Empire High Elite

by Ivy Smoak

  “Take them off and maybe I’ll let you live.”

  I swallowed hard. Isabella could destroy physical things. But she’d never be able to take away my memories. Unless she killed me. I slowly kicked my shoes off.

  “Much better. Now do you want the good news or the bad news?”

  I didn’t want anything from her. I just stared at her.

  “You’re no fun.” She backed up and tapped on the limo window.

  Donnelley slowly climbed out of the car. He was holding a large cardboard box in his hands.

  “Donnelley!” I said and took a step toward him.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Isabella said. “Donnelley is on my side. Not yours. Isn’t that right Donnelly?”

  He didn’t say a word. But he looked miserable. And so freaking guilty. I could tell he wasn’t coming to my rescue tonight. Especially since he was looking at the ground instead of at me.

  “So which is it, Sissy? The good news or the bad news?”

  Chapter 37

  Saturday

  The good news or the bad news. This felt like a trick question. There was no way anything she was about to say was good. Maybe I could make her evil head explode. “The good news,” I said.

  “Splendid,” Isabella said. “The good news is…I’m probably not going to kill you tonight. Even though I don’t understand why, killing you would make Daddy very mad. And I don’t want to make Daddy mad. So if you follow my instructions precisely, I suppose I’ll allow you to live.” She lowered the gun to her side and I felt like my lungs inflated with air for the first time in ages.

  It was good news. Maybe. It kind of depended on what she was going to make me do.

  “But the bad news is that you’re leaving town.” She grabbed something out of the box and walked over to me. “Here’s a map.” She tossed it onto the ground in front of me. “It’s about 10 blocks to the nearest bus station. You can use the walk to clear your head. Sound good?”

  I was literally in my underwear. She didn’t even let me keep my shoes. And I didn’t have any money. Not that they were going to allow my half-naked self into the terminal anyway. “Isabella…”

  “I don’t even care where you go. Just so that you’re out of the city. Gone. Poof.” She snapped her fingers.

  “You can’t just make me disappear.”

  “Of course I can.”

  Her ridiculous pink gun was still lowered to her side. She loved her dad. She didn’t want to disappoint him. Which meant…she wasn’t going to kill me. If she was, she already would have done it. Right? I took a deep breath. “No.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  A smile broke over her face. “Oh, I was actually hoping you’d say no.” She took a few steps toward me. “Do you want to know why I’m doing this?”

  “Because you’re insane?”

  “Oh Sissy, you’re hilarious.” She tapped the gun against her thigh. “You know the actual funny part of all of this? I did want a sibling when I was younger. We could have been friends. I could have at least tolerated you. But no. You sunk your claws into everyone and everything that’s mine! You’ve been ruining everything!

  “First you took Daddy. I don’t know what you did to wrap your poor fingers around him, but you can’t have him. I’m Daddy’s princess. Not you. Daddy is mine.”

  Gross.

  She took a deep breath. “And then with James…”

  “Isabella, I’m sorry about kissing James. It didn’t mean anything. We were just…”

  “James is just another minuscule blip, you imbecile. You’re not letting me finish!” She stared at me like I was the insane one. “I don’t love James. You think I want to be someone’s second choice? He doesn’t love me. And I don’t love him. His parents were in Daddy’s debt. And James is smart and has a good future ahead of him. So they paid off the debt by offering me James’ hand.

  Whoa. What?

  “And I’m going to marry him because Daddy says I have to. And I like making Daddy happy. But I still have four years until I’m supposed to do that. Four years to do whatever I want with whoever I want, as long as it’s not in the public eye. Only four years to be free. And then you came in. And you ruined all my plans.”

  “Isabella, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Matt.”

  “What about him?”

  “I love him.”

  Oh my God. I remembered when she first started torturing me in school. I thought it was because I was staring at the Untouchables’ table at lunch. But it was because I was staring at one Untouchable in particular. Matt. I thought about how she was blackmailing him with that made up sex scandal between him and Rachel. She used it as leverage so Matt couldn’t hang out with me. She made her minions watch him in class. I thought about her death stare when Matt sang to me at the homecoming game. It was all about Matt the whole time.

  “I love him,” she said again. “So you need to leave.”

  But he doesn’t love you back. Love doesn’t work that way.

  “I get him for the next four years because he’s the one thing in my life I get to choose, and I choose him. Once you’re gone, everything will be perfect. Matt will be mine. And then once I have to marry James, I’ll keep Matt as my house boy.”

  What the hell is a house boy? I didn’t even want to know. “You don’t get him for the next four years. You can’t just say something and it becomes real.”

