I'm the secret Victoria's keeping from you.

Ughten
(n.) the part of the night immediately before daybreak; early morning

Monday - September 4, 2023

That girl is something.

And if I had the slightest bit of respect or morality, I would not have been staring at her arse with a shameless semi as she strolled past the front gates of her house.

Stars save me.

"You're dick is trying to skewer me." Hazel mumbles ten minutes later as I stop by the party once again to pick her up and ceremoniously deposit her in the passenger seat.

"That's what happens when you deny it action by getting wasted as shit." I say, slamming the door shut.

Should've forced Callista to stay back and give me a rewarding fuck as a thank-you for saving her arse out there.

That pussy was one I simply had to claim. No further questions.

If things went pretty much the same for the rest of the week, she'd be worshipping me so loud by the end of it that the allure of that siren-like voice would take on a wild, hoarse edge from all the screaming.

Hehe.

New vag in a town like Blackwood Creek was like the universe handing out freebies to make life a little less torturous. And I'd been through almost it all.

It was getting old. And boring.

"Quit pouting like a kid." Hazel says from beside me. I settle into the driver's seat to find her stretching out on the black leather like a feline cat.

My dick salutes the way her body curves in all the right places until my semi turns into a full-blown hard-on.

Now this girl was someone who would never get old.

"I'm not pouting." I defend. "Not like a kid anyway." I add in a mumble.

"Right, a kicked puppy then."

"Kicked coyote." I correct her and then the landscape is whipping behind us as my Maserati barrels down the street.

Booze and bitches aside, this baby was my life and soul.

I'd seen a matte black Maserati as an eleven-year-old plastered across one of those weekly magazines Mother left lying around and it had been L-O-V-E at first sight.

Religiously stealing a 100-dollar bill from my Mother's purse was how I spent most of my childhood.

My back and her new Gucci belt had become damn good friends a week after I'd first turned robber when she caught my hands buried deep in her Louis Vuitton handbag.

I'd stopped for a fortnight.

Then started doing it again.

The belt and I had, like, monthly interactions since then. Though she'd upgraded to Prada recently.

"Motherfucker!" I scream as a Mercedes damn near runs me off the road at an intersection. I press my foot flat on the brakes and curse whoever the fuck was behind the wheel.

The car skids to a stop and the bloke shoves his head out the window and shouts something at me.

I don't hear whatever he's blathering.

Ah, the pleasures of soundproof vehicles. Took me three damned months to work out how to shut out the sounds completely.

I back my Maserati up and swerve around the other dude's car, rolling down the glass to give him a view of my favorite finger before racing past him.

Okay, maybe soundproofing wasn't the best idea.

But who the fuck cares? I like my fucking silence.

Even comes in handy when I need a quickie with one of my girls.

I slow down as I reach the driveway of my house, switching off the engine as I park it.

I exit the car and stop for a moment to admire its beauty.

Took me seven years of thieving and pickpocketing but the thrill I felt as I treated myself to this Goddess on my 18th birthday is something I'll never forget. The silver MC20 did look a lot better than 2015's black model.

I smile widely.

My eyes fall to my blonde bitch in the passenger seat. I sigh. Leaving her hear would equal her suffocation to death. Suffocation to death equaled murder, and murder equaled illegal.

I scoop her up and silently pad through the tiled hallways, swearing to the stars sixty ways to Sunday as her mile-long earrings clang against the banister.

I dump her in one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor and she stirs as her back hits the mattress.

"Drake," She whispers semi-sleepily, semi-drunkenly, and it sounds an awful lot like she's asking for dick. She reaches out for my hand but I grab her hand and tuck it under the sheets.

I'd fuck her without question, only I've got to check on my baby bro.

"Sleep." I tell her as I ruffle her hair and head out, clicking the door shut behind me.

I head upstairs to the third floor and softly knock on his door. Wait for a moment.

No reply.

I knock again.

Silence greets me.

I push open the door and poke my head in. "Yo, Kai, you dead or something?"

The bed is made but the upper part is wrinkled like he was sitting there for a while before disappearing to fuck knows where.

I let myself in and find the en suite empty too.

I'll have to lecture him about casually walking off the face of the earth once he's back. Again.

I drop into his unnecessarily large gaming chair and kick my feet up on the computer table, knocking the lavender mouse onto the keyboard.

