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

by Jacie Lennon

“Trixie,” he says.

  I relax. He must be her date. I ignore him after that and rap on the door. There’s no answer, so I knock again. Finally, Trixie opens it a bit.

  “What do you want?” She scowls at me, but I push the door, making the crack wider.

  I can see Landry, her back to me, her body hunched in the chair in front of her desk. I want to find Peter and punch that asshole. I want to kick myself for not telling her sooner about what he was going to do. In truth, I forgot about him. That day he’d asked her to Fall Ball seems so far ago, and so much has happened since then. But I am here now and will be from this day forward, if she lets me.

  “Landry,” I say, watching her back stiffen at my voice.

  “She doesn’t want to see you,” Trixie says, trying to close the door and drawing my attention.

  “Please, just a couple minutes,” I say, pleading. I don’t do it often, but this time, I have something that makes it worth it—Landry.

  “It’s fine, Trix. Let him in. And go. Don’t waste your night here with me. Have fun,” Landry says over her shoulder.

  Trixie’s resolve weakens. She eyes me up and down with the look of a ferocious friend, enough to make a normal guy’s knees knock together. But I know that Landry is mine, has always been mine. I need her to see it.

  “Are you sure?” Trixie backs away from the door, bending down in front of Landry and taking her hands. “I can stay here with you.”

  Landry shakes her head.

  Trixie stands with a sigh. “Okay, but I’ll have my phone on me. Remember, my dress has pockets,” she says, and I can hear Landry softly chuckle. Trixie presses a kiss to the top of Landry’s head and then glares at me as she passes me at the door. “Hurt her again, and I’ll rip your dick off.”

  My nuts shrivel up at her tone, and I fully believe she can Lorena Bobbitt my ass. I step inside and shut the door behind me. Landry is illuminated by a small desk lamp as she stares out the window.

  “You tried to tell me,” she says, and I walk to stand in front of her. “You tried, and I didn’t listen.” From this angle, I can see the tears pooling in her eyes. “God, I must be the laughingstock of the entire school.” She reaches to swipe a finger under one eye.

  I want to hold her, but I’m not sure where we stand.

  “You aren’t,” I say.

  She laughs, shaking her head. “You don’t have to make me feel better.”

  I crouch down, my hands braced on her knees, which are encased in a soft green material. There’s a slit going up one side of her skirt, and I can see part of her leg.

  “I’m so sorry, Landry. For my participation in everything. I never wanted to hurt you. I fought myself, and I fought you. In the midst of it, I made some pretty shitty decisions. But I have to tell you that I don’t think I can let you go. I crave you—the way you sound when you are happy, the way your eyes light up when you talk about art. I can’t be the one who dims your fire anymore. I … I don’t think I can go another moment without telling you … God, I love you.”

  She sucks a breath in, her eyes bouncing back and forth between my eyes and my lips. A tear clings to her lower lashes, and I swipe my thumb, catching it.

  “I love you,” I whisper this time, my soul laid bare.

  “Corbin—”

  “Don’t say it back just because I said it. I want you to know how I feel. When you left me in my dorm room last time, I think my heart shattered, and I realized how badly I’d fucked it all up.”

  She reaches out a hand, cupping my cheek, and I lay my head over on her palm. Her touch is a drug I need.

  “Corbin, I have loved you for a while. But you have to promise me that you won’t keep things from me again. We have to be honest. We have to be able to trust each other.”

  I know there was more she said, but I’m still focusing on her first few words.

  “You love me?” I say, a smile taking over my face.

  “Yes. God help me,” she says, smiling back.

  I grab her hands. “Come with me.”

  I pull her to standing and rush out the door, her hand firmly held in mine.

  “Where are we going?” Landry lets loose a laugh as I throw the staircase door open.

  “You’ll see,” I say, looking over my shoulder before suddenly stopping on the stair landing.

  She slams into my side with an, “Oof.”

  I turn and wrap my hands around her upper arms. “Landry. You are fuckin’ beautiful.”

