Endgame Read online

  The rest of the drive the boys talk about the upcoming rugby game this weekend. Dom asks me if I like rugby and I tell him no, that football is my game of choice.

  “Footballs for pussies.” Grayson scoffs.

  We park nearby and walk the rest of the way on foot. Dom stops at a cash machine and Grayson and I stand there not speaking and not looking at each other. The club is situated mid-way down a strip of bars. We enter and pay the entrance fee and head down the steps to the inside. The place is already packed, and a band is warming up on the stage.

  “Where are they meeting you?” Dom shouts over the music.

  I shrug, realising I haven’t made arrangements. Dom gestures for me to follow him and I fall in step behind him with Grayson behind me. We wind our way through the crowds and a guy who is clearly over excited knocks into me. I feel an arm at my elbow and Grayson steadies me.

  “Watch it.” He growls at the guy who holds his hands up and backs away quickly. Does everyone in this town bow down to Grayson St. Clair?

  Dom leads us to a booth where Izzy, Molly and some of the rugby lads sit.

  “Everly!” Izzy shouts delightedly, she grabs my arm and pulls me to sit beside her. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

  “I was supposed to be coming with Lottie, but she’s running late.”

  “Well stick with us until she arrives. Dom grab her a drink.” She shouts to him as she sees him heading off for the bar. “Fruit cider.” She yells to him, and I’m touched that she remembered what I drink.

  Izzy leans into my ear. “You look gorgeous Everly. I wish I had hair that thick that curls would hold.”

  I smile and playfully twirl a strand of her hair. “Your hair is gorgeous. Way nicer than mine.”

  She leans into my ear grinning. “Watch out tonight, I think you may be fighting some of these guys off. You’ve made quite the impression.”

  I groan and can’t help but blush, which luckily you can’t see in the low lights of the club. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and pull it out to a message.

  Where are you pretty girl?

  H.x

  I smile realising it is Harvey.

  I’m in a booth with Izzy. Over by the bar.

  E. x

  I look up to find three girls are stood by the booth and recognise her as the girl who was draped over Grayson the other day. The one Imogen described as a bitch. Paige Fitzgerald eyes fall on me, her blue eyes scrutinising me. She flicks her perfect ash blonde hair off her shoulder.

  “So, you’re the new girl?”

  “I am.” The band starts a song, so I have to shout.

  She nods and looks at me like she can smell shit. “The northern orphan.”

  The girl is a bitch, just like Imogen said she was. She doesn’t scare me though. “Northern yes. Orphan no. To be an orphan you have to have no living parents.”

  She scowls at me, not liking that I corrected her. “Ah yes Daddy’s little secret. Grayson has told me all about you.”

  I give her a fake smile. “Well aren’t you the lucky one, pouty lips.” Izzy chokes on her drink besides me. Paige gives me a glowering look before turning her back on me and whispering in her friend’s ear. They both giggle.

  “You rattled her cage.” Izzy laughs.

  I smile and wink. “I can handle stuck up bitches like her.”

  “Hey.” A voice says distracting me and I turn to see Harvey stood before me. His brown eyes smile warmly at me and he holds out a hand for me to take. “Come on, the others are over the other side.”

  I’m about to stand and take his hand when Grayson comes up beside him with Dom and he stands in front of Harvey and holds my bottle out to me.

  I take it from him and reluctantly mumble a thank you and then step around him to place my hand in Harvey’s. I give Izzy a wave and let Harvey pull me away. Grayson stands there, his expression unreadable as he watches me go.

  Harvey leads me over to a booth at the other side of the club nearer to where the band play.

  “You made it.” Hannah says excitedly moving over to make room for us. Harvey slides in besides me and rest his arm on the back of the booth behind me. Lottie arrives seconds after we sit down, shuffling in beside James.

  “Sorry I’m late. My stupid sister was late out of drama, making my dad late for me.” Lottie has her hair up in a pony tail. She is wearing a black lace top and jeans and she looks really pretty.

  “Did you pick her up?” She asks Harvey gesturing with her head to me.

  “I got a lift with Dom. I didn’t have Harvey’s number.” I explain, and Harvey squeezes my shoulder.

