Cruel Kisses: It’s Just High School #2 Read online

  Contents

  Synopsis

  Playlist

  Author’s Note

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Headlines

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Headlines

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  The End

  Acknowledgments

  Books by Thandie Mpofu

  Preview of Reckless Hate

  Cruel Kisses.

  Copyright © 2020 by Thandiwe Mpofu

  Cover designed by TRC Designs

  Copyright Law:

  If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, this book has been pirated and you’re stealing. Please delete it from your device and support the author by purchasing a legal copy.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above copyright owner of this book or publisher.

  This book, Cruel Kisses, is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked statue and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication or use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  First Edition, October 2020

  To the chaos inside,

  To the muted screams felt;

  To the darkness and mess,

  FUCK YOU!

  We’ll still shine because we matter; in spite of you.

  She’s gone… good riddance to tormenting, cold nightmares that come in the form of sweet but devious kisses.

  Thing is, without her here, there’s a fiery riot in my heart I can't control.

  She left a bloody feud brewing in my house.

  That Little Minx caused chaos and hell to break loose between my brother and me as only she can.

  She kissed me and imprinted her broken soul to my darkness.

  Now, I want her back with a kind of obsessive desperation that will drive us both to hell.

  Hate or not, she’s still going to kiss me with everything she is, because she knows who she belongs to.

  I’m going to own every inch of her pathetic, cold, dark, shallow, and meaningless soul that mirrors mine.

  Is that cruel of me? I don't give a damn.

  She’s the architect of this ruinous chapter we just entered, because what’s coming is more than devious.

  We’re going to lose more than the cruel kisses we bargained for…

  “Wrong Direction” – Hailee Steinfeld

  “Freight Train” – Sara Jackson-Holman

  “Long Sleeves” – Gracie Abrams

  “Black & Blue”— Nina Nesbitt

  “how Do You Sleep?- Acoustic” – Sam Smith

  “Tear Myself Apart” – Tate McRae

  “Who Hurt You?” – Daniel Caesar

  “Make You Mine” – PUBLIC, Danielle Bradbery

  “L$D” – A$AP Rocky

  “Maniac” – Conan Gray

  “Slow Dance” – AJ Mitchell, Ava Max

  “Smiling When I Die” – Sasha Sloan

  “Dear Agony” – Breaking Benjamin, Lacey Sturm

  For the full Cruel Kisses playlist, find it on Spotify.

  “Like any artist without an art form, she became dangerous.”

  —Toni Morrison

  Hey loves!

  This story took more than just words to deliver safely into your hands. It took more than guts to write; it just took more and because of that, this book is more. So, this is the part where I give you the TRIGGER WARNING.

  Cruel Kisses is a dark bully romance. Although it’s set in high school this book is not suitable for readers under the age of 18 due to the mature, explicit and graphic content in the book. There are scenes in this book that might trigger some readers. Please don’t take this warning lightly as this isn’t a light read.

  If you’re looking for a sweet, pliant heroine, Mia Montague isn’t it. If you’re looking for a kind, also sweet, hero, Julian Fitzgerald is definitely NOT it. Please don’t continue if that’s the kind of story you’d looking for.

  This book CANNOT be read as a standalone as this is part of a series. Please make sure you’ve read Devious Kisses, It’s Just High School #1 first before you continue with this book.

  As I always say, by all means, continue if you dare…

  You have been warned.

  Prologue

  4 years old

  “No! Leave her alone!”

  The scream is as vicious as it is chilling.

  Cold shivers race down my back as I clutch my pajama bottoms with both hands.

  Tears sting my eyes from the pain radiating up and down my arm making me bite down on my bottom lip, trying my best not to whimper or move.

  He told me if I move, or scream, or try to fight him off, he’d do it.

  I didn’t know what he meant by that, but I knew I didn’t want him to do anything to me. He was wearing dark clothing when he broke into my room, unsteady on his feet and out of breath. His breath smelled like the stuff my aunt sometimes drinks when she wants to forget whatever it is mom says I help her forget.

  His eyes were dark and narrowed like the men I’d seen on TV shows that my aunt lets me watch when mom isn’t home; the kind of shows with bad men who do bad things to good people, beating them up.

  And right now, the man holding my arm in a painful grip has that same manner about him which told me that when he hugged me tightly to his chest, almost suffocating me to death, whispering in my ear that ‘Daddy is here’, I knew immediately that he was dangerous and I needed to get away from him no matter what he said.

  That’s when I tried to run and that’s when he attacked, grabbing me and smothering my screams for help with his large palm and whispered, “Now, let’s go teach your mother and aunt a lesson, shall we?”

