Hickville Confessions: A Hickville High Novel

Hickville Confessions Copyright © 2015 by Mary Karlik.

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Book 2 of the Hickville High Series.

New town. New look. New beginning. High school junior Ryan Quinn has a past. She will do just about anything to keep it hidden, even if means joining the ultra-conservative, no fun allowed, Purity Club. But secrets are hard to keep in a small town and when the Purity Club girls discover the truth, they viciously attack Ryan.

Senior, Justin Hayes is a good guy wrapped in a bad-boy reputation. He may have been kicked out of the Homecoming Dance for fighting, but it was his dead sister’s reputation he was defending. He did stay out all night with super hot Ryan Quinn, but it was after he’d rescued her from the Purity Club and all they did was talk. He lost his heart to her that night. But with his home life a complete hot mess, there is no way he could have a relationship with her. The trouble is, he can’t stay away from her.

Justin is the kind of guy who can make Ryan forget her vow to change. He’s the kind of guy she should avoid at all costs. But he knows her soul secrets. He understands her and it is torture when she is away from him. But as she deals with the outward scars on her face and the inward shame of her past and Justin’s home life continues to spiral out of control, their relationship becomes as convoluted as their home life. Will they find the courage to open their hearts to each other in spite of their family drama?

Copyright 2015 Mary Bird Karlik. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Jenny Zemanek

Cover art by Seedlings, LLC used under license.

Kindle edition.

Don’t miss the other books in the Hickville series! In order, they are:

Welcome To Hickville High (2015)

Hickville Confessions (2015)

Hickville Horseplay (2015)

Hickville Redemption (2016)

Nobody asked the Purity Club girls to dance.

They stood in the corner looking like painted-up losers and Ryan Quinn was smack dab in the middle of the group.

Relax. New beginning. New town. New group.

New me.

If this had been her old school, she’d have put some fire into this party—

Not true. If this had been her old school, she’d have ditched the party for… no, she wasn’t going there. Being a member of the Purity Club was the perfect way to atone for the sins she’d committed then. As long as her past remained secret, she’d handle being ignored at the dance.

After the king and queen had been announced, the PC girls were ready to leave. That was fine with her. She was bored out of her mind. Things probably weren’t going to get any more exciting at the PC sleepover, but at least she could shed her gown for Soffe shorts and a tank top.

She lagged behind as they crossed the parking lot to Macey Brown’s mom’s Tahoe. The girls whispered, followed by a round of giggles. Were they laughing at her? Nah. She was just being paranoid. They’d included her in all of the pre-Homecoming stuff. She was the one who’d held back, not sure she was ready to open herself up to a new group.

Once they were in the SUV, Macey cranked up the radio—and it wasn’t the Christian rock she usually listened to. They drove around town and sang along to the radio and for the first time, Ryan almost felt like she fit in. Macey parked in front of the courthouse fountain.

“Come on, girls, let’s go.”

Macey and Katie McDonald exchanged one of those looks that said they had a secret. All the girls laughed—they were in on it too. Uneasiness wafted across the hairs on the back of Ryan’s neck. She reminded herself she was being stupid, and forced a grin. “What’s funny?”

Macey flashed a plastic smile. “You’ll see. Ladies—shoes.” They kicked off their heels and climbed out. Katie grabbed a plastic grocery sack with a bottle of dish soap sticking out of the top.

We’re going to soap the fountain. PC girls committing minor vandalism?
This was not in her change-my-life plan. She didn’t need this crap. She should’ve gone for loner status. But that was easier said than done, and being a fringe member of a marginally popular crowd was better than no group at all.

Macey called out to her, “Come on, Ryan. Let’s have some fun.”

So they were soaping the fountain. Even if they got caught, how bad could it be? Harmless fun. This was not Chicago. These were nice girls. And as far as they knew, she was a nice girl too.
Stop holding back. Give them a chance.
Ryan slipped from her strappy sandals and drew a deep breath.

All in.

The girls held up the hems of their dresses and climbed into the fountain, squealing and giggling as the cold hit their legs. Ryan stepped over the stone wall into the water, ignored the cold chill that shot from her toes to her head, and joined in the splashing and giggling.

Macey waded over to her. “Ryan, I have to confess that we brought you here for a purpose.”

The girls moved close to Ryan.

She smiled, but wariness eased its way into her mind. “What? Is this an initiation?”

Katie McDonald and Carle Davis each grabbed an arm.

So, they’re going to dunk me.
Relax
.

Macey looked back at her with cold black eyes. Her sweet Southern smile was replaced by a sneer. “On your knees.”

I can deal. They’re just having fun.
She dropped to her knees, and sucked in a breath as the cold water hit her torso.

