Broken Hill High: The Broken Hill High Series (Book 1) Read online

  © 2019 Sheridan Anne.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Cover Design by: Sheridan Anne

  Photograph: Viktor Solomin

  Editing by: Sheridan Anne & Jessie Lynn

  Introduction

  ‘Go live with Nate Ryder,’ they said.

  ‘Everything will be fine,’ they said.

  Are they nuts?

  Nate Ryder has been the bane of my existence for the past five years. He’s made it his personal mission to make my life a living hell and now my parents expect me to go and live with the guy for the foreseeable future.

  No thanks. I’d rather gouge out my eyes with a toothpick than live with him and his little brother, Jesse. Only problem is, they have my parents wrapped around their little fingers, thinking they’re the good little boys they pretend to be.

  But I know better, and so does the rest of Broken Hill High.

  Nate Ryder is not to be messed with. He’s a bad boy through and through. A bully. A guy who doesn’t care who he has to step on to get what he wants. He’s the devil and he knows it.

  Now that devil is my roommate.

  I better hold on tight because this is going to be one bumpy ride. One where I can guarantee that I won’t come out the same.

  Dive in to the world of Broken Hill High and meet your new favorite bad boy.

  This is one wild read you don’t want to miss.

  WARNING: The Broken Hill High Series is a four book New Adult Romance filled with LOL moments, teenage angst, and of course, all the swoon worthy moments I know you’re all dying for. This series is recommended for mature readers due to cursing and sexual content. If this offends you, then steer clear of this bad boy romance!

  For everyone else, dive in and have fun!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  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

  Author Biography

  Other books by Sheridan Anne

  Chapter 1

  Brooke - So chilled right now! I’ve been masturbating all afternoon. You should try it one of these days.

  I gawk down at my phone. She couldn’t possibly mean that…. Right?

  Tora – Ummmmm???? What?!

  Brooke – God damn it! Stupid autocorrect. I mean menstruating!

  Brooke - NO! Menstruating!

  Tora – Ahhhhhh…. This doesn’t make it any less awkward!

  Brooke – FML!!!! M E D I T A T I N G. I’ve been meditating!

  I burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter and have to hold my stomach when it starts to hurt. Holy shit, I love my best friend. Brooke and I have been attached at the hip since we were kids and every day with her just keeps getting better. I couldn’t ask for a better best friend, especially in moments like this.

  Tora – I’ve got the worst mental image right now.

  Brooke – Shit. I’m never going to live this down.

  Tora – Hell to the NO! What are we going tonight?

  Within two seconds of me hitting send, my phone lights up with an incoming call. I look down at the caller ID and grin to myself before accepting the call. “How’s your afternoon of masturbating been?”

  “It was great, thanks,” Brooke laughs. “Hit all the right spots.”

  “You’re such a skank,” I tell her.

  There’s rustling on the other end before she yells out. “I know, but you love it.”

  “What are you doing?” I ask as my eyebrows pull together.

  “Sorry,” she says a moment later. “I put you on speaker so I could enter the stupid code for your big ass gate.”

  “What?” I say in excitement. “You’re here?”

  “Yep,” she says, popping the ‘P’. “Now, hurry up and get your ass dressed. We’re going to a party.” With that, she hangs up the call and I throw my phone down on my bed as a massive smile comes over my face. It’s our last shot at freedom before we go back to school for our final year. We’ve finally made it to senior year and I can’t wait. It’s going to be awesome.

  I pull open the doors of my walk-in closet and start rifling through the many options.

  I’m still digging when the door of my room flies open and my best friend waltzes in with a massive grin. “You ready yet?” she questions as she falls into my bed and props herself up on her elbows to watch me.

  “No,” I groan. “It’s not like you’ve given me a lot of time to prepare. I mean, where the hell is this party, anyway?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” she tells me with a smirk. “Now, hurry up. I want to leave soon.”

  I roll my eyes as I grab a black dress off the hanger. I strip out of my jeans and t-shirt and pull the dress over my head before grabbing the closest black heels I can find. A moment later, I stand before my full length mirror and pull my hair out of the elastic. I run my fingers through it, add a little spray, and before I know it, my chestnut hair is absolutely rocking it.

  I grab my eyeliner and mascara and lean in close to my mirror to apply it before reaching for my lip gloss. Two minutes later, I’m ready to go.

  “How the hell do you get ready so fast?” Brooke grunts at me. “I was standing in front of my mirror for an hour making myself look this good.”

  I can’t help but laugh as I step back and take in the whole look. “I can’t believe you’ve known about this for an hour and didn’t say anything,” I grumble as I steal a look at Brooke before turning back to the mirror. “I look damn fine.”

  She rolls herself off the bed and comes to stand beside me. “Then it’s a good thing it’s Josh’s party.”

