Briarcliff Read online

  “Why?” I set the box down. “Is something wrong?”

  “You know my mom.” She rolled her eyes. “She probably had too much wine and wants to talk to me about some guy she likes.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Yeah, well, you know how she gets.”

  “Yeah, I know.” And I did. Her mom pulled that crap at least once a week.

  Moriah gathered her things and hoisted her bag on her shoulder. “We’ll have to finish that one next time,” she said and pointed to the television. “Or, you can watch the rest yourself…if you really want.”

  “Ah, no,” I laughed. The only reason I was watching the movie in the first place was because it was Moriah’s pick this week.

  “Why? You scared?” Moriah laughed maniacally.

  “Stop it, Moriah,” I warned.

  Moriah bumped shoulders with me.

  “Just kidding.”

  “Yeah,” I said, frowning. “You’re so not funny.”

  “You love me.”

  “Yeah, I do,” I admitted and opened the door. “Be careful,” I told her.

  “Yeah, I’ll try not to get lost.” Moriah stepped out on the landing. “Oh, and don’t forget to bring those tomorrow.” She nodded her head in the direction of the bed.

  “Oh, I won’t,” I assured her and stepped outside.

  Moriah gave me a quick hug and trotted down the stairs into the back lot behind the café. “Don’t forget,” she called and opened her car door.

  “I won’t.” I rubbed my arms.

  Moriah climbed in her car and honked the horn.

  I waved as she pulled away. Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the cool evening air as I looked up at Briarcliff Manor. The imposing silhouette was illuminated in the glow of the full moon and I shivered.

  “Creepiest place ever.” The story Chance told us last weekend still freaked me out. Granted he was probably exaggerating, but the place was still pretty creepy even without the story.

  Turning around, I reached for the door to go back inside.

  A blood-curdling scream rang out in the distance.

  Heart hammering in my chest, I spun around. Briarcliff Manor was suddenly lit up like a football stadium at night.

  Another scream split the air.

  “Ohmigod!” I flung the door open, ran inside my apartment, and slammed it shut.

  Not able to help myself, I cracked the door open and looked again. But now Briarcliff was cloaked in darkness. Even the moon had disappeared.

  A shiver of dread raced up my spine.

  I slammed the door shut and bolted it. Just to be on the safe side, I grabbed a kitchen chair and pushed it under the handle.

  The dryer buzzed and my mind came back to the present.

  Now, even in the light of day, I still wasn’t too sure what I had heard or seen last night. Maybe I imagined it all—a result from watching too many classic cult horror movies. I didn’t know and really, when it came down to it, I didn’t think I wanted to know either.

  4-INFATUATED

  The co-ed dorm room smelled like a combination of expensive cologne, dirty gym socks, and sex. It wasn’t very large either, but it served its purpose. Kingston shared the room with Chance but they had an understanding with one another. It went pretty much like this: Stay the hell outta the room if the bull’s ball sack filled with change was hanging on the handle.

  “What’s your hurry?” Kingston asked as he lifted a pillow and dropped it behind his back.

  “I got to meet Evie, remember?” Moriah glanced over her shoulder towards the bed.

  A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he watched her walk across the room. He loved her ass. It reminded him of an upside down heart. She wasn’t the least bit shy about her body.

  Heather was.

  He didn’t think he had ever seen her completely naked, at least not with the light on and they had dated forever. That was not the case with Moriah. In the middle of the room, she stood in plain view as she pulled on her lacy blue panties. Her lightly tanned skin glowed in the afternoon sun that filtered in through the windows above his desk. “Why can’t she meet you later?” He stretched lazily and reached across the nightstand. Grabbing up a bottle of water off the top, he unscrewed the cap.

  “What?” She pulled on her bra and glanced back at him.

  “Huh?” He lifted his eyes from her chest back to her face.

  “What did you say?”

  “Um…I don’t remember.” He smiled.

