Surviving Elite High: The Next Generation, Senior Year

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Robbie shifted to his right and flung his arm outward, making contact with his soft pillow, but he wasn’t comfortable yet. He curled into a fetal position and hugged his legs, feeling the warmth of his bed. Finally, he had found the right spot. He closed his eyes tight, rubbing his face against his soft pillow. He didn’t want to get up. In fact, he refused to get up. He had spent most of his night laughing with Tim and Josh while Abby and Nicky cuddled nearby talking between themselves. They had made it more than obvious that they were dating and that they were now a couple. Robbie sighed, feeling betrayed and hurt.

“f**k them. Just let me sleep some more.” He opened his eyes a bit and glanced outside his window. The bright sun shone like a diamond in the middle of the night, letting him know that it was a brand new day with brand new beginnings. “Go away! One more hour, please.”

A few birds began to sing their mornings tunes while a few squirrels ran from tree to tree, racing each other into the unknown.

“Rise and shine!” Nicky threw himself on top of Robbie.

His entire weight landed on top of him, squeezing him tight. Robbie curled into a ball and did his best to wriggle around in hopes that he would shake Nicky off. “Not now, Nicky! It’s way too early.”

“It’s almost ten.” Nicky spooned him from behind, wrapping his arms around him. “Want a kiss to wake up, Sleeping Beauty?”

Robbie rolled his eyes. “Fine!” He sat up, opening his eyes and pushing Nicky off him. “I’ll get up.”

Nicky then lay on his back and clasped his hands behind his head, making his biceps bulge. “Just wanted to wake your cute little ass up since Dad and Pops want to talk to us.”

His answer got Robbie’s attention. Nick and John wanted to talk to them? About what? What was going on? Was something wrong? “About?”

“I don’t know, but by the seven security guards surrounding the property, I think it’s pretty serious.”

Blood drained from Robbie’s face. Seven security guards? What was Nicky talking about? Were seven guards really patrolling the property? Why? What was going on? Were they really in grave danger like he had heard the previous night? What had Nick and John gotten themselves into? Nicky bellowed with laughter. “Oh my God! You should have seen your face. It was priceless.”

Robbie hit him with his pillow, shutting him up. “You jerk! I thought you were serious. I honestly thought that we were in grave danger or something.” Robbie put a hand over his heart, doing his best to control his fast breathing. “Sweet God! You scared the gay out of me.”

Nicky held his stomach, trying not to laugh again. “I wasn’t. But I’m sure it’s not that serious. Before we got our security system installed, the entire property was full of them.”

“Really?” Robbie asked, feeling a little better.

“Yeah. Pops only got seven so we’ve got nothing to worry about. Maybe someone threatened him again.”

“Again?” Robbie shivered. Someone had actually threatened Nick and John before? When and why? And why didn’t he know all of this? What kind of mess were Nick and John in? Was Nick a mobster or something?

“Yeah. It happened years ago when Pops was new to politics. Back then, a few individuals didn’t like the fact that he was openly bisexual and had a male lover. He got a few death threats, but nothing serious. Pops simply brushed it off and said that they were just a couple of big mouth bigots who had absolutely nothing better to do with their time.”

“Oh!” Maybe he had overreacted again and made it into a bigger deal than it really was. “So, do you really think someone wants to hurt Nick or John?”

“I highly doubt it. In order to hurt them, they’ll target us.”

Robbie’s body erupted in goose bumps. Target him and Nicky? Why?

“Relax! I’m sure it’s nothing. They simply don’t want to risk our safety so they hired security.”

Robbie’s body shook. Maybe Nicky was right. Maybe it was nothing at all and Nick and John didn’t want to take any chances. If an incident like this happened years ago, and they were fine, he had nothing to worry about.

“Okay!” Nicky jumped out of his bed. “See you in the kitchen. You need a shower by the way. You smell like Tim’s dried cum.”

“Ha-ha!” Robbie stretched. “You know you want me.”

“A little.” Nicky winked. “See you in a few.”

“Later!” Nicky left, closing the door shut and leaving him all alone.

Robbie stood, really thinking about what Nicky had just shared with him. As he stripped naked and went into the bathroom, thousands of thoughts invaded his mind. Who would want to hurt Nick and John? And why? Everyone seemed to love them. The entire town worshipped John while the entire state honored Nick. So why would anyone want to hurt them? The last time someone wanted to hurt Nick was at the beginning of his political career so why now? And how did Allison fit into the equation? She was the one who told them, right?