  “What? I didn’t know he was having a party?” I ask with wide eyes. I mean, he’s the most popular guy in school. Not to mention his dreamy looks combined with the fact that he’s the captain of the Broken Hill High football team and their quarterback makes him the guy that I’ve been crushing on for past twelve months. Though, I’m not some cheerleading bimbo who shakes her ass and waves pom poms through the air, which naturally, puts me out of the running for his attention. There are strict rules at Broken Hill High and if you’re caught straying, then you better watch out.

  Though, after last week’s party when he kissed me, that thought is slowly beginning to change. Maybe I do have a shot with the quarterback, but then, the kiss wasn’t the best.

  Brooke grins at me through the mirror as though she just handed me the best night of my life. “He posted it on Facebook a few hours ago. You can thank me later,” she says with a wink before grabbing my keys off my bedside table and launching them at me. “You’re driving.”

  “Like hell I am,” I argue. “You know I can’t drive that car.”

  “Come on,” she pouts. “Your daddy didn’t buy you that car for it to sit in the garage. You need to think of it as the local whore. It needs to be taken out for a good ride and showed a goo
d time.”

  “First off. My car is my baby. I love it, but you know just as well as I do that dad only got it so I’d keep my mouth shut about the Russian online sex site, and second, it’s a stick. What kind of father doesn’t know his daughter can’t drive a stick?”

  “Ok, ok,” she says, raising her hands in surrender. “Tonight is about having fun, not revisiting your daddy issues.”

  I roll my eyes and huff as I turn back to the mirror before taking in all the angles. “Why don’t you drive my car instead?” she says with pleading eyes.

  I press my lips together and sigh. “Fine, but when I say it’s time to go, it’s time to go.”

  Her whole face brightens before she pulls me into a hard hug and kisses my cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she says. “I’ll be back. I have to pee and then we’re out of here.”

  With that, she takes off into my private bathroom, leaving me to study my reflection. I run my hand down my stomach and while the image I’m seeing in the mirror is telling me I have a flat stomach; my head is saying something very different. I let out a breath and try to ignore it. I know on some level, I’m just being ridiculous, but I can’t help that nagging thought inside my head, constantly telling me that I’m not quite thin enough. That I’m not pretty enough. That I’m just not enough.

  Brooke comes crashing back into my room and I collect my phone off the bed. “Let’s go,” she says before dashing out into the hallway. We hurry downstairs and I stop by the kitchen. “Mom?” I call out.

  “In here,” she yells.

  I follow the sound of her voice into the living room where’s she’s sitting on the edge of her seat, watching the TV with tears streaming down her face. I look at the screen to see her favorite scene in ‘The Notebook’ and roll my eyes. “We’re heading out,” I tell her.

  She tears her eyes away from the screen to see Brooke standing beside me. Mom gives her a welcoming smile as she wipes the tears off her face. “Oh, honey, I didn’t know you were here. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, Mrs. R,” Brooke grins. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing alright,” she smiles. “Is there anything I can get you girls before you head out?”

  “No, thank you,” Brooke says. “We’re fine. Can we get you anything?”

  I want to roll my eyes at the way my best friend is constantly sucking up to my mom. “I’m alright, dear,” Mom laughs before turning to me. “No drinking and I want you home before one or I’ll be forced to come out and find you.”

  I give her a cheesy grin and a salute, making her shake her head in exasperation before turning back to her movie. “You girls are idiots,” she tells us with a chuckle.

  We laugh as we head back through the kitchen with our heels clicking and echoing through the large house. I make sure to yell over my shoulder. “Love you, mom.”

  “Get out of here. You’re ruining my Ryan Gosling time.”

  With that, we push through the front door and walk straight past my car. My eyes can’t help but linger on the sleek curves and sharp lines of the sexiest Audi R8 I’ve ever seen. It’s a damn shame I don’t know how to drive it.

  We walk on past and I slip off my heels before getting into the driver’s seat of Brooke’s Mercedes, as there’s no way I’ll be driving this thing with them on.

  I start up the engine and listen as it purrs to life before driving around the front of our U-shaped driveway and down through the big metal gates.

  We live just two streets away from each other in one of the gated communities in Broken Hill. We’ve gone to the same private school all our lives, dealing with all the same jocks and cheerleaders along the way.

  It’s only a short drive to Josh’s house and although I’ve never been here before, it’s easy to figure out which place is his due to the hundreds of bodies heading that way. The wide street is littered with all sorts of trust fund baby cars and I have no doubt that tonight is going to be a great night.

  We park halfway up the street and get out of the car. Music is heard the second we step out into the fresh air and we get walking with grins on our faces. Brooke and I squish our way through the people standing by the front door and push our way inside. There are bodies everywhere with little red cups scattered on every possible surface. It’s exactly what I need for the last Friday night before returning to school.

  Brooke’s hand clutches onto mine as we weave our way through the bodies. “Drink?” she calls back to me.

