Cruel Intentions: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Kings of Hawk Academy Book 2)

by Sarwah Creed

  I couldn’t imagine him chasing anything, let alone anyone. I laughed to myself at the idea of him hunting and killing an animal. He seemed too uptight to do anything as interesting as that, I started to get bored thinking about Mr. Winston, he wasn’t that interesting, and the idea of him being anything more than what was standing in front of me was a bad joke.

  My mind drifted to the real thing on my mind, the note. Crap, Vicki was reading it.

  So, how did you escape?

  I watched her intently as she was reading the note. I couldn’t figure out her mood until I saw a smirk on her face. Then she folded it and started watching Mr. Winston again. She didn’t even look back at me. All my excitement about her reading the note disappeared and my mood changed because she didn’t look back at me.

  All I could do was hope that it was the note that made her smile. I didn’t hear the bell ring, and I sat there stupidly until I realized that everyone had rushed out as if there was a fire in the class. I wasn’t the only one that thought that it was beyond boring, then, I thought as I got up to head out of class.

  I was a lovesick fucking teenager; I wasn’t just acting like it. Making a girl smile was never on my agenda. The only thing I was interested in was making them moan. I shook my head at the idea of me not being a horny teenager but turning into a sappy one.

  The class had ended abruptly for me, and I was disappointed as I noticed that Vicki had left class and she didn’t say a word. I was excruciatingly disappointed as defeat washed over me and I was ready to leave. At first, I didn’t notice, but then I saw something was put on my desk. My note returned, with a message saying, Meet me at the library - History Section at 5.

  The one part of the library that no one went to. I knew, because it was empty yesterday when everyone was staring at me like I was a leper. Vicki was as eager to meet me as I was her. It put a fucking smile on my face. One that matched the smile Mr. Winston got from teaching history.

  I shouldn’t be happy about seeing Vicki, not with the way things were going down with James. It was as if I hardly knew him. Once upon a time, our parents made us wear the same clothes, so we wouldn’t complain that what the other was wearing was better. As we got older, we continued to act that way, even if we wore the same thing, we didn't care. I didn’t realize at the time, but the reason we behaved like that, was because we were competing with each other.

  As we grew older, it became the opposite; we wanted our own identities. We stopped wanting to look alike so James would grow his hair out or dye it. Now we didn’t even talk about changing our looks or even being different, it was just a natural thing that happened to us as we got older, it was as if we had evolved and now I was wondering if it was just our looks that had been evolving over time or our personalities too? I hoped that it was only one and not both of them.

  Chapter Five

  The day just fucking dragged on. It was always that way whenever I had something interesting to do. I ran to my locker to dump some of my books and headed to the library; it was the first time in my life that I would be early for something, and I laughed at the idea of it. I had studied, and I could do with a bit of rest because my stress-levels had been through the roof.

  I used to be a straight-A student, now I would be lucky if I passed, let alone managed to get a C. I should be heading to the library to study and nothing else, but I didn’t feel like it. Besides, tomorrow was another day.

  My phone rang, and without looking at the caller ID, I swiped to accept the call.

  “Yep?”

  “Trent. It’s me, Hawk,” my mood changed as I realized who was on the other side of the line.

  “OK,” I said to break the silence. I didn’t see the point of him calling me. The crazy part was that he never called me, now I was thinking about it. Usually, he would summon me by text or via James.

  “Do you know where James is? He’s not picking up his phone, and I can’t get ahold of him.”

  I shook my head, as if he could see me. I didn’t really care if he could or not because there was part of me that was annoyed about him calling me to get to James.

  “Nope.”

  “Oh, so you’ve disagreed about something?”

  Gee, he was really pulling my chain now. First of all, he was calling me and he knew that if I didn’t know where James was, that could only mean that we weren’t talking.

  “And?”

  “Trent as much as I love these one-syllable conversations with you, I need to talk to James. If you hear from him then let me know.”

  Then he hung up. Well with that kind of response, did he really expect me to contact him or even tell James that he was after him? The man needed to work on his manners, that was for sure. They seemed to get worse over the years, and I didn’t see what James saw in the man. They were close, even though James denied it. Otherwise, why else would Hawk be picking up the phone to ask me to tell James to contact him? He only did that because he was desperate, and I didn’t give a fuck why.

  ***

  I sat there like a chump watching for her to turn up and thinking about the conversation that I’d had with Hawk and it annoyed me even more.

  The whole idea of being stood up felt like a lightning bolt being struck at my head, not my heart. I remember one time, our dearest stepdad asked if both James and I had a heart, we both struggled to answer his question and he knew the reason why.

  Part of me hated him for asking in the first place, but as I was about to swallow my pride and accept the fact that I’d been stood up, she walked in as if she’d been running. Her face was all red, and it was clear that she was either running from someone or late meeting me.

  “I’m so sorry; it was so hard to get away.”

  I smiled until I thought about Hawk being back.

  “Is Hawk back?”

  She shook her head, “Worse, Stevens.”

