Collide: A High School Bully Romance - Madison Falls High Book 1 Read online

  Collide

  Madison Falls High Book 1

  K. Walker

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Copyright © 2019 by K. Walker

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. K. Walker holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Follow the Author

  Also By Kylie Walker

  Chapter 1

  “Help! Help!”

  The terror in Rachel’s voice was unmistakable. I looked back, but all I could see were the depths of the ocean blue water beneath me. The waves kept rolling into me, and I struggled against the break at the reef to turn the surfboard around. God damn it, paddle faster!

  “Rach!” I screamed and slapped my hands against the thick blue liquid, fighting furiously against the angry waves. “Rach!”

  “Soph…!”

  There was a gurgling sound, like she was unable to finish saying my name, and panic seized me in the chest. My heart thumped so fiercely it felt as though it would rip right through my chest. I felt like I was drowning as I clawed at the water. I couldn’t see her. And the waves were so loud. She didn’t call out to me anymore, and my legs froze on me as I tried to crouch on the board. I looked frantically everywhere but all I could see was dark blue ocean. I screamed again.

  “Rachel!” I looked around frantically and slapped the water with my fists in frustration.

  That was when I saw her floating in the water next to the surfboard. I forgot about mine and jumped into the water, knifing through the briny blue as I stroked like a mad woman. I reached her and slung her hand around my neck, and kicked like hell as I struggled to get to shore.

  Salt water trickled into my mouth every time I tried to call for help, and as I sank below the water’s surface repeatedly. The ocean was supposed to be tranquil, beautiful and peaceful. Not dark and haunting like it was now. Oh God, please let her be okay.

  And then…I was on the shore, and Rachel was floating above the water, and her hands were held out to me. She had a sorrowful look in her eyes.

  “Why didn’t you save me?” she kept saying.

  “I couldn’t!” I screamed back and walked towards the water’s edge. “Rach, I’m sorry,” I cried as tears burned my eyes and my cheeks.

  “You should have saved me! Sophia! Sophia!”

  Boom! Boom!

  “Sophia!”

  I sprang upright and looked around wildly. I expected to be surrounded by water. But I was in my bed, and my heart was pounding within my chest. Beads of sweat ran down my temples and I swiped them and fell back against the pillow.

  I’d been dreaming again. The same dream I’d had for over a year now.

  “Sophia? You okay?”

  “Yes, Mom,” I replied while I tried to calm my breathing as I stared at the ceiling.

  “Can I come in?” she asked with her head poking through the door.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  I rose on my elbows so I could face her and swept a hand through my long dark hair. “What’s up?” She was dressed in her sky-blue scrubs as she walked into the room. “Oh, that’s right. You start work today.”

  “I do,” she said as she sat next to me and smoothed back my hair. “And you, madam high-school senior, will be late if you don’t get out of bed.”

  I groaned and tried to pull the sheet over my head. “Do I really have to go?” She held onto the sheet and pulled it away from me. “I mean, I could always do K-12. I hear they’re amazing, and the one-on-one tutoring is very beneficial.”

  Mom cocked her head to the side. “Really? You’re that scared?”

  “I’m not scared, Mom. You should know me better than that,” I protested and swung my feet over the side of the bed. I whipped my head so my hair fell backwards and out of my face. “It’s just, I don’t see the big deal with going to an actual school. And it’s just for my senior year.”

  “Exactly. It’s just one year.”

  “Just one year?’ I scoffed and turned to her. “Mom, it’s senior year. Do you know what that means? All the idiots will be more idiotic, the jocks will be extra dicks, and the cheer squad – I won’t even get started with them.”

  She stood and came over to me. She wrapped her arms around me and rested her chin on my shoulder. “But you’ve never really had any problems making friends. Or staying under the radar. Maybe this will be a good year for you.”

  “I seriously doubt it.” I pouted. “If this school is like any of the other rich schools in Cali, I’m roadkill. I’ll be the girl who just walked into open season. Can’t I just stay out?”

  I turned and gripped her arms. “Sophia, we talked about this. You knew you would have to go to a different school. I wanted us to stay in Santa Monica until you were done, but…”

  I turned away from her. “I don’t want to be near Jack and his skank—”

  “Sophia!” she said sternly and cut me off. “He’s still your father.”

  “Only biologically,” I argued and raised an eyebrow waiting for her rebuttal.

  She heaved a sigh. “You know, just because your dad and I are divorced doesn’t mean he still isn’t your father. You’re going to have to talk to him at some point.”

  “I doubt that. He made his choice when he cheated on you with that bimbo.” I saw the look on her face as the word left my mouth. “Mom, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what else to call her. She certainly isn’t a lady.”