Robbie jumped into the shower and soaped his entire body in a matter of seconds. How did Allison find out that someone was up to get them? Did she get an anonymous tip or something? But something just didn’t make sense. Nick and John said that they knew the risks involving him. Who was him and what were the risks? Nothing anyone said made sense. Something very important was missing, but what? He needed to find out. Robbie rinsed off the soap and stepped out of the hot shower, wrapping himself up in a towel. He left the bathroom and went into his closet to search for some fresh clothes. When he found his favorite shirt and pants, he put them on and finished getting ready for the day ahead. Once he was presentable enough, he strolled into the kitchen where he found Nick and John sitting on the large sofa. Nicky and Lily were sitting in front of them, glued to their phones.

“Hey!” John smiled. “You’re finally up.”

“Yes he is.” Nick pointed to Nicky and Lily. “Have seat.”

Robbie did as he was told and sat down next to Lily.

“What’s going on?” Lily put her phone away.

Nicky then threw his phone next to him. “Yeah. Why did you guys get security all of a sudden?”

“And we’re no longer kids so don’t lie to us.” Lily shot them a look.

This made Nick and John chuckle.

“We know that, sweetheart,” John told her. “So we’ll be totally straight forward with you guys. No lies.”

“Good,” Nicky mumbled. “Tell us, what’s up?”

“Yesterday,” Nick started. “Allison told us that someone, who hated me back when I started my political career, escaped from prison.”

Nicky and Lily glanced at each other while Robbie trembled. Who could possibly hate Nick and why? And the man had escaped from prison? What did he do? How did he escape?

“Who?” Nicky took the question out of Robbie’s mouth.

“A man name Vince,” John informed them.

Vince. That name sounded so familiar to Robbie yet so unknown. Who was Vince and why did he hate Nick and John? Why would he come back after many years just to hurt them? Did he know where they lived? What was he planning to do to them?

“Vince worked for me many years ago,” Nick explained. “At work, he was very short-tempered and explosive so I had no choice but to fire him. That day, however, he went home, killed his wife and tried to murder his stepson.”

“What?” Lily gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. “He did that?”

“Yes.” John looked away for a second. “The police got there just in time and saved his stepson’s life. Vince was mad with anger and blamed Nick for murdering his wife.”

“He swore to get me someday,” Nick said. “However, I don’t want you to panic. Yes, Vince is crazy, but he escaped from an LA prison and the police are now looking for him everywhere. I’m pretty sure they’ll catch him soon. Chances of him making it all the way to New Jersey are very slim to none.”

“Exactly. But we’re not taking any chances.”

“So, while this lunatic is on the run, there will be a few changes around here.”

“You’re not allowed to leave the premises without security and your curfew is moving up from midnight to eight o’clock,” John informed them. “No exceptions.”

“And especially for you two since today you’ll be all alone.” Nick glanced between Nicky and Robbie.

“You guys are still driving me all the way to Harvard?” Lily asked.

“Yes. We won’t change our lives just because Vince is a crazy asshole. We’ll continue with our lives as normally as possible. I upgraded the security system and if anyone even touches the front gate, the alarm will go off. So you guys have nothing to worry about.”

“Besides,” John continued, “you’ll be safer at Harvard. Oliver will be there and all your friends will definitely keep you company. We’ve already talked to your dean and you’ll be escorted by security to all your classes.”

“Okay.” Lily nodded, obviously deep in thought.

“Good. We leave in one hour,” Nick said. “You got everything ready?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Come.” John stood, a hand out to her. “Let’s see if you’ve got everything you need.”

Lily jumped to her feet and held his hand tight. John gently directed her down the hallway that led to library and beyond.

It was then that Nick stood up, adjusting his shirt. “I’ll see if everything’s packed and ready to go. And remember, behave, Nicky. If you decide to go out, two guys will accompany you wherever you go. Three will stay behind while the other two accompany us all the way to Harvard. Understood?”

“Got it, Pops!” Nicky lay down on the sofa.

Nick smiled, glancing at Robbie, and disappeared through the front door. Robbie’s heart stopped for a second or two. Why was everyone taking it so cool? Was this a common occurrence in their lives? What else didn’t he know about them? A psychopath was out to get them and they were acting as normal as possible? Like nothing was going on? That didn’t make sense to him. Was he the only one freaking out?

“You didn’t believe that bullshit, right?”

Robbie turned to Nicky who looked angry. “What?”

“Oh, come on, Robbie! We’re smarter than that. I just don’t see why they keep treating us like little kids. We’re old enough to know the truth and handle it.”

Robbie was lost now. What was Nicky talking about? Had Nick and John lied to them? How did he know? What did he know? “What do you mean?”

Nicky scoffed. “They were lying to us, Robbie. Several things didn’t add up.”