  I smile and nod, knowing there’s no way she’ll hear me over the sound of the music.

  She continues leading me through the big house until we find the dining table which is filled to the brim with every kind of liquor under the sun. Brooke grabs two red cups from the pile and reaches for the vodka. “Not for me,” I tell her. “Just soda.”

  “No way,” she says before going to fill my cup.

  I snatch my cup away and go about making my own drink. “I’m the sensible one tonight. I mean, unless your skank ass doesn’t want to get home tonight.”

  “Who said anything about going home?” she laughs. “I’m starting senior year with a bang.”

  “You mean you’re starting senior year by getting banged.”

  A grin rips across her face as she continues filling up her cup before clinking it against mine. “One could only be so lucky,” she tells me moments before a familiar set of squeals is heard behind us.

  I twirl around to see Bec and Courtney, two of our best friends, both already drunk off their asses. “You guys made it,” Bec says as she pulls me in for a hug before leaning over to Brooke and doing the same.

  “Of course, we made it,” I laugh. “As if we were going to miss this.”

  “I know,” Courtney says with a sly grin. “I’ve already snooped around. This place is awesome, but I can’t figure out which is his room.”

  “You’re probably wasting your time. I’m sure it would be locked,” I tell her as my eyes start sweeping around the room in search for that one particular footballer who can offer me the juiciness of his good looks.

  “Hey,” Courtney says, pointing her finger into my chest. “Don’t kill my vibe like that.”

  “Alright, alright,” I laugh. “Keep your panties on.”

  I turn back to the table to finish filling my cup when the bottle I’m holding is plucked straight out of my hand. My head snaps up. “Hey, what do you think -” Shit.

  I look into the eyes of none other than Nate Ryder standing next to his best friend Parker. He’s the boy I grew up with. The boy who’s no longer a boy, but a man. I mean, he’s drop dead gorgeous in all the right ways. Tall? Check. Muscled? Check. Deep, smoldering eyes that could burn a woman’s underwear right off her body? Check. Not to mention, he’s the school bad boy. The guy you’d never bring home to mommy and daddy.

  Our parents have been friends since they were teenagers, so Nate and his younger brother Jesse have been thrown in my face since the day I was born. It wasn’t always so bad. We used to be pretty good friends, up until his balls dropped and being an asshole became his MO. I guess that happened around the same time that I grew boobies and stopped kicking the ball around with him.

  The girls hush into silence around me, waiting to see what Nate does as his eyes narrow into slits on me. My heart begins to race and my palms begin to sweat. It’s then I notice not only my friends have grown quiet, but everyone in the room. That’s just what happens when Nate is around, he draws the attention of everyone. He’s just that guy.

  It’s always a guessing game with him. Is he going to ignore me? Play some ridiculous prank on me? Hell, maybe his goal is to humiliate me so bad that I don’t bother showing my face on Monday morning.

  “You got a problem?” he says with that signature grin that makes me want to throat punch him. His eyes sparkle with the challenge and I find myself shrinking back from him.

  I have two options here. I can either call him on his bullshit which would not go well for me as Nate Ryder does not get ca
lled out, especially in front of so many people. Or my other option, ignore him like the plague and save myself the embarrassment of whatever he has planned for me.

  I’ve never been the one to back down. I’ve got one hell of a backbone, but with Nate, it’s just not worth it. Not wanting to pussy out, but also not wanting to declare a war with the designated bad boy, I send him a glare and cross my arms over my chest, silently letting him know exactly what I’m thinking.

  His eyes instantly drop down to my boobs and I resist smirking at him. I’ve got a nice chest, I’m not going to deny it and I can tell by the appreciation in his eyes that he thinks so too, but the way he continues looking up and down my body like I’m a piece of meat has me wanting to launch myself at him, fists and all, but I won’t show a weakness. Not in front of him.

  Nate’s eyes come back to mine and his smirk makes him look like the world’s biggest douche bag. He makes a show of reaching across the table for a red cup, making sure his arm grazes across my chest in the process which sends an electric shock straight through me, making me want to throw up, but I won’t. Not here. Not now.

  He slowly pours himself a drink before placing the bottle back down on the bench, far out of my reach, just as you’d expect of any other asshole. “You just about done?” I question.

  His eyes continue to sparkle and I hate that it pulls at something within me. He continues watching me like a predator stalking his prey. “I’ll never be done with this,” he promises.

  I know he’s talking about me, rather than the drink. This is the twisted little game he’s played with me for years. It’s almost as though torturing me gets him hard.

  His girlfriend, Ashley, appears beside him and drapes herself over him before taking the drink out of his hand. He throws his arm over her shoulder and she looks up at him before following his gaze over to me.

  Ashley scoffs at me, clearly knowing what’s going on. I mean, the whole school knows that I’m the girl the bad boy likes to kick around. “Come on,” Ashley laughs as she tugs at his waist.