Shunned: a reverse harem bully romance (Kings of Miskatonic Prep Book 1)

by Steffanie Holmes

  “Just leave it alone,” Loretta grabbed the journal from my hands, her face flaring to life. “Leave me alone. I wish you’d never come to Derleth! Everything was fine before you came.”

  Clearly it wasn’t, if that was the kind of stuff Loretta was writing. I watched her shuffle away, her head hanging low. Shit, she’s in a bad place.

  The sliver of guilt that had been with me since I saw Quinn ripped at my chest. I shared a room with Loretta. I should have seen that she was depressed, but I’d been so busy with my own revenge plans and daydreaming about Trey and Quinn and Ayaz—

  Ayaz. Where was he?

  He hadn’t been in the crowd tormenting Loretta, which was interesting. He loved a good torment as much as the next monarch. He must still be with the headmistress.

  I jogged down the hall, searching for the classroom Quinn mentioned. I paused at the door, but the lights were out inside so I couldn’t see a thing through the small glass panel. I pushed opened the door. “Ayaz, are you in here? We were supposed—”

  The words died in my throat.

  Ayaz had Ms. West bent over the desk, her black gown rolled up over white hips. Her graceful neck arched back in ecstasy as he plunged his cock into her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Shut the door.

  I commanded my body to move, but it refused to obey. I was frozen in place, forced to watch Ayaz’s cock slide in and pull out, long and sleek and dark and glorious. His hands gripped the headmistress’ hips and my body tightened, flushing at the thought of his fingers tangled in my own hair, that long cock sliding between my legs—

  Ayaz looked up. His eyes meet mine. He flashed me a smile that had no mirth in it whatsoever, raised a hand, and flipped me off.

  “Shit.” I slammed the door. My feet pounded on the marble as I ran, gasping, down the hall.

  What did I just see?

  By dinner, it was all over the school. No one seemed fazed by the fact Ayaz was screwing the headmistress. That was old gossip, and having it confirmed only made him into even more of a god. But the fact that I’d hung off the door, watching like a total perverted dickhead, made me the laughingstock once again.

  Ayaz must have spread the rumor himself. It was either that or Headmistress West, and she hadn’t even noticed me standing there, watching her get fucked.

  The headmistress is sleeping with a student. As experienced as Ayaz was – I gulped and pressed my legs together at the memory of him sliding into her – he was still underage. It was illegal. If their affair was an open secret, how come no one reported it? What would his parents think if they knew?

  The one good thing about my latest disaster was that it diverted everyone’s attention from what Courtney had done to Loretta in the corridor. If it helped Loretta, I was happy to be their punching bag.

  At dinner time, Ayaz caught my eye across the dining hall, his cruel gaze following me as I shuffled to my seat. I glared back, hating him for torturing me and hating myself for finding him attractive. I seemed determined to sabotage what progress I’d made at this school, all because of three Kings who seemed to have moved on from good old fashioned bullying into this weird mindfuck seduction game.

  The one bright spot in my week was physics class. I’d handed in my black hole assignment on Friday, confident that all the research I’d done and equations I’d outlined would earn me a top mark. Professor Atwood had promised to have the marking done by today, and we’d have time in class to discuss the assignments.

  I fiddled with my pen as Atwood moved down the aisles, handing back the papers. Courtney frowned at her copy, and as she turned it over I noticed several red marks and comments scrawled over the sheet. Atwood tapped her desk. “You need to focus on your studies,” he said. “This isn’t like you.”

  I couldn’t help but feel a little surge of triumph at that. It looked like Courtney was letting her bullying plots affect her studies. I couldn’t say the same for myself – I knew my assignment was A+ material.

  Greg held his up and grinned at me. “B+. Respectable. That’s two extra merit points for me.”

  “Yeah. That’s awesome.” My heart skipped as the professor skipped past my desk, moving down the next row. Where’s my assignment?

  Professor Atwood handed a paper to every student in the class and sat back at his desk. “If anyone wants to discuss their results, I’m happy to—”

  My hand shot in the air. “Um, Professor… you didn’t hand me back my paper.”

