Page 5 of Calla's Boys

It’s her way of keeping the peace, and while it works for the most part, I wouldn’t have said no to her sitting on my lap for the ride to the resort.

“Pretty,” Billy remarks, and I glance at him. If he’s talking about Calla, then he’s stating the obvious, and I’ll become unnecessarily agitated, but when I realize he’s glancing out of the window behind us, I relax a little.

The homes here are way different from in the States. I have a feeling that the deeper into the town we go and the higherthe shuttle climbs the mountain to the resort, I’ll feel like I’m Hansel, surrounded by gingerbread houses.

Though it’s nice to have a change of scenery, considering that East Aurora can be pretty boring.

I clear my throat as I reach down for my bag and pull the zipper open, poking around inside until I find a tube of Chapstick.

I quickly apply it to my lower and upper lip before smacking them together, covering the tube and tossing it back into my bag.

I hear Clyde snicker, but instead of acknowledging him, I decide to let it roll. He thinks it’sgirlythat I’m constantly making sure that my lips are soft and free of cracks, but Calla likes the way they feel, so he can fuck off with his judgement.

“I wonder if the place is as big as the brochure on the plane made it out to be,” Billy wonders quietly next to me.

I shrug and glance at him curiously. “You afraid of open spaces?”

He purses his lips and shakes his head. “No. I think it would be cool. We could go hunting.”

I grin instantly because I know what he’s getting at.

This entire thing—all of us fucking Calla—was his idea from the start. But quiet, shy little Billy Boy has had some thoughts about what else we can do with her instead of just fucking.

He usually only shares them with me, because, unlike the others, I’m not a gossip whore and won’t talk about him behind his back. Especially when his ideas so far have been pretty fucking cool.

“We could always set it up so it’s just us,” I begin conversationally. Billy steals a glance at me as I begin to pick at my fingernails. “I think it could be fun, you know? Once thelights go out, we can invite her on a romantic evening stroll, then…”

The way my lips curve into a devious grin makes him blush, and I chuckle as I lean over and give his shoulder a reassuring clap.

“Just think about it before you decide,” I say with a shake of my head.

I close my eyes and rest my head against the cool pane of glass, hoping that the rest of the drive is faster than the fucking flight to get here.

***

“Mr. Mills, do you know why I asked you to stay after school today?” Ms. Hunt asks me.

I roll my eyes as I rake a hand back through my hair. “Probably because I fell asleep during art class.”

“Not ‘probably’,” she snaps at me, slamming a hand on her desk. “You’re in this program because I believe in you, and you’re just throwing it all away!”

I arch an eyebrow at her obvious disdain for my little afternoon nap, then sigh as I suck my teeth.

“Okay, sorry,” I state in a bland tone.

Ms. Hunt gets to her feet, palms flat on the desk, her knuckles turning white, and I smirk.

“Ms. Hunt, can I ask you something?”

“I’m not done,” she barks as she reaches up to push a strand of blonde hair out of her winter-green eyes. “Now,” she continues as she crosses her arms over her chest, “what exactly do I have to do to get you to pay attention in class?”

“You really wanna know?” I counter in an even tone.

“I asked, didn’t I?”

With a shrug, I reach forward, pry her hands away from her chest, then hold her gaze as I begin to undo the buttons of her crisp, white dress shirt. I move slowly, in a way that letsher know that I’m in control of what happens next, and that her “authority” means fuck all to me.

Ms. Hunt drops her arms to her side, her body trembling as I reach for the last button, slide it through the hole, then push her shirt open.

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