King of Nothing: An Academy Bully Romance (Boys of Almadale Book 1)

by Jacie Lennon

  “Thanks, Doran,” I say, sitting up and looking at the food.

  He gives me a curt nod and walks out the door, leaving me to my first dinner in my new home.

  Lovely.

  Peeling back the plate cover, I see a full spread. Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a side salad. My mouth waters, and I reach for the fork to dig in.

  Once my belly is full and my teeth are brushed, I finally succumb to the exhaustion pulling me under.

  I climb in bed, shedding my pants and hoodie in favor of sleeping in my comfy bra and panties, and let myself fade away to my dreams, which are full of nightmares of my upcoming intro into a real private-school society.

  I’m jerked awake, breath gasping in my chest as I feel the mattress dip down beside me. I curl myself into a ball and scoot toward the headboard as a masculine chuckle cuts the air next to me.

  “Who’s there?” I whisper, attempting to sound like I’m not scared out of my wits, but the truth is, I’ve never felt less safe in the middle of the night.

  “Just me, sis,” a male voice says, seeming to echo in the dark.

  I squint my eyes, attempting to catch any light in the room, and see an outline. “Bodhi or Brock?” I ask.

  Another chuckle follows. “Both.”

  I swallow and fight to remain still.

  “What are you doing in here?” I feel around for my phone to figure out what time it is.

  “Just want to get to know you better.”

  “Can’t you do that tomorrow? I’m sleeping.” I put a stern sound in my tone, showing them and myself that I mean business, but they don’t buy it.

  “Come on, sis. Let’s take a walk or a drive, whatever you want to call it.”

  The mattress bounces as the body next to me gets off the bed, and I sway a little with the movement. I bite my lip and blink again, still unable to see well. Everything in me is screaming not to move, but it’s not as if I have a choice. I don’t know these boys, but something tells me they are used to getting their way.

  “Why don’t we have a nice chat right here since you decided to wake me up?” I pull the comforter up tight against me, conscious of my lack of clothing, and try to work out in my mind how I’m going to get dressed.

  “No can do. Let’s go.” A voice comes from my right.

  A hand reaches down to pull the comforter from around my neck, but I hang on with all my strength until it’s wrenched from my hands. The cool air rushes across my skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. I cross my arms over my chest even though no one can see anything in the utter darkness.

  Fingers brush my arm, and I instantly jerk away, striking out with my arms before hitting flesh.

  “Whoa, calm down.” The same fingers wrap around my arm again, looser and more comforting than before.

  “I’m calm. Please don’t touch me,” I say as I grit my teeth, not feeling calm at all.

  I swing my legs over the side, hopping down. I reach and brush along the ground, looking for the clothes I shed before slipping under the covers. A phone light is turned on, and I squint at the sudden brightness.

  “Looking for these?”

  The clothes are shoved in my arms, and I struggle to find the correct holes in each article.

  I refuse to say thank you after they barged into my room, waking me up and performing some sort of hazing ritual. I wonder if this is how they welcome all the new kids. I snort a little to myself as I imagine them getting a new sibling each week.

  “What the hell are we doing?” I plant my feet firmly and glare at the dark shape I can see walking around the bed toward me. At the door, a dim light flicks on in the hallway, highlighting a third form, so I assume Corbin must have decided to join these two clowns. “What the fuck, guys? What are we doing?”

  Silence.

  I feel a hand at my back, pushing, and I turn. Fist raised, I hit the first thing I come in contact with.

  “Dammit, quit that,” one of the guys says.

  I make another fist, raising it again. Whoever catches this swing must have really good vision or reflexes—or both.

  “I’m not coming with you,” I say, spreading my legs out in front of me, making it hard for them to push me.

  “Quit it,” one of the guys grunts, shoving with both hands now. “Get out in the damn hallway. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “I don’t know that,” I hiss back and double my efforts to not go in the hallway.

  I’m no match for three guys, though my leg does connect with a shin. I want to fist pump at the noise that comes out of whoever I hurt. It sucks, not being able to see well.