  He frowned at me over his glasses. “That’s correct. I’ve only handed back the papers of the students who completed the assignment.”

  What?

  “There’s been some mistake. I finished my essay and handed it in. Greg was with me when I did it, weren’t you?”

  Greg nodded.

  “I don’t consider the testimony of classmates as irrefutable proof, Miss Waite,” Atwood said. “The submission system is impossible to tamper with. The assignments are slid through the letter slot into a locked document box. I am the only one who has a key, so your paper could not have been removed before marking. Your assignment was not in that box, therefore, it has not been marked.”

  “But I handed it in!” My hands balled into fists. I was dangerously close to crying. “I spent hours on that paper. I asked you all those questions about dark matter, remember? I swear, I handed it in.”

  Titters from the other students reached my ears. Courtney’s hyena laugh was unmistakable. Oh right, of course this was her. I squeezed my eyes shut. Top marks on that assignment were worth 30 merit points. I was counting on those points to pull up my total. With it, I would have passed Loretta for top place amongst the scholarship students in one swoop. As I watched in dismay, Professor Atwood tapped on the keyboard of an old-fashioned brick of a laptop, and my total decreased by 30 points, putting me behind all the other scholarship students.

  The unfairness of it grated against my skin. I finished that assignment. More than that, I knew I aced it. I deserved credit for it.

  I skipped last period. It was my ancient history elective, which I normally enjoyed, but I couldn’t face Dr. Morgan today. So I’d lose three points for ditching; what did it matter, anyway? Everyone in this school was out to get me. I slunk back to our room and flopped down on the bed, too despondent to crack open a textbook or even to look through the few drawings from Dante I’d managed to save. I felt under the edge of the mattress for my mirror shard, but decided not to pull it out, just in case my thoughts spiraled out of control.

  Scritch-scritch-scritch. The rats scrambled around me. I wondered if they ever had to deal with bullies.

  Evening crept in. Every creak and groan of the building I expected to be Loretta, coming back to our room to tell me that of course this would happen, that I was an idiot for thinking I could take on the Derleth royalty and win. My stomach grumbled and I knew I was missing dinner, but I couldn’t bring myself to move from the bed.

  The hours ticked by and still Loretta didn’t show. That’s weird. Usually, she came back to the room straight after dinner. She didn’t like being in the library late at night because she hated walking back to our room in the dark.

  Scritch-scritch. Scritchascritchascritchascritch. The rats were extremely active tonight, running in circles across the ceiling, their movements as agitated as my mind.

  Where’s Loretta?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Loretta wasn’t in her bed when I woke up in the morning. My stomach churned. I’d slept so fitfully, waking up every hour to hear the rats scratching and scrabbling, I definitely would have heard if she came in. I thumbed through the books on the desk and her neatly folded clothes. Nothing was missing. She hadn’t been back to our room all night.

  What if the monarchs did something to her? They were so horrible to her, and—

  I remembered the expression on Loretta’s face as they taunted her. She didn’t cry. She wasn’t angry or upset. She was beyond that. She accepted what they said, what they taught her. That sh
e was nothing. That she didn’t deserve to live.

  What if Loretta hurt herself because of what the monarchs did, and it’s all my fault?

  I tugged on my uniform, stopping only long enough to tie my shoes and tuck in my shirt as I flew out the door and up the stairs.

  I knew what I was supposed to be doing – laying low and keeping out of the way. Because even the teachers were in the monarchs’ pocket, or the other way around. But that look on Loretta’s face terrified me, and if she hadn’t come back to her bed last night, where else could she be?

  Students laughed and joked in the halls as they made their way to early morning extracurriculars. Luckily, I didn’t cross any monarchs, because I don’t know what I would have done if I had. I peered in all the cubbies and corners of the library, checked the music rooms in case Loretta was on some kind of all-night clarinet binge, even poked my head into the common room to see if she’d suddenly decided to bond with Courtney over binge-watching old DVDs of America’s Next Top Model. But she was nowhere to be found.

