by Mae Doyle
“I know, she’s hideous, right? Did you see her scars the other day?” Kelly’s laugh made me cringe. “If that were me, I would have wished that I was dead. There’s no way I would ever want to look like that.”
The two of them brushed past me on the way to the locker room, leaving me standing still for a moment. I knew that they were just trying to get to me, but there was something about the way they said that, so nonchalantly, that made me pause.
I would give anything to go back to that night and make it so that my dad and I never got in our accident. I would give anything to be with my dad. These girls didn’t understand that, and I couldn’t ever let them know how much I missed him.
Taking a deep breath, I walked into the locker room. All of the showers were full, which meant that I may be late to lunch, but I didn’t care. I’d rather show up a little late than have to walk in there with these girls.
By the time I got in and then out of the shower, I was the last one in the locker room. I reached out of the stall, feeling around for my clothes. They weren’t on the hook, so I poked my head out of the shower, assuming that they’d fallen on the floor.
They weren’t there, and my heart dropped into my stomach. A tiny towel, one barely big enough to cover me, hung there instead. I grabbed it and wrapped it around me, my heart beating furiously as I stepped out of the shower.
“Hello?” My voice echoed back at me. Nobody was here. Whoever took my clothes, they were long gone, and the only thing they’d left me was this towel. I expected that I was supposed to be grateful for that, but I couldn’t find that emotion.
Cinching the towel tighter around my bust, I peeked out of the locker room door into the gym. Nobody was there, but that didn’t give me much courage. I had no idea if the girls from my class were waiting on me, or where I’d find them.
I sprinted across the gym as quickly as I could and rested my forehead on the door to the quad. It sounded like it had stopped raining, and I pushed it open slowly, peeking around.
The quad was sparkling thanks to the sun coming out and hitting all of the rain in the grass, but luckily, there wasn’t a person to be seen. Rather than sticking to the sidewalks, I hurried across the grass as quickly as I could go. By the time I made it to the main building of Taylor Prep, I had grass stuck on my legs and my feet were filthy.
Then I had a decision to make. I could go upstairs, pretend this never happened, change into clothes, and skip lunch.
Or I could show them that I didn’t really care what they thought about me or what they tried to do to me. My heart slowed down as I reached for the door of the cafeteria. There was a loud buzzing from inside as everyone talked and ate, but that fell silent as soon as I swung the door open.
Everyone turned to look at me. Amelia and Kelly dissolved into laughter, but the rogues didn’t look pleased. I glanced away from the dark looks on their faces to see where my friends – my old friends – sat. They were with their boyfriends, their faces bright red as they looked at me.
Lifting my head high, I strolled into the cafeteria, hyper-aware that I was naked under my towel. Nobody said a thing as I walked to the line and picked up a tray. Lunch was a vegetarian quiche with a fresh salad and vinaigrette, and my stomach was rumbling before I turned to find a seat.
The rogues blocked my path.
“What in the world do you think you’re doing?” Jackie was the first to speak. He stood directly in front of me, his chest heaving as he tried to control his breathing.
“Eating lunch. What does it look like?”
Brett rolled his eyes. “It looks like you’re parading around the dining room in the world’s smallest towel, but I can’t figure out why you’d be so stupid as to do that.” He smirked at me while he waited for my response.
“Well,” I told him, popping out a hip and planting one hand on it while balancing my tray on the other like a waitress, “because someone took all of my clothes after gym and this is what they left me to wear. So I’m wearing it.”
Kaleb laughed then reached out and plucked at the top of my towel. My skin burned where his fingers grazed my collarbone. “Sure would be a shame if it suddenly fell, wouldn’t it?” He looked at me and grinned, then tugged a little harder on the edge.
I grabbed the towel, still trying to keep my tray from falling. “Leave me alone,” I hissed. “Don’t you think that you and the harpies have done enough?”
Jackie stepped forward and put a hand on Kaleb’s shoulder to push him back a step. “You’re still here, so obviously, we haven’t. But you can’t be parading around here in a little towel like this, Rosita. It’s just not safe. I’ll walk you to your room to change.” He took the tray from me, ignoring my squeaked protests, then gestured for me to walk.
“Seriously? Why can’t I just eat?”
“You’re too distracting. Now let’s go or you’re going to be late to your next class.”
I stomped off, ignoring the way that Brett and Kaleb’s eyes followed me as Jackie and I walked through the dining hall. Everyone was still quiet and watching us, and as much as I wanted to flip them all off, I kept my hands clutching my towel. The rogues were right – I needed to make sure that I didn’t accidentally drop it in front of everyone.
We got to my room and I paused before brushing aside the hanging sheet to enter. “You wait out here, okay?” Jackie smirked at me and leaned against the wall, still holding my food.
Okay. I changed as quickly as possible and ran back out into the hall, glad to see that Jackie was where I left him. I took the tray from him, even though my appetite was gone. There wasn’t anything like parading around school in a tiny towel to make you forget that you were ever hungry.
“Are we done here?” Holding the tray between us like a weapon, I tilted my head to look up at him. He was towering over me, so close that the tray almost pressed into his chest. Before I could stop him, he reached out and took the tray from me before turning and setting it on the floor.
