Ruthless (The Privileged of Pembroke High #4)

by Ivy Fox

  “Nah, man. That’s alright. I get it. Pembroke is no walk in the park for me either.”

  “Yeah, somehow I doubt that,” I joke, eyeing him up.

  Dude reeks of wealth with his top-of-the-line phone and thousand-dollar haircut. He fits in just fine while Maya and I are misfits in the making.

  “Well, this is you.” He points to my locker.

  “Thanks.”

  “I better grab my stuff too before the bell rings. See you in homeroom, yeah?”

  He goes on his merry way while I try to remember my locker combination. You would think it would be an easy enough task to accomplish, but with this fucking tie stifling me, it’s hard to concentrate. I pull at it, needing to breathe, but even with it loose on my neck, it still feels like I’m being strangled.

  Four years of this shit.

  What the fuck did I get myself into?

  When a familiar hand squeezes my shoulder, a soothing calm takes over my anxious state.

  “Hey.” Chad smiles, his green eyes instantly eviscerating my nerves.

  “Finally made it, huh? Took you long enough.”

  “Sorry about that. I really wanted to be here early on your first day.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Boy Scout. I can handle myself. Don’t need a chaperone.”

  “I know. Still… I wanted to be here for you. Sorry.”

  His regret is so genuine that my heart constricts in my chest.

  Damn him.

  After what went down at Lace’s party, I know I have to put a stop to these unrequited feelings of mine. But he sure makes it hard for me. He’s like a bad habit I can’t quit, and that just won’t do. He made it painfully clear that Elle was, and always will be, his end game. We’re just friends, and nothing more will come of it. This means I need to get my shit together and ignore the way my heart always flips of its own accord whenever he’s nearby.

  Jesus.

  I really do sound like a goddamn pussy.

  Once I’m finally able to get into my locker, I shove my stuff inside, save for a notebook, and then slam the door shut. Chad wraps his arm over my shoulders, much like I did with Maya earlier, and gives it a comforting squeeze.

  “I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too,” I croak, feeling the air leave my lungs with the way he’s looking at me.

  It’s only when the bell rings that we realize we had been lost in a trance, staring into each other’s eyes.

  “Okay, let’s get you to homeroom.” He laughs, trying to play off the moment we just shared. “Hope you’re ready for it. The minute they get a load of you, you’ll be the talk of the whole school.”

  “Great. Just what I need—spoiled rich kids gossiping about me.”

  “It’ll be fine. By lunch, you’ll be old news. Trust me.”

  “That’s the dream.”

  We both laugh as we walk down the hall.

  “Where’s Princess? I’d assume she’d be glued to your hip right about now.”

  “She’s just running a bit behind. But don’t worry. She has homeroom with us, too.”

  “Great,” I retort sarcastically.

  When we reach the classroom, it’s just as Boy Scout predicted. Some assholes with their deep-rooted scowls in place don’t even try to hide that they’re sizing me up, while others are more discreet about it. Squaring my shoulders, I take a seat next to my best friend and begin to count down the seconds of what’s sure to be a shitty day.

  I haven’t even made it to ten, and the universe is already hinting that my stay here at Pembroke High will be excruciatingly painful. Little Elle Grayson decides to walk into the classroom and brand an image in my head that will have me hard until lunch. In a tight-fitting, white shirt and tie, plaid forest green skirt, and knee-high white socks to match, Elle just became every guy’s wet dream. Memories of the way her lips tasted assault me, and I find myself shifting in my seat to relieve the pressure in my pants.

  Fucking she-devil could easily persuade a saint to get on his knees and sin for her.

  Too bad for her this Saint ain’t interested.

  “You’re in my seat,” she seethes when she sees me.

  “First off, good morning to you too, sunshine. And second, I didn’t see your name on it.”

  “I always sit next to Chad.”

  “Not anymore, you don’t.”

  “Guys, behave,” Boy Scout interjects, always wanting to defuse the situation.

