Rebel With A Cause Page 3

  Kaitlyn decided there really was no escaping it. “I went to Marcus’ place.”

  She could feel the change in atmosphere in the car. There was so much tension. Carter was visibly shaking, and his grip on the steering wheel had tightened so much his knuckles were turning white.

  “You. Went. Where?!” he growled angrily. “Why the fuck would you do that?!”

  She wrapped her arms around herself and looked out the window.

  “Because,” she whispered. “Marcus cares about me. He was asking me how I was, cooking me breakfast and treating me like a princess.”

  Carter snorted. “He doesn’t care about you. He’s just using you to piss me off. He’s just begging for an ass whipping.”

  “You’re wrong,” she said. “Marcus does care about me. He cares about me more than you do.”

  “No, he’s just trying to make me angry.”

  Kaitlyn saw red at that. “God, Carter!” she burst angrily. “Not everything is about you!”

  Carter shot her a dirty look. “I never said it was,” he growled.

  “You don’t have to!” she screamed back. “You act like it all the time! You just expect everybody to fawn over you! God, I didn’t even care that you cheated last night! I hoped you would be able to get this selfishness out of your system by giving you a break, but all it’s done is made you more of an arrogant jerk!”

  Carter pressed the accelerator all the way to the floor and swerved angrily all over the motorway.

  “Carter!” Kaitlyn panicked. “Carter, slow down!”

  “No!” he yelled. “You just sit there and shut up! We’re going home!”

  “What for?”

  “You need to learn your lesson,” he threatened dangerously. “I’m going to show you who’s boss.”

  It was the first time Kaitlyn had felt physically threatened by Carter, and, against her better judgement, she felt herself strangely turned on by it.

  “I love you,” she choked.

  Carter visibly relaxed a tiny bit. “Good,” he replied. “Because I love you too, and no one – I repeat, no one – is taking you away from me. Ever.”

  He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, and despite the speed they were travelling at, Kaitlyn had never felt safer in her life.

  Chapter 3

  It was the best sex either of them had ever had. In a way, it was make-up sex.

  “So you wanna go out tonight?” Carter asked, cuddling Kaitlyn against his bare chest.

  Kaitlyn sighed. “I wish,” she said morosely. “But I have to go home for dinner. Mum and Dad are going to freak when they find out I snuck out yesterday.”

  Carter squeezed Kaitlyn gently and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick lately,” he apologised.

  Kaitlyn said nothing and buried her head in the crook of his neck.

  “Do you want to come and meet my family?” she asked him after a pause. Carter tensed and sat up. Kaitlyn looked up to see him staring at her with wary eyes.

  “Katie, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. I mean, just yesterday your dad threw me out because we were making out on the sofa. Do you really think he’s going to let me back into his house?”

  “It’s not his house, it’s my mum’s. And anyway, I’m a daddy’s girl. I’m sure I can get him to reconsider.”

  Carter looked at her. “Alright,” he finally said. “You go home, have dinner, convince your parents to see me, and be round here at eight. We can go to T-Man’s party then.”

  “T-Man’s having a party?”

  “Yeah,” Carter grinned cockily. “It’s at this abandoned building in Helensville.”

  “Why so far?”

  “So they can’t trace it back to T-Man. Anyway, we’re going.”

  “Ok then. Guess I better go and get ready then.”

  Carter frowned. “Not yet. After dinner, because it’s gonna be a pretty dangerous party, if you know what I mean.”

  Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. “You mean because of the people?”

  “That, and the whole building is condemned.”

  “So what? Do I have to wear construction gear to go inside?”

  Carter frowned. “No, but…”

  “Babe, you’re being weird.” She leaned over and kissed him, before dressing in her uniform. “Anyway, I have to go now. Can you drop me at home? Or do I have to walk?” It was a fifteen minute drive to her house, and over an hour’s walk, and Carter knew this.

