Loving Lisbeth Salander (XIV Series #1)

The Ghost of Her Past I

The gang – me, Han, Hunter, Jacob, Wesley, and Becca – were in what we called the red room where we usually drank and get high. I drink. High, not so much. I mainly came here because I had nowhere else to go. And Han, most of the time, just drags me anywhere she goes. Including of which, having to come here with her even if I didn’t want to. I don’t particularly like these people but I had no better options than them. They’re better than a bunch of geeks and nerds who aren’t capable of taking my pains away. I’d only feel more agony if I were to be in the same room as them. In here, I can at least pretend I’m happy for a brief moment.

“Hey, Four.”

I turned to Hunter who just finished smoking a pot. I’m surprised he was even taking the initiative to take to me after what I just did to him yesterday. He was never the type to take things seriously, after all. I could hit him more times and he would still talk to me thinking I was just doing it for the hell of it. And Hunter liked being in a situation that’s just for the hell of it. I hissed at him but he was amused and instead, plastered a playful smirk. “The f**k do you want?”

“No need to be such a b***h like you always are, Lakey.” He imitated the way Han called me, making me roll my eyes in frustration. “I heard Connor’s back in town.”

Connor’s back in town

I stopped playing with the bottle in my hand at the sound of his name suddenly being brought up when he’s been f*****g dead for the past years. For a moment, my mind went completely blank at the thought of having to face him over again. f*****g Connor.

“Heard he’s got something up. Pretty far well off now, too.” Hunter added, and I shot him a glare.

“You’d be well off too if you stopped being a senior for five years now.” I barked back at him, and like a typical asshole, he scoffed and laughed it off. It’s true that Hunter has been a senior for years. I just wasn’t too sure of how many years. I just know he keeps coming back as a senior by choice.

“I invited him over,” He grinned, knowing well it would provoke me. But I wasn’t even feeling anything at this point. I just wanted this to be over with. I didn’t want to have to face the male after everything that’s been through the years. I already had enough problems to deal with, and him adding up to it if what Hunter said is true, then I had to move as further away this group as possible.

Yearend parties.

I never understood why people liked attending these but I came anyway, and that’s more of a mystery than why people liked being here. I still f*****g came even if I was in opposite thoughts of this sort of things. I’d blame Han but I did came with my own will so I guess there’s no one to blame but me if this turns out to be the lamest party I’ve walked to.

“Come on! At least pretend like you’re enjoying.” She wrapped her arms around me so I jerked them away and rolled my eyes. “Look around! The whole place is alive!” she danced carelessly, throwing my arms in the air which made me grunt at the gesture. I liked parties. Drinking, yes. But the dancing was something I could never bring myself to do despite the amount of parties I’ve been to. “And it’s already two in the morning! The night’s getting younger!” she giggled, waving her body to all sorts of direction. She was like a cheap woman you could buy in local bars.

“I could have been in bed by now.” I yelled to her ear with the intent of breaking her earing. She didn’t seem too fazed of what I did. The speakers were loud too. “Drowning myself. Hanging myself. Anything would be better but here.”

“Hunter’s got coke for us.”

Huh.

“Let’s go.”

Okay. Now she’s talking. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“We’ll meet you upstairs then. Same room.” She winked.

I turned away with a nod and squeezed myself into the crowd to make my way through the kitchen. I wasn’t going to f*****g piss. I just needed to have one drink before I actually take whatever Hunter brought for the gang. I looked around and saw a guy leaning against the counter smiling at whatever he was watching. My eyes caught sight of the red cup he was holding so I walked closer to him to see if it wasn’t empty and it wasn’t. Unfortunately for him, he was too absorbed with whatever he was looking at, and failed to notice my appearance.

I smirked and grabbed the cup from the guy, drank it all up before he takes it away from me.

He just watched me drink his drink with an amused smile. “I believe that was my drink, miss.”

I let out a satisfied sigh, dropping the cup by the counter, glaring “I must have thought it was mine, oops.” I covered my lips with my hands like I was sincerely sorry for it.

“So are you going to get me a new one?” he asked and I sneered in disbelief.

“Nah, I think you can do it yourself.” I tapped his chest before I turned back but he grabbed my wrist and made me walk back to where I exactly was seconds ago, snaking his arms around my waist to secure his hold on me.

He flashed a wide grin, and I just stared at him waiting for an explanation with my brows creased. “A red-head girl who drinks like that should be a keeper, shouldn’t it?” His smile grew bigger.

I examined his face. His hair was gelled up messily and his eyes were alien green. He was pretty decent looking. Who is this new guy? I’ve never seen him around here before neither have I seen him on campus. No one has ever dared to hold me the way he was doing right now.

“Connor.” He lifted up his hand and waited for me to shake it. His arms still wrapped tight around me.

I freed myself from his touch, stepping away from him, and pushing him away from me with a grin, “And I’m not someone you should be talking to. Hi, and good bye, Connor. Excuse me.” I pushed him to the side and grunted. I don’t have time for his f*****g games and I was way too eager to get some of the weed before Han takes them all.

“Hey, Fire!”

I froze. Fire wasn’t my name but I stopped thinking that it was me. I turned back around crossing my arms and stared at the guy who seemed happy that I turned. “It’s Forest.”

He smiled crookedly and walked closer to me again. “Forest. Thank you.” Thank you? For f*****g what? “You like people calling you other names before telling your real name?”

“No, I don’t let anyone know my name.” I shook my head. “And I’d hate if you started calling me that.”

“What, Fire?” He chuckled and called me the nickname he just gave me to tease me. He already knew how to get in my head, I gotta give that to him. “The name suits you though.”

I raised a brow.

“Especially with that hair.” He suddenly ran his fingers over my hair and pulled out a rose from behind. “For you.”

I stared at the rose he was handing me and took it from him. I was amused and curious where that came from but I took it anyway. He instantly smiled. “Do you just carry a flower anywhere you go for this reason?” I asked.

He chuckled. “I do, actually. Impressive, huh?”

I shook my head. I was expecting him to lie and say no, but he actually came clean about it. Now I was getting more amused. “Your techniques are as old as my great great grandmother.” I pulled his collar closer to me and leaned over to his ear whispering, “At least show something different when you’re trying to impress a girl.”

I finally turned and left.

“I assume that’s a green light?!”

I casted a glance back at the guy from the staircase, grinning. I waved the rose in the air as I continued my way up. “Thanks for the rose, Romeo! But my name isn’t Juliet.” Whoever that guy was needs to learn that I don’t f*****g do boyfriends, not dates, and not f*****g love. The moment I took the last step before reaching the second floor, I threw the rose away and proceeded to the room.

“Well, what a shame, I wasn’t looking Juliet!” He replied. “I’m looking for a girl with red hair and Forest for a name!”

FUCKING CONNOR.

“He’s here tonight.”

“So?” I replied coldly, sighing and diverted my attention to Hunter whose smirk was growing wider.

“You still remember him though, right?”

“And you’re asking why exactly?” I raised my brow at Hunter displeased. “What’s in it to you? You have a thing for bringing up things from the past, huh?”

He let out a small laugh as he approached me. “You know,” he leaned closer to me. “For old time’s sake.”

How can I forget that f*****g asshole?