Savage Prince: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Royal Falls Elite Book 1)

by Kristin Buoni

  “Financially?”

  She nodded. “We get gifts and access to resources, and we also make useful connections from being in the club,” she said. “We can’t show you everything until you’re a member, but let me tell you… you’d be shocked at how much they give us. It’s amazing.”

  I frowned. “But surely you have to give them something in return,” I said. “No such thing as a free lunch, right?”

  “That’s right. We don’t just coast along getting lavish gifts for nothing,” she said. “We provide the Network with a return on their investment.”

  “What sort of return?”

  Kiri leaned forward. “We help them with their businesses when we’re older and qualified. For example, my older sister was a Medusa member while she was on a scholarship here at RFA. When she graduated, she was given a free ride to college, and after that, she went to work at one of the Network companies. They needed someone with her brains to help run things, and they also needed her face on the company.”

  “To make them look inclusive?”

  “Sort of, yes. But they don’t just look inclusive. They are inclusive.”

  “So we all win,” Camila chimed in. “Their companies get the best and brightest new female talent, and they wind up looking diverse and modern, which attracts more and more business for them. As for us… we get amazing job opportunities. Ones we might not get in regular circumstances.”

  “That all sounds pretty great,” I said, nodding slowly. “So what’s the catch?”

  “If you want to join, you have to go through an initiation ceremony. It’s a bit silly, but it’s fun. Once that’s done, you have to maintain good grades in school and attend all Network functions. You also have to commit yourself to working for a Network company when you finish college.”

  “I know it sounds kinda boring,” another girl added. “But it’s worth it in the end. Also, we have awesome parties thrown for us sometimes.”

  “You can do whatever you want at the parties,” Camila said. “Seriously… anything. Drinks, pills, sex stuff, whatever. You want it, and they’ll get it for you or give it to you.” She paused for a second, and then a little smile turned up the corners of her plush lips. “We tend to take advantage of it and go a little wild. We see it as a reward for our hard work and commitment.”

  “I guess that explains some of the stuff I saw and heard the other night,” I murmured.

  She raised a brow. “What?”

  “I think I saw you on Friday,” I admitted. “On Harker Island. I rowed over there because I thought I saw lights.”

  I thought she might get mad at me over my voyeurism, but instead her impossibly-beautiful face broke into a grin. “Oh! That’s awesome!”

  “So I’m not in trouble for spying?”

  “No! It’s good, because it means you’ve already seen some of the stuff we get up to at our parties, so there’s a bit less to explain later.” She turned to the new girl. “Dayna, tell Laney what she saw, please. She’s probably wondering about some of the weirder stuff.”

  Dayna looked at me. “I’m really new here. Like you,” she said. “That party was actually part of my initiation. I was told I could have whatever I wanted as a reward for joining, so I picked….” She trailed off, cheeks turning pink.

  Camila grabbed her hand. “It’s okay, Dayna. No judgement here, remember? And Laney—you won’t tell anyone what you hear in this room, will you?”

  I shook my head. “Of course not.”

  “Okay.” Dayna smiled shyly. “I’ve always wanted to… um… dominate a guy. You know… sexually.”

  “So that was her reward,” Camila said. “She was allowed to pick whichever guy she wanted at the party. Then she was allowed to do whatever she wanted to him.”

  My eyes widened. “So… sex is a part of the society?”

  She shook her head. “No, of course not. Only if you want it. And only if you’re the right age. Sometimes our members are still freshmen or sophomores when they get recruited, so obviously they aren’t allowed to participate in the wilder aspects of our gatherings until they turn eighteen. Most of them will usually ask for something like a Valentino purse as their initiation reward. Or straight-up cash.”

  “You just so happened to see one of our craziest parties,” Kiri cut in. “Some of the others are much tamer.”

  “Oh, okay. So what was with all the stuff there? Like the gold snake torches and costumes?”

  “They’re just Medusa-related decorations,” she replied. She leaned forward. “Don’t worry, those rumors about us being Satanic cultists really are bullshit. We just think all that stuff looks cool, and it makes our parties seem more magical and fun. Like we’ve all been teleported to ancient Greece or something.”

  “We go out to the island most of the time because we don’t want anyone else to see us and get things twisted,” Camila added. “I mean, I can only imagine what you were thinking when you went over there and saw us. If you told anyone about it, there’d be crazy rumors circulating RFA for months, and everyone would think we were in some sort of serpent-worshipping cult.”

  “I didn’t say anything to anyone,” I said.

  “I figured,” she replied, eyes crinkling around the corners. “Otherwise we would’ve heard all about it by now.”

  I chewed my bottom lip and tilted my head to one side. “You know… I think I actually might’ve seen more than one of your parties,” I said. “Did you have one at the Connery mansion a few months ago? In a secret room upstairs?”

  She shook her head. “I wasn’t at that one, but a few of the older society members probably were,” she explained. “The parties and other functions don’t just stop for us when we leave school. It’s a lifetime membership sort of thing.”