  Elle stares daggers at me while I slump back in my chair, my hands clasped behind my head.

  “I have a seat for you, Grayson,” someone says from behind me.

  I turn my head over my shoulder to see Trevor Manning slapping his thigh, telling Elle exactly where she could sit her fine ass.

  “I’ll pass, thanks,” she retorts with a roll of the eye.

  “Ah, don’t be like that. I promise I won’t take your V-card if you sit on my lap. Besides, there are always loopholes to virginity pledges.” He winks.

  The whole classroom bursts into laughter, but neither Boy Scout nor I think Trevor is funny.

  “That offer good for me, too?” I ask after standing up from my seat.

  His face grimaces.

  “No, asshole. Unlike you, I don’t fuck guys.”

  Chad holds onto my arm to keep me from busting Trevor’s face, while little Elle puts herself in front of me and faces the bully head-on.

  “That’s right. He doesn’t. Trevor only fucks his left hand. Isn’t that right, Trevor?”

  Another bout of laughter ensues throughout the room, this time at Trevor’s expense.

  “Sit down,” I order Elle, not liking the way this asshole is looking at her.

  It’s almost like he could fuck and kill her all in the same breath. This kid has some serious damage in his head, and I wish the fucker didn’t clearly have his sights fixed on Elle.

  “Saint,” Reid calls out, bringing me out of my troubling thoughts. “You can sit with me, man.”

  I walk over to where Reid is seated at the back of the room, giving Trevor my best death glare all the way there. I pull the chair back and sit down, making a mental note that one day soon, I’ll slap that fucking smug smile off his face.

  “Don’t take Trevor too seriously. He wasn’t breastfed as a child.” Reid jokes.

  “I hate that kid.”

  “Not ten minutes in and already making enemies, huh? You sure that’s the way you want to play this?” He arches a brow.

  “Honestly, I could give a rat’s ass.” I shrug.

  “Okay then. But your time here at Pembroke will go a whole lot smoother if you don’t piss people off.”

  “Not my style.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” He laughs. “You don’t seem like a guy who takes things lying down.”

  “Good. ‘Cause I ain’t.”

  “Fair enough. But it would be a bad start to our friendship if I didn’t at least give you a head’s up. Chad told me you’re here on scholarship.”

  “Yeah, so?” I feel my forehead wrinkle, wondering where Reid is going with this.

  “Aside from the Mannings being a big deal in this city, Trevor’s mom is on the school board. I’d play it safe and just keep my distance from him in the future.”

  “Noted,” I retort. “Wait. Is that why you were all up in his sister’s business last weekend? Because of their parents?”

  Reid’s expression turns from friendly to downright arctic.

  “That’s my business.”

  Hmm. I’ve touched a nerve.

  I wonder what that’s all about.

  Actually? No. No, I don’t. I couldn’t give a shit what Reid’s deal is with Lace Manning.

  But he did me a solid with Maya today and warning me about Trevor’s mom being on the school board, so I know he can’t be all bad. I’m still in my head wondering how I can teach Trevor some manners without any blowback when I catch the weight of demon
-like eyes on me.

  Chad is scrolling through his phone, so he is oblivious to his BFF sneaking glances my way. When I catch her in the act, I pucker up and pretend to blow her a kiss.

  “Argh!” She snaps her attention back to Chad while I chuckle under my breath.

  “Oh, shit. Maybe I was warning you against the wrong guy,” Reid chimes in beside me.

  “Huh?”

  He leans closer to me, his blue eyes fixed on Princess, making my skin heat up with fury.

  “If you think having Trevor as an enemy in this school is bad, don’t even get me started if you mess with Elle Grayson. Her brothers will cut your balls off before you can even think of using them on their baby sister. Especially Rome. If you love your nuts, then you’d be wise to stay clear of that one.”

  “Elle doesn’t need her brothers for that,” I reply. “She’s a ballbuster in her own right. But no worries. It would be a cold day in hell before I’d ever let her close to mine.”