“How do you…” Robbie mumbled, examining it all. Had Nick and John really lied to them? Why would they? What was going on? How did Nicky know?

“For starters, this so called ‘Vince’ guy was in an LA prison which means that he was sentenced in California. What does that tell you, Robbie? That the murder took place in California! Now, Pops says that he fired him and the man went home and murdered his wife. Jesus Christ, Robbie! Why do you think he was always angry? Maybe it was because he had to drive to work every single day from California to New Jersey!”

“But that’s physically impossible,” Robbie said.

“Of course it is, Robbie. I was kidding around. They didn’t even notice that huge mistake in their fake little story.”

A cold breeze engulfed Robbie’s body from every angle, making him breathless and nauseous. “Do you really think that they made it all up?”

“Of course they did! They wouldn’t even make eye contact with us while they shared their little fairytale. Besides, why would they contact Aunt Allison first? How does she fit into the story? They didn’t give us a fake explanation.”

Nicky was right, but why would they lie to them? What were they trying to hide? “What are they hiding from us, Nicky? Why couldn’t they tell us the truth?”

“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.”

Robbie knew then that things were about to get much worse.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Are you sure we should even be out?” Robbie asked Nicky who drove to the mall at top speed. Robbie’s attention fell on the black SUV that was tailing them from behind, following their every turn. “There’s a psychopath on the run who wants our blood.”

“Relax!” Nicky glanced at Abby in the passenger seat. “Pops said that we shouldn’t change our lives for one miserable asshole. Besides, we’ve got security. Right now I feel as important as the President of the United States. No one can touch me.”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Please! Uncle Nick and John simply wanted to hire a few babysitters for his wittle babies. Clearly, you two can’t take care of yourself. Pussies.”

Nicky chuckled as he maneuvered the car through the mall’s parking lot. “I’m a man, in big bold capital letters.”

“Give me a break!” Abby snorted. “That’s not what I’ve heard.”

Nicky parked his car and turned his attention to the girl next to him. “You’ll find out pretty soon.” He winked with a mischievous grin.

This time Robbie rolled his eyes. “Can we hurry along? I can’t wait to see Tim.”

Nicky sighed and they jumped out of the car. The black SUV that had been following them since the second they left, parked next to them. Two guys, dressed in full black, stepped out and looked around, talking to their earpieces.

“Why don’t we see a movie?” Abby suggested.

“But I want to see Tim,” Robbie said.

“You can see him afterwards, Little Bro.”

Robbie huffed, “Why don’t you guys catch a movie while I spend some quality time with Tim?”

“Are you sure?” Abby asked him.

“Yeah.” Nicky nodded. “You bailed on us yesterday as well.”

Who were they trying to fool? They absolutely loved the fact that he had given them time to breathe.

“No offense. I love you both, but I’d rather spend some quality time with my man. We hung out all summer long. I need some time with him.”

Nicky and Abby shared a laugh.

“Fine.” Abby shrugged.

“We’ll pick you up when the movie is done,” Nicky said.

“Deal. Later?”

“Later!” Nicky waved.

Nicky and Abby turned and headed toward a set of stairs in the distance. One of the guys that had followed them to the mall, chased after them. The other one stood near Robbie, studying his surroundings. Robbie then spun around and made his way to Johnny’s Sports World. Nicky had actually found a parking spot near Tim’s store which meant that he didn’t have to walk a lot. While he maneuvered through the crowded mall, he looked back for a second or two. His personal security guard was following him like a shadow. He still couldn’t believe it. Why did Nick and John lie to them? What were they trying to hide? What was going on? Why couldn’t they trust them with the truth? Were they really in danger or had they faked it all in order to hide the truth?

“Robbie!” a familiar voice called out to him.

Robbie spun around and came face to face with two piercing blue eyes and long black hair. For a moment, a pair of silver eyes and hair invaded his vision, but he chose to ignore them and focused on the girl in front of him instead. “Taylor!” Robbie froze on the spot.

Taylor ran up to him and hugged him tight. “Oh my God! I haven’t seen you all summer long.”

“I know!” Robbie beamed as they broke free from their hug. “How have you been?”

“Great.” Taylor focused on someone behind him. “Who’s that?”

Robbie didn’t have to look back. “Long story short, Nick had to get security for a few days.” Or at least that was what he hoped. He had no idea how long they’d be around.

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

It was then that Robbie noticed Dustin Johansson’s high cheek bones and Abercrombie and Fitch body.

As if on cue, Dustin stood next to Taylor and wrapped an arm around Taylor’s waist. Little by little, he traced every inch of Robbie’s body with his piercing silver eyes, making Robbie slightly uncomfortable. “Robbie! How are you? How’s my man, Tim?”