  Now that we are out in the hallway, I can finally see the three guys. I have a twin on each side of me with Corbin walking a few steps ahead. I look like I have bodyguards. The idea is laughable since they are the ones I need to be guarded from.

  “Tell me what we are doing before I turn around and go back to bed.” I fake confidence I don’t feel and flip the hood up over my bed-tousled hair. I shove my hands in my hoodie pocket and then stalk beside them, growing angrier by the minute.

  We stop at a staircase. Corbin steps down, flipping the light switch on, and then he looks back at me. I hold his gaze for a moment, my breath catching at the emotions swirling inside his green eyes. Then, I jolt when a voice speaks beside me.

  “If you two are done eye-fucking, can we continue?” One twin holds an arm out, indicating I should go first.

  “Which one are you?” I look at him.

  He smirks. “Which one do you want me to be?”

  “Quit with the stupid games, Bodhi,” Brock growls behind him.

  I smirk back at him. “Bodhi, apparently.”

  I notice his nose ring, slightly shaggier hair, and a difference in their personalities. Bodhi seems to be a little more happy-go-lucky than Brock, talking more and not as broody. I don’t see any other ways to tell them apart. I guess an ugly mole is too much to hope for.

  Once we are down the stairs, we enter a small room at the back of the hallway. Corbin opens the door in front of us and steps down, hitting the wall. Then, lights flicker on, seeming to go on forever. One by one, lights illuminate the garage, turning on and showing the assortment of cars, SUVs, and even a large truck.

  I glance around, meeting each gaze for a few moments. The air is thick with tension, and no one talks. I put a finger to my neck, checking my heart rate, which is through the roof. I have no idea what is going on right now. I hardly know these boys, but they don’t seem to like me, and I don’t like this situation. I wonder briefly if Mom knows what kind of wacko family she’s married into.

  “Well, you successfully pulled me from a night of sleep I’d desperately needed to drag me to the garage. What comes now? You kill me and stuff my body in the trunk of one of the vehicles?” I laugh nervously, but the boys don’t.

  Bodhi’s mouth tilts up on one side, his amusement evident, but Brock and Corbin level me with serious looks.

  “Killing you does sound fun,” Bodhi says, and I widen my eyes. “Just kidding. Torturing you is better.”

  I don’t think he’s kidding. There’s a thudding noise across the room, and I look up, watching Corbin lean against the door of a shiny black SUV, propping one leg up and laying his head back. He stares down his nose at me, the picture of relaxation, but my eyes drift to his fingers as they tap against his crossed arms.

  “Nice ride,” I say, but he doesn’t comment.

  “Maserati Levante,” Bodhi says, running a finger down the smooth side. “Isn’t she pretty?”

  “Come on,” Corbin says, not taking his eyes from mine. “If we are doing this, let’s do it.”

  “Wait, what are we doing?” I plant my feet as soon as I feel them pushing me forward into the garage.

  “Get in,” Brock growls behind me.

  I lean back, trying to grab on to the door. The world goes dark, and it takes me a minute to realize they’ve put something over my head. Then, I feel hands around my wrist
s, holding my arms.

  “This isn’t funny,” I say.

  I take a deep breath to let out a scream but stop when a mouth hits my ear through whatever is over my head.

  “Don’t you dare make a sound,” the tense voice whispers.

  I stop. I don’t fight or even whimper. I think these guys might be insane enough to kill me, and God knows they have enough money to cover it up.

  I hear the car door open, and I’m lifted inside. My shins hit the seat, and I wriggle enough until I’m sitting on my bottom. Hands push me over, and I start to fall sideways, but another set of hands catch me on the other side. Doors shut, and I fight to control my breathing.

  The vehicle starts up, and there is a body on either side of me. I can feel their legs touching mine, and I pull myself in, making my body as small as I can.

  No one speaks as we pull out of the garage. My balance is thrown off by the hood, and I bump and slide into bodies as we drive away. A hand wraps around my thigh, holding me still, and I push away, but it tightens.

