Secret bay high bully, p.1
Secret Bay High Bully, page 1
Secret Bay High Bully
By Blair Young
Copyright © 2019 by Blair Long
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Prologue
Sutton
“She’s only seventeen and she just lost her parents. This is all very new to her, you’ve got to understand that!” the voice was hushed, yet urgent coming through the partially open door.
“I do understand, but it’s my job to enforce her parents’ wishes, and if that is what they wanted, then that’s what’s going to happen,” Mr. Brodwick, the lawyer I’d spoken with a couple of times since the murder, replied.
“She is old enough to be emancipated if she wanted to be! Don’t force her into anything!” the female’s voice continued. I wondered who it was on the other end of the conversation, but I didn’t have the chance to find out.
It was hard for me to process any information thoroughly since my parents died. The news had come as a shock to me, and I still didn’t know who could have done it. Right then, I wasn’t sure about anything in life. One day my life was normal and I was just a seventeen year old girl going into her last year of high school, and the next, I was an orphan.
I considered getting up out of the chair and slipping over to the door, trying to peer out and see who the lawyer was talking to, but before I had a chance to work up the courage to move, the door opened and Mr. Brodwick entered.
“I’m sorry about the wait. There’s been a lot to process over the past couple weeks, as you well know, and we’re still working out the details,” he said as he walked around his desk and sat down. “How are you holding up?”
I glared at him. “How do you think I’m holding up?”
The question hung in the air, and he cleared his throat, clearly unsure of how to respond.
“I know this is a difficult time for you, and there’s nothing anyone can do that’s going to make it any better,” he started, but I interrupted him before he had the chance to continue.
“My parents are dead! I stood at the side of their graves yesterday! All I care about now is what’s going to happen to me!” I spat.
“Yes,” he said in a gentle tone. “And that is what you and I are going to discuss now. I’m sure you have a lot to process, but don’t worry, your parents made arrangements a long time ago about where you should go if something were to happen to them.”
“And where’s that?” I snapped.
“You’ll be moving in with a woman by the name of Susan Buch. She has a son close to your age, and we’ve already made the arrangements. You’ll be moving in with her by tomorrow evening if all goes well,” he gave me his broad, perfectly toothed smile and I rolled my eyes.
Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms and gave him another of my dirtiest looks. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“No, but your parents knew her, and they felt she was the best match if, you know, something should happen to them,” he said.
He hesitated as he made his way through the explanation, and I was struck with how hard it was for him to talk to me about this. I’d always assumed that lawyers always knew what to say and how to say it, but this man seemed to struggle to get even a single sentence out as he spoke to me.
I was also struck with the way he kept pointing out how my parents had prepared for me to live with someone so specific in case something happened to them. I knew many adults put together wills, but it seemed they were adamant about this woman in particular, and I wanted to know why.
There wasn’t anything really unusual about my parents. At least, not that I knew of. I didn’t have the closest relationship with my father, and my relationship with my mother was even more non-existent. I spent little time at home, and when I was there, I spent as little time with either of them as possible.
My father was more likely to have enemies than my mother. He was a private investigator. But, to my knowledge, he hadn’t ever gotten mixed up in the wrong crowd. Disconnected from him as I mostly was, I still felt I would have known if he had gotten involved in something serious.
My mother, on the other hand, was a whole different story. She didn’t have the opportunity to go out and make enemies. Why? Because my mother was a stay at home wine drinker. She claimed that she worked from home, but that was only true if drinking bottles of chardonnay at a time was a profession.
“And where does this Susan woman live?” I asked.
“Secret Bay. It’s not too far from here, so you’ll still be able to have your friends,” Mr. Brodwick answered. “I know that’s not much comfort for you right now, but any sort of familiarity you can have is going to do wonders for you in the long run.”
“I don’t want to go,” I announced.
“I know this is hard,” he tried, but I interrupted.
“No, you don’t understand! I don’t want to go. I don’t want to live with some stranger or her son, and I don’t want to move to Secret Bay! I want my life to go back to normal!” I said. I felt the lump forming in my throat, but I refused to break down in tears.
I wasn’t going to let him see me cry. I didn’t even know if I’d be able to cry. I’d cried so much since my parents were murdered, I didn’t know if it was even possible for me to shed another tear.
Mr. Brodwick cleared his throat again. The habit was getting annoying, and I wanted to scream.
“Sutton, your parents made their choice for a reason, and the paperwork has all been finalized. I know this isn’t going to be easy, and you’re in a lot of pain. But, in the end, you’re going to see it was all for the best,” he said.
I shook my head and looked away. I didn’t want to make eye contact with him anymore. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to exist at all.
All I wanted was for my life to go back to normal, to the way it was just a few weeks ago. But, like the lawyer said. The paperwork had been signed, and the decision – my parents’ decision – had been made.