A chill made its way down Robbie’s spine. Were they dating? Was Taylor actually dating Dustin Johansson? When and where? What in the world was going on?

Taylor sighed and looked away, trying to hide the guilt on her face.

“Tim’s good. He’s been working all summer long.”

“Nice to hear.”

“Dustin?” Taylor said.

“Yes?” He turned to her.

“Do you think you can get us two Oreo Shakes from Shaky Shakes?”

“Of course! Wait right here.” He kissed her cheek and turned around, heading straight for the tiny shop a few feet away.

Taylor looked at him sheepishly. “I know. I know. I should have told you earlier. I just didn’t know how.”

“You’re dating Dustin?”

“Yeah.”

“Since when?”

“Like the beginning of summer.”

The news felt like a cold shower in the middle of winter. Taylor was dating Dustin! Womanizer Dustin! Cheap w***e Dustin! “Whoa! And here I was mad at Abby for lying to me.”

“What?” Taylor asked, looking a little lost. “What are you talking about?”

Robbie shook his head. He couldn’t tell her about his assumptions. He didn’t have any proof and he didn’t know if it was all true. “Nothing. Never mind. Why him though? He looks as shallow as his looks.”

Taylor chuckled. “He’s a really sweet guy once you get to know him.”

“Riiiiiiiiiiiight.”

“Please, don’t tell Nicky.”

“Trust me, that should be the least of your worries right now.” Robbie remembered everything he had seen all summer long.

“What?” Taylor looked more confused. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Where did you guys meet? How did all of this even start?”

“I bumped into him at a party in San Francisco. We talked and hit it off. We’ve been hanging out ever since. A few days ago we decided to give it a try and here we are on our first official date as a couple even though we’ve basically been seeing each other all summer long.”

“Okay.” Robbie nodded, shocked at her confession. “Dustin may not be my cup of tea, but go for it. As long as you’re happy, screw what people have to say.”

“Thank you, Robbie.”

“Okay!” Dustin stepped between them, handing them a milkshake each. “Two Oreo Shakes from Shaky Shakes.”

Taylor giggled, taking one of the shakes from his hands. “Thank you.”

“Thanks.” Robbie took the other cup and drank more than half of it, wishing it was hard liquor.

“If you want, I can get you another one,” Dustin offered.

“No thank you. One is enough.”

“Okay.” Taylor laughed. “We’re going to Dave & Buster’s. Want to tag along?”

“I would love to, Tay, but I really want to see Tim.”

“You sure?” Dustin questioned. “I bet I can kick your ass on any game.”

Robbie chuckled. “Next time because I really want to see Tim.”

“I understand, I’ll call you,” Taylor added.

“Please do. We’ve got lots to talk about.”

“Later, man!” Dustin saluted him.

“Bye!” Robbie beamed. “Have fun.”

“We will!” they answered in unison and walked away.

Robbie spun around and headed straight for Tim’s store in the distance. The world was definitely coming to an end. Not only did they need to hide from a psychopath, but Taylor was dating Dustin while Abby was dating Nicky. What the hell was going on? From afar, he spotted Tim and Josh who were secretly talking behind the counter. A few feet away from them stood Sophia staring at Josh who was completely oblivious to her presence.

“Hey!” Tim walked up to meet Robbie. “Two days in a row. This is definitely a record.”

Robbie chuckled heartily. It felt so good to see him again. He kissed Tim’s lips and wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist, trying not to spill his drink. Tim did the same. “I missed you.”

“Me too.” Tim glanced behind him. “Is that him?”

Robbie took a quick look at the man in black. “Yeah. How did you know?”

“Nicky.” Tim let him go.

“He published it on his f*******: page about an hour ago.” Josh threw a tennis ball into the air and caught it. “He’s worse than an episode of Gossip Girl.”

“Well, I know something you won’t see coming.” Robbie’s mind went back to Taylor and Dustin. It was his time to shock their worlds.

“Taylor is in a relationship with Dustin,” Josh stated.

Robbie’s mouth dropped open. “How the F did you know that?”

“We found out like twenty minutes ago,” Tim informed him.

“And you two claim that Nicky is the one stuck inside an episode of Gossip Girl?”

Josh chuckled. “We’ve got nothing else to do.”

“Clearly.” Robbie focused on Sophia who stood like a mindless zombie as she stared at Josh. “Hey there, Sophia! How are you?”

Sophia didn’t look his way. In fact, she continued to stare at Josh like a lost little moth to a burning flame. Suddenly she noticed Robbie and jumped on the spot, wiping her mouth. “Hey there!” She blushed. “I didn’t see you come in.”