  “Enough of that,” she said, and I agreed to stop, but only because I saw the sadness in her eyes. I knew she still hurt from having to file for a divorce, and it hurt me even more because she had lost so much more than I did. I was seventeen – I’d had my share of Dad, and I would make a life without him. Even if everything had been peachy with us still.

  But she had lost a life partner, everything she had ever known for the last two decades— to a damned slutty bitch. My skin itched every time I thought about him, or her.

  I’d wanted to gouge my father’s eyes out when I found out about him cheating on Mom. Who in their right mind cheats on a woman like my mother? Sandy Daniels might not be perfect, but she had done everything right. What more does it take to keep a man happy?

  “How about you do this for me and kick this senior year in the ass?” She grinned, and rubbed my cheek.

  “Fine.” I nodded in agreement and hung my shoulders. “But only because you asked nicely.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  “So how do you feel about your new job?” I beamed and touched her breast pocket watch. “Excited much?”

  “I am. Not the environment that I’m used to, but this might be better.”

  “I bet,” I added. “The Humprys seem to be a big deal around
here.”

  “I know. Did you see that advance check?” she asked as her green eyes bulged and her face revealed the playful look I loved. Her long brown hair hung loose around her shoulders and she looked radiant as if our world hadn’t been flipped upside down.

  I laughed. “I saw it. Take that, Dad!” I boasted to the absent participant in our conversation.

  Mom hated when I talked like that, but I couldn’t help it. I loathed the man. I would get over it one day, she had said. That day was not in my near or distant future. Not as long as he was still with that…that…ugh!

  “Anyway, sweetheart, I don’t want to be late on my first day, and neither do you, so get your ass moving.”

  And once again I was reminded that I was starting a new school, a rich uptight school no less, in my senior year. Who does that? Apparently, children of fathers who cheated on their wives and forced them to move to a different town.

  Could Dad, Jack, have chosen a worst possible time to be a dick?

  “Okay, okay,” I said unenthusiastically.

  She laughed and rubbed my shoulder before she walked back to the door. “You’re good getting there on your own, right?”

  “Mom, I might be new in town, but I still know how to drive,” I teased. “I’ll be fine. I’ll use the GPS in the car.”

  “Okay. You can call me if you need anything.”

  “I know.”

  She mouthed I love you and pulled the door closed behind her as she left. And I was alone, once again, with my inner demons, getting ready to battle my outer demons. I groaned and walked to the bathroom.

  I had been somewhat in the popular crowd at my old school in Santa Monica. I was well situated – coach of the volleyball team and for all intents and purposes, under the radar. I didn’t have a boyfriend, which was fine with me. High school boys were idiots and only thought with their dicks anyway so no loss on my end.

  And then Dad had struck like a category five hurricane, ripping my world apart and leaving me in a brand-new town with a whole new set of dicks, nerds, and pom poms to get acquainted with. I wasn’t looking forward to my first day.

  With any luck, I would skate by unnoticed.

  I didn’t bother washing my hair when I showered – it looked great as it was. I finger-combed it backwards and watched as it fell on my shoulders in a heap of chocolate brown locks. A pair of ripped jeans, a plain white tee, green military jacket, and a pair of Chucks to complete my look. If anything screamed, Hey look, I’m normal and trying to go by unnoticed, it was my jeans and tee.

  I didn’t even feel hungry. My stomach churned and my belly flopped as I grabbed the keys from the hook in the kitchen and then searched for my purse. Yep – right where I had left it on the sofa. Mom had gotten a decent amount of money from Dad because of the divorce. He hadn’t tried to fight her on that, so we had managed to get a nice house in Madison Falls.

  Not as nice as some of the others I had seen, but enough to make us blend in. And that was what I was all about – being a chameleon.

  In a year, I would be out of there.

  Mom had gotten me a blue and white Mini Cooper from the divorce – practically forced me to take it. I’d had no choice. It was either that or take the bus. Picture me trying to lay low and arriving at Madison Falls via bus. I would be the mockery of school all year. Not the kind of inattention I was striving for.

  My impending shame had overridden my pride, and I had finally caved. I tossed my purse into the car and hopped in. The engine purred and came to life and I slowly backed out of the parking spot in front of the garage.

  It was a decent suburban community. In the grand scheme of things, my life didn’t suck. It never had. Dad had been a top-notch criminal lawyer handling some of the biggest cases in the country. He had made obscene amounts of money, so we were always hanging with the rich.

  It had quickly become my least favorite thing to do, so living a modest lifestyle now with Mom was right up my alley. I wasn’t out to compete or impress. That life had sailed and I didn’t miss it one bit. If he’d had less money, maybe he wouldn’t have cheated. Or maybe it wasn’t his first time. I didn’t know. Mom wouldn’t tell me. But I didn’t think one time could have ended a twenty-two-year marriage.

