The Beast and the Homecoming Queen Read online

  The Beast and the Homecoming Queen

  By Khelsey Jackson

  This Book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  Published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing

  Text Copyright 2013 by Khelsey Jackson

  Cover by Rue Volley for Vivid Designs

  This book is for the person who has believed in me when no one else did. When I told her I was writing a book she told me to write for me, and I do. Thank you Grandma Sharon for being all I needed I will forever love you.

  Prologue

  Life is Short

  Quinn parks her cherry red bug behind her father’s black pickup in the driveway. “Breanna I have to ask my dad if I can stay the weekend.” Quinn smiles. She knows her dad will say yes, he never says no.

  “Well hurry up! I was thinking we could go to the lake house, you know it's next to the Keto's house.” Breanna giggles. Justin Keto is the hottest guy in school; Breanna and Quinn both have a huge crush on him.

  “I thought he was in Europe or something.” Quinn knows he is, she has him on Facepad and he updated his status when he landed in London.

  “Yeah I think so,” Breanna says. “But we'll have so much fun at the lake. We can just float in the middle of the lake all day and work on our tans.”

  “You don’t need to sell me. I am already in, I just have to ask my dad,” Quinn says, and wonders if Rose, her evil stepmother is around. She won't want Quinn to go she'll say something like, “Eric I don’t think Quinn should go and party.” This isn’t going to happen.

  Quinn isn’t a fan of parting and she hates drinking. She doesn’t understand why people drink and either pass out or throw up. That isn’t fun to her.

  “Quinny maybe you can bring Lizzy! We can have a girl’s weekend, watch a bunch of girly movies and eat a bunch of junk food,” Breanna says, and Quinn smiles.

  “That sounds awesome! I will ask if I can bring Lizzy, she would love to have a girls weekend.”

  Lizzy loves Breanna, and Quinn knows that they will have fun. “I'll call you back; I’m pulling into my driveway,” Quinn says, and turns off her car.

  “Okay Quinny, love you,” Breanna says, and Quinn grins. They have been best friends since the first day of preschool, and there hasn’t been a day they haven’t talked or seen each other.

  “Love you too,” Quinn says and pushes the end button on her Bluetooth. Her dad thought it was safer for her to drive with one, and she agreed. She gets out of her car and slowly walks towards the front door, something smells funny, but she couldn’t place it.

  Quinn puts her keys into the door and slowly opens it. Rose was supposed to be shopping all day and away from the house. Quinn hopes she is then she knows her dad will says yes for her and Lizzy.

  Quinn walks into her living room, and the TV has baseball on. That is one sport she has never liked to watch on TV, now in person is a different story. She loves to sit in the stands and eat a hotdog, with extra ketchup.

  “Dad, can Lizzy and I go to Breanna's for the weekend?” Quinn asks her dad, and he doesn’t move from his chair. “Dad?” Quinn walks closer to his favorite chair black leather chair, and touches his shoulder. He is cold, very cold. “Dad!” She moves so she is standing in front of him, and falls to her knees. Her dad's normal tan skin is now white as snow, and his head was missing from his body. She looks around and sees her father’s head lying across the room, she screams.

  She can't believe what is going on. This is what you would see on so TV show or a Hollywood movie, not her. Quinn looks at his bare chest, and it looks like some animal clawed and bit him. She reaches in her back pocket to grab her phone to call the cops.

  Less than five minutes the police are in her home, and Quinn is sitting in the kitchen staring at the wall. She can't get her dad cold dead eyes out of her head, and when she closes her eyes she sees him, bloody and dead.

  Quinn stayed at Breanna's house last night, she talked to her dad at seven the night before. He told her that Rose and Lizzy were going to go shopping in the morning, and they were going to be back at about one or so. Quinn glances at the clock and its 12:30, at least her little sister didn’t see their dad like that.

  “Quinn I need to ask you some questions.” Quinn looks at the Sheriff Smith. She remembers when Breanna, her and Jenna used to be best friends. Jenna is the sheriff's daughter, and now not friends with Quinn and Breanna.