  “We need to correct that right away.” He takes my phone from my hand and types in his number and goes to save it to contacts, he names himself ‘handsome’ and I laugh. Harvey looks at me winking.

  Lottie stands and beckons me with her head. “Come to the bar with me, will you?”

  Harvey stands and lets me squeeze past him. I grip onto Lottie’s hand as we weave through the crowd until we get to the busy bar.

  I stand behind her as she waits to get served when I feel a hand at my elbow.

  “How do you like the band?”

  I turn my head and find a strapping guy behind me wearing a cheeky grin. He must be near six-foot, similar height to Grayson. He has mid-brown hair and green eyes and a rugged look about him. I notice a tattoo on his arm.

  “They are good.” I reply smiling.

  He leans in closer to my ear. “Where are you from, that’s not an accent from round here?”

  “Manchester.” I reply standing on tip toes to reach his ear.

  He grins at me and it highlights the small scar above his lip. “No way. My Dad’s from Salford. We regularly go up there to see my uncle.”

  I quickly check Lottie is still in front of me and she is still queueing to get served. His hand touches my elbow again as he bends down to talk into my ear.

  “So, what brings a pretty northern girl to this neck of the woods?”

  “I moved here this weekend. To live with my dad.”

  He grins in response to this. “So, I may see you again here?”

  I shrug smiling. “Maybe.” I realise I’m flirting and blush slightly. I feel a shadow fall over me from my right and look to see Grayson standing there, fist clenched with a look that could kill.

  “You want something Andrews?”

  I raise my brows in surprise, this is Andrews? Grayson snakes out a hand and takes my wrist, gently pulling me towards him and I am so shocked by his presence I let him. Andrews looks at Grayson’s hand on my wrist and smirks. You could literally cut the testosterone in the room as they glare at each other. I see Lottie turn around with a drink in her hand and her mouth forms an ‘O’.

  Andrews winks at me. “I’ll be seeing you sometime gorgeous.” Smiling he walks backwards and then disappears into the crowd.

  Grayson spins me to face him and drags me off away from the bar, I look helplessly at Lottie and shrugging she points over to the direction of our booth and deserts me.

  Grayson pulls me to a quiet corner of the club and I rest my back against the wall. He looks furious, the anger flows off him.

  I yank my hand out of his. “Who do you think you are dragging me around like some caveman?”

  Grayson cages me in, placing both his arms either side of my head on the wall and leans in.

  “Stay away from Andrews, Manchester. He is bad news.”

  I fold my arms and glare back at him. “Ha. Don’t tell me who I can and can’t talk to. Who made you my dad.”

  Grayson leans in closer. “I mean it Manchester. Trust me when I say he is not a good guy.”

  I lift my chin defiantly. “I can make my own mind up who I can and cannot trust thank you. He was being friendly that’s all.”

  Grayson laughs and runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “He was making a play for you. He always wants the pretty ones.”

  I scoff but can’t help but smile inside that he referre
d to me as pretty.

  “I’ll do what I damn well like.”

  Grayson growls at me and I feel his fist clench at the side of my head. “Why do you have to be so god damned frustrating Manchester?”

  I step closer to him. “Why do you have to be such an arrogant fucker?”

  I realise now that we are stood super close. In fact, if I moved my face an inch, our lips would be touching. I’m sure I see Grayson’s gaze fall briefly to my lips before he returns his eyes to mine.

  “Nice tattoo.” He says, and he rubs a finger slightly over the tattoo on my chest that is visible tonight thanks to my off the shoulder neckline. His touch sends shivers down my spine and I fight to make sure I don’t let him see that his touch affects me.

  “Thanks, it’s Celtic. It means fuck off.”

  Grayson laughs. “It means mother and daughter and you got it for your mum.”

  His response completely floors me, and I open my mouth to reply but close it when I realise I don’t know how to reply. He runs a finger over it again. “It’s sexy.”

  I roll my eyes, but inside him telling me he thinks it’s sexy makes my heart quicken.

  “Good to know.” I eventually reply and I take a step back, so my back is back flush with the wall and there is a little more distance between us.

  Grayson bites his lip and I wonder what it would feel like to bite that lip myself. I hate that my mind strays to such thoughts about him. I mean we hate each other. He swears under his breath and he grab my hand and pulls me off the wall.

