Loving Daisy Read online

  Contents

  Chapter One: Daisy

  Chapter Two: Maddox

  Chapter Three: Daisy

  Chapter Four: Maddox

  Chapter Five: Daisy

  Chapter Six: Maddox

  Chapter Seven: Daisy

  Chapter Eight: Maddox

  Chapter Nine: Daisy

  Chapter Ten: Daisy

  Chapter Eleven: Maddox

  More By R.M. Lynn

  1

  The plastic cup hit me in the chest hard, and with the impact, the lid and straw popped off and fell to the ground, getting crushed by my skateboard’s wheels. The cold liquid seeping through my shirt made me come to screeching halt as the red convertible drove slowly next to me. The culprits pointed and laughed before speeding off down the road, heading for the school. I glared down at my white button down top, part of our mandatory uniforms, and bit my lip as I took in the big, bright blue stain.

  My peers were a fucking delight.

  I squared my shoulders, let out a breath, and got back up on my board. Kicking my leg, I propelled forward down the sidewalk and made my way to school. Whitewater Academy, a private school, held the elite’s high school aged children for seven hours a day five days a week. Summerset, South Carolina, the town I was so ‘blessed’ to be a part of, resided between the ocean and a town called Summit Bay with a set of train tracks literally separating the haves and the have-nots. And yet, even being a part of the town of the elites, I was no better than the have-nots of Summit Bay in the eyes of nearly every student at Whitewater Academy.

  All except a handful.

  Trudging into the school, skateboard held at my side, I immediately found two out of the few who I could call my friends. Maddox Tate and Dash Sullivan. Maddox was the quarterback for the Whitewater Stingrays while Dash was his number one wide-receiver. They ruled the field, the school, and their parents were at the top of the hierarchy in Summerset. Girls fawned all over them everywhere they went but me? I was their friend since our younger years, and for whatever reason, that made the girls come after me with no mercy.

  “Shit, Daze, what happened to you?” Dash chuckled out as the two surrounded me at my locker as I pulled it open and stuffed my skateboard inside of it.

  I gave him an eye roll, making him grin wider. His smile was usually more contagious than the common cold, but with my day already in the shitter, I wasn’t feeling it. His light-brown skin stretched over the hard muscles of his body with every move he made, and you always knew if the smile he was wearing was real or fake by the way it lit up his brown, amber colored eyes. His hair was faded out on the sides, but his dark curls were present at the top of his head. He was a playboy, but I knew he was one of the sweetest guys I’d ever met even if he'd never let me admit such a thing out to anyone.

  “You okay?” Maddox asked next, his tone not at all teasing and much softer than Dash’s. “Who did it?”

  “Does it even matter?” I snapped and flipped my backpack around to my front to dig in it for an extra shirt. I started carrying an extra uniform in the bottom of my bag my sophomore year for instances just like this one. “No need to get all alpha on the people that did do it. They are your friends after all.”

  “Spare me, Daisy,” Maddox deadpanned and ran a hand through his dark hair.

  I watched the movement of his fingers dipping into his fauxhawk that tapered around the sides of his head. He was a fucking Adonis, and the worst part? He knew it. He looked like he walked straight out of a movie. His body was chiseled and hard everywhere, and I knew this because of the countless times we hung out and from watching him evolve from the crooked smiled, shaggy-haired boy he was to the ripped, downright drool worthy man he was today. Scruff covered his jaw and around his mouth, likely because he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He was like a young James Dean mixed with a little Chris Hemsworth and some dark hair. Besides his overall attractiveness, there were little things he did that made Maddox Tate the guy he was. When his grayish-blue eyes lit up when he smiled it was like looking at the ocean on the clearest of days. Looking into those eyes when he was pissed off, though? It was like looking into the eye of a hurricane. He also tended to bite his lip, run his hand through his hair, or bounce his knee whenever he got nervous or anxious. He stuck headphones in his ears as he sat in the locker room and listened to Metallica’s Enter Sandman before every game.

  But deeper than that?