  “Quinn, did you hear me?” he asks, and she nods.

  “Yes.” She looks back to him, and he nods.

  “Where were you this morning around seven?” Sheriff Smith asks.

  “I was at Breanna's house, and we were still sleeping,” Quinn says, and looks down at her ringing phone. Breanna's name is on her screen.

  “Quinn do you know where you stepmother and sister are?” he asks.

  She shakes her head. “No not really. I talked to my dad last night and he told me that Rose was going shopping. They are supposed to be home at one,” Quinn says and he writes something down.

  Quinn's mind flashes to the dad's body, it looked like something clawed him; maybe a bear or a wolf.

  “Did an animal kill my dad?” She doesn’t realize she asked her question out loud until she sees the sheriff's face. He looks broken; he and her father grew up together and were friends.

  “I don’t know Quinn, but I will find out what or who killed your dad,” he says and stands up. He walks over to her and puts his hand on her shoulder; she almost breaks down with his compassionate touch.

  “What's going on here?” Rose's voice fills the room, and Quinn turns to find her stepmother and little sister. Thank god they already took her dad away.

  “Rose I need to talk to you, Quinn why don’t you take Lizzy upstairs,” Robert Smith asks and she nods.

  Quinn gets up and walks over to her sister. “Come on Liz.”

  When Quinn gets into her room she closes the door. “I have to tell you something, and know that I am always here for you.”

  “You can tell me, what's going on?” Lizzy says, and Quinn takes a deep breath.

  “Dad is dead.” Lizzy's knees give out and Quinn catches her little sister.

  They hold on to each other as they both cry, over their broken hearts. Quinn wonders how she will make it in a world without her dad. He was her rock, and her everything.

  Chapter One

  Strange feelings

  Three months later….

  Quinn Murphy is so nervous, today is her first day of her senior year, and she doesn’t know if she wants to deal with people. She scrunches her long curly blonde hair, and adds some more mouse. She looks at herself in the large antiques wooden mirror one last time before head out the door.

  Her large house used to be always noisy, but since her father died and her stepmother left and took her sister she is alone. Quinn locks the door, and walks to her cherry red bug. This was the last thing her father got her before he died.

  Her drive to school is uneventful, and when she parks she notices her best friend Breanna waiting for her at the black double metal doors. The front of her high school looks like it always did. The dark red from the bricks and white sidewalks never change. The courtyard’s grass is a bright green, and daises lined the walkway up to the school. Quinn gets out of her car and walks to her blonde best friend.

  “Hey Breanna!” Quinn says as she wraps her arms around her bes
t friend. She has become Quinn's rock, and is forever thankful for her. Quinn doesn’t know where she would be without her.

  “Quinny! We are going to rule the school this year.” After the quick hug they walk to the school.

  Quinn doesn’t miss the stares as she walks pass people, she hears them whispering too. Maybe she should have gone to a different school, and she should have moved in with her aunt. But she didn’t want to go to a new school her last year and she didn’t want to leave Breanna.

  “Ignore them,” Breanna whispers, and Quinn nods.

  They walk to the doors where she sees a boy she doesn’t know, and Mark Rite. “Hello Quinn Webb,” Mark says and smiles at Quinn. He is fairly attractive, but her attention quickly goes to the boy standing next to him. His jet black hair is long and touches his shoulders and his dark blue eyes are piercing through her.

  Quinn looks away from the new boy as her heart speeds up, and looks at Mark. He notices that she was staring at his friend and he smirks.

  “Hey Mark,” she says, Quinn can hear Breanna giggling.

  “This is my friend Kaden, Kade this is Quinn and Breanna,” Mark says, but turns his attention to Breanna.

  Quinn looks back at the new boy, and his eyes are still on her. “Hi,” she says.

  “I'm sorry about your dad,” Kaden says, and she looks down. She knows that people will be telling her that all day, but with him something is different.

  “Yeah me too.” She looks back into dark blue eyes. This boy is truly beautiful, and she feels herself smile for the first time in a long time.