This little shit needs to quit Valorant and start playing football with me. I mean, damn being in middle school, once I graduated, he had to snag the quarterback position just like me.

I throw my head back.

And wait.

And wait.

Dawn filters through the window and the bastard still doesn't show up.

I knock my fist against my temple and rub the sleep from my eyes. Head down to the kitchen. The house is just as empty as it had been eight hours ago.

I debate if I should sink into the sheets and tell Hazel to ride me like a good bitch but then decide against it when I see it's only just past five.

Wonderful life I live.

I pour a glass of warm milk and lazily brew myself a coffee. My lord and savior.

The clock strikes fifteen past five.

I swipe the mug off the granite and make for the balcony. I lean against the parapet and tilt my head back.

The world is silent. On pause. I bathe in the stillness. Splashes of mauve and coral wash the black sky as I gaze at it. I savor the cool brush of the breeze against my skin, the weight in my heart tangible at an hour where all stands still.

I shut my eyes.

There are no tears left to shed. Only a heaviness inside that slowly drags me into the abyss along with it.

But I wasn't ever going to stop glowing. No, I was the brightest star in Blackwood Creek and I'd shine brighter and brighter until the darkness became my bestie and stopped trying to swallow my light.

I had what half the miserable bastards didn't.

I had hope.

Was it truly such a horrible thing to hope for a better day?

It would come, it had to. I'd tear down the stars if that was what it took. I'd make myself a better life. Give Kai a better life.

Exhaustion wears me out at last, the lack of sleep hounding me like an unrelenting fly. Hazel will have to wait - my dick's sunken deeper than the Titanic.

I slump into the cushioned chair beside me and let the caffeine work its way down my throat. And, hopefully, recharge my libido.

I force my eyelids to not fall shut again as I rub them again.

I need to get another manicure, I decide, as I inspect my fingernails. I haven't gotten one in three weeks. There doesn't seem to be time for anything self-related anymore.

I mindlessly hum to The Color Violet as dawn caresses my skin. Time passes slowly, seemingly taking delight in the moment.

I can hardly blame it.

I don't tear my gaze from the lone star blinking in the pinkish hue. I find myself drawn to it.

The hush of nature beckons me like a flame, promising me freedom from all mortal perils. I'm a willing sacrifice. Ready to walk into the pyre and surrender my worries to the flames.

I feel like I'm floating.

I could have a boner over this feeling of pure bliss.

I check my dick status.

Nope, coffee still hasn't worked.

"There you are."

I flinch and suck in a breath as the spell is broken. Turn around. Blink my eyes. Once. Twice.

Sofia Valentino stands at the threshold, the sweat glistening on her neck telling me she probably just came from the home gym on the other end of the house. Or so I guess.

I won't claim to know shit about her daily schedule.

The fuck is she doing here?

"Here I am," I say under my breath, my voice a sharp contrast to the silence. "What do you want?"

"Your brother."

I sit up straighter. "What?" What?!

"Where has he run off to this time? I seriously can't begin to understand that child. Always hellbent on causing trouble." She says the last part more to herself.

"Don't fucking talk about him like that," I say, swallowing my aggression with the coffee and setting the empty mug on the glass table before me.

Her eyes narrow and she takes a step before me, glaring. "Watch your tongue unless you want a lesson in mannerism."

Yeah, no. "Been there, done that, Mom." I taunt. The caffeine is doing wonders. Clearly. She hates it when I call her Mom. Too informal. She prefers Mother.

I'm not going to bet any of my lungs on her if her name ends up on the Best Mom nominee list.

But, seriously, where was Kai? He never stayed out so late. Always came back before seven. It's legit been like 12 hours or something.

Worry coils around me.

Or maybe I just never checked on him twice after dinner.

I curled my palm into a fist.

Of fucking course, Kai. Show up at night for dinner with a smile and make me think you're going to binge on Netflix or Valorant for the next few hours before hitting the sheets, and I like the daft shit I am don't poke my head in to check if you even are in bed.

Yeah, that lecture is going to be long as fuck.

Mother moves toward me like a snake, looking down at me with contempt. "You're such an ungrateful brat."

I reign in my snort. So unoriginal.