  Moriah visibly shivered. His smiles had that effect on her. “I thought you said you wouldn’t watch me get dressed.”

  He wiggled his brows in response.

  “Why you…” She threw her brush at him.

  Kingston caught the brush in one hand. “Come on, babe. What’d you expect?”

  Moriah pouted and crossed her arms.

  “I promise, I won’t do it again,” he said, lying his ass off. Yeah right. If she was going to parade around in front of him naked, he sure as hell wasn’t going to avert his eyes. She was hot. Heather was hot too, but this was different…she was different. Maybe it was the newness. Maybe that is why Heather didn’t do it for him anymore. Kingston wasn’t real sure what to make of it. He guessed he was falling for her—hell he probably already had fallen for her. Only she had no idea he felt that way, which is exactly how he liked it.

  If she knew how he felt, he was sure he would become one of her NOTS, sooner rather than later. No, he played it cool. Always acting just bored enough to keep her coming back for more. It was working perfectly.

  Moriah walked over to the bed. “Hairbrush,” she said, and held out her hand.

  Kingston grabbed hold and pulled her back onto the bed. “Sorry babe,” he murmured. “I can’t seem to help myself.”

  “Sure you can’t.” She grabbed the hairbrush out of his hand and brushed her hair. She tried to keep a stern look on her face but her lips twitched. It was hard to stay mad at Kingston. He was without a doubt the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. Every time she looked at him her insides quivered like jello. “What time are you going to be there?” She pulled the brush through the ends of her hair.

  “Huh?” Kingston wasn’t paying attention.

  Moriah stopped brushing her hair and turned toward him. “What time are you going to be at Briarcliff?

  “Briarcliff…” he trailed off, his eyes slid back down to her breasts. They jiggled every time she moved. God he loved her tits.

  “Kingston,” she sighed. “For the party…you know the one you’re throwing?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be there,” he said distracted.

  “I know you are going to be there,” she exhaled. “But what time?”

  “I don’t know.” He glanced at the clock. “About four, I guess. There’s some shit I need to take care of before then.”

  “Oh.” She bit her lip.

  “Hey…”

  She looked up at him. “Yeah…”

  “Nothing,” he said, and then leaned forward. His muscles bunched across his chest.

  “Why don’t I believe you?” She grabbed her bag and stuffed her brush inside.

  He shrugged. “I guess you have some trust issues.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” he said.

  “Okay,” she said. Even though what he said was true. With him, how could she not. Kingston was an untouchable and somehow she had finally snagged him, from Heather Bishop, his ex. Heather was her complete opposite and not only in looks. She wore “the perfect” clothes, hung around “the perfect” people and pretty much belonged to every perfect club. Moriah wasn’t poor but she wasn’t a freaking Rockefeller either. Kingston was a part of Heather’s world. He drove an Aston Martin and he too wore perfect clothes, belonged to the same perfect clubs, and had the same group of perfect friends with a few exceptions, which included herself and Evie. Moriah had a nice car in an economical sort of way. She said she wanted a “green” c
ar—right. That’s what she told people. The truth was she couldn’t even begin to compete.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked, feeling nervous. Kingston was looking at her, his dark brown, almond-shaped eyes hooded. She could never tell what he was thinking—really.

  “I think…” He leaned back. “There is something you should take care of before you leave.”

  “What’s that?” She frowned.

  He gave her one of his sexy looks and lowered his eyes down to the growing object under the sheet.

  “What?” She played dumb.

  “What do you think?” he murmured, his voice husky.

  “Evie’s on her way,” she said. “She’ll kill me if I’m late.”

  His gaze smoldered. “Evie can wait.”

  “No, she can’t. I promised.”

  “Who’s more important?” His brow hitched up a notch.

  “Stop,” she said and her belly flipped. “That’s not fair.”

  “Come here,” he breathed.

  “We don’t have time,” she protested. Shivers slid over her body. She felt tingly, excited.