  “Let’s get you back to your little gang.” I don’t like the teasing way he calls my friends a little gang and I roll my eyes. “And don’t roll your eyes at me Manchester or I’ll slap that perfect ass of yours.”

  My mouth falls open, how did he know I rolled my eyes? I don’t reply and allow him to pull me through the club. People move out of the way when Grayson moves through. We arrive at my table and he let’s go of my hand as soon as we are in sight.

  “Remember what I said Manchester.” He reminds me firmly before stalking off into the crowd.

  Letting out a big sigh I take a seat beside Lottie. All of my friends are staring at me. Harvey has a frown etched on his face.

  “Well?” Lottie demands. “What was that?” She gestures with her hand to me and then in the direction Grayson left.

  “Nothing.” I reply, really not wanting to explain and I take a sip of my drink.

  “Hey!” I exclaim as Lottie plucks my drink from my hand and puts it on the table, a determined look on her face.

  “That was not nothing. Grayson may as well have cocked his leg up and pissed on you.”

  I laugh. “Please. Look there’s some beef between Grayson and that guy Andrews. Grayson felt he had some god given right to warn him off.”

  “Andrews?” James pipes up sitting up straighter.

  “Yeah Andrews. Do You know him?”

  James leans in, as if revealing secret information. “Grayson and Andrews hate each other. No one knows what happened, but they used to be good friends.”

  I’m intrigued by the story between those two. You could tell by the way they were back then that there was little love lost between them. I wonder if I could get any information out of Dom later.

  I enjoy the rest of my night with my friends dancing and drinking and we eventually head home at eleven. Lottie’s dad picks us up and I’m home and in bed for half past eleven. I fall sleep wondering what the story was with Grayson and mysterious Andrews. My bet was it was over a girl.

  The next morning my eye still looks pretty bad. Nothing better than your first week at your new sixth form being overshadowed by a beast of a black eye. I had dreamt of my mum last night and when I awoke, for those first few seconds I forgot. I forgot that she was dead, and that I wasn’t in my own bed at home. Reality hits me like a freight train, the grief ripping through my body and I let out a sob and clutch to my mum’s sweater, inhaling her scent. I didn’t want to be moving on. I didn’t want to be settling in to my new life, as that felt like betraying my mum’s memory. I needed to punish myself, so I throw on my vest top and gym leggings and find myself in the basement gym at six o’clock in the morning, punching the life out of the poor punch bag. Tonight, was therapy night. Tonight, I would be expected to go and share all my thoughts and feelings with a stranger. It would so-called help with my grief and help with my recovery, ensure I didn’t slip back into old habits. Really though, unless the counsellor had experienced losing their mum and starving themselves to a point where your body almost gives up on itself, then he or she didn’t have a clue how I felt. No one knew how I felt. I felt alone and lost, treading water surrounded by my grief and my anorexia, waiting for it to swallow me whole. I tread back up to my room and take a shower. All I want to do today is curl up in bed today and forget about life, but instead I have to paint on a face of someone who is coping and smile and look like I am adjusting to my new life. Really I want to say fuck it all and just be sad today.

  I head down for breakfast and Ollie gives me his best smile which, I have to be honest does make me smile. This cute little boy, was weaving his way into my heart.

  “Everly. Sit next to me.” He tells me excitedly, patting the chair next to him. “Guess what, guess what?”

  I sit beside him and ruffle his hair. “What kiddo?”

  “If I move up a reading stage today Daddy is going to take me for a new nerf gun tonight!”

  I give him an excited smile. “Wow, that is cool. I’m sure you will easy move up. I’ve heard you reading and you are so good.”

  He gives me a proud smile. Eyes wide. “I do try hard.”

  Sophie squeezes my shoulder as she passes me putting a bowl of rice crispies in front of Ollie.

  “What are you having this morning?”

  “Ah I’m not that hungry. Could I just have a yoghurt this morning?”

  I see her share a look with my dad and then she looks back at me an anxious look on her face. “That’s not very filling. We have weigh in day tomorrow.”

  I sigh and hold in the anger I want to release. “I know that, and I am doing fine, is it not okay just one day for me not to feel hungry?” I realise my voice is a tad snappy, but I can’t help it today.