  But as those words pass through my lips, I’m not a hundred percent sure that I’m not lying out of my ass.

  “Good to hear, Saint. Because if her brothers don’t do the job, then Chad definitely will.”

  Yeah, Reid.

  I got that memo, too.

  The rest of the morning goes by like any other in my old school. Minus not having to pass a metal detector, Pembroke High is just like your average teenage American jungle. And the one place where all the savages come out to play is, of course, the cafeteria during lunch.

  I hate that I don’t have the same lunch hour as Maya. She must be freaking out all on her own. At least she’ll have money for food. I could have asked Chad to cover Maya’s food expenses as well as her tuition, but that felt like I was begging for scraps, and I do have my pride after all. Getting Maya into this school was all I really cared about. I can make sacrifices to guarantee her the rest.

  I shove my hand in my pants, finding a crumpled five-dollar bill, just enough for a fucking energy drink here.

  “That’s all you’re getting?” Chad suspiciously asks when I place the bottle on my tray.

  “Not hungry.”

  “Liar. You’re always hungry.”

  “Guess I’m not today.”

  I can see in his eyes that he thinks I’m full of shit, and when my stomach starts to grumble with each piece of food he puts on his plate, I confirm his suspicions.

  We walk to a table where Elle is already seated, scrolling through her phone. Chad sits beside her while I take the seat opposite him. I open my overpriced sugar water and take a sip, the caffeine doing nothing to decrease my appetite.

  “Here. I bought too much.” Chad says, giving me his extra plate of burger and fries.

  Leave it to Boy Scout to always look out for me.

  I take a healthy bite, moaning as my eyes roll to the back of my head at how good it is.

  “Geez, Saint. Get a room already, why don’t you?” Elle mocks, her gaze never leaving her screen.

  I’m about to offer her a witty comeback when I see two guys approach in our direction, their gaze locked on Princess. When the one with the cocky-ass smile decides to start tickling Elle, my appetite is officially gone.

  “Will you stop!” She laughs hysterically, wiggling in her seat.

  “Ah, but you love it,” he states, ruffling her hair.

  She slaps his hand away, but the evident love that is dancing in her eyes only increases my nauseousness.

  “God, you’re a pain, Asher.” She rolls her eyes. “Ollie, can you please tell our brother to behave? I’m trying to catch up on my reading for class.”

  “Don’t worry. This won’t take long. We just wanted to come over here and see who the new kid who’s auditioning for the swim team was. Rumor has it you’re good,” Asher explains, tilting his chin in my direction, and now that I know he’s her brother, my nausea subsides.

  “I don’t see how anyone here can say that since no one’s seen me swim.”

  “Well, we’ll see what all the fuss is about soon enough at tryouts.”

  “This school has too much time on its hands to gossip. Leave Saint alone, Ash,” Elle defends, lifting her head up from her phone, but then something must catch her eye, making her lips thin in disgust.

  I turn my head over my shoulder, my curiosity piqued at who else has made it on her shitlist besides me. My gaze lands on her older brother Rome and his knockout girlfriend.

  “God, I hate her. When is Roman going to wake up already and dump her ass?” Elle seethes, gripping the phone in her hand like she wants to strangle it.

  Hmm.

  One look at her twin brothers’ somber faces is enough to tell me that they share in Elle’s sentiment. The rest of the cafeteria crowd doesn’t seem to share in their opinion, though, as they gawk and stare in admiration at the marvelous couple. If this school has some form of hierarchy to it, then I guess those two would definitely be their king and queen.

  “Forget about Addison. Rome will wise up sooner or later,” Ollie states, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

  “I’m not so sure. They have nothing in common, but he acts like she’s his whole world,” Elle retorts, chewing on her bottom lip.

  “You’re being dramatic. He’s just in it for the free pussy.”

  “And now I’ve lost my appetite. Thanks, Asher, for the visual, you jerk.”