  I look at her in the harsh fluorescent lighting of the stairwell. The way her hair falls in soft curls over her shoulder, the deep V of her dress, and the full skirt with that fucking sexy-as-hell slit.

  I debate on turning her around and taking her right back to her room, but I decide against it. I have to do this right.

  She rises on her toes, a soft smile on her face as she presses her lips to mine. I grab her hand again, and we start down the stairs. As soon as we are outside, I pull her down the sidewalk and past the boys’ dorm. I look back every so often to take in her face.

  I can’t remember the last time I was ever this happy. My brother is in a good home, and I have the girl I love with me.

  Once we reach our destination, I stop, spinning Landry in place and staring down at her in the moonlight.

  I bow low and hold my hand out, a smirk on my lips. “Miss Paradise, may I have this dance?”

  Landry

  He stops us in the middle of the south lawn—the exact spot of our picnic. I was never going to win against his charm, the draw I have to him. I’m a sucker for Corbin Henson, and I don’t care who knows it.

  The moonlight bathes his face in shadows, highlighting his lips and the strong arch of his nose, and I stare at him.

  I place my hand in his with a small curtsy and bite my lip. “It would be my pleasure, Mr. Henson,” I say, giggling like a schoolgirl. Which, I guess, I technically am.

  This school year has been a whirlwind, and it’s not even half over yet.

  Corbin pulls me in, wrapping his arms around me, low on my back, and I rest my hands on his chest. I can feel his warmth through his thin T-shirt, the strength of his muscles as he holds me, and right now, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. We slowly twirl around, the calm nighttime sounds our only music, and I know this is a moment I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.

  “Abe is at Andrea’s,” Corbin says.

  I lift my head, looking at his solemn face. “What? Why?”

  My steps falter for a moment as I forget about dancing, but he pulls me back on track, crushing me to him tighter. My dress swirls around my legs with each movement.

  “CPS pulled him from our grandparents’ home today.”

  I stop, moving back to stare up into his face. The pain in his eyes breaks my heart, and I reach around him, pulling him to me.

  “Oh my God, Corbin. Oh my God. How is he?”

  “He’s okay. But he’s so young. How can he understand this?”

  “He probably doesn’t, but he has you, and I think he’s good with that. He adores you.”

  “I didn’t protect him. That was my one job, and I failed.”

  “You didn’t fail. He’s out of there now, and you are doing everything in your power to make sure he’s in a loving home and that you will be able to provide for him once the time comes.” I cradle his cheeks, dipping his head down so I can fasten my lips to his. “God, I missed kissing you.”

  I lay my head on his chest again as we continue to sway back and forth. I could live forever in his arms.

  “I missed everything about you,” he whispers, pressing his body against mine, and I love every second of it. “Are you mine?” he asks.

  I push my cheek into his chest. I listen to his heart racing underneath my ear, and I smile.

  “I’m yours.”

  Epilogue

  Landry

  I step into the coffee shop, pulling my scarf from around my neck as I scan the interior. My eyes fall on my mom, hunched over at a tabl
e, and I walk toward her. I pull the chair out across from her, dropping into it with a sigh as she scoots a coffee cup over toward me. I wrap my hands around it, hissing as the cup warms my cold hands.

  It’s December now. We are taking finals, and since my talk with Chester, I’m going to spend Christmas break at their house, so I can be close once school is back in session.

  “How are you?” I ask, breaking the silence as she stares at me over her cup of coffee.

  “I’ve been better.”

  I haven’t seen my mom since that moment in the restaurant when I tried to help her by ratting her out. I’m not proud of it, but I didn’t want her to face prison time.

  “Why did you want me to meet you here? Trying to get me arrested for real this time?” Her venomous gaze breaks my heart.

  I want to clear the air. My phone calls and text messages have gone unanswered this whole time, and now is my chance.

  “I didn’t do what I did to hurt you, Mom. I was protecting you.”

  She snorts across the table, and I clench my cup between my hands.

  “I have nothing now, Landry.”