  “I’ll drive you,” he said, pulling on some baggy jeans and a hoodie and slipping his feet into his sneakers. “And I’ll be at Southmall until you’re ready to be picked up.”

  “Thanks,” she said, snatching his keys out of his hand and dancing out to his car.

  “Hey! Since when did I say you could drive my car?”

  “Uh, never. But I drove it today, and you didn’t seem to mind.”

  “I should never have trusted you,” he said playfully, shaking his head. Kaitlyn watched his straight black hair dance as he jested with her.

  “Oh!” she gasped. “I’m crushed!” She rolled her eyes to show that she was joking. Carter grinned and kissed her.

  Fifteen minutes later, Carter pulled up outside of her house.

  “I’ll be ready at seven forty-five,” she said. “You can come then.”

  Carter nodded and kissed her goodbye, before speeding off, leaving Kaitlyn to face her parents alone. Nervously, she walked up the short path to her front door and pulled out her keys. She unlocked the door and went inside, noticing her six year old brother, Jordan, was watching cartoons in the front lounge.

  With that unnervingly sharp hearing that little kids always seem to have, he spun around as soon as she kicked her shoes off.

  “Katie’s home!” he screamed, dropping his bag of apple slices on the carpet and running towards her. She caught him easily and lifted him up.

  “How’s it going, Jordy?” she asked him, pinching his chubby cheeks.

  “Stop it!” he screeched, giggling. “Katie, stop it!”

  Kaitlyn grinned and walked into the kitchen, Jordan firmly attached to her hip.

  “Hey Mum,” she said casually, getting a piece of chocolate out of the fridge. “What’s up?”

  “When did you get home?” her mum asked.

  “Just now.”

  “And where were you last night?”

  “I was staying at a friend’s place.”

  “Was it at that boy’s place?”

  Kaitlyn looked up at her mum to see her eyeing her mistrustfully. She was glad she could reply honestly.

  “No mum,” she said truthfully. “I wasn’t at Carter’s place.”

  Her mum looked at her for a moment, before turning back to her laptop, which was open on the breakfast bar.

  “So what are you working on?” Kaitlyn asked, trying to determine if her mum was in a good mood or not.

  “Oh, just this wedding. Their wedding’s been cancelled twice already, and it’s my job to make sure it doesn’t happen a third time.”

  “And how’s that going?”

  “Well, I sent them to counselling. I told them if they didn’t go to counselling, I would make sure that no self-respecting event planner would take on their wedding. They agreed immediately.”

  Kaitlyn gave a small laugh and put Jordan down.

  “Hey, mum?” she asked casually. “Is it ok if I invite Carter over for dinner sometime?”

  Her mum was instantly alert. “Why?”

  “Well,” Kaitlyn began. “I have been seeing him for a while, and I really would like you and Dad to get to know him.”

  Her mum considered it for a moment. “Ok, you let us know when’s good and if he’s allergic to anything or doesn’t eat anything, and I will make sure he feels welcome. But not this week, because you’re grounded, and your father is still mad.”

  It was the best she could hope for, really.

  “So, when you say grounded…” she trailed off.

  “I mean that
you’re banned from going out with us knowing.”

  Kaitlyn looked at her mum weirdly. “With you knowing?” she repeated questioningly.

  Her mum looked at her. “Yes. Personally, I think your dad overreacted a bit. It’s not like you were in the back of a car. I’m fine with you sneaking out, as long as you go to school and come home for dinner. That’s all I ask.”

  Kaitlyn grinned. “Cool. So, what’s for dinner?”

  After a very uncomfortable dinner with her parents, Kaitlyn announced she was going to work on some homework.

  “You mean you actually went to school today?” her father snapped. Kaitlyn ignored him and ran upstairs to her room.

  Once there, she stripped off out of her uniform and changed into her ‘fat pants’ – which were really just cheap grey track pants – and a black tank top. She pulled her hair up into a messy knot on her head and smiled to herself. She now looked like she was staying in for the night. At seven ‘o’clock, she went into the upstairs lounge to watch TV with her parents.