  “Any time, little sis.” He chuckles, ruffling her hair again. “See you in the pool, Saint. Chad, look out for my sister, will ya?”

  “Always,” Boy Scout replies without missing a beat.

  “So those are your brothers, huh?”

  “Yep.” She pops the ‘p’ at the end. “Rome, too.” She tilts her head toward her big brother, who is smiling her way.

  “You guys seem tight.”

  “We are. We’re all we’ve got,” she mumbles, bowing her head.

  Chad squeezes Elle’s hand on top of the table, her head lifting back up to stare into his green abyss. A knot in my chest tightens at the silent conversation they’re having with each other.

  That’s what he means when he says Elle is his heart.

  They know every secret, every dream, every thought that has ever passed through their minds. How the fuck can I ever expect to compete with that?

  I can’t.

  And the sooner I get a grip on that, the better.

  “Hi.” I hear a melodic voice behind me, bringing me out of my pensive reverie.

  I turn around to find a busty red-haired girl twirling her locks and staring at me like I’m her new favorite toy. “You’re the new kid, right?”

  I nod, still taking in her measurements.

  “I’m Ashley. Principal Green asked me to come to get you since there are some forms you need to fill out.”

  “Is that so? Is there anything else that needs filling?”

  Her eyes go half-mast as she licks her lips suggestively.

  “Maybe,” she coos.

  I hear gagging noises at my back, and it doesn’t take a genius to know it’s Elle up to her usual antics.

  “Well, lead the way.” I get up from my seat and offer the table a parting salute. “See you guys in class.”

  Elle just rolls her eyes, going back to her phone, while Chad’s face takes on a disappointed expression.

  I follow the girl out of the cafeteria, my eyes fixed on her ass, while my head is still thinking about the boy I just left with sad eyes.

  He flat out told me that Elle was his end game, even if he’s too much of a pussy to do something about it now.

  So why the passive jealousy?

  My mind is still on Boy Scout when Ashley pulls me into an empty classroom.

  “This isn’t the Principal’s Office,” I smirk.

  “No. But I am the welcoming committee,” she singsongs, dropping to her knees and going for my junk.

  Huh.

  Maybe Pembroke High won’t be so bad
after all.

  I mean, it does have its perks.

  Chapter 15

  Chad

  The crowd clamors Reid’s name, encouraging him to beat Ridgemont High’s ass, one breaststroke at a time. I follow them in their excited chant, but deep down, I’m all sorts of nervous. Sure, it’s not the first time I’ve come to cheer on the swim team since Elle has been dragging me to these things the minute Ollie and Ash started competing.

  Tonight is different, though.

  Tonight, Saint is finally making his competitive debut.

  For the past few months, he’s been practicing like mad, trying to live up to the hype that was somehow created when he stepped foot into the school. Throughout the day, kids have been coming up to him in the hallways, wishing him good luck. Of course, the cocky asshole in him always replied that he made his own luck.

  But when we arrived for tonight’s big event, I saw a sliver of his bravado slip from his face as he took in the number of people that were seated in the stands just to watch the team swim.

  Pembroke takes sports very seriously. They pride themselves on being the best—both academically and athletically. Saint has proven his worth in the academic area, showing that he has all the smarts to make it here by acing his classes. Now he must prove his merit again in the chlorine-filled waters, especially since his scholarship was given to him because of it.

  I chug down some water, feeling my mouth dry up as they call the next heat.

  “He’ll be fine,” Elle says beside me.

  “Huh?”

  She rolls her eyes.

  “Saint. He’ll be fine, Chad. Ash can’t stop talking about how Saint is a demon in the water. He’s good, so you don’t have to worry.”

  “I’m not worried.” I laugh nervously.

  “Yes, you are.” She slumps her shoulders. “But you don’t have to be. Like I said, Saint’s got this.”

  I place a chaste kiss on her cheek, appreciative that she put her animosity for Saint on hold long enough to soothe my concern.