  “How about a yoghurt and a piece of toast?” Dad suggests, giving me an encouraging smile.

  “Fine.” I grind out, keeping the tight smile on my face. I eat my yoghurt angrily and keep my head down. I don’t even look up when Dom and Abi come down. I’m in no mood for small talk with anyone today.

  Twenty minutes later I follow them out to the car and throw myself in the back and put my headphones on. We pick Izzy up and I give her a polite smile, not taking my earphones out making it clear I am not in a talkative mood today.

  My first class is Spanish and I sit in my own world and listen to the teacher drone on. Second period I have free, so I head to the common room and plan to lose myself in a good book. I sink into one of the comfy sofas and fire up my kindle. I am distracted by the sound of a group of giggling girls and groan inwardly when I see Paige with her cronies. She looks my way and looks down her nose at me like I am some kind of fungus. I roll my eyes and look back down to my kindle.

  I feel a shadow fall over me and look up to see her stood over me, hands on her hip, that sneer on her face.

  “Yes?” I say expectantly.

  “I don’t know what your game is, but let me make it clear, stay away from Grayson.”

  I laugh, putting my kindle down beside me. “You are kidding me?” Has the girl no idea how much Grayson and I dislike each other?

  “He doesn’t date girls like you.” She wrinkles her nose as if irritated by my presence.

  “Save your breath Miss 90210. I have zero interest in Grayson. Now run along.” I shoo her away with my hand.

  She snatches my kindle from beside me and sneers at me. I glower back at her.

  “Give it back Paige.”

  She purses her lips as if consi
dering my request. She looks as if she is leaning down to give it me back when her hand moves to the side and she drops it in a vase with yellow flowers inside. She gives me satisfied smile before walking away back to her bitch club who are all laughing. I feel the rage build inside me and I lose it. I fly out of my seat and storm her way intending on wiping that smile off her snooty fucking face. An arm wraps around my waist just as I’m about to grab her hair and drag her sorry ass backwards.

  “Woah Hatton.” The voice behind me says into my ear.

  “Let me go. I’m going to kill that bitch.” I spit the words out and Paige turns and steps back, her hand on her chest, looking all shocked.

  “What did I do?” She asks, all innocent.

  I try to push forward but the two strong hands hold me against their chest.

  “What have you done Paige?” Grayson asks from behind me.

  She points to herself. “Who me? Nothing. Why would I waste a moment of my time on someone like her.”

  “That bitch put my kindle in water.” In my mind I picture myself punching her in the nose and watching the blood burst everywhere.

  “She’s not worth it.” He whispers quietly in my ear. “Don’t give her the satisfaction.” I feel his fingers stroke my hand as if to soothe me and somehow it does. I realise this is what she wants, she wants me to get mad, she wants me to react.

  A smile plays across my face. I decide the best revenge is to take what she wants the most. I spin around wrap my arms around Grayson’s neck and press my lips against his. He stills at first but then his lips move against mine and his hand tightens at my waist. Kissing Grayson St. Clair is like lighting a firework. My body lights up inside. I pull my lips away from his and we both breathe heavily and stare at each other in shock. I turn back to face Paige, who stands there looking every shade of pissed off you could imagine. I give her a smug smile, licking my lips before I side step around Grayson and take off out of there. As soon as I am out the door I run, as fast as my legs will carry me. I hear Grayson call my name, but I just keep running until I find myself a quiet toilet cubicle to compose myself in.

  I lean against the toilet door and catch my breath. My heart is thundering in my chest, galloping at a hundred miles an hour. I laugh out-loud to myself and touch my lips that still tingle from my kiss with Grayson. I really shouldn’t have done that. I spend the rest of that hour hidden away in that cubicle, too afraid to come out and face the music. As lunch time rolls around I finally leave my sanctuary and sigh when I realise I left my bag in the common room. Hopefully everyone will be in the canteen by now, so I make my way back there. When I get there, the room is relatively empty, a boy and girl sit in the corner making out and a girl sits at a table scribbling away in a pad. My eyes fall on the sofa, but my bag isn’t there. I also notice my kindle is no longer submerged in the vase of yellow flowers. Damn!