The other girls closed in. Jessica Stern pulled plastic scouring pads from the bag and passed them to the girls. Macey pulled the cap open on the soap. They had crazed looks in their eyes and despite her bravado, the hairs on the back of Ryan’s neck screamed that this was not good. “What are you doing?”

“We discovered you’ve been a naughty girl.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.
She tried to laugh but all that came out was a nervous giggle. “What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about abusing the temple God gave you. You’ve abused and shamed your body with sex and drugs.”

Her captors tightened their hold. Ryan’s heart raced and she tried to pull away, but then it seemed like a thousand hands were on her. They poured soap over her and scrubbed. She screamed and they pushed her under. When they let her up, she coughed soapy water.

Scouring pads scraped across her skin. She twisted and kicked to get away, but they held her down. Macey straddled Ryan and screamed, “You are soiled by the workings of the devil!” She ran the pad above the scoop neck of Ryan’s gown. Soap bubbles foamed in the water. “You’re evil and unclean.” She scrubbed the pad across Ryan’s face.

The first pass felt like sand, but she kept working that damned pad. Over and over her cheeks, across her lips, down her neck. It felt as though fire raked across her with each angry stroke.

She’s gone batshit crazy.
She turned her face to get away from the torture, but Macey clamped a hand on her chin and dug the nylon deeper into Ryan’s skin with each stroke.

Jessica yelled, “Stop it, Macey. That’s too much!” The hold on her right hand was released and Ryan fought to push Macey off. But the other girls were quick to pin down her arm again. A knee dug into the inside of each bicep. They held her legs by putting pressure on her kneecaps. She fought, but they kept her pinned.

Jessica yelled again. “Macey, she’s bleeding. Let her go.”

Macey released her chin and looked down on her. The whites of her eyes glowed in the lamplight, giving her a crazy, detached look. She held the scouring pad above Ryan’s face and squeezed.

Soapy water mixed with blood showered down. Ryan clamped her eyes shut and prayed the torture would end.

Macey dropped her voice an octave. “I command the darkness in you to come out.”

A low, deep growl sounded from somewhere. The girls released her and squealed. She heard splashing as they scrambled to get out of the fountain. Ryan’s body shook as she sat up and tried to wash the soap from her eyes. Before she could open them, she heard splashing.

Somebody was slogging through the water toward her.

*

Justin Hayes didn’t care that he’d been kicked out of the Homecoming dance, but he was pissed as hell that they treated Eric like a victim. When Coach Graves escorted Justin out, he lectured him about his anger and how he needed to get control of it before he wound up in trouble with the law.

Jesus. How had
he
become the bad guy?

When they got to Justin’s truck, Coach Graves put his hand on Justin’s shoulder, all fatherly, and said, “Son, think about what I said. You have to learn to let things go.”

Justin opened the door and turned to Coach. He wanted to tell him he’d gotten it all wrong. But Justin had thrown the first punch and that was all that really mattered. He choked back all the things he wanted to say and closed the door.

His hands gripped the steering wheel as he fought the urge to slam down the accelerator. He didn’t need more trouble. He needed to wrap his brain around the truth that had been revealed tonight. One more thing to add to his big, stinking shithole of a life.

He made a right by the courthouse, where girls in their Homecoming gowns frolicked in the fountain. He pulled up alongside the curb and put it in Park. They’d soaped the fountain.
At least someone was having fun tonight.

As he watched the scene unfold, uneasiness filled him. Those girls weren’t dancing in the bubbles. They looked like they were trying to drown someone.

Holy shit! They’re going to kill her.

He jumped from his truck. A deep growl erupted as he ran toward them. The girls screamed and scrambled like rats from a sinking ship. Macey Brown stared at him as she stepped over the rim of the fountain, hatred blazing in her eyes. She wasn’t scared like the other girls. She was mad that he’d interrupted.

He pushed past her. Ryan Quinn sat up and splashed water in her face. Her skin was raw and bleeding. He scooped her out of the water. She wasn’t crying—she was beyond that. She leaned her face into his chest and her body trembled in his arms. He opened the truck’s passenger door and slid her onto the seat.

Macey stood in front of the hood with a pair of shoes in her hand. “You can have the whore. Jesus doesn’t want her and neither do we.” She chucked the shoes at him.

He caught one. The other thunked onto the windshield. He grabbed the shoe and climbed behind the wheel.

Macey stood on the sidewalk with her hands on her hips. Her prom dress clung to her body and pieces of her hair had come unpinned, making her look even crazier than she was. Katie tried to pull her away, but she wasn’t budging. As he drove away, Justin took a last look in the rearview. Macey remained on the sidewalk with her middle finger pointed toward heaven.