  “So, you’re staying in tonight? No running away?”

  Kaitlyn rolled her eyes at her father’s pointed question. He was making it clear that he wanted her to stay home, and yet at the same time, he knew she wouldn’t.

  “Yes, Dad,” she said, faking exhaustion. “I’m staying in.”

  “Well, good, then,” her father muttered gruffly.

  “Yeah,” she sighed. “I have a big test tomorrow that I really need to study for.”

  “What on? Maybe I can help,” he offered. She shook her head and walked out of the lounge.

  “No, Dad,” she called over her shoulder. “You wouldn’t get it.”

  “I might,” he replied, following her. She turned around to face him, working up some teenage angst.

  “For God’s sake!” she cried. “I already said no!” And she slammed the door in his face.

  She heard him turn around and ask her mum “What did I do?” and giggled silently. She whipped out her phone and text Carter, to tell him to hurry up. She pulled on her black canvas shoes, which she wore as school shoes, and opened her window. Gingerly, she crawled out of it and closed it quietly behind her. She walked as quietly as she could along the roof, and then pulled herself up onto her neighbour’s tree. She climbed down it and into their backyard, and walked to the end of her street, where Carter was waiting for her. It was their usual rendezvous spot.

  “What took you so long?” he asked, smirking at her as she got in the car.

  “Sorry,” she replied, leaning in to give him a kiss. “I had to pull a tantrum. Dad wanted to help me with my homework.”

  Carter smirked. “I remember living at home, and going to high school. Life’s so much easier now.”

  Kaitlyn grinned cockily and shot him the bird. Carter just laughed and pulled away from the curb.

  “So, how was dinner with the ‘rents?” Carter mocked. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes.

  “I hate pretending to be a good girl. We both know I’m not.” Even Carter, as dumb as he was, couldn’t miss the double meaning in her words.

  “Hell no,” he whispered, squeezing her thigh.

  When they got back to Carter’s house, Carter ordered her to change into something “sexy.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him. “Sexy?”

  He laughed. “Come on, Katie. You know the crowd we run with. When there’s a party, if you show up in street clothes, you’re out.”

  “I thought I was always sexy.”

  Carter grinned. “Sexier then.”

  She rolled her eyes and walked into his bedroom, knowing he was right. She was the most sought after girl in the circuit, and if she didn’t look totally hot tonight, she would be the most hated.

  She opened his double wardrobe and started sifting through her clothes. She couldn’t decide between her low rise hot pants, which were made out of leather and totally sexy, or her strapless zebra print dress.

  “The dress,” Carter said from behind her. She turned around and smiled coyly at him. “It’s way better for a party, although the leather does make your ass look fine.”

  She laughed and slapped him, before stripping out of her ‘slob clothes’ and into the short, tight dress. She searched under his bed for her studded black platform heels, and slipped them on.

  “Ready to go?” Carter asked, walking back into the room, totally smoking. Kaitlyn eyed him up and down, and licked her lips at the way his jeans actually fit, and his black, button down shirt brought out the brown in his eyes. His usual sneakers were on his feet, and his black hair was rumpled and sexy.

  “Yeah,” she finally said. “Just let me do my make-up.” She walked into the bathroom, where her make-up bag was stashed, and began outlining her hazel eyes with thick black eyeliner. A few coatings of mascara on her eyelashes and a quick swipe of peach lip gloss and she was done.

  “I’m ready!” she called, walking out of the bathroom to see Carter slouched on the couch, watching a car program on SKY.

  He looked up at her. “Great, then we can go,” he said. “Finally.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever Carter. If I didn’t wear this much make-up out, you’d hate me.”

  They walked out to his car and he grabbed her around the waist from behind and kissed her cheek.

  “No,” he said. “I think you look way better without make-up, and with less clothes.”

  She slapped his arm playfully and pulled away from him, getting into the car. He walked around to the other side and jumped in.