  “Be still,” the throaty voice commands.

  I know instantly that it belongs to Corbin, and God, if I don’t listen to him. He keeps his hand on my thigh, his fingers digging slightly into my skin underneath the material of my joggers, and his palm sears my flesh with the heat coming off of him. I wiggle slightly, afraid of what I feel but also weirdly excited about it. The mystery surrounding these guys is unreal, like I’m in a movie or a book.

  Once the vehicle comes to a stop, I’m pulled from inside and deposited on shaky legs. The hood is ripped from my head, and I look around, squinting into the darkness.

  “Where are we?” I ask, noting Corbin is at my side now but neither of the twins are. They are standing away from us, talking in low tones, and I don’t know what they are saying. “So, what are you, the muscle behind the operation, the henchman? They are the brains, and you’re the brawn?”

  I watch his eyes narrow and nostrils flare as he opens his mouth. He turns his gaze on me, pinning me in place.

  “You don’t know anything about me,” he says, his voice shooting right through me.

  I flinch, and I want to move back, but then I want to get him to talk again, so I can hear his voice and see his eyes looking into mine. I move to step around, but he reacts fast, gripping my arm and pulling me into him. My body meets his, and suddenly, my fear is gone, replaced by the need to have him tell me dirty things in that voice of his.

  God, get it together, Landry. He is not your friend.

  He quickly releases me and turns me as Brock stops in front of us.

  “Where are we?” I ask again.

  He rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t matter. We are somewhere we can talk privately.”

  “Why do we need to talk privately?”

  He eyes me for a moment and then ignores my question. “What are you doing here?”

  “Uh, you took me from my bed and forced me to sit here and talk to you goons. Are you trying to be funny with this stunt? Let me know that you don’t want me here?”

  “We don’t want you here. But you are, so we have some questions.”

  “Which are?” I lean forward slightly but jump when Bodhi traces my earlobe with his finger.

  “Fuck off,” I say, staring at him, but he’s looking at Corbin with a grin as he does it.

  “Tell us about Linda,” Brock commands.

  I cock my head to the side. “Are you serious? This is a damn shakedown about my mom?”

  “Tell us what you know about your mother.”

  “Look, it’s pretty clear that you don’t like her. I don’t know if you are looking for dirt on her or trying to break her and your dad up, but I’m not going to help you. Stay away from me, and I’ll do the same with you.” I cross my arms, feeling like my racing heart is going to jump from my chest.

  “That’s not how this works. We can make this a nice stay for you or a very uncomfortable one. Your choice.”

  “You act like me being here is temporary.”

  “Isn’t it though?” Brock’s eyes bore into me.

  I bite my lip. It’s unfair, the way they are automatically writing me off. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask for our parents to be married, but here I am, willing to work it out if they are.

  “I mean, not for the next year, no. I’m finishing my senior year here at Almadale Prep.”

  “Let me make this easy for you. We are Almadale. The name Montgomery is everything in this town. Everyone caters to us; everyone worships the ground we walk on.”

  “Jeez. Pretty inflated view of yourself there, bro. If it were true, you wouldn’t have to tell me that.” I’m getting tired of these games now.

  “I’m not your brother,” Brock says.

  I step forward, my fear gone, replaced by anger with how they’re wanting to scare me with this stunt.

  “And I’m not your sister,” I say, clenching my teeth. “I don’t want to be. Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

  We are close. I can see the way his eye twitches in the moonlight, and I smile briefly.

  “Understood?”

  “You don’t fuckin’ make the rules,” Brock says, moving closer, but I’m pulled back quickly as Corbin shifts forward between us.

  “She doesn’t know anything,” he says.

  Brock turns his glare on him. I glance over and see Bodhi is now next to me, the moon glinting off a knife he’s holding, running it across a stick.

  “Whittle in your spare time?” I ask.

  He turns that always-smiling face on me. “Nah, can’t do shit with a knife. I just like the way it looks.”

