The Touch of a Villain: An Enemies to Lovers High School Romance (The Boys of Clermont Bay Book 1) by Holly Renee (best short books to read .TXT) 📗

I didn’t have a choice really. He smiled back at me, his smirk promising more, and I knew that I couldn’t just walk away from him.

I was only here for one year, then I would walk away from it all.

I would leave Beck, my father, all of it.

I wouldn’t leave a trace of me behind.

Chapter Thirteen

Josie

I didn’t want to be here.

This school was nothing like the school I went to back home, and even though I didn’t want to, I couldn’t help searching the front of the school for Beck.

We hadn’t talked about school at all with one another, and I had no idea how to act around him here. I had no idea how he would act.

Especially after yesterday.

I wasn’t foolish to think that it had meant anything to him more than what it was. That was fine.

But I still couldn’t get his words out of my head.

You’re mine.

I hadn’t seen him at all yesterday after what happened. I put my head down and worked hard as Sam watched me. I knew that he was waiting for me to mess up. I could tell by the way he surveyed my every move.

But I gave him no reason.

Whatever he thought he saw in the room with the ice machine was just that. Thoughts. After that, I didn’t give him reason to suspect a thing. I did what I had intended to do when I volunteered for the shift. I worked my ass off.

And I thought about Beck the entire time.

I knew no one here. Lucas had to be here early for baseball workouts, and even though the two of us had felt awkward since the morning he came home drunk, I wished he was with me.

“You look lost.” I looked over at the blonde as she let a small puff of smoke pass her lips. “You new here?”

I gripped the straps of my backpack and looked her over. She wore the same uniform as I did, one that was required of all students at Clermont Bay Prep, but she looked so much better in it. Her body filled out the uniform far better than mine, and her skirt somehow fell on a far more attractive spot on her thighs.

“It’s that noticeable?”

“Yes.” She pressed the cherry of her joint into the brick before grabbing a bag off the ground. “Plus, most of us have been in school together since we were babies.”

“Yay.” My voice sounded just as thrilled as I felt.

“Don’t worry. It’s not that bad.” She nodded for me to follow her as she started walking toward the school.

“What’s your name?” she asked without even turning to see if I was behind her.

“Josie. You?”

“Cami.” She pulled open the heavy double doors and strode into the hallway as if this place didn’t intimidate her at all. I guess if I was her, I wouldn’t be intimidated either.

“You like to party?”

“Yes?” My answer was hesitant, and of course, she picked up on it.

“That sounded like a no.” She laughed and ran her gaze from my head to my toes, and I knew she was sizing me up. She was trying to determine exactly where I fit in here, and so was I. “We’re having a party at my house this weekend.”

“What about your parents?” I followed her down the hallway as I stared down at my schedule to find my first class.

“They’ll be out of town.” She said it like it didn’t matter one way or another to her. “Where’s your first class?”

“Mr. Fouch, English, room 201.” I read the first line of my schedule.

“Same as me.” She linked her arm in mine, and even though I didn’t know a single thing about this girl, I was happy to have someone by my side as I walked to my first class. Even if she was a complete stranger.

I sat at the desk beside her, and I pulled a blank notebook out of my backpack as I waited for the teacher to start. It was weird seeing all the students in matching uniforms, but somehow looking so different at the same time.

I had never had to wear a uniform before. Never even seen a school that had to, but I still pulled it on this morning like I knew what I was doing. Like I knew what the hell I was getting into.

The students were all looking at me as if they hadn’t seen a new student in their entire lives. It was everyone’s first day back, but they didn’t seem to care about each other.

They were too interested in me.

“Good morning, everyone.” I pulled my attention to the teacher and watched as he adjusted his tie. He looked like he was already stressed out, but it was only the first day of the school year. “I’m going to complete a roll call. Please say here when I call your name.”

He went through the list of names and everyone responded with a bored ‘here’ as if they couldn’t be bothered. For such an elite school, the students didn’t seem to care.

“Josephine Vos.” I winced as my name passed his lips.

“Here.” Several eyes turned back in my direction, but I avoided them all. Except for Cami, who shot her leg out and kicked the edge of my chair.

I looked over at her and her mouth was practically gaping. “What?” I whispered because Mr. Fouch was still taking roll.

“You’re Joseph Vos’s daughter?” She said it like it was supposed to mean something more than it did. She said it like he wasn’t the worst father in the world.

“Unfortunately.”

She chuckled before covering her mouth with her hand. “Holy shit. I didn’t even realize he had any other kids.”

Other.

Because Lucas had been his only one.

I guess he belonged to him more than I did.

“Long-lost.” I looked back up at our teacher and hoped she’d catch my drift that I didn’t want to talk about my father. I didn’t want to think about him at all.

“I bet