Always Too Late (Willow Creek Book 5) Read online

  Always Too Late

  Micalea Smeltzer

  Contents

  —WILLOW CREEK—

  Always Too Late

  Never Too Late

  Chapter One - Never Too Late

  —WILLOW CREEK—

  Mathias Wade may be the lead singer of Willow Creek, but he didn’t start out that way.

  Once upon a time, he was simply a boy that loved a girl, but their story ended in tragedy.

  This is the beginning.

  © Copyright 2017 Micalea Smeltzer

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Always Too Late

  REMY

  “You’re kind of weird.”

  The guy watched me with shrewd silvery-gray eyes beneath heavy dark brows. My words were rude, but he seriously was weird.

  “Are you going to help me or not?” I pointed to our biology work laid out on our double table.

  Why did Mrs. Ferris put me with this guy?

  Mathias Wade and I didn’t exactly have the best track record. In fact, he was probably staring because I burned him with one of my cigarettes yesterday.

  “You know those will kill you, right?”

  I looked up to see the good-looking guy from my biology class standing in front of me. His messy dark brown hair fell into his eyes, and he gave me that blinding smile that had most girls spreading their legs for him.

  “Do I look like a care?” I puffed out some smoke right in his face.

  He didn’t cough or flinch away.

  “Give me one,” he said.

  I raised a brow. “They’ll kill you, you know?” I mimicked his voice.

  He smiled slowly and straightened. “Something’s going to kill me one day.” He shrugged. Something dark flashed in his unique gray eyes. “I might as well do the killing. I’m already screwed.”

  I handed him a cigarette and lit the tip.

  “Enjoy, because you’re not getting anymore freebies from me.”

  His lips twitched with the threat of a smile before he settled with a brooding stare and leaned against the brick exterior wall of the school.

  “How’d you find me out here?” I asked.

  He pushed his hair out of his eyes. “I followed you,” he admitted, not ashamed.

  I stared at him. “Why?”

  “Why do you think?” His eyes were serious and his mouth was a straight line. I found myself staring at his lips. They were slightly plump and pouty, but not in a girly way. They tempered the sharp cut of his jaw, and I wondered if they were as soft as they looked.

  I shook my head free of those thoughts, focusing on what he had said.

  “I’m not sucking your dick,” I sneered. “That’s a vicious rumor Jake started because he’s an asshole.”

  His eyes glinted dangerously and my stomach stirred with something I’d never felt before. Not lust, I’d felt that plenty. It was something else that made no sense.

  “That’s not what I wanted, but now that you mention it…” He reached for his zipper. “Ow!” He yelped when the tip of my cigarette burned the skin between his thumb and forefinger. “I was only joking. Fuck.”

  He waved his hand through the air.

  “That’s not something to joke about.” I squared my shoulders. “And for the record, I’m not against blowjobs, I just don’t want to be forced to give one.”

  He stared at me like I was the most mysterious creature he’d ever seen.

  “I don’t want to have sex with you…well, I’d like to,” he admitted sheepishly, “but that’s not why I followed you out here.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No.” He stared at me intensely. “I’ve been watching you, and I’ve realized that you’re a lot like me.”

  “I am?” I looked at him like he was crazy.

  He nodded and leaned close to me. “You’re not like the other girls here, who piss their pants if they see a fucking spider. You’re wild. You don’t care what people think of you. You’re the bad girl they scoff at, but all secretly want to be.”

  “And you are?” I asked, lighting a new cigarette.

  “I’m the fucked-up bad boy everyone wants to save,” his voice lowered, “but you wouldn’t try to save me, would you, Remy? Because you’re just like me.”

  My breath stuttered and he grinned at having made me react.

  “I don’t understand what you want.” I stood tall and my voice never quavered.

  “You.”

  He started to walk away, but promptly turned back around. He dug something out of his back pocket and I realized it was a pack of cigarettes. He handed me one of the slender white sticks and grinned. “No freebies, right?”

  Mathias was a confusing guy. He was hot, probably the hottest guy in our school—well, him and his identical twin brother, Maddox. But he didn’t like people. He kept to himself and only hung out with his twin and his friend, Ezra, who was also their foster brother. I’d also noticed them hanging out with an older student, Josh; I thought his name was.

  I poked Mathias sharply with my pencil. “What the fuck was that for?” he snapped, waving his hand through the air.

  I mock pouted. “Aw, did I hurt the baby? Quit fucking staring at me and help me with this.” I pointed to the worksheet we were supposed to be filling out together on DNA.

  “Go out with me.”

  A girl in our class squeaked behind me. Her name was Josie and it was a known fact she had a crush on Mathias.

  I stared at him, blinking. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me.” He didn’t smile, giving me no indication that he was joking.

  “You’re serious?” I stared at him dumbfounded.