"What do you want with Kai?" I ask, shoving aside the bullshit. "It's barely six in the morning."

She scoffs. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

I stay silent. Expectant. Don't let my face give anything away. I'm totally not borrowing a page from Chance Ambrose's book.

That dude had been a fucking dick today, though.

She shifts on her feet, glare wavering.

"I've got a flight to Toronto at seven-thirty. Need to talk to him about his behavior at school before I leave." She relents, though there's a bitter taste to it like the words poison her mouth.

Well if that isn't the randomest shit. Was she seriously going to leave without even informing her baby boy? Yes, yes she was.

Rubbish.

I stand up. Slap on my best smile.

"I was planning on doing it anyway. You don't have to worry about him." You never do.

Besides, eighth-grade students might be in a completely different building, but I'd know if he stole my Glock and started gunning down the arseholes who cornered and tormented him.

Those slimy fuckers have better been staying away since I dealt with them.

"Were you?" She counters, tipping her head back with disdain as I tower over her. "Because the call came in only last evening. He shoved a girl into the lockers so hard, she nearly broke her arm!"

My eyebrows raised. Now that was new.

"And not just any pathetic low life!" She continues, "Mavis Black, daughter of Cecily Black who's one of my most consistent clients!" Yeah I know she's your most consistent client because you both are literally closer than my dick and balls.

Well, that was just the cherry on the cake. I might not have given a shit about Cecily Black but about the Mavis part, I did.

As if my yeeting Marcus into the mud wasn't enough, Kai had to go ahead and fuck with his sister.

Kai's gonna get his arse hunted down if he doesn't get home right now. And fuck, I need to steer clear of Marcus for the next few days.

"Do you even care?!" She shouts when I don't respond.

"Not particularly, no." Not about her client anyway.

The fact that she hasn't disowned me yet is a miracle in itself. Then again, the scandal that would follow would probably tarnish her reputation as one of the most skilled stylists of Hollywood's elite.

Callista had distracted me enough that I'd forgotten about my manhandling Marcus. I'm like ninety-six point three-eight percent sure there are at least a dozen videos of it plastered over social media right now.

Wait till she sees that. I'll be roast beef.

Gah. Fuck this.

I shove past her.

Don't pay heed to anything she's shouting at me from behind.

She doesn't have the time to deal with me today. Her Prada belt was going to have a field day with my back whenever she returned from Toronto but I'd worry about that when it came to it.

An acrid taste enters my mouth at the utter bullshitness of it all.

Kai's door is still open from when I'd left. Still no sign of him.

I sigh. Head down to the second floor. Slowly creak open the door to the guest room where Hazel is sound asleep.

"Hey," I whisper, tapping her cheek. She's out as a light. Doesn't stir.

I don't bother taking off my t-shirt and shift onto the other side of the bed. Face the ceiling. Knot my fingers and rest them on my stomach.

Another day and I'm already done.

I roll closer to Hazel, resting my head on her pillow. Sleep doesn't claim me. Nothing ever does. No one does.

●⁍●⁍●⁍●

"Nice of you to show up," I say an hour and a half later as the bedroom door slowly creaks open.

I'm sitting cross-legged at the center of Kai's bed, already dressed in my uniform. I could squeeze this shit in the most bone-crushing hug at the relief that washes over me. Never, never was he this late. He and I always had breakfast together and he was always there.

Kai's soft golden hair is mussed and streaked with the slightest hint of grime. I watch as his face pales and he pauses at the threshold and honest-to-crap blushes in guilt.

This kid.

My eyes rake his body as I unconsciously hunt for any bruising. I find none and the weight lifts from my heart, leaving me raging in its wake. I force my voice to stay calm.

"The hell you waiting for? You've like thirty minutes to get the fuck ready before I'm leaving without you." I stretch my legs out and drop my head on his pillows, unlocking my iPhone and heading straight to Threads to see what shitstorm last night's actions have roused.

Holy balls, do people have to tag me in every fucking post? (I like the fame.)

I hear Kai slowly clear his throat. "You're- you're not pissed?"

"Why would I be pissed?" I ask without looking at him.

A groan catches in the back of my throat as I scroll through my notifs.

"You've got to be shitting me." I mutter as I quit the app and an Insta notification pops up. I click on it.