  I don’t know whether to believe him or not.

  Brock and Corbin are involved in a heated exchange, and I stand there, my arms wrapped around myself, shielding me from the night air. I’m thankful I put a hoodie on.

  “Let’s go,” Brock growls at us as he stalks by.

  Before I can protest, the hood is thrown back over my head. My mind swirls with confusion.

  What do the guys think I know? What is this really about?

  I’m too exhausted right now to figure it out. I expect one of them to grab my wrists again, but they don’t, and suddenly, everything is way too quiet. I reach up, grabbing the hood from my head, and my heart sinks when I see their taillights leaving me behind.

  The darkness closes in, and I stand still, afraid to move. I can’t believe they left me here.

  This is bullshit.

  My stomach clenches with rage and I’m scared. I ball the hood up, throwing it as far as I can with a scream. My foot finds a tree stump with my pinkie toe, and tears prick my eyelids at the pain.

  “Fucking hell,” I hiss as I jump around for a second, and then I sink to sit on top of the offending stump.

  I have no clue where I am, and I have no way to get back. I’m at their mercy, and that’s a shitty place to be.

  After about thirty minutes of me sitting in the dark, jumping at every noise I hear, I finally see car lights. I raise my arm to cover my face when they land on me, and then I stare. I can’t make out who it is. Eventually, a door opens, and Corbin’s voice hits me.

  “Get in, Landry.”

  Everything in me doesn’t want to get in with those douche bags, but right now, I don’t have a choice.

  “Thanks for coming back,” I say as I get inside, the sarcasm evident in my voice.

  Bodhi turns in the front seat, his stupid grin wide as he looks between me and Corbin. “Don’t thank us,” he says. “Corb insisted.”

  I jerk my eyes toward my seatmate, but he’s staring out the window, drumming his fingers on his thighs.

  The ride back is as quiet as it was before, but Corbin doesn’t grip my leg this time, and I almost miss the touch. Almost.

  As soon as we get home, I let out a sigh of relief at the familiar garage.

  “Don’t breathe a word of this.” Corbin’s mouth is by my ear, and I lean into him without thinking. But as quickly as
it was there, it’s gone.

  I’m being pulled from inside, pushed up the steps and into the hallway, and deposited back outside my bedroom door before I can blink.

  They walk away in silence, and I watch them go, making sure I’m alone before I enter my bedroom and shut and lock my door. I perch on the side of the bed. I’m not sure for how long, but I don’t move until I see a light outside my room. Creeping to the wall, I hesitantly peer around the side of the window, spying as the garage door opens and the Maserati crawls back out, turning down the driveway. It has to be them. Mom wouldn’t leave in the middle of the night.

  I sigh and rub my eyes. Things just got a lot more interesting around here.

  I leave the bathroom light on to cut some of the darkness as I crawl into bed still fully dressed. I pull the comforter up and even after I drift off, I see cold green eyes in my dreams the rest of the night.

  3

  Corbin

  “What the hell? What was that?” I ask as soon as I’m back in Brock’s room after dropping Landry at her door. I clasp my hands behind my neck, pulling down, as if the pressure would take away what we did.

  “What was what?” Bodhi asks, lounging on the bed, scrolling through something on his phone. He doesn’t even bother to look up at me.

  “Calm down,” Brock mutters and then drops to the floor, where he starts doing sit-ups. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “What if she calls the cops?”

  “She’s not going to call the cops,” Bodhi groans, finally looking up and pinning his gaze on me. “Sit down before you fuckin’ wear a hole in the carpet.”

  I drop to the side of the bed and place a hand on each knee, calming my breathing.

  “What’s got your ass so worked up?”

  “You know what,” I growl, putting an end to the conversation Bodhi so clearly wants to have.

  “Yeah, we told you we got you, man. Quit flipping the fuck out.”

  I know he means well, but a small part of me is still internally screaming. I don’t need this right now. I can’t deal with this, and I fuckin’ told them that. I’m pissed, and I want to punch something.