My heart started pounding and I was glad I’d already changed from my towel. I knew what was going to happen – or at least, what I wanted to happen. I’d wanted to kiss Jackie since the first time I saw him. My core throbbed as he leaned closer, his light cologne wrapping around me.
“You need to be more careful.” Jackie lifted my chin with his hand and stared into my eyes. His skin was fiery against mine, but I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. Not when I needed so badly to see this through.
“I am careful.”
“Not careful enough.” Jackie dropped his hand to my shoulder and leaned down, his lips finding mine. The kiss was soft and gentle at first, but he deepened it, turning me so that I was pressed up against the wall and leaning against me, pinning me there.
I reached up and wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly so that he couldn’t pull away. Running my hands through his hair, I dug my fingers into his scalp. He deepened the kiss, his tongue skating over mine as his hands slid up my sides.
Chapter 11
“Glad to see you found some clothes.” Brett’s voice ripped through the two of us and I shoved Jackie away, planting my hands on his chest and pushing as hard as I could to get him to step back. He did, a grin on his face, and turned to look at Brett.
Rather than looking mad, though, Brett just looked bored. “You guys are going to be late to class if you don’t hurry up. I’d avoid the quad if I were you, Rose.”
“Why?” Stepping away from the wall, I forced myself to put some distance between me and Jackie. I didn’t know what had come over me, or why neither of the rogues seemed to care that I was kissing him in the hall, but I’d have to figure that out later.
I’d kissed Brett last semester, but he didn’t seem to care that he caught me kissing Jackie, and then Jackie didn’t care to be caught…my head was spinning.
“Why should I avoid the quad?”
Brett rolled his eyes. “Amelia and her harpies are waiting for you. Take the back way around the building.”
&
nbsp; I widened my eyes at him and gave a little shrug. I had no idea where the back way around the building was. If it came down to it, I’d probably have to take my chances with the quad so I wouldn’t end up being late.
“You don’t know where it is?” Brett sounded annoyed, and he frowned when I shrugged. “Fine. I’ll take you, but you better hurry. See you after class?” The question was directed at Jackie, who nodded, and then walked past us down the hall. I wanted to call after him, but what would I say?
Thanks for making out with me? Geez, Rose, get a grip. I couldn’t go kissing all of the rogues and then swooning over them, especially when I knew that they were all out to get me.
Without waiting to see if I was going to follow him, Brett turned and started walking down the hall. I adjusted my jacket and then jogged after him, trying hard to catch up, even though my body was still sore. It had been a hard first few days back at Taylor Prep, and I was lucky that I was able to jog as quickly as I could right now.
“Why are you doing this?” He didn’t stop to answer my question, so I reached out and plucked at his sleeve to get him to slow down and look at me. “Brett. You hate me. Why are you helping me take the back way?”
Shaking off my hand, he kept walking, and I saw a muscle in his jaw tighten. “I don’t hate you, Rose. I don’t want you here, but that doesn’t mean that I want them to hurt you.” He glanced over at me, his dark eyes sweeping my body. “They already have, and I’m sorry about that. This is just to keep it from escalating today.”
“What did I do? Why does everyone hate me so much?” Tears sprung to my eyes, and I was sure that he could hear them in my voice, but he didn’t slow down or look at me again. “Brett, please. Tell me who the council is and why everyone hates me. You and the other rogues are sometimes nice to me, so I just think – ”
He spun around. “What do you think, Rose? That just because none of us want to have your death on our hands that we’re suddenly good guys who are on your side? Because that’s not true. I don’t want you to die, but I also don’t want you here at Taylor Prep. Why won’t you just leave?”
My jaw dropped open as I listened to him. They wouldn’t really push this so far as to kill me, would they? I knew that the kids at Taylor Prep were messed up, but I couldn’t imagine that they would actually murder someone for being here if they didn’t want them around.
“Because I need this. It’s what my dad wanted for me, and I’m going to do everything that I can to make his dreams come true. You don’t understand, Brett, it’s – ”
“I don’t understand because I’ve had three dads and only one has ever really loved me? Is that what you were going to say?” His voice was dark and dangerous, and I realized that I’d crossed a line without even knowing that I was getting close to it.
“No, that’s not what I meant.” I had to think fast. His mood had changed quickly and there were storm clouds behind his eyes. “I just…I was wrong. You do understand. You’re probably the only person here who does.” Even as the words left my mouth, I knew that I was being honest and that they were true. Out of all of the students at teachers here at Taylor Prep, Brett and I were the most similar.
That was terrifying, but I was also hoping that it would be my saving grace. That maybe he would be able took past the hatred that he’d had for me for so many years and see that we were the same people.
We were both here, against our will, left to defend for ourselves. The only difference was that he had the support of the rogues, and the harpies, and the council, and I had…no one. Myself. The realization that I was feeling how he had probably felt as a boy when he was powerless against his stepdad made me gasp.
“Brett,” I began, but he held up his hand to stop me from talking.
“I don’t want to hear about whatever great realization you just had, Rose. I can see that you’re thinking something, but whatever it is, you’re wrong. We’re not alike. We’re not the same. You’ve never had to live through what I have, and I hope to God that you don’t.”