  But when it came to boys, or men, who really knows?

  The car cruised along the street, and I glanced at the clock and saw that I had fifteen minutes to make a five-minute drive according to the GPS on my dash. I didn’t want to get there too early – just with enough time to slip into my seat before the late bell rang. Maybe no one would notice me as they greeted each other after a long summer break.

  I had five minutes to burn, so I took the longer route, which landed me right in richy-rich-ville. I passed houses I was all too familiar with – driveways extending further than the eye could see, heavy metal gates that stretched twelve feet tall, and lush manicured lawns with tasteful topiaries.

  I gazed at a topiary pair of kissing swans when I heard a horn beep. I panicked and hit the brakes automatically. I didn’t know why I thought I needed to. Nothing was in front of me but the horn scared the shit out of me, none the less. I was right next to an open entrance, and it was hard to miss the Audi R8 revving and itching to get onto the street.

  How the hell didn’t I hear that? I needed to pay more attention. I wanted to skip the senior year at Madison Falls High, but not in crutches or in a body sling at the hospital.

  “Sorry,” I mouthed and sped up.

  I checked my rearview and saw when the Audi inched onto the street. That was moments before the tires squealed and the car seemed to teleport next to my car. It moved seamlessly, or maybe I just turned too slowly.

  I glanced over and the driver rolled his window down and signaled for me to do the same. I did, very apologetically.

  “Hey, watch where you’re going,” he cautioned, and hung his hand out the window.

  He had tats all the way up his arm, but not in the street-biker gang kind of way. His looked cool.

  I nodded and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled, and I saw perfect teeth, on perfect full lips, set on a flawless face. He winked a green eye at me before his car jetted in front of mine.

  The word C-Minor was on his license plate. Must be a musician, I figured.

  I forgot I wasn’t into boys. I gulped and kept my eyes glued to the car as it quickly disappeared out of sight. I hadn’t even realized my heart had been racing until he was gone. And then I saw the time.

  “Shit!” I exclaimed and gunned the car down the street, hoping I wouldn’t attract my first speeding ticket. Hell of a way it would be to start the school year, and my new life.

  I arrived at school, only to find over half the population still outside milling around. I found the most inconspicuous spot in the middle of the school parking lot. If the school was anything like my old one, the good spots would have already been claimed, and no one wanted to park in the broiling heat.

  No one except those who were forced to—like me.

  “Great.” I switched off the ignition and remained in my seat, waiting for the students to all get inside. I knew from experience that if I got out, all eyes would find me and that was something I wanted to avoid.

  Why wouldn’t they? I was the new girl. I had done that very same thing to new faces at my old school. I was guilty. It wasn’t deliberate, but maybe a human condition. We all gravitate to what’s new all the time. And with the luck I’d had lately, I would probably be the only new girl.

  I was still waiting when the warning bell rung, and several feet shuffled towards the main entrance. I heaved a sigh of relief and reached for my purse. I had just set foot on the asphalt when I heard a loud uproar right before tires screeched on the asphalt.

  I glanced to my right as I slung my purse over my shoulder, and my heart stopped. It was the silver Audi R8 from before, and a swarm of boys and girls headed toward it. The spider door lifted upwards and he stepped out.

  Jesus, he’s easy to look at!

&
nbsp; “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumbled as I closed the door and hurried to the building. A gorgeous blonde was already draped on his arm as soon as he stepped out, and he leaned over and kissed her lips.

  He was wearing his letterman jacket, the large dark blue 'M' emblazoned on the left chest side over the black material and a patch with a football on it. When he turned it showed the back of his jacket, which bore his last name between his shoulder blades with his jersey number (seven) on it. It was unbuttoned, revealing a navy blue V-neck t-shirt. His light brown hair was tousled like he had run his hands through it several times. Oh my God he is freaking hot!

  Let me guess – the high school hot rod. I groaned and hurried away before he noticed we had already met. With all the girls swarming him, I bet he wouldn’t even notice me. I hoped no one else would either.

  The problem was, he had already seen me earlier.

  Shit! Shit! Shit!

  There went my plans for having a low-key year. Heck of a way to start by already drawing the attention of Mr. Popularity.

  And I hadn’t even been trying.

  Chapter 2

  I couldn’t help feeling like he was walking right behind me burning holes in my back. I knew that was only my mind, but I turned every couple of minutes, like I was being stalked.

  Like I was hoping he was right behind me. He hadn’t been, but that didn’t explain my slight disappointment.

  I walked right past the lockers and headed for my first class of the day – world history, with my heart pounding and my palms clammy. I walked into the class taking in the layout and students that were already seated. I took a seat against the wall to the back and hoped to God no one had claims on that seat that would be a douche.