  Hawk wasn’t around at the academy; the only time that he felt like the boss being vice principal, was when Hawk wasn’t around. It made him feel good being vice principal and having no one to answer to even if it was a short time. It was just that Hawk had never been away this long - a day or two for family or visiting mom in rehab, but never this long.

  “It’s as if I’m in prison or something; I don’t know how much more of it I can take. It’s as if I can’t even breathe at the moment.”

  She sat down abruptly and slammed her bag on the floor. It made a sound, but no one was near this section of the library, like ever. I’d done a couple of girls here before, and everyone knew that it was the quiet part of the building.

  “So, how are things going?” I asked, just to have something to say.

  “Well, that night, Friday night, Hawk came into the room, and then well, you know what happened.” She said, waving her arms. As if anyone could forget that night. She was whispering as if she didn’t want anyone to hear her. I didn’t bother telling her that no one came down to this part of the library, then again, Claire could be snooping around or even worse have spies doing the job for her.

  “He told me to stay in my room and in the morning, he would explain, which he didn’t.”

  “Urgh?”

  “I know, I waited Saturday, Sunday and he didn’t show. I wanted answers; the whole thing just freaked me out. He let me stay in the main house and not my dorm when things went sour with Sarah and Claire. I thought that he was nice, he mentioned knowing my dad, and that was why I stayed here in the first place. He said that he knew my dad.”

  I think that she was waiting for me to say something or maybe she just wanted to catch her breath.

  “He said that he was my dad just like that, I couldn't believe it. If it wasn’t for that night, would I have ever known? Who does that? He told me that he knew my dad, he never said that he was my dad, it’s all so messed up. Anyway, Monday came, and I’m ready to come to school, and it’s like I get this bug or something, been in bed ever since. Then, I felt a bit better later on, so I called you, but that night I felt weak again
. So, I decided that it was best to stay in one more day and then come to class. I didn’t want one day off, let alone two because I’m already so far behind. Sorry, I should have called to tell you that I wouldn’t be in yesterday, but I didn’t know, maybe I was hoping that Hawk would come back. Trent, you didn’t mind me calling you, did you?”

  I shook my head, wondering if it was time for me to speak, but she opened her mouth to continue, so I sat listening to her.

  “I’ve felt as if I’ve been locked up in a dungeon. Like there’s something wrong with me. I’m his daughter, and all this time, he knew it and said nothing.”

  She was just so…vulnerable. Which made me feel like a dick because I wanted to use her to get back at Hawk. At the same time, I couldn’t help thinking it was the perfect opportunity to carry out what wasn’t even really a plan yet. Get her to trust me, confide in me, then I’d break her just like he’d broken my mother.

  She choked when she spoke again, “Well, he did say that he knew my dad, like some kind of sick joke. It was him all along, I still can't get my head around it.”

  As she said it, her eyes traced across the table, and it was then that I noticed the resemblance. It was as clear as day, the same shaped nose, and pointed chin, and as for the eyes, they were mirror copies of each other. I hadn’t noticed it until she sat in front of me, but I wondered how she’d spent time with him and never noticed that she was a female version of Hawk? Or even suspected it when he said that he knew her dad?

  “How did you not realize that you look like him?”

  I couldn’t resist the question.

  “I just never looked. I don’t know…it’s like my whole life, I’d heard so many versions of the man. One minute, Mom would say that he was someone she met somewhere at a bar. That was an obvious lie because she wasn’t old enough to go to a bar when she had me, but I never questioned her because I believed that when she was ready to tell me the truth then she would tell me about him. For some reason, I used to think that my dad was some dark secret, a really bad one, that's why she kept him hidden from me for so long. Or at times, I used to think that he was dead, and she didn’t know how to tell me. I…”

  A tear rolled up in her eye. I could see that she was going to say something more, but whatever it was, this wasn’t the time or the place. Besides, listening to her story made me feel sorry for her, as if I had a heart. Something that Hawk said that James and I didn’t possess, and I knew that he was right, but listening to Vicki's story, it was clear that Hawk didn't have one either.

  “Should we get on with what you’ve missed so far?”

  I wasn’t much of a comforter, and if Vicki wanted a shoulder to cry on, she was at the wrong place. She looked shocked at my statement, but that is what she wanted to meet me for. It couldn’t have been just to tell me her sad story.

  She nodded her head and wiped her tears.

  “Yes. That’s what we met up for. Let’s get on with it.”

  I remembered her words when she phoned, and I could have asked her to tell me more. But I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. I didn’t want her to come running to me with all her problems. As she took out her books, I felt relieved that we were going to study, and maybe I would get a piece of what I had that night with her. Then again, for some reason, I didn’t feel like it. It had been on my mind all day, until I saw her and realized that she was a mess—much more than I’d ever imagined and as much as I wanted to be selfish, I knew that if I took her to my suite and took my satisfaction with her, it wouldn’t work. Pleasure only worked well if it was given and returned. She wouldn’t be in the mood, and I knew that by the end of it, neither would I.

  Chapter Six

  I got back to my empty room, and as I slumped my bag on the floor, I slammed the door shut. I felt fucking frustrated with everything that was going on in my life; from my brother, who was missing in action, to a girl that was my stepsister.