  That meant I had to do the thing I really didn’t want to do.

  In the faculty wing, I made an appointment with the secretary to see the headmistress. She phoned through to Headmistress West’s office while I swung my legs and coiled and uncoiled my fists.

  “Headmistress West will see you now.”

  My whole body trembled as I stood, partly from rage, partly from fear of the woman I was about to confront. But Loretta could be in trouble, and I had to help her if I could.

  “Ms. Waite, it’s interesting to see you in this office of your own volition.”

  After seeing the headmistress bent over that classroom desk with Ayaz’s cock buried deep inside it, I found it hard to take her severe act so seriously. “I’m worried about Loretta.”

  “Your roommate? Can you explain the nature of your concern? Has she been found with contraband?”

  “No!” I didn’t want anyone to accuse me of reporting other students. “I can’t find her. She didn’t come back to bed last night. She’s not in any of her usual places around the school.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Um… yes. Sorry, I would have thought the disappearance of a student might rate a modicum of concern.” I waved a hand. “My mistake.”

  “Your concern is exemplary, although in this case misguided,” the headmistress said in a clipped tone. ‘Loretta’s grandparents have taken her home.”

  “Home?” I didn’t understand. “But there’s still a week of class before the end of the quarter. She wouldn’t leave and risk falling behind—”

  “She didn’t have a choice. There’s been a tragedy in Loretta’s family. I can’t tell you any more than that. I’m sure when the family has had suitable time to mourn, Loretta will return to school.”

  “But she left all her things behind!” Why would Loretta leave school and not take her books or clothes with her?

  Headmistress West stood up, her skirts sweeping around her ankles as she pointed toward the door. “That is all, Ms. Waite.”

  “But—”

  “I’ve been kind enough to award you five points for showing concern for a fellow student, but I’ll deducting ten points for insubordination,” her cheeks flared with scarlet. “If you do not leave my office in the next four seconds, I shall deduct ten more.”

  I shot the headmistress a filthy look as I stormed out of the office, slamming the door so hard it rattled on its hinges. Who the fuck cared about her stupid point system when Loretta was missing? It was bullshit. Rewarding students for ratting each other out and giving points based on whose family donated the most money rigged the game from the start.

  One thing I was damn sure of – Headmistress West had been lying to me. Which meant that she knew where Loretta really was. Was it something to do with all this weird stuff that had been going on… the teachers with their black robes and candles heading down to the gymnasium… the students who had unheard-of privileges and who seemed to have license to make their own rules… the fact that Quinn was seriously injured and they refused to call an ambulance.

  It was obvious I wouldn’t get any information out of Headmistress West. Maybe if I hunted through Loretta’s stuff, I’ll be able to find some clue as to what was going on. I clattered down the stairs and swung open the door to our room.

  My heart flew into my mouth.

  All of Loretta’s things were gone. Her books, her clothing, the small lamp she’d brought from home. Her bed had been taken away, and mine moved to the center of the room. All that remained of hers was that annoying alarm clock.

  It was as if she’d never been there at all.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “This is weird.” Greg whistled through his nose as he surveyed my single room. Andre peered under my bed and lifted up all my books, as if somehow hoping Loretta was hiding somewhere.

  “I know, right?” I bounced on the edge of my bed. “The janitors must have snuck in here while I was speaking with the headmistress and cleaned the whole place out. Honestly, I don’t know why we even bother locking the door at all, given the number of people that come and go without our knowledge or consent.”

  “This is scary,” Greg peered at the spot near the wall where Loretta’s bed used to be. “It’s like they’ve cleared away every trace of her.”

  “The headmistress said her grandparents picked her up. Did Loretta say anything to you about her family?” I asked them.

  Both Greg and Andre shook their heads. “All I know is the gossip I heard,” Greg said. “About her mother killing herself and her grandparents being left to raise her. Apparently, they saw Loretta as kind of a demon child infecting their perfect Christian family or something. You?”