“Or hear me talking to you.”

Sophia cheeks burned bright red like the sun. Josh smiled seductively making Sophia jolt on the spot. She turned around and fumbled her way to the other side of the store. The second she was gone, Josh started laughing.

“You’re horrible.” Tim said.

“You know that she likes you?” Robbie asked Josh.

“Of course I do. I’m not dumb. I just love torturing her.”

“You’re so mean.” Robbie drank some of his shake.

“What can I say? I’m a heartbreaker. What are Nicky and Abby up to anyways? Yesterday, at the party, I could swear that I saw them holding hands.”

“You did?” Robbie walked up to the counter.

“Yeah. Are they a couple or something? Cause if they are, I’m cool with it.”

“I don’t know. They’ve been spending a lot of time together, but they never told me anything and I haven’t seen them kissing or…whatever.”

“Robbie thinks they’re dating.” Tim stood next to Josh.

“Really? Do you think Taylor knows? Isn’t Abby breaking the biggest rule of sisterhood or some s**t like that? How does that work anyways? Is she allowed to date Nicky?”

“I don’t know.” Tim shrugged. “Out of courtesy, she should at least tell Taylor that she’s now sucking Nicky’s dick.”

Josh laughed. “Knowing Abby, she’s doing a lot more than sucking.”

Tim chuckled.

“Stop it!” Robbie warned them, throwing his shake into a garbage bin next to the counter. “Don’t talk bad about Abby. Besides, we don’t know if they’re dating. We’re just speculating that they are.”

“Those two are f*****g. I can tell. There’s a reason why I dated Abby.”

“Talking about f*****g…” Tim placed his arms around Robbie’s waist. “There’s this little room at the back of the store that only I’ve got access to. If you want, we could spend a few minutes in there.”

Robbie kissed his lips and leaned into his ear. “Stop it. Josh’s here.”

“He can join us if you want.”

Robbie blushed.

“I’m in,” Josh interjected. “I’ve always been curious.”

Robbie blushed harder. He hid his face against Tim’s chest. “Stop it both of you.”

“Awww!” Tim cooed, glancing at Josh and pointing at Robbie. “Look at my baby. He’s blushing.”

“You’re such an ass! Stop embarrassing me in front of Josh.”

Tim chuckled. “Fine. Why don’t we get something to eat after closing time?”

“What time do you close?”

“Seven.”

“Sounds good. I’ll text Nicky not to come pick me up and that I’ll be a little late.”

“Good.” Tim turned to Josh. “Want to join us?”

“For the food or threesome?” Josh grinned. “Because my answer will be ‘yes’ for the threesome and ‘no’ for the food. Papa Jacob wants to take us to the new Chinese restaurant that opened last week.”

“Perverts.” Robbie took a step away from Tim as he pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll text Nicky.”

“You sure? Cause Josh is willing.”

Robbie rolled his eyes, smiling. “Stop it.”

“Aww! Robbie doesn’t want me like Sophia wants me.” Josh pretended to cry.

“Jerk!” Robbie navigated to his inbox and wrote a new message to Nicky. Tim wants to take me out for dinner so don’t come pick me up and I’ll be home a little late.

About two minutes later. Nicky sent him his reply. No problem. Have fun and take care of yourself. Later! ;)

“What did he say, babe?”

“To be safe.” Robbie sighed, remembering the situation that his entire family was currently in. For a few minutes, he had completely forgotten about it. Should he be going out with Tim knowing that someone was out to get them? Shouldn’t he stay home where he would be safe and sound?

“You okay?” Tim placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s just that the whole situation we’re in makes me a little uneasy. Should I really be acting like nothing is going on?”

“I highly doubt that Uncle Nick and John would want you to stop living life because of one asshole. From what Nicky told me, he told you guys to go on with your normal routines, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know. I don’t really want to go out.”

“I understand. Why don’t we get two large pizzas, head to your house and watch a boring old movie on Uncle Nick and John’s love seat?”

“That sounds better. I don’t want to give Nick and John another headache. They’ve got enough with Lily and Nicky.”

Tim wrapped his arms around him. “You want to visit that room in the back? I could ask Josh to look after the store for an hour or two.”

Robbie’s heart sunk a few inches toward his stomach. All he wanted at that moment was to be inside Tim’s masculine embrace, tasting his soft lips over and over again. “I guess we can.”

“Yes!” Tim raised his hands in the air, waving them from side to side. “Josh wo—”

“Just go! Have fun without me. I’ll keep an eye on things out here.”

Tim grabbed Robbie’s hand and pulled him toward a white door behind the counter, almost jumping up and down. “Yes! I’m finally going to get some ass!”