Like it or not, I was moving to Secret Bay.
Chapter 1
Sutton
“Well, this is it!” Mr. Brodwick smiled over his shoulder at me as we pulled up in front of an enormous house. I had ridden most of the way in silence, only giving him the most basic of answers when he tried to question me about my interests and hobbies.
I knew I was sullen, and I had good reason to be.
It was still a mystery who had murdered my parents, or why they had done so, and I was angry. I wanted answers, and I didn’t feel the police were doing a very good job of getting me those answers.
I was glad he knew better than to ask me what I thought of the house. It was beautiful, I had to admit, but it wasn’t my house. It wasn’t home. And my parents weren’t inside. This was some other woman’s house, and she and her son would always have been the ones living there first.
“I’ll help you carry your things,” Mr. Brodwick said. He had learned about an hour into the morning that I wasn’t going to reply to anything he had to say to me unless absolutely necessary, and he had all but given up in hoping for any answers.
I had two suitcases and a large duffel bag. When they cleared out the house, they kept me far from the living room where the crime had taken place, not wanting me to be subjected to it any more than I already was.
So, I only grabbed what I couldn’t live without from my bedroom and bathroom, and we were off. Both suitcases and the duffel were on the seat beside me, but I didn’t get out of the car until Mr. Brodwick walked around to the curb side and grabbed the cases himself.
I then slid out and grabbed my bag, shoving it over my shoulder before snagging my purse and closing the door. I reluctantly walked around the back of the car and to the boulevard then followed him up the sidewalk toward the little white gate.
This woman had to be rich to have a house so large. I wondered what she did for a living. Though Mr. Brodwick had told me more than once to ask anything I wanted to know, I remained tight lipped throughout the entire process.
Anything I wanted to know about this woman or her son, I could figure out on my own. What I couldn’t figure out was who killed my parents. That’s what I wanted to know.
The door to the massive home opened and a blonde woman followed by a young man, and I nearly dropped my bag at the sight of him. There was a warm smile on the woman’s face, but the boy behind her looked apprehensive about the meeting. Though I recognized him immediately from the moment he appeared in the doorway, I had a feeling the apprehension was more about meeting his new foster sister rather than knowing who I was.
“Well!” Susan said with a smile. “Look who’s finally here.”
“This is Sutton,” Mr. Brodwick said. “She’s still adjusting, so please be sure to respect her time and space like we talked about on the phone.”
“Of course, of course,” Susan said quickly. She held her hand out to me. “I’m Susan Buch, and this is my son, Damon.”
I gave her a limp handshake before doing the same to Damon, though it was hard to touch him without wincing. So many memories of my past came rushing back to me at the sight of him, and touching him was even worse.
He might be her step son, or foster son, or whatever Mr. Brodwick said he was, but to me, he was so much more than just another seventeen year old. He was my sixth grade crush. The guy who w
He was the guy who bullied me.
“What do you have to say to our new family member?” Susan prompted from her son.
“Hey,” he said. His handshake was just as quick and limp as my own, and I wondered if he recognized me. There wasn’t any recognition in his eyes, nor on his face if he did, but still. Damon had always been a hard one for me to figure out, and I was sure the years hadn’t changed him much.
He was the entire reason my life had changed in the sixth grade in the first place. After his bullying became too much, his mom, Susan, had felt it best to transfer him to another school. At the time, I hadn’t realized that meant also lived in Secret Bay.
With the two towns being near each other, I’d always assumed that he had gone to school in the same town where he and his mother lived. But, after he left our school, I learned that he was attending in his hometown of Secret Bay. At the time, I was relieved, though still angry.
It felt like an easy escape for a bully who had put me through such hell at my young age. I was only eleven at the time, and he didn’t care. He didn’t let that stop him from humiliating me and turning the entire school against me.
Well, almost the entire school. I still had one friend by my side, and I had been glad for it. At the time. Though things changed through the years, as they always did.
Like losing your parents.
“Well, I suppose that’s all I can do for you tonight then,” Mr. Brodwick said, trying to ease some of the tension that was in the moment. “If you need anything at all, Miss Buch, please feel free to reach out to me day or night.”
“I’ll be sure to do that, Mr. Broadwick, thank you. But, I think we are all going to get along just fine,” Susan said with a smile. She was speaking to him but looking at me, and I merely slung my bag back over my shoulder before crossing my arms.
“If you need anything, you can also call me,” Mr. Brodwick turned to me. “But I think this is going to be a good fit for everyone involved. I just want you to know that I’m available.”
I gave a short nod before staring down at my sneakers. I just wanted him and everyone else to go away and leave me alone. I didn’t want anyone to be there for me, I didn’t want to need anyone. I wanted to go home. Not here, but home.