  “Excited?” she asked him. He smirked. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

  He laughed. “Damn straight, baby girl. It’s been a while since the whole crew could get together and blow off some steam.”

  She grinned and relaxed as he weaved his way through the many suburbs on the way to Helensville.

  They could see the party, before they heard it.

  “Where’s the music?” Kaitlyn asked Carter, confused about the silence.

  “They sound-proofed it. It’s probably best, because even though it’s abandoned, it’s still surrounded by shops.”

  She nodded and climbed out of the car when Carter had parked.

  “You ready?” he asked, walking around and grabbing her by the waist.

  She grinned. “Bring it. I’m gonna have so much fun.”

  Carter smirked and led her inside. The whole building was packed. It was quite surprising, because the warehouse would have been terrifyingly big for one person. And it was almost full.

  They began to make their way over to the bar, when they were stopped by a tall, slim girl with long, curly black hair.

  “Carter!” she screamed over the loud music, grabbing him in for a tight hug. Kaitlyn looked blankly at them and wondered if she was a former conquest of Carter’s.

  “Bekah!” he grinned. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

  She grinned back. “I know, right?” She kissed him on the cheek. “So how’ve you been?”

  “Not bad, not bad,” he replied happily. Kaitlyn began to feel left out and made to move away, but Carter’s arm gripped her closer to him.

  “Bekah, I want you to meet Kaitlyn, my girlfriend,” he announced. “Katie, this is my baby cousin, Rebekah Hawke.”

  Rebekah looked offended at that, and slapped him on the arm. “Carter!” she cried. “I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

  “You’re right,” he said, smirking. “You’re no baby. You’re a monster.”

  She huffed angrily and turned her attention to Kaitlyn.

  “So, you a racer too?” she asked. Kaitlyn shook her head and Carter laughed. “What? What’s so funny?” she demanded.

  “Katie isn’t a racer,” he said smugly. “She just wishes she was.”

  “Yeah, I do actually,” Kaitlyn announced. “But Carter’s too mean to let me. He doesn’t like it when I drive his car, even. He doesn’t trust me.” With the last sentence, she shot a puppy dog look at Carter that she knew he couldn’t resist.
He groaned and pecked her on the lips.

  “Well,” Bekah said thoughtfully, “you should steal it when he’s asleep, and come and race in an all-girls race. We’re having one tomorrow at Mangere Bridge. You won’t be ready for it if you’ve never raced before, but you can come and watch. And then maybe, you could race with us next month. If you can get a car that is.”

  Kaitlyn nodded and grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll just have to steal Carter’s car. I stole it today, and he wasn’t too happy.”

  Bekah laughed. “Good one! Anyways, I have to go. People to see, things to do, you know. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?”

  Kaitlyn grinned and watched her walk off. When she looked back at Carter, he was scowling.

  “What?” she asked him.

  “I don’t want you racing, Katie,” he said protectively. “I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”

  She scowled. He was just afraid she’d be a better street racer than him. “Yeah, right,” she scoffed. “You’d be sweet. You’d find another girl to screw in no time.”

  She stalked off to the bar angrily, leaving a grumpy Carter behind in the massive throng of people.

  Chapter 4

  She woke up with a pounding head.

  “What happened last night?” she groaned, pulling her blankets over her head.

  “Would you just shut the hell up?” an unfamiliar voice snapped. She quickly pulled the blankets off her head and sat up, taking in her surroundings.

  She let out a relieved sigh.

  She was fully clothed, thank god, and Carter was sound asleep next to her. The unfamiliar voice belonged to one of the guys on the floor; there was a small group of people left over from last night’s party.

  She shook Carter awake.

  “Carter? Where are we?” she whispered. He sat up and looked around. He frowned.

  “You know what?” he asked. “I don’t actually know. I can’t even remember what happened. Can you?” He looked questioningly at her.

  She shook her head. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.”