  “You have a lot more than you would have if you’d gone to prison,” I say, tamping down the anger rising in me. “I think Chester was more than fair, considering you were stealing from him.”

  “I was only taking what was mine. That’s not stealing.” She turns, surveying the room, as if she can’t stand the sight of me.

  I sigh, feeling tears prick my eyes. I was put in an impossible position, one that I couldn’t win, and this is proof.

  “And now, you are on their side. Staying with them, continuing to live off their money, going to their school.”

  I was selfish in that choice. I chose to stay with Corbin. But what other choice did I have? My mother wasn’t talking to me, and Dad is still traveling all the time. I didn’t want to go back to that for the last half of my senior year. He still doesn’t know the truth of what happened. He only knows that Mom got divorced again.

  “I brought you something,” I say, pulling my purse into my lap.

  I can feel her eyes on me. I can tell I’ve got her attention even though she tries to be aloof.

  “It’s a down payment on a townhouse,” I say, sliding the papers over toward her. “Chester is helping, as a favor to me. He gives me an allowance of sorts, and I want to assist you with it. So, he signed on it, and it’s yours—as long as you follow our guidelines.”

  “What guidelines?” She thumbs through the papers and then looks to me.

  “No more stealing, no more shady business, and you get a job to afford the electricity, heating, and cable bills. We aren’t keeping you up, just giving you a place to live. I know that you’ve been at a hotel.”

  “I’m between places,” she mutters sarcastically, but I ignore it.

  I can’t change the choices that she’s made, but I can be there for her. When it comes down to it, she’s my mom. Blood helps blood.

  “I’m offering you something good, Mom. You should take it.”

  She finally looks up at me with a quick nod. She swipes the papers and stuffs them into her purse.

  “I’m sorry,” she says suddenly.

  I’m thrown off-kilter. I didn’t expect this to come from her after she was so openly hostile.

  “I’m angry, and I know I’m the one who caused my situation. But I’m sorry for what I asked of you.”

  “I forgave you that day, Mom. I know we do what we can, what we believe is best for ourselves and those we love.” I give her a way out, a way to say that she messed up but that it was all in the name of family.

  “It will take me some time, but I’m going to therapy. I’m striving to right my wrongs. I never should have done what I did.”

  I reach to grab her hand, thrilled with how this is going now after the less than warm greeting she gave me. Part of me wonders if she’s only being nice now that we gave her something, but the other part of me hopes that this is us starting to heal.

  “I love you, Mom. Always will,” I say as she squeezes my hand, a thin smile on her lips.

  Maybe everything isn’t perfect, but we are on our way to fixing things.

  “Okay,” I say with a grin, turning to face Abe and Corbin as they sit inside my spacious room at the Montgomery mansion.

  Corbin is smiling back, but Abe looks mildly confused.

  “Are we painting?” Abe asks, eyeing the three easels I set up.

  “Nope. I’m displaying my final pieces,” I say.

  Corbin raises one eyebrow. “You finished?”

  “I finished,” I say.

  He jumps up, pulling me into a hug, and he spins me around so quickly that my feet lift off the ground.

  “Holy shit—shart. Wait. That’s not any better,” Corbin says, glancing at Abe, who isn’t paying us any attention.

  I burst out laughing and hug him back. “Yeah, I don’t think shart is any better to teach him.”

  “Well, come on. I want to see.” He reluctantly lets me go, sitting back.

  I check the time on my phone. “Hold on. We have more people coming,” I say, anxiously bouncing on the balls of my feet.

  Finally, the door to my room opens, and Brock and Bodhi file in, looking around. Abe jumps up, fist-bumping both of them.

  It has warmed my heart over the last month or two to watch Abe interact with the three guys, the look of admiration in his eyes as he tracks every small thing they do or say. At first, I was worried about their reputation and even the way I’d seen them act, but they’ve been nothing but perfect in Abe’s presence.

  “Sit, sit.” I gesture to the chairs I have set up, and I wait as they sit down. I check my phone again and then glance at the door.

  “More?” Corbin asks.

