The Heartbreak Prince Duet

by C. R. Jane

  I didn't know if I was relieved or not that our "private bathroom" actually only consisted of a private toilet and mirror. I was still going to have to use the common area showers. I knew I would never have felt comfortable showering while Melanie was in the room though, and at least the common area showers had outside doors that could be locked, even if someone could peek in from over and under the doors.

  I waited until Melanie was asleep before I snuck out to the showers with my caddie. The common rooms were blissfully quiet. I hadn't expected anyone to be friendly, having one friend like Lane was more than I'd thought I'd get, but the looks from the girls that I'd seen so far had been downright hostile.

  It had been ten years since my father had gone out with a bang...but it still seemed like the memory of his sins wasn't fading, even towns away.

  I’m used to being hated.

  I’m used to being lonely.

  Someday, I would get far enough away from my past that it could no longer haunt me.

  Ignoring the image of Jackson's perfect face floating through my mind every time I thought of leaving this state for good and the pang of regret that image always brought me, I focused on what was in front of me, what needed to be done.

  I showered quickly, the blissful quiet transforming into eerie silence for some reason. I'd brought my pajamas with me, not daring to make the rookie mistake of going down the hall with just a towel on in the off chance that someone was out there ready to make a fool of me.

  After I was dressed, I crept down the halls, back to my room. I kept the lights off while I put my caddie away, trying to be as quiet as possible so that I didn't wake Melanie up...she was, unfortunately, a bit of a snorer. But I guess I would always know when she was asleep.

  I sunk down on my bed, immediately letting out a small shriek as soon as my body touched my sheets.

  They were soaking wet with chunks of ice scattered all over.

  Someone—my new roommate most likely—had dumped ice water all over my bed.

  My shriek had been loud enough to raise the dead, but my roommate hadn't even budged, and the sounds of her snoring were still there.

  Evidently, she was an actress as well.

  I started shaking, not knowing how to describe exactly what I experienced; maybe it was a mixture of anger and distress.

  No matter where I went, or how "elite" or "mature" the student body was supposed to be...it was still going to be like this.

  I was exhausted and now I had nowhere to sleep. My roommate...or whoever had done this, had done a good job, there wasn't a spot of my bed that had been untouched. I guess I should just be happy that it was just water and not something worse.

  This was a warning shot, to remind me where exactly my place was in this school. For a moment, I longed for Jackson. He'd always been my protector growing up and it was a bad habit that I still wished he was in that role.

  Scooping up my pillow and setting it down on the floor, I put a few layers of my clothes on top of it, hoping they would keep me from feeling the worst of the chilly dampness. I couldn't risk going to sleep out on the couches out in the common room, and I didn't know where Lane's room was yet. I just had to hope that my roommate didn't decide to draw on my face while I was sleeping.

  It was a long night, and Melanie made sure to step on my hair in the morning when she woke up for class, pretending that she hadn't seen me there.

  "Why exactly are you sleeping on the floor?" she said in an annoyed voice, no sign on her face that she was the culprit behind my wet night.

  I opened my mouth to respond and then decided against it. There was no way that she one, somehow missed someone either coming into the room and dumping water all over my bed...or two, forgot she had decided to torture her new roommate for kicks and giggles.

  "Rough mattress," I finally answered, a dare in my eye as I stared at her. Her eyes widened imperceptibly, a little grin flashing on her face before she flounced into the bathroom without another word.

  When she didn't come out after twenty minutes, it dawned on me I wasn't going to make it to class on time if I waited to get ready when she was done.

  Flipping open my compact mirror, I groaned. I looked like shit. I guess that's what sleeping on the floor on a soggy pillow with one eye open did to you.

  Half a bottle of concealer, and I knew it wasn't going to get any better. Giving up, I put a little eyeliner and mascara and some pink lip-gloss, and called it good. My hair went up in a messy bun. My roommate had every outlet taken over in the bedroom, and I didn't feel like inciting her wrath by unplugging something she thought important to use my hair straightener.

  That was a fight for another day.

  Some black skinny jeans and a black spaghetti strap top followed by an oversized flannel completed my look. Not what I would have picked for my second day at Rutherford, but there were worse things.

  A wave of guilt hit me just then, so strong that it threatened to knock me over with its suddenness. Here I was worrying about stupid things like how I looked…and Caiden wouldn't ever get to care about anything again.

  I drew in a hiccupping breath, practicing my deep breathing exercises that my hospital mandated therapist had taught me when my anxiety attacks after Caiden's accident crippled me.

  After a few minutes, my panic subsided, and I was able to breathe normally.

  I glanced at my phone. Shit, I was going to be late.

  I walked out of my room, down the hall, and out of the dorm, my limp more pronounced after my uncomfortable night on the floor. I rubbed my thigh, hoping that the pain shooting through my leg would subside soon. I needed to pop an Advil as soon as I got to class.

  I was a few feet away from my dorm room door when a familiar face suddenly popped up beside me.

  "Hey, dollface," Landry said. He was wearing a tight-fitting forest green Henley that made his amazing green eyes pop even more. He was a nice sight after the night I'd just had.

