AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Julia takes a shaky breath in, and I can tell she's been crying.
“Dad’s missing again, Jo. I haven’t heard from him in days, and I almost didn’t answer because I didn’t want to tell you. You’re busy, and—”
I cut her off because I’m never too busy for her. “Jules, cut that out. I’ll find out where he is, okay? You know I have connections now. Are you over at Sophie’s house?”
“Yeah, I’ve been staying here with her and her mom, Anne. She told me I could move in, if I wanted to, but I don’t want to leave Dad. He may be an oblivious drunk, but he’s still my dad. Ya know?”
“Yeah, Sis. I know. Hopefully soon we can get you out here at Holy Cross. You and Sophie. That way you’ll be with me and have a friend. I miss you.” Someone laughs on her side of the call and I sigh.
Things have been a total shitshow for the last few years. When our mother was murdered, Dad went off the deep end. I had hoped that my dad would find purpose when he joined the Society two years ago. That he would be able to keep his good job, but clearly that hasn’t happened yet. I think it might be time for rehab.
Reminding myself to get in touch with Levi, to ask him to find my dad and drag him back from whatever mess he’s in, I tell my sister not to worry and hang up.
I run to the weight room, down in the basement of the Academy. It's not underground, like the sparring ring we have in the secret tunnels.
Working out usually takes the edge off, and I’m able to calm down. I’m usually happy-go-lucky, until I’m not. And between Ash constantly pushing me away and being an asshole about the new girl, I’m at my limit.
Coach nods as I walk in, and I head to a quiet corner to start my reps. There’s a noise and a roar outside, where the guys are watching footage of Blessed Trinity playing. We’ve had a long rivalry with them, and it’s always a challenge to make it out of the game without coming to blows.
Coach sighs. “Keep doing your reps, boys. Apparently, the hooligans outside are messing around and have forgotten how important this game is. I swear, I’m not paid enough,” he mutters as he walks out. I smirk because we’re all damaged in one way or another, and all of that energy is used to channel our football prowess. We naturally hit harder and run harder because we have something to prove.
The guys on the team talk softly as they work out, not wanting to draw Coach’s ire. Out of all the adult males here at the Academy, he’s not a priest. Mother Superior hired him, surprising us. Father Jones couldn’t keep up with our rigorous training schedule anymore.
“Hey, did you guys notice the new girl yet?” Blake asks.
Miles smirks as he sets down his weights. “Dude, who hasn’t? She’s got pouty lips I would love to see wrapped around my cock. There’s a rumor going around that she gives head to anyone who asks. How true do you think that is?” he muses.
The other guys chuckle as they listen to him, some of them weighing in on what they think of her breasts or ass. Locker room talk like this isn’t abnormal, but it pisses me off that they’re talking about her like this. Remembering our time together in the kitchen, where she happily made treats, admitting that she was hiding from the world to retreat to her happy place. She’s at a new school, and none of this makes things easier.
Fuck, high school guys are pigs, I’m now realizing. Plus, it doesn't help that Bridget and her girls will drop to their knees and ‘pray’ to anyone who gives them attention. They just expect all girls to be the same.
Clearing my throat, I drop my weights, checking the door to make sure that Coach isn’t coming back in. I don’t have a lot of time to make my point clear.
“God, her ass,” Miles crows, shaking his head as he shifts in his seat. The shorts don’t hide much, and I can see from his tiny bulge that he’s excited. I stand, and the other guys look over uneasily. “Do you think she’s had anyone fuck her tight little ass? The church teaches abstinence, but head and anal are like free passes, am I right?”
Silence meets his words, and Blake and Luke find other places to look as I advance on him.
“Chastity is Mother Superior’s granddaughter. Do you really think she’d be happy if I told her what you just said?” I threaten. The blood drains from his face as he sees me walking towards him.
Ash and Bastian are the brawlers in school usually, but I’ve made a name for myself in the underground fights. People typically don’t fuck with me.
“Listen, Jonas… I was just joking. There’s no harm in that, right?” he croaks, as I grab him around the throat.
“There’s plenty of harm because I don’t fucking like it,” I hiss. I glance up and can hear Coach’s voice coming closer. “Keep the girl’s name out of your mouth, unless it’s to discuss her with respect. Is that understood?”
Miles turns red as he tries to shake his head. Releasing him, I quickly walk back to my station, lifting weights as if this never happened. I have a reputation for having a long fuse, but light me up and watch me burn the world down.
Breathing deeply, I let the sounds around me drain away as I try to ground myself. The next lot of fights aren’t happening for a while, and I need to keep it together.
Coach calls it a night twenty minutes later, lecturing us to drink water and clean up. I make sure I clean my area before heading to the locker room. I am back in control of myself, and I don’t want anyone to trigger me.
My teammates ignore me for the most part as I shower, and I am grateful for it. Dressing quickly, Elias stops me before I leave.
“I was just going to go to the library. Do you want to come with me? I kind of need to finish my essay, and as you know, I struggle with papers,” Elias says, his blue eyes begging.
I smirk because he’s kind of like a puppy that you can’t say no to. Fuck it, I was going to head there anyway, so I may as well help him. Miles is in my way, as I start to walk out, and I growl under my breath. Before I can say anything, he sees me, hands raising in the air to stave me off.
“I really don’t want to get into it with you again,” he says with a sigh. “I didn’t mean to get in your way.”