  “Umm...Quinn?” Breanna's voice makes Quinn's smile fall. Her best friend is standing next to Kaden. “We should head inside.”

  Kaden smiles at her, and she bites her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling. “I will see you later, Quinn.” He winks at her, and she walks up to Breanna.

  Once they are inside of the school and away from Mark and Kaden, Breanna turns to Quinn. “I think you should stay away from Kaden. He seems dangerous.” Breanna says, and opens her locker; she puts her green backpack into it.

  Quinn looks towards where she knows the boys are. “I don’t think he is dangerous.” She truly believes that. She didn’t get any bad vibes from him.

  “You’re crazy! He has trouble written all over his face.” Quinn puts her red and black backpack into her lock, and Breanna shakes her head. “Why do I have a feeling you aren’t going to listen to me?”

  Quinn smiles, she and Breanna have been best friends since they were born. Quinn is two months older. “There is something about him.”

  “Yeah trouble!” Breanna says and laughs.

  Quinn smiles and shakes her head. “Whatever.”

  The first day of school they meet with their classes and class advisers. She and Breanna walk into the large classroom. There are no more seats left so they walk to the back white wall to stand against it.

  Quinn feels a pull like something is telling her body to look up, she does and her eyes meet dark blue eyes.

  Kaden smiles at her, and before she knows it he was standing next to her. Kaden leans his lips to her ear. “Hello Quinn,” he whispers, and she feels her cheeks heat up.

  Their class adviser Mrs. Schmidt walks in. This is her favorite teachers, she teaches history.

  “Seniors, welcome back!” She says and smiles. She is wearing a shirt that says, “We can do it.” Kaden moves closer to Quinn and she gasps. An electric current runs through her body, and she can feel her heart speed up. “Now we need to pick the homecoming queen and king nominees. Please raise your hands.”

  Jenna Smith raise her hand, the beautiful blonde used to be her friend. Until last year when Jenna stole Quinn's boyfriend. She bats her blue eyes. “I would like to nominated myself!” She giggles.

  Mrs. Schmidt smiles, and then looks at the whole room. “Anyone else wants to second that nomination?”

  It doesn't surprise Quinn when Kylie's hand pops up. Mrs. Schmidt nods. “I nominated Jenna Smith.” Quinn looks down at her feet, last year she couldn’t wait to be nominated for homecoming queen. Now she doesn’t care.

  A boy in a red shirt that she has seen a few times; raises his hand, and Mrs. Schmidt nods to him. “I nominated Quinn Webb.” Quinn looks at the guy with her wide eyes, and her mouth drops open.

  “I second that!” Breanna say and giggles. Quinn looks at Breanna and she winks.

  “Quinn sweetie, is this okay with you?” Mrs. Schmidt asks, and Breanna grabs her hand and forces her to look at her.

  “Quinny, you have always wanted this. You don’t have to give up your dream because he isn’t here,” Breanna whispers so only Quinn can hear.

  “Quinn?” Mrs. Schmidt asks again.

  “Yes,” Quinn says, and Mrs. Schmidt smiles at her.

  The rest of the meeting she tuned out. The only thing she really paid attention to was the warm arm that was against hers. Kaden has been very quiet, but he has moved closer to her. He smells of amber, and sandalwood. Quinn doesn’t ever want to move away from him, she is enchanted by him.

  “We have about five minutes before you all can go. So do what you want, but keep it down,” Mrs. Schmidt says, and everyone one starts talking.

  Quinn wants to sink into the floor when she sees Jenna and Kylie walk towards her. The last time she spoke to Jenna still stung; Quinn didn’t love her ex-boyfriend, but it still hurt.

  “Quinny!” Jenna says, and puts her arms out to hug her. Quinn flinches, and she swears she hears a low growl from Kaden. “Oh Quinny sweetie, I have missed you.” She pouts her bottom lip, and bats her eyes. Jenna thinks she looks cute when she does this, but she doesn’t. “Can't I have a hug?”

  “No,” she says, and Kaden's body seems to be getting hotter next to hers.