  “Oh, right.” I frowned as something else occurred to me. “I think I also remember seeing a guy filming the party... and it was a really, really wild one. Like an orgy.”

  “Yikes,” Camila said, wincing slightly. “You must have the worst impression of the society from everything you’ve seen so far! But don’t worry. We’re just a very sex-positive group, and some of the older members like to have…” She hesitated, brows knitting. “I guess you could call them swingers parties. Some of them like to film them so they can go back and watch it later, for obvious reasons. But it’s all consensual. If someone doesn’t want to be filmed, they don’t sign the consent forms, and then they get blurred out of the shots.”

  I pressed my lips together. “I see.”

  She groaned. “God, you must think the whole society is some sort of crazy porn club,” she said. “But I promise, Laney, we’re so much more than that. Like I said before, the crazy parties are just a reward for the hard work we put in. Our mission above anything else is to help ourselves and other girls succeed in life by grabbing onto every opportunity we’re offered.”

  “Right. So why do you want me to join?” I asked.

  “Because you’re just like us. You aren’t massively privileged like most of the other students here at RFA—you had to get in on your own merits. So we think you could really benefit from membership.”

  “We’d be able to offer you protection, too,” Kiri said.

  “Protection?” I wrinkled my forehead.

  The two leaders exchanged glances before looking back at me. “I know this is probably a difficult subject for you to discuss, but we know all about the blacklist, and we’ve seen how badly people have been treating you,” Camila said, eyes filling with concern.

  “We’ve done what we can to help,” Kiri added. “Like the other day, for example. I caught some girls taking photos of you in the changeroom after gym class. They had their camera right up to a little hole in the door.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. They were going to post the pics online, I guess. I made them delete all of them, but it didn’t achieve much, because they aren’t the only girls going after you.”

  “I know,” I murmured, hands knitting in m
y lap. “Most of the guys are going after me, too. You should see the disgusting messages they send me every day.”

  Camila sighed. “The only way we can properly help you is if you join us,” she said. “If people see you with us and realize you’re one of us, they’ll be forced to leave you alone.”

  “Why?”

  “We have an understanding with the Princes—we stay out of each other’s business. No one from the Medusa Society can be blacklisted under any circumstances.”

  “Also, if anyone dared to keep attacking you anyway, they’d be screwed, because we have access to resources that can help us get back at them,” Kiri said, one brow arched wickedly.

  Camila nodded. “Exactly. So if you join us, the bullying will be over. Just like that.”

  I looked down at my lap, gnawing at the inside of my cheek. Relief from the blacklist nightmare sounded incredible… but I wasn’t sure about the Medusa Society yet.

  It sounded a little too good to be true.

  The money, the gifts, the free college, the amazing future job opportunities… something about it just didn’t ring true. They told me there was a catch—grade maintenance, function attendance, and a promise to work at a Network-related company once college was over—but that seemed a little too easy compared to the scale of the rewards.

  I wasn’t particularly interested in their parties, either, with all the sex, drinking and drugs. They told me those events were consensual, and I could do whatever I wanted at them, but still, something about what I’d witnessed so far rubbed me the wrong way. Even if it was just a bit of sex-positive fun for them, it seemed too grown-up and lascivious for me.

  Maybe I was just immature for my age, but I wanted to go to normal high school parties with red plastic cups, nervous first kisses, and bonfires. Not wild adult parties with brazen sexual acts and trays of cocaine.

  But the bullying would be over if you join them, a little voice in the back of my mind whispered. You can’t turn that down, can you?

  I looked up at the Medusa girls again. “If I say yes, would I still be able to hang out with my friends?”

  “You mean Adam Connery and Trina Seaborne?” Kiri asked.

  “Yes.”

  “We would never tell you not to be friends with anyone,” she replied. “But you would see a lot less of them. Members are expected to have lunch together every day, and unfortunately, non-members can’t join us for that.”

  “Oh.” My brows furrowed. “You couldn’t make an exception for them?”

  “No. Sorry. No high school boys are allowed to hang out with us, so that’s Adam out, and Trina hasn’t come up as a recruitment option, so that’s her out too.”

  “I see.” I swallowed hard, heart pounding. “Well, I’m really grateful that you’ve offered me membership, and I’d obviously love to get off the blacklist… but I don’t think I can accept. Adam and Trina have been there for me from the very start, and they’ve supported me throughout all the bullying. I can’t just ditch them now, and I don’t want to, either. They’re my friends.”

  “We thought you might say something like that, and we understand,” Camila said gently. “But we hope you reconsider. This could be great for your future.”

  Kiri nodded. “Maybe take a couple of weeks to think about it,” she added. “I know it would be hard for you to spend less time with your best friends, but it’s not like you’ll never see them at all. You can still hang out with them in your free time.”

  “I get that, but it just wouldn’t feel right to join a club where they aren’t welcome all the time,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

  “No apology necessary. I totally understand. Just promise us you’ll think about it, okay?”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  “Great!” Camila flashed me a megawatt smile. “We’d really love to have you.”

  “Thanks for thinking of me.” I smiled and stood up, figuring it was time for me to go.