  “Yes I can. I’m a Pruitt.”

  “No you can’t. Matt doesn’t love you. He loves me. And I love him back.” Apparently a conversation with a psychopath was all I needed to see everything clearly. Or maybe it was getting a gun pointed at my head. Or the freezing air against my exposed skin. But I saw it. I saw my future with Matt. And she couldn’t have him for the next four years. Because he was mine forever.

  “He’s infatuated with you because you’re new in town. It’ll fade. Now grab your map and get lost.”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to leave? Maybe this will help you decide.” She walked over to the cardboard box and lifted out some kind of black device with wires and a timer on it. Another thing I’d only seen in movies. I was pretty sure it was a bomb.

  I waited for her to throw it at me or something, but she just walked over to the limo and placed it on top. She pressed something on the side and the timer started ticking down from three minutes.

  No. Kennedy!

  Isabella turned back around. “If you don’t leave in two minutes and 58 seconds, Kennedy will go boom.”

  “You can’t. You’re not allowed to kill people, Isabella. Your father told me the rules.” I wanted to believe it. For some reason I did believe that she wouldn’t kill me. But Kennedy? I had no freaking idea what Isabella was capable of.

  “There are ways around rules, Sissy. Accidental limo explosions are one of those ways. Besides, no one’s going to miss her. For some reason it’s so much more fun now that I got to know her first, you know what I mean?”

  No, you crazy bitch! “Sir Wilfred is in there! You can’t blow up your dog.”

  “Hmmm. Good point. But moot. I saw you pet him. Sir Wilfred is officially tainted. Besides, he’s hardly trained. I’ll just buy another.”

  “Donnelley, do something. Please.”

  Isabella laughed. “Oh, darling. You’re crying again. Such a hot mess. And don’t speak to Donnelley. He can’t help you.”

  “Of course he can. Donnelley, please!”

  “No, he can’t,” Isabella said a little sterner. “Donnelley here is from a very religious family. And do you know what I caught him doing a week ago? Making out with your new friend Justin in a closet.” She laughed. “How fitting right? Since Donnelley is in the closet. And what on earth would his dear mother think if she found out he was batting for the wrong team?”

  You horrible witch. All she knew was blackmail and hatred. I looked over at Donnelley. He was crying too. I could s
ee it in his eyes. How sorry he was. But this wasn’t his fault. None of this was his fault.

  “Tick tock,” Isabella said. “Only one minute left. What are you going to do?”

  It wasn’t a choice. I couldn’t let Isabella kill my best friend. I couldn’t let her out Donnelley. I couldn’t even let her blow up her evil dog.

  I picked up the map.

  “Good girl. And don’t worry. I’ll take great care of Matt. Now disappear, trash goblin.”

  I pulled the map to my chest. I wanted something to come to me that would help me out of this mess. Something clever. But all I could think about was that I had to run. I had to save them.

  A gust of wind made goosebumps rise all over my skin. The map blew out of my hands. I tried to grab it, but my feet slipped in a puddle. I fell to my knees, the water splashing all over me.

  Isabella laughed.

  I looked down at myself sitting in the puddle and I hated that I saw what Isabella saw. Trash. I couldn’t think of a clever way out of this because I wasn’t a scholarship student at Empire High. I was the janitor’s niece. I never belonged here. All I’d done was broken the Caldwells and Hunters lifelong friendship, put my best friend’s life in jeopardy, and ruined the last few months of my uncle’s life. I’d been trying not to think about the last few months, but as soon as I did, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It didn’t matter that Uncle Jim had reassured me otherwise. He still could have been doing anything in the world, but he gave up everything for me. And why? I stared at my hands in the muddy puddle. I was trash.

  “Oh, and Sissy?”

  I didn’t turn to look at her. I didn’t want her to see the tears streaming down my face. I didn’t want her to know exactly how much she had won.

  “If you ever come back to NYC, I’ll shoot you in the face.”

  How had it come to this? Yes, I’d made mistakes, but I wasn’t trash. It was just like Matt had said. Even people who made mistakes were allowed to be happy. I didn’t want to have to leave without telling him that he was right. Right about that. Right about us. A sob escaped my throat.

  Isabella’s laughter pierced the autumn night.

  And it was like the sound of it shook me out of my trance. Isabella was a monster. But I was half Pruitt. That meant that I was half monster too. It was in me somewhere. I knew it was.

  I took a deep breath and stood up. I tried to hide the fact that my body was shaking from the cold. I put one foot in front of the other, ignoring the pavement tearing at the soles of my feet. And I tried to keep my head held high even though her laughter tried it’s best to cut me down.

