3rd Person's POV

"Where the fuck is he?" Alicia’s cold and nasty tone rang out onto the street. “He was meant to be here 15 minutes ago.”

"Relax, Alicia. He’ll be here. He won’t get the money otherwise," Hallie chimed in.

The girls turned their somewhat undivided attention toward Tom, the only male in the group, whose face twisted into a scowl. “I don’t care where the hell Hutchinson is, as long as he’s not near my Liv.”

“He probably was...” Hallie mumbled, but Alicia’s elbow hit her hard enough to knock her back.

“Enough, Hallie. Now, do we all know the plan for tonight?”

Tom growled, “It’s not a plan, Alicia.”

“Quit your whining, Tom, and man the fuck up.” Her sneer, cold and commanding, cut through the air like a hot knife through butter.

“Here’s what happens: I’ll be waiting at the front door for when Freddie turns up, and you two are going to be hidden in these bushes here. He won’t be able to see you, I took the liberty of checking. I got Daddy to open the garage and pull my car out ever so slightly, so it’s all ready for Freddie to work on. After he’s done, I’m going to give him the money I promised, and as soon as you see the sign, Hallie, I want you to take a picture.”

“Make sure to send it to Tom, who can then pull his ‘Oscar-winning’ act of innocence and send it to Olivia. But don’t do it tonight. Let it settle and send it on Monday when she’s at college. Then she can go psycho in front of everyone. Isn't that adorable to witness?” Alicia snickers.

“But what if Olivia suspects that Tom’s involved?” Hallie asked hesitantly.

Alicia sighed in frustration. “She hasn’t yet, has she? Ask yourself this: who was the person who sent the video of her and Freddie necking on in the workroom to the rest of the college? Or the person who trashed her painting to bits? It was all Tom’s doing, and she didn’t suspect him then, so why would she now? And besides, afterward, you can go and comfort Olivia or whatever. To be honest, I don’t really care what you do. I just want Freddie to myself, and after this, I can.”

Suddenly, the faint pitter-patter of footsteps grew louder down the empty street.

Alicia looked over and immediately crouched down. “It’s him, he’s here. Get in your positions. It’s time to get this show on the road.”

***

Freddie’s POV

I’m running as hard as I can down Alicia’s street, fearing her wrath. Being late alone could kill me. I check my watch to see that I am, indeed, 20 minutes late, meaning I’ll be back at Olivia’s later than planned.

Great.

“Freddie, you’re here! I’ve been waiting and thought you weren’t going to show up!” I glance up to see the ice queen herself pouting her lips like Mason does when I take his bricks away. “The garage is all open if you want to get started.”

I nod, my breaths still coming in rasps. “Thanks, Alicia. I shouldn’t be long. I only need to check the brakes are working and make sure all the fluid is topped up.”

“Take as long as you need. You’re doing a great job.” She flashes her too-perfect set of pristine white teeth my way. I can’t help but notice how fake she is.

Everything about her screams it, which is why I’m happy I have someone like Olivia in my life, whose natural beauty is undeniable.

Just thinking about her smile, her eyes, her personality, it’s going to get me through this job quickly. I’ve only been apart from her for less than an hour, and I already miss her.

She’s addictive, and there’s nothing I want more than to have her with me every minute of every day.

Turning my attention to Alicia’s car, I’m happy to see that the brakes don’t need any major repairs, just tightening and a couple of tests. The brake fluid is also topped up, and thankfully my workload has been cut short enough that I should be back at Olivia’s within the next half an hour.

As a final check, I resurrect the car, revving the engine a couple of times for good measure. That’s when I see Alicia standing on the porch, looking uncharacteristically happy about the work I’ve done.

She gestures for me to come over, clapping as I approach. “Freddie Hutchinson, you’ve saved my car!”

“To be honest, Alicia, not a lot needed doing. The main problem was with the engine; some wires were loose. That’s why it kept cutting out. Apart from that, she’s good as new.”

“Thank goodness. Daddy was going to take it back and swap it, but I told him I could find an engineer for the job.” As she laughs, her awfully short crop top slides up further, and I swear she could be charged with indecent exposure if it were possible.

“Anyway, here’s the money I owe you. £700 as we discussed, yes?”

She hands it to me, and I can’t stop thinking about how much this will help me and Mason. For once, I’m thankful for Alicia James.

“Thank you, Alicia. You don’t know how much this is going to help.”

“I think I do, Freddie.” She looks at me wistfully, almost kindly. “Oh! I forgot! You did such a good job on the car, I think you deserve a bonus!”

“Really?”

Then her smile turns sickeningly sweet. “Of course!”

I wait for her to elaborate, but suddenly, she loops her arms around my neck and presses her lips to mine. I instantly think of Olivia, her kisses are sweet yet frantic, full of need but so addictive.

This... this is just... wrong.

Her arms snake around my body, trying to pull me closer, but I don’t comply. As I realize what Alicia’s doing, I push her away, anger boiling in me that I struggle to contain.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“You know exactly what I’m doing, darling. I’m giving you a bonus. Me! Don’t try to tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”

I scoff incredulously at the self-important girl in front of me. “Let me be clear: you never specified that this would be the bonus. It’s stupid of me to think you’d actually give me something out of kindness. And second, that was the worst kiss I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.”

“Don’t you dare come near me again, Alicia, or Olivia, for that matter. I know you’re up to something, and I’m going to find out. I swear to you. Oh, and I don’t need your blood money either.”

I spit those words with as much venom as I can muster, throwing the £700 into the air. As I start to leave, her parting words leave me reeling.

“I know about your secret, Freddie. And if it’s your word against mine, who do you think they’ll believe? The girl with the money or the boy with a child?”

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Author’s Note: Alicia is just pure evil, isn’t she? And Tom isn’t much better. If you enjoyed this chapter, make sure to vote, comment, and follow for more!