  Jenna puts her hands on her hips, and glares at Quinn. “We used to be best friends.”

  Quinn smiles. “We were friends, but never best friends. That title has always belonged to Breanna and to her alone.” Jenna narrows her blue eyes at Quinn. “And then you stole my boyfriend. So we can't even be friends now.”

  Jenna smiles wickedly at Quinn and she knows Jenna is going to say something she isn't going to like. “My daddy told me that your dad's head was almost ripped off, and his heart was torn out.” Quinn can feel the color drain from her face. She was the one to find her dad, she knows how he was. “He also said, that it looked like there was bite marks on him, like someone was eating him.” Quinn's eyes get wide, that she didn’t know. She didn’t get that close to her dad when she saw his head lying across the room.

  “I bet Quinn was the one eating her dad!” Kylie says, and Jenna nods.

  “Enough,” a low voice says, and that is when she remembers Kaden is standing next to her. He has heard everything they have said. She wants to disappear more than ever now, and her tears are too far from breaking free.

  Quinn looks up at Jenna and she smiles at Kaden. She tucks her hair behind her ears, and smiles sweetly at him. “Oh sorry, I know we haven’t met. I am Jenna Smith.”

  Quinn looks over to Kaden and he stares at Jenna blankly. “Are you always that rude to people? Her father just died and you would insult her by reminding her how her he died? Then have the nerve to say she was the one to bite him.”

  Quinn has never heard anyone talk down to Jenna; she just grew fonder of Kaden. “Who do you think you are talking to me like that?” Jenna says, and now glares at Kaden.

  “Kaden Webb,” a new voice says, Quinn looks behind Jenna. Kevin and Brian are walking towards her and Kaden. “He is my friend,” Kevin says, and smiles at Quinn. She has always been cool with them, she returns his smile.

  Kevin and Brian are on the football team. They are some of the best looking guys in the school.

  Kevin has sandy blonde hair, and his eyes are the same dark blue as Kaden's. Quinn remembers when she saw Kevin without his shirt this summer, his body is something you see on TV. He has a twenty pack, okay more like a perfect eight pack. Brian has
brown curly hair that touches his shoulders, he normally has it pulled back. But today he has it down, and his chocolate brown eyes are smiling her.

  “I didn’t mean to be mean. I’m sorry, Kaden,” Jenna says, and turns to leave.

  “Jenna,” Kaden says, and she stops. Jenna looks over her shoulder at him. “I'm not the one you need to say sorry to.” Kaden looks down at Quinn.

  “Yeah that isn’t going to happen,” Jenna says and walks away.

  Quinn doesn’t care she is staring into Kaden's eyes she feels safe. A slowly sweet smile appears on his perfect face. But she can't look away from his dark blue eyes that are surrounding by long black eyelashes.

  She feels someone grab her hand, and she is pulled away from Kaden's warm body. “Quinn lets go to out next class,” Breanna says, and doesn’t look happy.

  Quinn looks back at Kaden, and he winks at her. “I will see you later, Quinn.” Her cheeks heat up, because she can't wait until later.

  Breanna and Quinn walk into their first class, and sit in the back. There are a few minutes before class is supposed to start. She knows her best friend is mad, and Quinn doesn’t know why.

  “Breanna what’s going on?” she asks and looks at her best friend. Breanna narrows her eyes.

  “Quinny, I have a bad feeling about Kaden, I don’t know why but something seems dark and dangerous,” she says and licks her lips; she looks down and Quinn wants to shake her. Breanna likes everyone, so for her to act like this towards someone sets off alarm bells.

  She thinks that ignoring her friend is for the best. “I don’t know, I saw the way you were talking to Mark. What’s going on there?”

  Breanna rolls her eyes, and shrugs. “He’s cute, but I don’t think I’m his type. He normally dates popular girls.” Quinn doesn’t miss the hurt in her blue eyes.

  She reaches for Breanna’s hand. “Sweetie you are every man’s type, and if he doesn’t see that then it’s his loss.”