There was another moment of awkward silence, then Mr. Brodwick gave a final nod before walking back toward the car. I didn’t turn or say goodbye. I was glad to see him go. Even though I didn’t want to be here with this woman, or especially not with Damon, I was still glad to be free of the lawyer and the social workers who had been keeping an eye on me since the incident.
“We’re really glad you’re here,” Susan said when the three of us were alone. “Aren’t we, Damon?”
He shrugged.
“Sure.”
She gave him a look that clearly expressed her want for so much more out of him, but she couldn’t force it, and I didn’t want it. Giving up, she turned back to me. “I thought we’d order a pizza for dinner, and maybe have some ice cream with it. We can watch a movie or just hang out, anything you like.”
“Whatever,” I said with a shrug of my own.
Susan put her hand on my shoulder. There was something about her that told me she wanted to hug me, but she wasn’t going to push me to do anything. She leaned over slightly, looking me in the eye.
“Just like Mr. Brodwick said, if you want anything or just need someone to talk to, you can come to me any time. I know you’ve been through a lot, Sweetie, and I’m here for you. Trust me,” she said.
“Thanks,” I muttered. I had quickly learned that it was the fastest way to get the adults to leave me alone. Just agree with what they said, don’t ask too many questions, and keep to yourself. They would get the hint sooner or later, and I was more than happy to sit silently.
“Come on,” Susan said. “I’ll show you your room and the rest of the house.”
She told Damon to grab the suitcases Mr. Brodwick had left, then she gently guided me into the house. I tried not to look too impressed as I looked around the place, but I had to admit, it was like stepping into a castle compared to my home.
The ceilings were high with a sweeping staircase right inside the entryway. A pillar separated the space from the living space just around the other side, and an elaborate dining room was off to the left of that.
“Just put your bags anywhere and we’ll take them upstairs after you see down here,” Susan said as I dropped my things on the floor. I silently followed her from room to room, amazed anyone could afford to live like this.
And, I couldn’t ignore the little bit of resentment that built inside me as I saw all the opulence and realized that a bully – a kid who had been so torturous to a little girl – was able to grow up in such a fabulous place. It was like something out of a movie.
The kitchen was huge. Granite counter tops and a checkered, black and white floor that reminded me of a chess board. Dark wooden cabinets and all black appliances. A large double sink with an island in the middle, and a refrigerator with double doors and an ice maker built in.
It was the opposite of anything I had ever known. My father hadn’t made too much money with his job, and what extra he did make my mother was more than happy to spend on her habit. We got by, but we certainly didn’t make much more than just the basics.
There was a second room with a pool table around the other side of the kitchen, leading right back to the foot of the stairs.
“There’s a bathroom just that way, and all the bedrooms plus two more bathrooms upstairs,” Susan said with a smile. “If you’d like to have your own, Damon would be glad to take the one down here.”
“Mom!” Damon protested, but a look from his mother silenced him.
“It’s whatever,” I said. I followed her up the stairs with Damon trailing behind. He’d picked up my bags before starting up the flight himself, and he soon dropped them inside what was now my bedroom.
I was shocked. The place was huge. My closet alone was bigger than my bedroom in my real house, it seemed. The bed was huge, and there were already plenty of things furnishing the room that I thought I’d have to go without.
“If you need more clothes, just let me know and we can go shopping,” Susan said. “I’d love to treat you.”
I nodded and she turned to head back into the hall. “This is Damon’s room, next to yours, and the bathroom is right down here in the hall. My bedroom is over there, and this is just another space we use to hang out.”
Her master bedroom was on the other side of a wide open living space which overlooked the entryway below. A balcony spread across the entire open floor, and there was an L shaped couch and tv in the center. I had to admit, I felt like I had just entered luxury itself.
But I still felt empty inside.
“Now, how about that pizza? I’m sure you must be starving,” Susan said. “What kind do you like?”
“Pepperoni,” I said.
“Lame,” Damon replied. “Meat lovers is way better.”
“Damon! She is our new family member. Don’t be rude!” his mother admonished. He rolled his eyes, and I got the impression she didn’t have much control over him. Then again, I didn’t know why I thought she would. She hadn’t been able to control him in middle school, so why think that she ever had that power?
Susan left to order the food, and I turned to head to my new room. I had no interest in hanging out in the tv room with Damon and was glad for the chance to unpack my bags and try to make the place a little more personal.
I knew it was going to take some time before the place felt like my own, but as I set out my things on the shelves and the night stand, it helped. My clothes didn’t come anywhere close to filling the closet, but I tried not to let that get to me.
“She said she’d take me shopping, may as well,” I muttered.
“You always like to talk to yourself?” Damon’s voice filled the room, and I cringed. He was the last person I wanted to talk to, but as I turned, he grinned and walked into the room, throwing himself on the bed.
“Only when I want an expert opinion,” I replied tartly.
“Heard that one before,” he said with a yawn.