  “Nope. I’m scared, you guys. Yesterday, Courtney and the monarchs stole something Loretta was writing in a journal and read it out in front of everyone.” I dug my fingers into the mattress as I filled them in on what happened. “It sounded like a suicide note. It was a serious cry for help. I’m worried something’s happened to her. I don’t trust Headmistress West to tell us the truth.”

  “How naive is it to believe Loretta’s family realized how awful it was to lock away a child just to punish her for the supposed sins of her mother, and took her home to shower her with gifts and get her the psychiatric help she needs?” Greg suggested.

  I shook my head.

  “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Greg looked stricken. “What do we do?”

  I lifted an eyebrow in mock surprise. “Break into the headmistress’ office and look at her student records, of course. Maybe if we call her grandparents we could get some answers.”

  Andre scribbled a note on his pad and handed it to Greg. “Why is the answer with you always some kind of dangerous stunt?” Greg read the note out with a smile. “Andre does have a point.”

  “It’s worth the risk if Loretta is in trouble. I just have a bad, bad feeling about all this. Too much weird stuff has been going on.”

  “I’m not saying we don’t do it, but we can’t do anything about this now.” Greg slung his bookbag over his shoulder. “We have to get to homeroom.”

  I swiped my books from the desk and joined the guys in the hall, locking my room behind me. Everything felt wrong without Loretta, like I’d left without my underwear. But Greg was right, we had to keep going like everything was normal, for now at least.

  “So what are you going to do about Ayaz?” Greg asked as we headed across the atrium. “Do you have some new revenge in store?”

  “No. Who Ayaz chooses to fuck is his own business.” My cheeks flushed with the memory of what I’d seen. “Courtney’s the one we have to take down.”

  Everything was off this morning. As we crossed the atrium to head to our first class, students leaped out of our way like we were poisoned. Groups huddled together under the class lists, talking in hushed whispers. Eyes averted from mine wherever I looked.

  “What’s wrong? Do I have food in my teeth or something?” I gave Gre
g and Andre a big, toothy grin. They didn’t laugh.

  “Um, Hazel.” Greg tugged on my arm. Andre pointed up to the board where the merit scores were posted, his eyes wide, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  He pointed to my name.

  Hazel Waite: 934 points.

  What?

  But how…?

  Overnight, I’d somehow gained 500 extra points. I was now firmly in the upper half of the table, nestled in the middle of the rich, mediocre students. But why… how?

  “That’s impossible,” I muttered.

  “Or not,” Greg breathed. “Look at Trey’s score.”

  My eyes flew to the top of the table, where Trey’s name had remained ever since the beginning of the school year. It wasn’t there. Instead, Ayaz was now leading the school, followed by Courtney. Trey wasn’t fourth, or fifth, or even tenth. Where was he?

  My heart hammered against my chest as I started from the top of the list and scanned each name. I eventually found Trey, only a few names above me, on 946 points.

  I’d gained 500 points, and Trey lost 500.

  How is that possible?

  A heavy hand fell on my shoulder. “We need to talk,” Trey’s voice whispered in my ear.

  I found myself nodding. Andre’s eyes widened, and he made the sign of the cross before hurrying away, dragging a protesting Greg with him. Trey grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the dormitory. “Not here. In my room.”

  Numb with disbelief, I followed him up another floor and down a corridor even more opulent than the one below. He pushed open a door right at the end and ushered me inside, slamming the door shut behind me.

  My breath caught in my throat as I stared around the enormous space. This isn’t a dorm room, it’s a palace.

  Trey occupied a suite of rooms at the top of the tower. Tall windows on three sides looked down over the courtyard and fields below. A large black sofa wrapped around a glass-topped coffee table and faced a TV that practically covered an entire wall. Beneath the TV were stacks of DVDs and video games. I guess if you were a rich student, the rules about electronics didn’t apply. There was a full kitchen in gleaming black marble and chrome, a bar area, and doors leading off into what I guessed were a bathroom and bedroom. Everything was modern and gleaming – stainless steel and black leather, sharp corners and polished surfaces. It was magnificent – it just wasn’t the room I’d pictured Trey living in.