  “Jesus, let my daughter alone!” Mom shouts, as she and my aunt race down the stairs, both their eyes wide with so much terror that I’ve never seen in their eyes before. “Let her go right now!”

  They both attempt to come closer, but he stops them. “Don’t you dare come any closer or I’ll do it.” He presses the sharp butcher knife at the side of my neck. “As we all know, kids bleed out fast. So, let’s not lose out heads and do something rash, ladies.”

  “You have some nerve, harming my daughter like that,” Mom cries. “How the hell did you find us?”

  “It’s good to see you too, my love,” the man says with a mocking chuckle. “Now, stop crying. You’re frightening Amy with your nervousness. She doesn’t know what’s going on.”

  “You sick son of a bitch,” my aunt says angrily when they both reach the foyer of our small house, close to the kitchen e
ntrance when the man holds me in front of him.

  “Watch your language when you’re around my daughter!” he shouts, pointing something at my aunt that he was pressing to my side. It’s cold, hard and big, like a steel bar or something. “Don’t make me come over there and wash that tongue with soap.”

  “Mommy,” I whimper, making him tighten the hold he has on my arm. “Mommy, please…”

  “Come now, Princess,” the man says, looking down at me. “I already told you not to move. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Amy, sweetheart, look at me,” Mom calls, her voice shaky, tears streaming down her face. “Just stand still. Don’t move. This will all be over soon.”

  “Listen to your whore of a mother, Amy. This will all be over soon.”

  “Okay, we’re here, now put it down. You don’t have to threaten her,” Mom says, her voice steady but it sounds strange, hurried, frantic and distorted. “Let my child go!”

  The man starts laughing, but it sounds hard and scratchy, not at all pleasant.

  “Your child?” The man laughs again. “Do you think I’m stupid, Nicky?” he shouts, his grip on my arm now tighter.

  “Nathan, listen…”

  “Don’t you dare take another step forward or I swear I’ll end her right here, right now.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!” Mom cries.

  “You’ve always underestimated me, that’s always been your problem,” the man says. “Her blood is on your hands.”

  “Step away from her, Nathan!” my aunt cries, looking distressed. “Let her go and we can talk. Tell me what you want. You don’t want her. She’s just a child.”

  “She’s my child, bitch! You are the reason we’re in this mess to begin with!”

  “No…” my aunt starts, taking a step forward.

  “You think I don’t know that you’re the one who got into my fiancé’s head, whispering lies in her ears that I don’t love her or my own child? Manipulating her for your own gain?”

  “Nathan…”

  “No, you are the one who told her that I’d use my daughter to go after that asshole you sleep with,” the man shouts. “You spread your legs like the whore you are for a married imbecile like him?”

  “No, she didn’t say anything to me, Nathan,” Mom cries, her hands clasped together like she’s muttering a prayer. “Please, my sister had nothing to do with me leaving you.”

  “Three years!” the man shouts. “Three fucking years!”

  “Nathan, I’m sorry!” Mom cries. “I came out here because I found a job…”

  “Stop lying to me!” the man shouts. “You took three years of getting to know my daughter away from me! Three years! Now look at her, I missed her first walk, her first word, all of her firsts that matter. Now, she doesn’t even know me.”

  “I know you’re upset. I also know that you’re hurt but please Nathan, we can find a way to make everything right again,” Mom cries. “Just put the knife down.”

  “Make it right?” the man scoffs. “The only way this is going to be all right is through my way. I’ve waited three years for this, after you left in the middle of the fucking night.”

  “Yes, you won. You’ve bested us all, now let her go,” my aunt says, taking another tentative step closer to us. My aunt has always been brave. Mom even said she was a daredevil and the fact that she was my mom’s older sister helped, I guess.

  “Make a move, Nancy, I swear to God, I’ll slit her throat right before I slit yours, you whore.”

  The man is trembling with anger, visibly bristling, making me upset as well.

  All I want to do is get in my mom’s arms. She’ll make this nightmare stop. But I know better than to move an inch. I’m so paralyzed with fear that the only thought in my head right now is I don’t want to die. And I also don’t want this man to be my father as he claims he is.

  “Mommy,” I start crying, but the man holds me tighter, his grip on my arm growing painful. “I don’t want to die.”

  “You’re not going to die, baby,” Mom soothes, her voice shaky and high pitched. “Everything’s going to be all right, okay?”

  I nod, tears streaming down my face. I try my best to do as I’m told but I’m scared. Who is this man? Why did he break into our home? Why is he calling me his child?

  “Back up, Nicky!” the man shouts, pressing the blade against my neck, now drawing blood.