A video flashes on the screen and I see Marcus pinning Callista against Chance's car, his finger tugging her top as they trailed down her collarbone, exposing the skin between her breasts. Ah, fuck. That skin.

He says something that isn't audible and my face breaks into a lunatic grin when her elbow jabs him straight in the throat.

That shit had to hurt.

I grind my teeth when I see myself entering the clip.

The rest plays out and it's pretty much just as I remember. I wince when I take up rank beside Callista and, okay, maybe I do look a little bit like a pissed-off boyfriend but like look at the girl.

She's like a walking wet dream.

I don't mind being labeled as her white knight.

Though I do mind the comments that compliment me for throwing Marcus like rubbish. I swear if Marcus is reading these right now, he's gonna come for my head just to prove that he's better than me.

I open the caption.

_.LizzyC: Face off!!!!! @DrakeValentina just jumped in to save the New Girl from @marcusxoblack - first day and she's already bagged our golden boy. I can't be the only one who wants to know who she is. Oh, and CHECK OUT my pinned reel: Face off Number 2 - @chance got down and dirty with New Girl and it was on🔥

#chance #chanceambrose #drakevalentino #drunkpeoplethings #explore #fyp #goldenboy #highschool #shegothiminthethroat #whiteknight

Comments:

desireexx: my babyy @marcusxoblack I'll beat that bitch up for laying a hand on you!! I love you Marcus xoxo. New Girl, I'm coming for your neck.

whitelily: I've got my knives ready, drop the date and time bbg

desireexx: DM DM DM NOW!

WestonLan-.-: @chance no one blames you bro

notyourshawty69: Drakee nooo :'( you're mine (P.S. Marcus can totally shove it up his ass)

Ellasunshine111: LOL @marcusxoblack went 🕳️🏃‍♂️🤛

lil.buttercup: I wish I was there to see that 😭😭

*View hidden comments*

leoneharper_7: For that pussy dude I'd do the same @DrakeValentina

SummerPrince: The pornography we never knew we needed😌

SawyerPrince^-^: Bitch wtf??

SummerPrince: No one wants you here, go to hell

SawyerPrince^-^: You're weird

SummerPrince: fuck you too I'm reporting you

Yeah, RIP my gorgeous face.

Today's gonna see double Valentino homicide.

I totally don't save the reel.

Chance is like the only arsehole with the most obnoxious username ever.

The sound of the footsteps reaches me and I lower my iPhone to find Kai leaving. "That wasn't a rhetorical question." It was but whatever. "Come on, tell me, why would I be pissed?"

The Arsehole of the Year award goes to me.

Kai swallows, eyes creased with apprehension. He looks like a mini version of me, I realise, only slightly more virtuous with that damned angelic face of his. Bright baby blue eyes and hair the softest shade of golden.

"I just thought..." He trails off as he shifts on his feet, leaning back against the wall.

"Thought?"

He opens his mouth twice and then closes it, deciding against saying whatever he wants to, and throws his back. "For fuck's sake, Drake. Just say whatever you want to and get out."

My eyebrows hit my hairline at the tone.

"Yeah, sure, not like you've been out for the entire night somewhere doing fuck knows what and I've been up all night waiting for your ass to get home." I toss my phone aside and stand up.

"I haven't said anything the past month because I know this place can get empty and depressing and shit so I turned a blind fucking eye whenever you disappeared to fuck knows where."

He narrows his eyebrows at me like he's working out another angle.

"So I'll ask you one question and you're going to answer me. Period." He presses his lips together and glues his back to the wall completely. "Where the fuck were you last night?"

He doesn't say shit.

"Wh-"

"There's twenty-five minutes left now. Unless you want to spend the rest of the hour going at this, you can leave."

I glare at him but the bastard doesn't back down.

"Do you have any fucking idea what it feels like not knowing where you go every time you bail? Not knowing if you're lying dead somewhere or shit like that?" He rolls his eyes at that. No fucking way. This sodding bastard.

A minute ticks by. He isn't gonna talk, yeah, got the message. Loud and fucking clear. I fist my palms.

"Fuck you, Kai." I spit and scoop up my phone from the mattress, shoving it into my pocket. "Fuck you so. Damn. Hard."

I slam the door on my out, only just catching him saying in a low voice, "No thanks, asshole."