  One of the girls walked me to the door, and she leaned in for a quick hug. “It was great to meet you properly, Laney,” she said. “Even if you don’t join us, we’re still going to do what we can to stop your bullies when we see them.”

  “Thank you,” I murmured. “That’s really nice of you.”

  I left the room, mind whirling.

  Did I make the right choice in turning the Medusas down?

  One part of my mind said yes, absolutely. I didn’t want to ditch Adam and Trina after everything they’d done for me. It wasn’t right, and I hated the idea of not seeing them as much as I usually did. I hated the idea of keeping secrets from them, too, and I knew I would have to do that if I joined the exclusive society.

  Another part of my mind screamed at me, telling me how stupid I was to say no. The bullying would stop if I joined the society, and I’d have access to money and guaranteed job opportunities in the future. How could I say no to that?

  The two sides warred with each other as I walked down the hall. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost crashed right into someone else when I turned the corner.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said, jumping backwards.

  “That’s quite all right.”

  I realized I recognized the man. It was Charles Connery. “Oh! Hi, Mr. Connery.”

  His brows furrowed as he stared down at me, and then his eyes widened. “Laney? Is that you?”

  “Yup.”

  “I’m suddenly feeling some sort of déjà vu. Did I see you recently?” he asked, rubbing his chin.

  “Yes. I waitressed at a party at your house a few months ago.”

  “Ah, that’s right.” He lifted his brows. “So you’re an RFA student now, huh?”

  “Yes. I got a scholarship.” Possibly because of your son, I thought to myself.

  “I’m not surprised. Your mom talks about how smart you are all the time, so it’s no wonder the school finally decided to snap you up,” he said with a polite smile, all but confirming that he had no idea about the scholarship until now.

  “Thank you.”

  “How are you finding it so far?” he asked.

  I swallowed and averted my eyes, hesitant to let him know that one of his sons was the ringleader of my terrible bullies.

  I knew he wouldn’t be mad at me, but he might mention it to Hunter in an attempt to make him stop. Then Hunter would probably torture me even more as punishment.

  “It’s been great,” I ended up saying. “I’ve joined a lot of clubs. Made some friends.”

  “Excellent." He glanced at his watch. “Anyway, I have a meeting with Headmaster Sanders in a few minutes, so I better go.”

  I stepped aside. “Oh, sorry to keep you.”

  “No need to be sorry. It was great to see you.”

  “You too, Mr. Connery.”

  He took a few steps, and then he turned to look back at me. “Are you sure you’re doing okay here, Laney?” he asked, brows knitting.

  I swallowed hard. “Yes. I’m fine.”

  “All right.” He nodded slowly. “I just couldn’t help but notice that you look a little… frightened.”

  “Not at all.” I forced a smile. “Everything is totally fine.”

  14

  Laney

  “Good luck.”

  My brows rose at the whispered comment, and I turned to see that it came from one of the girls in my single scull rowing group. She was standing next to me, waiting for Coach Reilly’s signal to go down the little steps that hung in lane intervals along the dock.

  Usually we went into the water off the shore, but this afternoon was different. It was our first race of the season. Just a school-based event to test our ability and progress, but exciting nevertheless. If I did well enough in my category, I might get moved up in the ranks and be allowed to compete against other schools.

  Surprisingly, almost half of RFA had turned out to watch the regatta. Lacrosse, football and basketball usually attracted the most attention and adulation from students here, so Coach Reilly was extra pleased wi
th the high turnout. I heard him telling one of the assistant coaches earlier that it might encourage more people to sign up next term. The other rowing club members were excited too.

  I was wary, though. There must be a reason why so many people were here today, and I had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with me.

  I gave the girl next to me a faint smile. “Thanks. You too.”

  “You probably don’t even need any luck,” she replied. “You’re so fast. I bet you’ll win.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe,” I murmured, refusing to look her in the eye.

  I wasn’t trying to be rude. It was just that I couldn’t trust anyone anymore, even if they were being nice to me. For all I knew, the girl meant her ‘good luck’ in a sarcastic way, and she actually hoped I would get caught up in a sudden waterspout and drown.

  It wouldn’t surprise me all that much, because the bullying at RFA had stayed at the same level for the last few days. Nasty comments in the halls, surprises in my locker (I’d stopped bothering to have the combination changed by now, because they always broke in anyway) and cruel texts on my phone. Some people had even started sending me photos of myself, making it clear that they were following me around campus or spying on me in the library.

  Ms. Flores had stayed true to her word and disciplined the students whose names she got from the screenshots I’d taken, but that actually made things slightly worse. Word had gotten around about them and the reason they were suspended, so everyone else had started using fake accounts. The abusive messages now came from people with names like Lou Skunt, U.R. Slutte, and Jack Mehoff.

  So original.

  Coach gave us the signal to get into our sculls and properly align ourselves in the lanes marked out in the water with yellow buoys. I was in lane number one. It was a blessing and a curse—the quickest to get to, but also the most visible from the shore, which made me feel extremely self-conscious.