  “No, please, you’re hurting me.” I cry. “Mommy, he’s hurting me.”

  “Shut up!” the man spits, making me flinch. I bite down on my bottom lip, trying my best not to cry.

  The man peers down at me. There’s a wild look in his eyes, and he’s unable to stand straight, swaying from left to right, his knees rimming into my back, painfully. I hate him.

  “Amy, my Princess, don’t make me hurt you, okay?” he says, his words sounding funny. “Just don’t make any sudden movements, okay. Your mother, your aunt and I have to sort out a few things and we’ll be one big happy family again.”

  No, my family didn’t include him. Auntie has a boyfriend though. He comes over and plays with me. He says he has his own kids too, that I’ll meet soon.

  “Please, I’ll do anything, just let my daughter go,” Mom cries, frantically waving her hands in the air. “What do you need from me? I’ll do it.”

  “That’s a loaded question, Nicky,” the man says, shifting on his feet but I feel him ease the knife on my neck. “Take a good look at me. What do you see right now?”

  “I…” Mom starts, tears rolling down her cheeks. “You’re obviously drunk.”

  “Yes!” the man exclaims. “I’m drunk, Nicky! I drink all day to wash away the sadness you left me with. You left me alone, Nicky. After everything, you left me alone.”

  “You hurt me…” Mom stutters, her body shaking. No, this man hurt my mommy.

  “That was a mistake and I apologized for it.”

  “Apologized?” my aunt scoffs. “You did no such thing! You’ve been hurting my sister, controlling her financially, you don’t fucking deserve her!”

  “And it’s all because of your stupid sister!” He shouts, pointing the butcher knife at my aunt. “If she had listened to what I said and stopped being so damn stubborn, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

  “Listen to what you say? You mean raising Amy only to sell her to the highest bidder just so you can show your stepfather who doesn’t give a damn about you?”

  “Don’t you dare mock me!” he growls. “I’m not selling my daughter! What kind of monster do you think I am? I only mentioned that there are deals we could make when she’s older that will get us to the next level.”

  “Deals, huh?”

  “Bitch please, that’s a language you understand very well, isn’t, Nancy? Since you’re the one who convinced my fiancé to come out all the way here to Palos Verdes just so you can what? Quench your desperation for that shithead?”

  His grip on my shoulder tightens and I cry out, wincing in pain.

  “Nathan please, let her go!” Mom stutters, her voice broke. “She’s terrified.”

  “Well that’s your fault, isn’t it? If I had been around to raise her these past three years, she’d not be terrified of anything. She’d know that she can rule the world, sit on her rightful throne and make my enemies suffer.”

  No. I don’t want that. I just want my mommy.

  “You have a knife at her throat!” Auntie shouts. “What do you expect her to do.”

  “Shut up, Nancy! You think I don’t know about your affair with him? You think I don’t know that you came here, thinking that he’ll protect you? Well fuck that! I’m going to teach you both a lesson!”

  “Nathan, please, whatever you think of me, it doesn’t have to involve anyone. You and I can sort it out as adults. Just let my sister and her child go,” Aunt Nancy says, her voice strong and steady unlike my mom’s shaky and broken one.

  I glance at my Mom. She’s hugging her trembling frame like she’s cold, like me. I feel
so cold.

  “No, I think MY fiancé and MY daughter should stay and listen to how this is all going to go down from now on,” the man starts, his voice chilling. “Nicky, you’re going to sign these papers.”

  Stacks of papers are thrown in Mom’s direction. At first, she doesn’t make a move to grab them, but the man tugs at my hair painfully, making me cry out.

  “Okay, okay!” Mom grabs the papers. “What are these?”

  “You’re going to sign away all your maternal rights of Amy over to me. You will no longer have any rights to take her away from me or use her to hurt me. You will not be her mother anymore.”

  What? No!

  “What? NO!” Mom screams. Aunt Nancy gasps and I stand there, eyes wide with terror as I look at my mother, pleading with her not to sign those papers.

  “Mommy, don’t,” I cry, but she doesn’t look at me at all. My heart starts beating faster now, it makes my ears ring.

  “Nicky, he doesn’t have any rights to make you sign anything,” my aunt seethes.

  “Really? You think I don’t?”

  Everything happens so damn fast after that.

  First, I feel a sudden gust of wind coming from my left, like a strong. cold breeze.

  Someone lets out a blood curling scream and the next thing I feel is a hard, painful blow to my head.

  “AMY!”

  I scream as the pain travels through my body, my head feels like it’s about to fall off. It hurts so bad. I can’t stop screaming and crying. The next thing I know, I’m on the floor, clutching my head, folded within myself.