  Kingston lifted his hand and slid his fingers up her inner thigh. “Sure we do…” he coaxed. His fingers slid higher.

  Moriah quivered from his touch. She wanted to lean forward and kiss him. Tell him he was the guy of her dreams, her one and only…but she was afraid. Actually, she was terrified. What if he didn’t feel the same way? No. She decided to stay quiet. It was a risk she was not willing to take…yet.

  Kingston pulled her down onto his lap. His fingers stroked the delicate skin of her inner thigh and slid higher with each pass. “Just one more kiss,” he murmured. His fingers burned against her skin. With his free hand, he peeled down the strap of her bra. The lacy blue fabric slipped down, exposing the light pink bud of her nipple. “See, that’s not so bad, is it?” Wetting his lips, he leaned forward and pressed them to the delicate skin, making it pucker.

  Moriah moaned in response.

  “That’s it, baby.” His mouth closed over her nipple again.

  She arched back, giving in. “I hate you.”

  “Sure you do.” He pulled her down onto the bed, rose over the top of her, and kissed her.

  Evie was completely forgotten.

  5-UNEXPECTED

  Briarcliff Academy was once a finishing school for young ladies that had been turned into an elite college. Now it was like an Ivy League school with an artsy edge. Tall, white, fluted columns flanked either side. It was a pretty, dark-red brick building with great architectural design, built back in the late eighteen hundreds. Big towering oak trees shaded most of the front lawn. A few students tossed a football back and forth on a grassy slope near the walkway while others loitered under trees in groups, sitting on blankets. Some students were dotted across the hillside, typing on laptops, or reading books.

  The air smelled fresh and crisp, on the precipice of turning from one season to the next. I actually adored this time of year, the way the air smelled, and the coloring the trees took on. A faint waft of a fire burning floated in the air. Reaching out, I grabbed the handle of the double glass-paned door that led inside to the co-ed dorm.

  “Shoot!” I stopped and turned back toward the parking lot. I forgot my bag in the car. Indecisive, I debated whether I should run back to my car and get it but I was already late. I was supposed to meet Moriah at two o’clock. Granted, there wasn’t anything that great in my bag, but it was my stuff and I didn’t want some loser taking it.

  A group of girls pushed out from the double doors. They were all wearing gym shorts and t-shirts that read, “Briarcliff Academy Elite” in a fancy-scrollwork design with vines. Stepping quickly to my left, I got out of their way before they barreled me over. They acted like I wasn’t even standing there. “Hey,” I said as they filed out.

  A few glares and a general unenthusiastic “hey” was tossed back in my direction as they passed. I shrank back behind the door.

  The last girl walked out. “Move,” she snapped and shoved the door hard. I had to jump back or the door would have smacked me right in the face. I gaped at the girl but she didn’t seem to notice or care. I was sure it was the latter. “Bitches,” I muttered, and stepped inside before the door slammed shut.

  The smell of funky gym socks greeted me when I walked in and I wrinkled my nose. The skylights in the atrium let in a lot of natural light. Too bad they weren’t open so the stink could escape. A few students lounged across the two couches and an armchair, watching a big flat-screen. Some books were open on tables and the floor. Various cups sat beside them and I knew they were filled with either coffee or alcohol. It was still pretty early, but the weekend was nearing and there were some heavy-hitters on campus.

  When the door clicked shut, a few of the students glanced over in my direction and gave me the staple Briarcliff Academy, “you don’t belong here look.”

  Awkwardly, I shifted closer to a big potted tree and chewed on my thumbnail, feeling stupid.

  I didn’t see Moriah.

  Perfect.

  Down one of the long halls to my right I saw Heather Bishop talking animatedly with a group of her friends. I inched closer to the tree, trying to hide. A few seconds passed and Heather still hadn’t come out into the atrium. Peeking through the foliage, I tried to see where she went. I yanked my head back but apparently somehow Heather had seen me. I knew this because Heather had a shit-eating grin on her face, which meant she was poised to pounce on me.