He’d changed. Hell, we both had. Neither of us were the same person that we were when we were younger and playing together in the yard, but there was still some connection between us, I was sure of it.
Glancing down at my feet, I took a deep breath before looking back up at him, but when I did, his expression had softened for a moment. I decided to try my luck, even though I wasn’t sure what the end result would be.
“I think that we’re more alike than you know, Brett.”
He reached out and grabbed my ponytail, tugging it slightly so that my head tilted to the side. Looking into his dark eyes, I was surprised to see the glisten of tears there, but I didn’t mention it. I knew that it wouldn’t go over well and that whatever connection we were experiencing would break.
“Have you ever killed your abusive stepdad, Rose? Have you ever killed anyone?”
The questions hung answered in the air between us. He knew the answers as well as I did. When I didn’t say anything, he let his hand drop from my hair, sliding his thumb slowly down my cheek and across my lips. I parted my mouth, feeling the familiar fire start to burn in my core, but he dropped his hand to his side.
Memories of kissing him last semester flashed into my mind. I drank in his strong jaw and the way his unbuttoned shirt gave me a glimpse of his chest. I was suddenly overcome with the desire to run my hands across his chest and feel his muscles, but before I could move, he’d turned away from me.
“Maybe we’re more alike than you think, Rose, but that doesn’t matter. Being like me isn’t going to be what will save you at Taylor Prep.”
Then what will? I opened my mouth to ask him the question, but he was already headed down the back staircase. I’d never been out this way and I had to hurry to keep up without accidentally falling down the stairs.
◆◆◆
“Rose, it is so good to see you without a huge bandage on your face!” Mrs. McKearin beamed at me when I walked into the vocal room. The harpies hadn’t shown up yet, and if Brett was to be believed, they were going to be pissed from missing me in the quad before chemistry. I could hope that they wouldn’t show up, but I knew better.
There was no way they would miss this class. I got away from them once today, and I was pretty sure that they weren’t going to let that happen again.
I grinned at her and pulled my sheet music from my bag. “It feels good, thanks. I ran some scales in my room last night and I think that I’m finally ready to sing again. I’m sorry that it took so long, but I was just so nasally and sounded terrible.”
“You didn’t sound terrible because of your broken nose, Rose, you sounded terrible because of your voice.” Amelia appeared at my side, the harpies all following her into the room. “And we proved last semester that you weren’t necessary for us to be able to win at competition, so there’s really no reason for you to even be here. Give it up, Rose.”
Mrs. McKearin frowned, and Amelia looked startled to see her standing near me. She must not have seen me when she walked in the door. “That’s quite enough, Miss Holland. I was just here thinking that it was so good to have Miss Bennett back, so there’s no reason to be catty. Get settled and we’re going to jump right into warming up and singing, okay?”
Amelia scowled at me but she and her harpies did what was asked and, before long, we were all around Mrs. McKearin’s piano warming up while she played.
My voice was, admittedly, a little rough, and a few times I caught Amelia grinning at me when I made a mistake, but it felt so good to be back that I didn’t care. She could stare and laugh all she wanted. I was just happy to be singing again.
“Solos now. Girls, go sit while I work with Miss Bennett. She’s going to need a little extra attention after her accident.” Our teacher nodded at the harpies and then turned to me. “You ready?”
I gave her a small smile and tore my eyes away from where the harpies were seated behind her, throwing me dirty looks. Amelia leaned over to whisper something to Ke
lly and they both giggled, but I couldn’t worry about that right now. They hated me, but there wasn’t anything they could do to me with the teacher sitting right here.
We ran through scales again to check my range and then I started singing my solo I’d picked for the competition. It was full of longing and pain, and I channelled all of the emotions I’d felt over the past year into it, closing my eyes as I felt the pain and the words.
When I finished, Mrs. McKearin clapped with joy and stood up from behind her piano. “I can’t wait for the upcoming competition! We’re competing individually this time and I want to have a little extra practice with you in the afternoons. Can you do twice a week?”
I flushed with happiness. “Yes! Of course, I can.” Glancing over at the harpies, I knew that I would pay for the extra attention, but I didn’t care. This was what I loved to do, and getting to work with someone as talented as Mrs. McKearin was a gift.
“Excellent. The competition is in two weeks and then I’m due right after that, so cross your fingers that I make it that far. You can have a seat while I work with everyone else, okay?”
I nodded and walked over to find a seat away from the harpies, but Amelia still managed to run into me with her shoulder as she walked past. “Gutter rat,” she muttered.
My blood ran cold.
She hadn’t called me that since Harper, Maggie, and I decided to use it for our warning code, but there wasn’t any way that she’d figured it out, right? Besides, Amelia wouldn’t warn me if something bad were going to happen. She’d just want front row tickets.
Sitting down and listening to her, I tried my best to push it from my mind, but it was hard. Even though it wasn’t a warning from Harper or Maggie, I had to remember that I wasn’t safe here. I needed to make sure that I acted like something bad was always going to happen, because that seemed to be the way things worked at Taylor Prep.