Ryan shifted sideways and pressed her face against the seat. “Thank you.”

The raw sound of her voice made his gut twist. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “You’re Justin Hayes.”

“We have Shop together.” They’d never spoken because she and her sisters hung out with Austin McCoy. There’d been no one on this planet he hated more than Austin McCoy—he rubbed his cheek where Eric had managed to get a shot in—until tonight.

He’d noticed her, though—her big blue eyes and the cute pixie haircut. He especially liked the paint-splattered shirt she’d worn on the first day of class. It wasn’t screen-printed paint either. These were real splatters. She’d caught him looking at it and with a buttload of attitude had said, “Self portrait.” There was something cool about a girl who’d say that.

Even cooler was the way she’d handled Mr. Hesby when he tried to kick her out of class “because girls didn’t belong in Shop.” She’d stood her ground and talked him into letting her stay. He’d noticed other things too. Like the way she moved when she was cutting wood. It was like watching a dance.

He looked at the girl curled up in the passenger seat. Soap matted her super-short hair and mascara stained her cheeks.
Christ, what did she do to piss those girls off?
“Where do you live? I’ll drive you home.”

“Can we get some coffee or something first?” Her teeth chattered on the last word.

He flipped the heat on high. “The Grind is still open.” He drove to the opposite side of the courthouse and parked in front of a tiny coffee shop. “What do you want? I’ll run in.”

“Caramel latte.” She folded her legs under her and rubbed her arms. “They have my purse. I’ll pay you back.”

“I got it. We’ll worry about your purse later.” He hurried into the coffee shop.

Thank God, there wasn’t a line to order. His slacks were wet up to his knees and he was dripping on the floor. The few people who were there stared as he squished to the counter. He didn’t care. He just wanted to get the drinks and get back to Ryan.
What the hell happened?
Her arms and face were raw. He needed to take her home so her parents could tend to her.

When he got back to the truck, he found her curled on the seat with one of his football jerseys draped over her. He handed her the drink and slipped off his loafers and socks.

She warmed her hands on the cup. “I found—your shirt in the—the back seat. I can’t get—warm.”

He took off his suit coat and handed it to her. “You need dry clothes.”

She set her cup in the drink holder and turned her back toward him. “Unzip me.”

“What?”

She looked over her shoulder. “I’m not g-going to strip in front of you.” She pulled the jersey over her head and he leaned across the console to reach her zipper. His hands trembled and his fingers were clumsy as he worked the zipper down. She pulled her arms from the straps of her dress and into the sleeves of his shirt and did a whole lot of wiggling until the dress lay crumpled on the floorboards. She pulled her knees close, stretched the shirt over them, and blanketed his jacket across her lap. She sipped her coffee. “Thank you for saving me.”

Justin stared through the windshield to keep from gawking at her. “Are you ready to go home?”

“No. Not yet. I can’t.”

He looked at the scrapes on her face and arms. He should get her to her parents, but after what she’d endured, he was going to let her call the shots. “Okay. Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere. I’m just not ready to face my parents.”

He drove through quiet neighborhoods and tried to think of something to say. But the girl on the other side of the cab didn’t seem in the mood for small talk. She was probably in shock or something. He thought about calling his dad, but that would just complicate things.

It didn’t take long to cover the streets of Hillside. He pulled up to a stop sign and looked at her. “Want to go to the park?”

She shivered and nodded.

He pulled into a spot in front of the playground. “Are you warm?” She nodded and he cut the engine. In the glow of the park lights, he could tell her face was beginning to swell. Blood beaded across her cheeks where the skin had been rubbed raw. “You need medical help.”

“I—I just can’t. Not yet.” She pressed her finger to her upper lip and winced. “I’m sorry. You probably have somewhere to go…”

“No. I don’t. It’s okay. I’ll stay with you as long as you want.” He pulled a spirit towel from the back seat. “I’ll be right back.” He jumped out of the truck, ran to the water fountain near the playground, and soaked the towel.

He got back into the driver’s seat and faced her. “Here.” When he pressed the cloth to her right cheek, she flinched. “I’m sorry.”

She took the rag and held it to her face. “It’s okay. Actually, it feels pretty good.”

Justin watched water trickle down her neck as she squeezed the cloth against her throat, and told himself he was a jerk for thinking it was sexy. “What happened back there?”

Her lower lip quivered and tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t cry. She pressed the back of her head into the seat. “At first I thought it was an initiation.” She moved the cloth to the left cheek. “Those girls are crazy.”

He waited for her to finish the story, but was met with silence. Whatever happened, she wasn’t going to talk about it.