  I mean, there were crazier things than me going out with Mathias Wade. In fact, we were really kind of suited for each other. I was a bitch and he was an asshole—so clearly, we were a match made in heaven.

  He nodded.

  “You just told me yesterday that you wanted to have sex with me and now you’re asking me out?”

  He shrugged. “Seemed logical.”

  “I…” I couldn’t find any reason to say no. “Um…okay.”

  He smiled, and I was struck by how something so simple could completely transform his face. His smile disappeared almost as quickly as it came, though, and I found myself missing it. I wanted to find a way to bring it back—I guess I’d have my chance to try on our date.

  I smiled to myself, wondering where on earth Mathias Wade was going to take me on our date.

  I was getting ready to go on a date with Mathias Wade.

  What. The. Ever. Loving. Fuck.

  I must’ve been living in an alternate universe.

  Mathias was a guy of few words, so he’d given me no hints about what we’d be doing. So I chose to wear jeans and a loose black sweater. It was early fall, school had barely started, and the weather hadn’t quite gotten cold yet. On my feet, I wore a pair of black combat boots. I applied my makeup and brushed my straight hair.

  I bounded down the stairs and poked my head in the kitchen. “Mom? I’m heading out for a while.”

  She looked up from the pot she was cooking—smelled like marinara for spaghetti. “It’s a school night.”

  “I won’t be late,” I promised.

  Her lips pressed
into a thin line. My parents didn’t like me going out, and if she saw Mathias; she’d definitely make me stay home. His whole attitude screamed trouble. I thought maybe that’s why I was drawn to him.

  “Okay,” she sighed reluctantly and went back to stirring.

  Mathias was supposed to pick me up in five minutes. I didn’t think he had a car…we were only sophomores, and since the year had just started; most of us weren’t old enough to drive yet.

  I sat on the front steps and waited for him.

  A couple of minutes later I saw him walking up the street.

  I stood. dusted off my pants, and went to meet him. “Where do you live?” I asked him. “Did you walk all the way over here?”

  He shrugged. “Not too far.”

  That wasn’t much of an answer but you never really got one with him.

  “So, where are we going?” I asked.

  “You don’t mind to walk, right?” he asked. “Shoulda’ thought about that,” he mumbled to himself.

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Cool.” He started walking, expecting me to follow.

  I rolled my eyes. Asshole.

  Thank God I wore boots and not heels like some girls, or this would suck. As it was, I didn’t really mind. Besides, I’d be a hypocrite if I bitched too much. My neighborhood is in an older part of town, within walking distance to a bunch of old shops and restaurants. I spent a lot of time there, walking around after school to get coffee and hang out.

  “Do you like pizza?” Mathias asked, breaking the silence.

  “Who doesn’t love pizza?” I countered.

  He shrugged. “I thought you might be like some of those idiot girls who don’t eat carbs or whatever.”

  “I love pizza.”

  His smile flashed again and I made a metal tally of it. That’s twice Mathias Wade had smiled because of me.

  We walked side by side on the street, and he didn’t try to hold my hand.

  I was grateful for that. I didn’t like hand-holding.

  It irked me.

  I wasn’t exactly the lovey-dovey type, and I was kind of surprised I’d agreed to go out with Mathias.

  The guy was strange, but something about him drew me in.

  We reached the pizza place and he opened the door for me, letting me walk in first.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, surprised by his chivalrousness.

  “No problem.” He cleared his throat, like he wasn’t quite used to being thanked.

  “Take a seat anywhere!” A frazzled waitress called out from the back.

  “Looks like we have a our pick of places.” Mathias waved his hand around to encompass the empty restaurant. “Where do you want to sit?” he asked.

  “Um…” I pressed my lips together, eyeing the spots. “That one.” I pointed to the booth by the window.”

  He nodded and sat down. I slid onto the booth seat across from him. The checkered tablecloth was slightly damp like it had just been wiped down.

  “Hi, I’m Meredith. What can I get you to drink?” the harried waitress asked us.

  “Uh...I’ll have a Coke,” I answered.

  “Coke for me, too,” Mathias echoed.

  “I’ll be right back with those. Menus are on the table.” She pointed.

  I picked one up, though it was unnecessary. I’d been here many times and practically had the menu memorized.

  “What do you want?” Mathias asked, his dark brows drawn together as he inspected the menu. He looked angry, he usually did. It was like his face had naturally settled into that irritated look.

  “Cheese pizza.”

  He looked up from his menu. “Just cheese? That’s it.”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “I don’t like peppers, or onions, or meat, or anything else someone thought to put on a pizza. Cheese and sauce—I like it simple.”

  His lips quirked again. It wasn’t quite a smile but I was counting it as one.

  Three.

  Our waitress returned with our drinks and took our order. I, of course, got cheese pizza, while Mathias ordered a supreme.