  I looked at the living space, smiling at the idea of others being jealous of us being so privileged, but we weren’t happy. Money doesn’t buy happiness, and we were evidence that the fucking saying was right. I’d heard several students complain about their roommate, their living space being cramped because their roommate took up too much space.

  The Academy runs pretty much like university dorms. The more money you had, the more space and the less likely it was that you had to share with anyone. Some had their private bathroom suite in their bedroom, but no amount of money could buy anyone the private kitchen and living room that James and I had. It was frowned upon to be completely anti-social at the Academy. ´If some students had their own private space, then they wouldn’t mingle, something Stephanie told me a long time ago, once when we went to one of the rooms. We had a very special student on the way, she’d told me, a royal student was coming to the Academy from Denmark or it could have been Sweden, I can’t remember which country she came from, but it was one of the Scandinavian countries.

  The rule was, whenever a VIP student was coming to the Academy, Stephanie would inspect the room. I remember a couple of times she took me along with her; she wanted me to understand the importance of perfection. She was the only one in the family that would teach me anything that couldn’t be taught in a classroom. She wanted me to know the importance of ethics; back then, I tried to learn and retain everything she taught me, until the day she died. After that, nothing seemed to matter anymore.

  I took a deep breath as I slumped on to the leather sofa, which faced the life-size TV that James insisted on having to watch football. I could count on one finger the number of times we sat and watched a game on it, only once. He wanted it because he had an idea that we would have some guys over and watch a game or two.

  The problem with Hawk Academy was that most of the guys didn’t like football and the ones that did, hell, we wouldn’t be caught dead with them in public, and that would be the price for bringing them back to our suite. The type of guys that were only in the Academy because their dream in life was to follow in their father’s footsteps or the one’s so desperate to be part of the king’s friends so they could get ahead with one of the girls that we hung around with. Everyone wanted something from us, always, but the only thing that we needed in return was sex. It was the only thing that the girls had to offer, and the boys couldn’t help us in that department so mingling with them wasn’t a necessity; sometimes we just did it out of boredom.

  Until now, I’d forgotten what it was like to be lonely. I tried to forget what it was like to be alone, and now as my eyes started to shut, the memory came to my mind, and I hated it.

  Even though mommy kissed me, and my eyes fell shut automatically, I was awake. Wide awake. Like a light bulb was on and glaring into my eyes to keep me awake. I waited until she shut the door, I was still smiling from the kiss, but I wished that James and I had the same bedroom so we could play. I picked up a truck, put on the computer at the side of my room, and then started the train set but just as quickly as I turned it on, I had to turn it off. It made too much noise, and then I huffed because I was bored.

  Alone and bored.

  I hated my parents for not wanting James and I to be next door to each other. I wanted my brother to be in the same room so we could laugh as the lights were turned off. Finish each other’s thoughts and be happy to be in each other’s company.

  Now, what was I going to do?

  I had an idea. I would go across the hall and speak to my brother. I would wake him up even if he was sleeping. I didn’t care. I was bored, and I was happy that mommy tucked me into bed.

  I crept to my door and waited, waited to see if anyone passed. No one did. I was happy when I stepped outside into the hall, the bright light shone into my room, and I felt as if the spotlight was on me, so I quietly shut my door and felt like a kid on a mission. That thought gave me a big rush. Being a bad kid always made me feel that way, especially when I knew that if I played it right, I would never get caught doing it.

  I stopped for a min
ute. I forgot to stuff my bed with pillows, then I sighed thinking how that was what I used to do before and mommy always used to find out that we were sneaking into each other’s room, because we used to stuff our beds with pillows. The same thing that I wanted to do now, but mommy didn’t check on us anymore. So, I shrugged thinking that there was no need to do it. Not anymore.

  I quickly hurried to James's bedroom, but then something stopped me as I stood at the top of the stairs. It was Daddy; he was talking to someone. Whispering at first, but then shouting at the same time. James did that when we were sneaking around, he wasn’t good at it. Not like me.

  “Make sure it goes everywhere. The entire house has to burn, and it has to be made to look like an accident. Got it?”

  Whoever he was talking to, I couldn’t see them, but I wanted to as I tried to squeeze my body through the wooden bars at the top of the staircase. I gave up, as whoever it was told dad that they would do as he said. Daddy was satisfied as he continued to pour out Mommy’s favorite drink out of the bottle. I was annoyed for a second, thinking that there was no way that Mommy would be happy about any of this. They always argued, and that was why he stopped living here. She’d throw the bottle against the wall, as she did one time, when she saw that the bottle was empty. I didn’t get it, there were loads of other drinks in the house, but that was Mommy’s favorite and I knew that she would get mad again, if she knew that there wasn’t any left and Daddy was pouring it all over the carpet.

  It’d only been a little while since Daddy stopped living with us. Mommy didn’t tell us that Daddy was leaving or that he’d left, which was weird. I saw all his clothes in their closet, the only thing that was missing was him and his car. But then his car was missing before he left. He said that he sold it, which made no sense. Why would Daddy sell his car and not get a new one? I asked him and he told me, like all grown-ups did, ´When you’re older, you’ll understand better? ´