  "Can I take you to breakfast?" he asked, taking my book bag off my shoulder and hoisting it onto his own. I hadn't dared to leave any of my books in my room with Melanie, not sure what she or someone else would do to them so they were all in my bag, making my limp even worse under the weight.

  "Did you pack rocks in here?" he asked, pretending to hunch over from the weight of my bag.

  "Something like that," I murmured, not wanting to get into what had happened the night before. The verdict was still out for Landry, and there was no way I was spilling anything important to him right now.

  "So...breakfast?" he asked again, and I gave him a small frown of disappointment.

  "Unfortunately, my roommate hogged the bathroom this morning, and I'm running late," I told him as we began to walk towards where I hoped I was right that my classes were.

  He looked so disappointed that I decided to throw him a bone. "I could meet you for lunch?" I told him, wishing that his green eyes stirred up even an ounce of lust. I really needed to find a way to unbreak myself.

  Speaking of lust, I caught sight just then of Jackson, talking with a group of guys that looked like they were on the football team with him, judging by their size. He talked to them, but his gaze was locked on mine. It was the first time we'd had any form of eye contact in years and I worried I was going to melt on the spot. By his mere presence, Jackson Parker commanded attention, and he definitely had mine; every nerve in my body was highly attuned to his proximity, shimmering like a spark waiting to ignite. His intense gaze held mine for what felt like an eternity before Landry asked me something that forced me to look away.

  I thought Landry had just asked me what class I had today, but I wasn't paying attention. Landry threw a frown over my shoulder, aimed at Jackson.

  He chose to ignore my distraction, repeating his question again with a charming smile. I opened my mouth to answer when I felt him. Landry's mouth pursed in displeasure, and I turned around, trying to prepare myself for the experience of having Jackson so close to me.

  "Can I
help you, Parker?" Landry barked. Oh, they knew each other and apparently, they had bad blood between them because Jackson was shooting him a look that could kill.

  "Just wanted to see who you had here, Evans," Jackson replied, his smooth voice rolling over my skin, sending an instant rush of lust skittering across my body. Jackson glanced at me casually, and I realized that he was going to pretend that he didn’t know me. What was that all about?

  "You must be the newbie," he said charmingly, holding out his hand. There was a low rumble behind me, and Jackson's cocky grin grew even wider. I stared at his hand for a moment, getting the feeling that it was going to bite me. Uncertain of what game Jackson wanted to play, I hesitated to involve myself. After it started to get awkward, I tentatively reached out my hand towards his.

  As my palm connected with his, a line of electricity shot up my arm, and the air felt full of an almost palpable energy. His brow furrowed and his smirk dissolved into the straight line of his lips. Had he felt it, too? The intensity of his stare caused a hot flush to spread up my chest like a wildfire. Those damn eyes—it was as if they searched mine for answers to unasked questions. My lips parted to respond to the mysterious inquiry, but no sound escaped my now parched throat. Shaking my head, I recovered and slipped free from his grip.

  With our physical connection broken, his smile returned.

  "If there's anything you need, I'm Jackson, and I'm at your service," he told me.

  I took a step backward, needing space from the energy he threw at me. He followed my movements to my plain black flats. Suddenly, I didn’t feel as ferocious as I had when I left my dorm room a few minutes earlier. The confidence I held as I slipped into my favorite flannel had been stripped away, leaving only me. Everly James, loser, traitor… cheater.

  And in front of me was a god among men.

  Jackson Parker wasn’t the boy next door—he was the lion ready to slaughter the lamb. I counted to three to ensure I wouldn’t squeak out an answer. “I think I'll be fine.”

  His eyes continued with their hypnotic spell as others invaded the moment, the group of guys he'd been talking to when I first saw him sidling up to where we were standing.

  "Who do we have here?" one of them purred, looking me up and down in a way that made me immediately feel dirty.

  Was it just my imagination or had Jackson just taken a step in front of me so he blocked me from view? That couldn't have been on purpose...right?

  "Everly, you were saying you were running late for class?" Landry reminded me, and I nodded, shooting them all what I hoped looked like a polite smile, despite the fact that they were all looking at me like I was fresh meat.

  Landry hustled me away from the group, but I could feel Jackson's hot stare following me as I walked. I thought a lot about what we would say to each other when he saw me again, but I hadn't anticipated what had just happened. It made me feel uneasy and a little sick to my stomach. Jackson had always been bold. I'd grown used to his antics after so many years as his best friend...but whatever game he'd just started with me? I didn't know how to handle that.

  "...lunch?" Landry asked as we stopped in front of the building that housed my class.

  I nodded numbly and waved to him as I hustled into the grey stone building, desperate to get away from both Jackson’s and Landry's stares.

  It was hard to concentrate during class, even though the professor was engaging. It should have been one of my favorite classes—English literature, but all I could think about was that strange look in Jackson's eyes as he stared at me. Like he had plans for me...and not good ones.

  No one tried to talk to me, and that was fine. The distrustful side-eyes directed my way were enough to deal with.