  When she was gone, he crossed his fingers together and laid them across the table.

  “Remy.”

  I mimicked his pose. “Mathias.”

  He shook his head, smiling again.

  That’s four.

  “Why’d you ask me on a date?”

  He sat back in the booth, tilting his head to appraise me. “Because you’re like me.”

  I snorted. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  He swallowed thickly and seemed to be thinking very deeply. “We’re not like the rest of them…we’re hard.”

  “If you’re referring to the state of your dick, that’s just gross.”

  He shook his head. “Fuck, Remy. No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just mean…I see it in your eyes, okay?”

  “What?” I asked. “What do you see in my eyes?”

  “The darkness,” he whispered.

  That caused me to pause. “What kind of darkness?”

  “One that speaks of hatred, neglect, and pain…so much fucking pain.”

  I wet my lips with my tongue and pressed them together. His words had hit a little too close to home.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because my life is the same. It’s easy to read something in someone else when it’s all you fucking know.”

  I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood. I’d never had someone say that to me before, and he took me by surprise.

  My parents weren’t the worst out there, not by a long shot, I knew that, but they’d always favored my older brother while I’d been cast aside. It’d always been more neglectful than hateful, though my dad did have a temper if I fucked up.

  Which was often.

  “You don’t have to tell me about it,” he continued, picking up his Coke and taking a sip. “I sure as fuck don’t want to talk about mine, but I just want you to know that I see, and I understand.”

  I pressed my lips together. Mathias noticed more than I gave him credit for. He clearly wasn’t the thug I originally made him out to be.

  The waitress placed our pizzas on the table and we both dug in.

  “So,” I began, “tell me something about you I don’t know.”

  He picked a piece of stringy cheese off his pizza and placed it back on the platter. “There are lots of things you don’t know about me yet, Remy.” The way he said yet gave me the impression he thought I’d soon know all those little things about him. “I sing,” he finally answered.

  My eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

  He grinned and I added it to my list.

  Five.

  “So shocked that I could actually have talent?”

  I laughed and shrugged. “Sort of,” I admitted. “You kind of come across like you don’t care about anything.”

  Darkness flashed in his eyes. “It’s easier to pretend I don’t feel. If I don’t feel, I can’t hurt.”

  I frowned, my heart tugging for this dark, mysterious boy. Just this short time with him showed me that he was the kind of person I’d like to know.

  “I can understand that,” I admitted.

  He nodded, turning his attention to his pizza. “What’s something about you that I don’t know?”

  “I’m really not all that interesting,” I mumbled.

  He grinned slowly. Six. “I beg to differ.”

  I bit my lip, thinking. Why was it that when someone wanted to know about you, suddenly you couldn’t even remember your own name?

  “I hate caramel.”

  He smirked. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

  “What?” I defended. “It’s a legitimate answer.”

  “All right, all right.” He sighed.

  “Tell me more about singing,” I pleaded, wanting to turn the conversation back to him.

  “Well, my brother, Maddox, and I want to start a band with a our friend, Ezra. We need someone else, but so far we haven’t found anyone we click
with.”

  “Does your band have a name yet?”

  He shook his head and grabbed another slice of pizza. “We have a couple we like, but nothing has stuck yet.”

  “What’s the top choice?”

  “Kinky Kisser.” His lips tipped up into a smirk so I’d know he was joking.

  “It has a nice ring to it.”

  “I think so, too.” He grinned and my heart soared. I didn’t know what was happening to me. Yesterday, I couldn’t stand the guy, but after today…I thought I might have a little crush. Mathias was enigmatic and enticing—a complicated puzzle I was desperate to put together so I could see the whole picture.

  From that day on, I found myself spending every minute I could with Mathias.

  My parents, of course, didn’t approve of him, but that didn’t stop us.

  When you’re young, and falling in love, you’ll do anything to be with each other and the rest be damned.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  I smiled from bed and jumped up, throwing back the covers.

  I crept over to the window, and as quietly as I could, slid it up, peering down into the dark yard at Mathias. When he saw me his whole face lit up. I was learning that I was one of the few things that made him smile.

  He climbed the trellis up the roof outside my window. With an agility that shouldn’t be possible for a guy as large as he was, he managed to slip into my room.

  He rubbed his hands together as I shut the window, locking it closed.

  “It’s freezing out there,” he complained, shucking off his jacket and shirt. His pants came off next and he was left only in his boxers. I stared at his chest for a little too long. He was muscular, but not overly so, his body still leaning more towards boy than man.

  He’d been sneaking in my bedroom window and sleeping with me for months now. Just sleeping. While our high school class would like to believe I was a slut, I was actually the complete opposite. Yeah, I talked good game, but I was actually kind of shy. Mathias and I hadn’t had sex yet, but we had fooled around. We were young, so we couldn’t help it. The temptation is too much to bear sometimes.