  Maddox knew me better than anyone, and I’d like to think I knew him just as much. And when he was looking at me like he was now? I had to duck my head down and pretend to look for a book in my locker to hide the blush creeping up my features.

  So, what? Perhaps I had a little crush on someone I’d call my best friend. And yes, perhaps, I’d had the crush since we were maybe six.

  But that was irrelevant.

  His hand touched my hip, and I bit my lip before glaring up at him. He gave me a small smirk before his fingers gave my hip a squeeze.

  “You do look good in blue, Daze,” he teased before turning serious again. “For real, though, tell me who did it. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Don’t bother, Maddox,” I whispered out on a sigh and held my clean shirt to my side as I shifted my backpack back into place. “You’ll only make it worse.”

  It wasn’t a lie. He, Dash, and our other friend, Colt, were the three kings of the school. And while I had known Maddox literally our entire lives, we became friends with Dash and Colt in elementary school. Even then, they were the popular ones picking me for their teams at recess or in gym class even with the disapproving and disgruntled groans from the other children. Everyone in our high school couldn’t care less that I was their friend. If anything, it furthered the tormenting because everyone wanted my place. Nobody understood why they wanted to be associated with me, and sometimes even I didn’t understand it. If Maddox were to get involved like he has in the past, they’d only come back at me harder, angry that I ratted to the guy they wanted so desperately to be like.

  “Daisy,” he snapped at me as I slammed my locker shut and headed off to the nearest bathroom.

  I changed into my clean shirt, smoothed out my plaid skirt I hated more than any other article of clothing I owned, and headed to my first class. I had English Lit with Colt, and even though I didn’t like when any of the guys sat next to me in class, he, as well as the others, did it anyway in every class we had together. Colt Sutherland sat down next to me, his large and long body folding in the seat. He smiled over at me and ran a hand through his mop of dark hair as he eyed the hem of my skirt.

  “Is it just me or do those skirts get smaller and smaller every day?”

  I rolled my eyes at him but couldn’t stop my grin, which only encouraged his ridiculous behavior. Colt was the running back for the Stingrays, and he was just as lucky with the ladies as Dash and Maddox. He fiddled with the loose braid holding my long, wavy blonde hair in, and I shrugged him off, which only made him grin.

  “Why in such a mood today, flower?” he wanted to know and brushed his thumb under my jaw.

  I closed my eyes briefly at the gentle touch before pulling away and mumbling, “Nothing. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it by third period anyway. Wouldn’t want to bore you with the details twice.”

  “You could never bore me,” he insisted and scooted his desk closer to mine. “Now, spill.”

  So, I told him about the blue slushy incident, watching him frown deeper with every word. I didn’t mention who was in the car because he’d tell Maddox, and I couldn’t let that happen. Just as he went to open his mouth to respond after I finished spilling the details of my morning, Avery Marshall and two of her cronies strutted into the classroom, their heels clicking on the glossy floor. I held in a breath as they strolled up to my desk and
waited for the inevitable name calling. Colt leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his hard chest and looked up at the girls. I didn’t tell him that Avery and the crony on her right, Hannah Granger, were two of the four people in the car today. However, because Avery made it her mission to ruin my life, I was sure he connected the dots already.

  “You don’t look good in much, Daisy, but I thought you did look better in just a splash of color,” Avery spewed out immediately, and I couldn’t hold back the eye roll as her friends giggled behind her. “Maybe next time, we can try red.”

  I opened my mouth to snap back, but before I could, Colt coolly cut in with, “Don’t you have something better to do with that mouth of yours, Ave? I’m sure there’s a dick that needs sucking somewhere. Better go and find the poor bastard.”

  I bit back a grin as I looked at the large man next to me while he set his hard baby blues on the mean girl in front of us.

  “Fuck off, Colt,” she bit back. “Last I checked, you’re the poor bastard with a dick that’s rather fond of my mouth.”