  I hustled out of class, or, at least, went as fast as my leg would allow, suddenly eager to see Landry's friendly face. It was still way achier than usual, thanks to my night on my floor. Which reminded me, I needed to find Advil and find out where the school laundry was this afternoon so that I could wash my sheets. It hadn't smelled like anything but water, but I wasn't going to risk it, even if my budget hadn't anticipated needing to wash things this early on.

  I got outside and squinted into the sunshine as I looked for Landry's face. There was no sign of him. I sat on one of the benches outside the building and waited.

  After ten minutes, I felt like a fool. Landry wasn't here, and I was pretty sure that he wasn't coming.

  Deciding I'd had enough, I got up to make my way to one of the cafeterias. Skipping breakfast had left me starving.

  I made my way across the bustling green space, getting shoulder checked several times by other students as they walked by, not bothering to pay attention to where they were going, thanks to the fact that their eyes were glued to their phones.

  When I'd made it across the green and there was still no sign of Landry, I pushed aside my disappointment and vowed to not accept any more lunch invitations with strangers.

  My stomach growled, and I sped up my walk, I just needed to get through an alley in between two buildings that were in front of the cafeteria, and then I could eat.

  I had just entered the alley when I stopped in surprise. Jackson leaned against the wall, by himself, as if waiting for me.

  "Hi," I said cautiously, limping toward him. His eyes glittered as he watched my walk for a moment, but then they lifted back to my face and stared at me decidedly disinterested.

  He pushed away from the wall and prowled towards me. I resisted the urge to run away, steeling my shoulders as he approached.

  Of course, being Jackson, he couldn't stop at a respectable distance from me, he had to make sure he was up close, taking up all of my space.

  "Not ignoring me now?" I asked, not liking how breathy my voice sounded as I spoke. It sounded far too affected.

  "I wasn't ignoring you. I didn't recognize the whore standing in front of me out there," he said blithely as he once again flicked his gaze up and down my body.

  I tried to throttle the hurt crashing over me at his words. He knew I wasn't a whore. He knew because he was the first...and only guy I'd ever been with. Not that he would know that last part now.

  "What are you doing here?" he finally growled when I didn't respond to his bait.

  "You know what I'm doing here," I said exasperatedly. "I toured the campus with you..." I stopped, my words getting caught in my throat since Caiden had also been there for that tour.

  He took a step back, a triumphant look on his face, as if his whole goal in the conversation had been to remind me of Caiden, the boy I'd destroyed.

  "Trust me when I tell you this is the last place you should be," he told me as he reached out and briefly touched a piece of my hair that had flown into my face. He pulled back his hand like he'd been stung, and I ignored the way I desperately craved his touch.

  Raising his fingers to his mouth, he began to pull on his lower lip as he continued to stare at me, and as usual...it did something to me. The same something it did earlier this morning. I shifted, hoping he didn't notice my thighs squeezing together.

  Of course he did, and his pensive stare changed to the cocky smirk that I was infinitely familiar with.

  "Jackson, please..." I said, all my plans to play it cool disappearing now that he was standing in front of me.

  For some reason, me saying his name angered him, and he suddenly grasped my chin so tightly that I was sure he would leave a bruise. "I told you two years ago that you were dead to me, Eves," he murmured, one of his pet names for me slipping out, accidentally I was sure. "I haven't changed my mind. I'm warning you right now to leave...because I'm a nice guy," he continued, with a grin that was definitely not nice before he released my chin, turned, and began to walk away.

  "Is that a threat?" I called in a clenched voice after him.

  He laughed, the sound menacing and cold. "No, Everly. It's a promise," he threw over his shoulder before he turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

  I resisted the urge to sink to my knees righ
t here in the alley. A group of giggling girls walked past me at that moment, giving me strange looks since I was frozen in place in the middle of the walkway.

  Like I said, I'd imagined different scenarios of how our first meeting would go constantly over the last two years.

  But I hadn't imagined this.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jackson

  I smirked as I spotted Landry across the room sporting the black eye I’d given him after this morning’s meet and greet on the green. I'd heard that he'd been holed up in the trainer's office this morning getting checked out for a concussion. He had hit his head pretty hard after I punched him. Wouldn't want him to miss his hockey exhibition tonight.

  Landry wouldn't squeal, that I was sure of. His pride was too big for that. And he knew the hit had just been a warning, a warning not to mess with what was mine. I just hoped that he'd gotten the message so I didn't have to give him another one.

  I sighed and shifted back into my seat uncomfortably, ignoring the way the girls from the cheerleader team in front of me were trying to get my attention. Whoever told girls flicking their hair and pretending to drop things so that guys could see down their shirts was the way to go really needed to be shot.

  The fact I was hard right now had nothing to do with them...unfortunately. And everything to do with the little bitch who had decided to come back into my life.

  The image of her standing in that alley, staring me down bravely flashed in my head. She'd been wearing one of my flannel shirts, my favorite one in fact. And it had messed with me.

  A lot.

  The professor droned on, but I didn't bother listening. We were in a class aptly nicknamed "Rocks for Jocks" since the class consisted of athletes and cheerleaders...most of who didn't give a damn about the geology of our fair state, but who knew they would get a good grade from it.