s ever-present smirk hovered above me, and I straightened myself a little and coughed to clear my throat. “I need to study.”
“I’ll study with you. We need to discuss some things from the other night, too. So I’m taking you out to dinner, and then we’ll return and hit the books.” He kissed me again, but this was quick and innocent—nothing like the rager from moments before.
Abel lifted me off the ground with an arm around my waist, moving me to the side of the passenger door. He opened it and settled me into the seat, leaning over me to buckle my seatbelt.
“I can buckle my own belt, you know.”
Flashing me a smile, he pulled out of the car and shut the door without saying a word.