  I shrank back, even more. Did the bitch have x-ray vision or something? Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised. It was always like this. No matter where I went, Heather somehow always spotted me. Even when Heather had her back turned when I entered a room, she would inevitably zero-in on me. It was like Heather had some kind of internal antenna set on my frequency. Trying my best to look occupied, I pulled out my cell phone and texted Moriah.

  Me: BITCH ALERT!

  I waited for her response and made the mistake of peering through the plant again. “Shoot!” Heather was looking right at me. Awesome! I was going to kill Moriah.

  Heather hated me, plain and simple. Probably cuz Moriah, my best friend in the world, managed to snag Heather’s main squeeze right from under her perfectly patrician nose. Now, I was the lucky recipient of all Heather’s bitchiness and frustration from getting dumped—I just wished she would get herself a damn vibrator instead and leave me alone. Besides, it wasn’t my fault per se, that Kingston dumped Heather’s ass.

  Quickly I texted Moriah again…

  Me: I M HERE WHERE ARE YOU?

  Willing my phone to do something, I stared at it.

  Nothing. I checked the time again. Did she already leave? No. Moriah wouldn’t have done that.

  But where was she?

  Maybe I should just wait out in my car…

  About to make a mad-dash for the door, I spotted Chance’s sneakers. He was lying on the floor and had a book covering his face. Chance was a combination student—half-brilliant-scholar—half-party-animal-wastoid. Judging the distance between Heather and his feet…I made a break for it and quickly crossed the room.

  “Watch it,” someone yelled.

  I ducked down and ran past the television. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  Stopping on the other side of one of couches, I kicked his shoe. Chance was wearing a pair of high-top graffiti Converse, which he created himself. They were pretty-sweet. I wished I had the money to make my own, but slinging coffee in town to the upper crust was surprisingly not as lucrative as one would think. They were a tightfisted bunch of pretentious morons. I was sure that is why they stayed so rich. They didn’t tip for shit. Once in a while, I would snag a good tip, but it was usually ‘cuz Moriah was sitting in my station. The guys were probably trying to impress her with their wads of cash. Too bad, they were just that—WADS. They probably blew them in their over-priced jeans.

  “What’s up, Chance,” I said, hoping I sounded half as cool as I was trying to soun
d.

  Chance pulled the book off his face, his expression dazed and confused. He looked like Matthew McConaughey, albeit a younger version.

  “Evie…” he said. “ Wow.” He shook his head. “I was just thinking about you.”

  That was new. “You were?” I asked, suddenly interested.

  “Yeah…” Chance paused and his eyes glazed over for a second.

  “Chance…”

  Sitting up fully, he scratched his belly. “So what’s the plan for the weekend?”

  “Got me,” I sighed. “Moriah keeps telling me it will be epic, but as for the deets, you got me.” Nervously, I flipped the edge of the carpet back and forth with the toe of my shoe.

  Chance stroked his chin. “Huh?” he said. “Wonder why that is?”

  I watched him. He did have a nice chin and a killer body. Chance’s crystal blue eyes sparkled when he looked toward me once more, and my pulse started to beat a little faster. He ranked pretty high on my hottie scale and I couldn’t help wondering why he had been thinking about me.

  “So, is Moriah like with Kingston now?” He reached up and ran his hand through his sun-streaked hair, making it puff out from his head.

  My pulse skidded to an abrupt halt. Not him too. Well wasn’t that just wonderful. Another one bites the dust. “Yeah, they’re pretty exclusive for the moment, but you never know…” I said, not really knowing why I even added the last part. Now I was giving out false hope.

  “Yeah, I guess.” Chance looked around the room awkwardly. “People break up around this place as easily as the winds change.” He glanced over at Heather.

  I caught his meaning. “I guess,” I said.

  “Funny, I always thought those two would get married.” His baby-blues cut to Heather.