  I’d make it look like I was leaving NYC. But Isabella wasn’t the queen. And I refused to bow down to her. As soon as I was sure Kennedy was safe, I’d be back. I would never let Isabella win. I would never let her break my spirit. I would never let her hurt me like this again. I would never let her torture Matt. Nunca.

  * * *

  Thank you for reading Empire High Elite! I have good news and bad news:

  The bad news is that Book 3 doesn’t come out until January.

  But the good news is that you can find out what Matt was thinking when he first met Brooklyn! CLICK HERE to get your free copy of Matt’s point-of-view in Matthew Caldwell - The Untouchable.

  The Untouchables. That’s what everyone called us. The nickname had followed us around since we were kids. I wasn’t sure who started it, but the premise behind it was simple. My friends and I could get away with murder. Literally. That’s what happens when your parents own the two biggest companies in Manhattan.

  We were untouchable. And I was…sick of it. I was sick of the lies and the secrets. I was sick of the pedestal we had to stand on. And I was sick of the girls throwing themselves at my feet like I was some sort of god. I was tired of being untouchable. Especially when all I wanted was someone who would never belong in my world…

  CLICK HERE to get your free copy!

  Temptation

  Matthew Caldwell isn’t the only Untouchable with his own story! When James Hunter grows up, he gives up his billionaire lifestyle in NYC to become a professor. But he never expected to be teaching such a beautiful student. He has to resist her. He needs to walk away. Penny deserves better than a man with his demons. But she’s daring him to cross the line. And he’s never been one to resist temptation.

  *Temptation does NOT contain any spoilers about Matt & Brooklyn!*

  CLICK HERE to keep reading about the Untouchables!

  Shy student Penny Taylor always follows the rules. At least, that’s how it appears to her classmates. But she has one illicit secret – she’s fallen hard for her professor. And she’s pretty sure he’s fallen for her too.

  Everyone loves Professor Hunter. He’s tall, dark, and handsome. And completely unobtainable. But it’s the secrets hiding behind his deep brown eyes that allures Penny. Secrets darker than she could ever imagine.

  James Hunter gave up his billionaire lifestyle in NYC last year to become a professor. The easiest new rule to follow: don’t fraternize with the students. It’s easy to follow because he’s become quite the recluse in his new town – the only way he knows how to keep his secrets buried.

  But he never expected to be teaching such a beautiful student. He has to resist her. He needs to walk away. Penny deserves better than a man with his demons. But she’s daring him to cross the line. And he’s never been one to resist temptation.

  CLICK HERE to start reading in Kindle Unlimited!

  A Note From Ivy

  I know what everyone’s wondering - why is Brooklyn never mentioned again in The Hunted universe? And why is Matt single? Is this the answer? Maybe? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!

  I know, I know…I’m pure evil. And another cliffhanger? Seriously, Ivy? But I promise all will become clear soon. Afterall…this is Matt’s story. I’m not sure I ever said it was Brooklyn’s…

  But I have another quick story for you right here right now. It’s about my dedication for this book. Growing up I was terribly shy. I always tell my husband that I had an awkward stage between kindergarten and 12th grade. 100% accurate. And with a voice too shy to speak up for myself…it wasn’t a great combination. So it was easy for me to write Brooklyn’s character because as a little girl, I’d been through some of her struggles. Yes, Empire High is all about love, friendship, and betrayal. But it’s also a story about bullying.

  And the ironic part? While advertising book one of this series, I posted some pictures and videos of myself. Do you know what happened? Tons of comments telling me my hair looked terrible, that color looked bad on me, I should stick to writing and not be put in front of a camera. People laughing. Calling me names. Pointing at me. Hateful comments about my body to hateful comments about me as a person.

  But guess what? I’m not that same little girl anymore. I’ve spent the years since school focusing on believing in myself. Several years ago, if I’d read one of those comments I would have burst into tears. But seeing them now? I refuse to let people like that affect how I feel about myself. I will not let others shame me into silence. Even if their voices are louder than my own.

  For all those people out there that have had to endure comments like that: Ignore the haters. Shake it off. Other peoples’ opinions do not reflect who you are. There’s no room for people like that in our lives. You are loved. You are brave. You are better than the trolls of this world.

  And to all those hateful people out there like Isabella: I hope you one day find peace in a world that is too forgiving for you. Later, Wizzy.

  P.S. Thank you to all the people that defended me. The Smoaksters will always bring each other up instead of tearing each other down.

  Ivy Smoak

  Wilmington, DE

  www.IvySmoak.com

  Before You Go

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