  I choked on my own spit hearing her words and coughed with a slight shake of my head. While I knew the guys hooked up with more girls than probably humanly possible, I never expected any of them to get with someone like Avery. Someone who made it her mission to ruin my day since the first day of seventh grade. The idea of it all made something burn in my chest, and I rubbed the spot to try and ease it away. Colt remained stoic anyway, but before either of them could speak further, the bell rang and Mrs. Hemmings waltz into the room, immediately spewing off today’s agenda. Avery and her minions took a seat at the other end of the classroom, thankfully, and I immediately took out a pen and notebook in order to avoid any eye contact with Colt.

  “Please, get into your pairs that I assigned you at the beginning of the year, and begin working on the analysis of the latest scene you should have read over the weekend,” Mrs. Hemmings instructed, and the sound of desks screeching and moving across the floor followed with the beginning chatters of the other students.

  Colt somehow managed to become my partner for Lit three weeks ago when school started. I had originally been assigned to pair up with Austin Luther, but he somehow weaseled his way through Mrs. Hemmings usually sound mind, and now I was stuck with him. We were reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and while Colt was a smart guy, it definitely wasn't his cup of tea. Therefore, I often had to pick up the slack for any group work we had. However, now, with the revelation that he may have gotten with Avery in some shape or form, I found it hard to look at him, let alone speak to him.

  “Look, it was over the summer,” Colt mumbled and huddled over his desk to try and get me to look at him. “I know she’s a fucking bitch to you, and I swear, Daze, it wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t drinking. At the time, she was just another nameless, faceless girl.”

  Avery had a very distinct look, however, from her red hair, blue eyes, and delicate freckles across her nose, down to her C-cups and thin waist. She looked like a pin-up girl come to life, so I highly doubted she was faceless when said face was between his legs.

  “It’s fine, Colt,” I breathed out and forced a smile as I finally looked up at him. “I don’t need the details of your sex life, and quite frankly, I couldn’t care less about it. Avery’s pretty. She’s gorgeous, and I get it. You have needs, and I’m sure she was more than willing to give you all that you needed.”

  “It sounds like you care, though, flower, but if you want to bullshit, we can bullshit,” he sighed out and gave a small shrug as he leaned back in seat. “Shall we get to analyzing?”

  I gave a small nod, and for the rest of the class period, I spent my time going over the scene with Colt, surprised he had actually read this one. When the class period ended and the bell rang, I snatched up my stuff and hurried out of the room before Colt could try and confront me further about Avery or the slushy incident. He’d also insist on walking me to my next class, and I didn’t want the attention. I didn’t want anybody to think I needed a personal bodyguard everywhere I went. I refused to allow it for myself because the bullies at Whitewater didn’t scare me, and I refused to be deemed as weak.

  By the time lunch rolled around, a knot in my stomach had grown. Lunch was always a dreadful experience, and it took everything in me not to disappear into the bathroom to eat every day. Normally, I’d eat with the guys or with my only girlfriend, Logan. However, that day, like many others, she was tutoring kids during the lunch period in the library, and the guys’ table was filled with jersey chasers. Maddox found me alone at a table in the corner of the lunch room as I stuffed Cheetos Puffs into my mouth.

  “Come sit with us,” he urged and sat down next to me for a moment.

  I glanced over my shoulder at his usual table where Colt and Dash sat with another guy from the football team. Three girls from Avery’s mean girl squad hung around them, desperate for their attention.

  “No thanks,” I mumbled out around a mouthful of food. “But you should go. Your groupies are waiting.”

  He scowled at me, but he didn’t try to push me any further. I watched him head back to his table. His slim fitting khaki pants fit him almost too well, and while I knew his loosened tie was against dress code, I also knew that nobody was going to call him out on it. He also kept the sleeves of his white button-down rolled up his forearms, and I watched the way his muscular forearms flexed when he gripped Colt’s shoulder as he reached the table. My vision was blocked when Avery stepped in front of me.

  “You know, Maddox ignored me in fourth period today,” she bit out lowly as Hannah and Riley Harper stood behind her with smirks on their faces. “Did you have anything to do with that?”