  I shush him. He gets out of his chair again, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the doorway before I can stop him.

  “What—” I start.

  But before I can say anything more, he pushes me against the hallway wall, and his lips descend on mine. I melt right into him. His hand fists through my hair, pulling my head back. When his teeth scrape against my neck, my nipples harden.

  “How about you don’t ever shush me, dirty girl? Not unless you want this,” he says.

  I open my eyes, put my lips together lightly, and shush him again.

  “Fuck, you’re sexy.” He lets go of my hair and grabs my legs, lifting me, and I straddle his waist as he pushes me back against the wall.

  I can feel how hard he is, pressing into my core, and I arch against him further.

  “As much as I’m enjoying the sexual tension permeating the air, I thought I would stop you before dick is whipped out.” Trixie’s sarcastic tone greets us, and we both groan. “Not quite the welcome I was looking for,” she says, a giggle escaping.

  I unwrap my legs from around Corbin, who tries to discreetly adjust himself. I wrap Trixie in a hug and give her a hard squeeze.

  “Come on,” I say, grabbing both of their hands and pulling them into my room with me. “Okay, now that you are all here, I want to show you my final portfolio pieces that I’m going to submit to the Art Institute of Chicago.”

  The room fills with Bodhi’s wolf whistle and clapping from Trixie. The two aren’t sitting beside each other, and they’re doing their best to act like the other isn’t present.

  “I’ve titled my pieces Family, and I wanted each of you to know that, in different ways, you’ve all been family to me since I came here. Well, some of you took longer than others.” I eye the guys, and Brock grunts.

  I walk to the first easel and pull the fabric off, letting my piece be seen by eyes other than mine for the first time. I painted Trixie, sitting on the rocks high above the creek. The wind tosses her blonde hair across her face, and she’s tilted toward the sun, her eyes closed. She looks beautiful and relaxed, and I can hear her gasp as she sees it.

  I quickly walk to the next one before anyone can stop me, grabbing the cover and turning to se
e Abe’s and Corbin’s reactions. I painted them hunched together, so close that their foreheads are almost touching. You can see the smiles stretching their faces as they play with Abe’s assortment of cars. Abe’s eyes are on the small metal vehicle he’s holding, but Corbin’s are on Abe, the joy of being with his brother evident in his body language.

  “Whoa, that looks just like me,” Abe says.

  I grin. “It is you.”

  He jumps down from his chair, coming to stand closer to look at the painting. “You painted me?” His face is starting to fill out more in the two months he’s been at Andrea’s house, the food agreeing with him. “Can I keep it?”

  I crouch down next to him and grab his hands. “I’ll paint you a better one,” I say.

  He looks between the picture and my face. “Will Corbin be in mine too?” he asks.

  I nod. “Of course,” I say, and he smiles, happily trotting back to his seat.

  “And the final one.” I pull the last cover off, letting them look.

  “Finally,” Bodhi says, pumping his fist in the air. “I was wondering when you were going to get to me.”

  “Looks about right,” Brock says. He nods as one side of his mouth quirks up. “You captured that I’m the hotter twin.”

  Bodhi narrows his eyes as he reaches over, flicking the front of Brock’s shirt where his nipple is.

  “Ow, fu—fudge,” he says, bending over a little as Abe laughs at their silliness.

  For my last painting, I took the guys in their relaxed state and painted them together. Bodhi is smoking, sitting in his window with a leg up, smoke rolling from the cigarette perched between his fingers. Corbin is slouched against the wall, one leg up and arms crossed, his green eyes piercing the canvas and looking straight at the viewer. And Brock is sitting in the desk chair, his legs splayed and head thrown back, a rare smile on his face. I wrote one simple word below them—KINGS—so light that you wouldn’t know it was there if you didn’t know where to look.

  Strangely, we’ve become family. The twins treat me like their actual sister, and I’m recognized as one of them. They even gave me dirt on each of them to use if I ever needed to. To make up for the shit they’d pulled on me. I still have a long way to go with my mom, but for now, I’m happy with the little family I have.