Page 34 of False Idols

Beau follows me into the room and surprises me when he only closes the door just a little over halfway. “There, the door will stay open. How’s that?”

It’s a rule my mom and all the other parents at church used to use on all of us kids. The door stayed open no matter what if you had someone of the opposite sex in your room. Nothing bad can happen with the door open is what my mom used to say when I had study groups that included the boys from youth group.

I eye the door and nod at him. I’m safe if the door stays open.

What’s the worst that can happen?

13

BEAU

Nevaeh is an idiot, but everyone else here is something worse. They’re cowards. Spineless fucking little bitches I want to break over my knee and end. If they were in prison for a day, they wouldn’t make it. They’re too soft. Too goddamn weak. The only way they know how to live is to band together and beat up on one person. Someone they think is weak is fair game but how weak is that person if it takes everyone to bring them down? All it does is show how pathetic they all are. An entire goddamn town against one girl and they can’t even do it right.

Good thing, I’m here. I’ll do it.

“I won’t close the door,” I say and Nevaeh nods at me. She thinks it’ll keep her safe, but it won’t. I am fine breaking my sweet little liar with an audience. I waited for four years to do this. I knew when the day came, I’d do it no matter what. That when I was able to get my hands on my Nevaeh, it would all be worth it. She’s the one that hasn’t had time to understand this was always going to happen.

That it is going to happen. Door closed or open, I’m going to have my girl tonight. I knew that when I came to this mixer and ditched Ali the second I got inside.The after hours lock was in place by the time I showed, but all it took was someone inside opening the door, which Ali was all too eager to do when I texted that I was outside. She was easy enough to ditch when she caught sight of Jordan. I get the hierarchy for some girls on campus. I used to be “that guy” in town for every femme with a pulse, but that was before I was in prison. Now I’m older, I’m third string on the team and I’m definitely considered damaged goods.

Sympathetic figure, yes? The guy you want to marry for someone like Ali?

Absolutely not.

I don’t give a shit about any of that either, so it suits me just fine. I need enough support to go where I want and do as I please with Nevaeh. Nothing else matters. When I see my little liar she’s with that fucking try hard from earlier. He’s touching her this time and I see red. No one touches Nevaeh.

She’s such a good fucking girl that she took a purity pledge the year after I got sent away and I can tell she stuck to it. Not like her best friend or the other girls that go to Crown of Thorns. They’re harmless enough, but they get into trouble on the regular. Nevaeh isn’t the type. While her friends were updating stories showing them at parties, Nevaeh was sharing her favorite tea and cozy fucking fall read. She’s lived her life doing all the right things because it’s safe. She hasn’t so much as stepped a toe out of line in the past four years. What she saw that night on the Mineral Belt marked her the same as me.The only difference is that I did my time in prison and she did it out here. She made her own bars, her own walls, she didn’t go outside of them because she knew it wasn’t safe.

Tonight I’m going to rip those walls down, brick by brick, until there’s nothing left. Nowhere for her to hide. No safety to find comfort in. The only thing left is going to be me.

Nevaeh tried to get away from Dean but there was nowhere for her to go. Nowhere until I showed up. It’s comical just how much Deanie Baby thought he could actually stand up to me. I’m going to find him after this night and teach him a lesson. He’s going to learn to keep his hands to himself. Nevaeh is scared for him, though, I don’t know why she cares what happens to the fucker, especially when she looked like she wanted to run away from him.

Doesn’t matter why she wants me not to hurt him. All I know is that it pisses me off. I hate that she feels anything for a man that isn’t me. I should be the only one she cares about. The only fucking thought in her head.

I’m going to fix that. She’s not going to care about any of them soon. It’s not like they care about her. Even with his do-gooder act, I know what he wants from her. He wants to fuck Nevaeh. Why he’s picked her out of all the girls on campus is anyone’s guess, but he fucked up thinking I’m going to let him have a shot at my girl and not make him pay for it.

I’m glad the party is in her dorm. It’s perfect for my plans on where I want to take Nevaeh. Her room. I want her to be relaxed and pliant to what I have planned for her. She would never do that somewhere she wasn’t familiar and I’m not wasting the time to take her back to her house. Nevaeh’s friend—the little blonde—is nowhere to be seen, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see another face I know well from her social media.

Mygirl420M

Otherwise known as Minnie. Nevaeh’s once best friend.

Minnie is the daughter of some of the church’s biggest donors and her family has been on the board with mine for as long as anyone can remember. They’re rich fucks and from what I can remember, Minnie is a spoiled little bitch that dropped my Nevaeh the second it came out that I was innocent. She made a post about “cutting certain toxic people out of her life” and explained just how “refreshing it was to be with authentic people again” the day after I got out. I knew it was about Nevaeh. So much for a fucking best friend, huh? I didn’t know what they were saying and I didn’t care, but I stepped in when Minnie started to scream.

God fucking dammit. Why was she making a scene? A scene meant that many more people will remember I was with Nevaeh. More eyes on where I’m going to take her, but I can work with that later.

“He hates you. You don’t deserve him. You’re a liar.”

Minnie wasn’t wrong. I do hate Nevaeh, but it isn’t that black and white. I hate her and I want her. I don’t think I can feel love, but the fixation I have for Nevaeh probably comes close to it.

It disgusts me.

The crowd of people watching seemed to close in as I stepped close to take Nevaeh’s back. The last thing I needed is some drunk fuck trying to lay hands on her tonight. I want to play with Nevaeh tonight. I’m the only one that gets to fuck with her, and tonight I want to fuck her.

I put a hand on her shoulder and felt her go stiff. She’s like a stone beneath my hand and I squeeze it. “She’s my friend.”

Minnie’s mouth dropped open. “She doesn’t deserve you. She’s trash.”

Trash. That was rich coming from a girl whose family got caught embezzling cash from the charity trust. They were pocketing funds earmarked for water infrastructure in Botswana, and she wanted to talk about trash? The only reason her family has anything at all is because my father caught them and gave them time to put the funds back before he went to the church elders. He’s the treasurer and I know for a fact that if even a penny goes missing this little bitch’s family is the first place he checks.

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