  “Nope,” I shot back with a casual shrug. “Perhaps he’s not into mean girls.”

  “Oh, so, he’s into trash then?” Hannah snickered, and I grit my teeth.

  I could've tackle her to the ground right then. Dash taught me how to punch right and gave me tips on fighting throughout our years in high school. I’d only used what he taught me a handful of times, and right about now, I was itching to put my hands on Avery and her minions. However, I remained in my seat, my muscles locking when Avery leaned close to me, the smell of her expensive perfume making my eyes water slightly.

  “I’m not sure what they see in you,” she whispered bitterly. “But I look forward to reminding you just how pathetic and insignificant you really are.”

  She dumped her bottle of water on me before I could find any words, and I stood up with a yelp as the cold liquid seeped through my shirt. The red lace of my bra was now on full display through the wet, see-through material, and I made a move to lunge at her just as Maddox stepped in between the two of his, his arms wrapping around my middle to stop me.

  “You fucking bitch!” I seethed as Dash escorted the tittering girls away hurriedly with a pissed off look on his face.

  “Daisy,” Maddox snapped at me lowly as I struggled against him. “Enough. Stop it before the deans come over here.”

  Two deans walked around the lunchroom every day at lunch to monitor us students. I shoved away from him and quickly packed up my bag before pushing past him. He grabbed my arm, pulling me back to him. I looked up at him with a glare. He was much taller than me. While I was taller than most girls at the school at five-nine, he towered over most at his six-foot-three height. I knew he was about an inch or two taller than Colt but about the same height as Dash. Even at their heights, though, they never made me feel small. However, at that moment, I felt that way for a whole different reason.

  “Daisy,” he murmured once more, but I shook my head and shouldered away from him again, getting free and hurrying out of the lunch room.

  Boys hooted at me while girls snickered, but I kept my mouth shut and my legs moving until I hit the hallway and hurried down it until I hit the double doors of a side exit. I went to my usual hideaway spot under the bleachers of the football field and laid down on the ground, using my backpack as a makeshift pillo
w. I closed my eyes and heaved out a shaky breath. I didn’t open my eyes even when I heard the footsteps approaching me. I knew it was him without seeing him.

  “What the fuck happened back there?”

  I cracked an eye open and shrugged. “You shouldn’t have interfered.”

  “Yeah, and let you get into a fight in the middle of the lunch room?” Maddox sighed and dug into his pocket, pulling out a rolled joint and lighter. I watched in mild fascination as he lit up and inhaled. He laid down next to me on his exhale, smoke billowing out of his nose, and his head laid next to mine against my backpack. “She’s only going to come back harder every time you react. Let me take care of it for you. By tomorrow, Avery and anybody who follows her, will be the shit on everybody’s shoes.”

  “Every time you push someone out of your inner circle, the others retaliate against me,” I argued and snatched the joint from him, taking a quick hit before passing it back to him. “Besides, girls are mean, Maddox. They’ll be even nastier if I’m the reason they fell from grace.”

  “They’ve fucked with you long enough, Daze,” he snapped, smoke cascading from his mouth and nose. “You’re one of us, and it’s time they know it.”

  “I don’t want to be one of you,” I retorted and sat up. “I just want to be Daisy. Okay? I want to be able to do what I want without having your names behind me. I want people to like me for me. Not because I’m your friend.”

  “You’re being ridiculous. Who gives a shit about these people and their friendships? You’ll be out of here this time next year, and none of it will matter. It’d at least make shit easier on you for senior year. If you’d just stop being so damn stubborn, we could claim you as one of ours outright, and there’d be no more question about it.” He sat up to brush a small section of my hair that fell out of my braid behind my ear. “You’ll be untouchable. I can’t… Daisy, I can’t sit by and watch them bully you anymore. I’ve tried to respect your wishes, and I get it, okay? I get you want to be independent, and you want to lay low. But come the fuck on. This isn’t exactly laying low. They already know you. The only difference now is the second someone does anything to you, we’ll be on them instantaneously.”