Wrong Crowd (Kingsley Academy Book 1)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  Time has passed quickly since I arrived. I’ve spent most of my time with Selina and the twins or sneaking into Kaiden’s bed.

  I’m not even going to question what we are, not yet. I like how we are right now, and I don’t want to risk changing that. He’s been my drug through all of this, a huge stress relief, and although a part of me wants to say I’m only using him, I can’t. I’ve come to know him, and I like what I see.

  I’ll just never tell him that.

  Nova, however, needs her own stress relief. She’s been trying since the day Sam turned up to get me to sit down with him. I let him do his stupid test and should be getting the results back within the next week. My mind won’t go there though. He’s never been my dad. He doesn’t get to walk in like he belongs here. Not now.

  All the evidence was already there and yet he still refused to believe I was his daughter.

  My phone beeps with a message. Groaning, I roll over and grab it from my bedside table.

  KAIDEN: Pack a bag for two nights. We’re going camping.

  My door flies open, smacking against the wall. “We’re going glamping,” Selina yells. “I never get invited. I’m friends with the twins, yeah, but I didn’t really hang out like we have been the past few weeks until you turned up. You are awesome. I’ve always wanted to go.”

  “Slow down,” I tell her, feeling dizzy.

  She grins. “Sorry. I’m just so excited.”

  “Aren’t you rich? You could have gone any time.”

  Her expression says otherwise. “You can’t just go. Anyone who isn’t invited gets their tyres slashed, or they’re thrown in the lake, or egged. The guys don’t really care about girls turning up if they’re hot, but the girls go crazy. I heard one time, Danielle made a group of girls feel welcome. One had got with one the twins in the day, one with Grant during the night, and they all woke up with their hair cut off, eyebrows waxed, and their clothes thrown into the lake.”

  “Fucking bitches,” I mutter, swinging my legs out of bed. “Has Nova approved us going?”

  “Yeah. She’s ordered a car for us and the twins since they haven’t passed their tests yet.”

  “That’s it? No nagging about me going to see Sam?” I ask dubiously.

  She grins, helping herself to my stacks of clothing. “Not today. She seemed distracted about something.”

  “I’m going to go downstairs and grab a drink. Did they say when to be ready?”

  “Forty minutes.”

  ME: Selina’s excited.

  KAIDEN: Selina gets excited over everything.

  I laugh, tucking my phone into my pyjama bottoms. He’s right, she really does. Just the other day she found out there was going to be another season of Veronica Mars and started dancing around my room.

  I nearly trip over my feet when I step into the kitchen, finding Royce Kingsley alone, leaning against the counter.

  His dark, soulless eyes are like blades of ice, scalding into me. His jaw is firm, his lips tight.

  Everything about him screams power, dominance, but there’s something else that lingers under that ice-cold exterior, something I can’t put my finger on.

  I listen for sounds that someone is close by, but the manor is silent. The only sound is the hum from the fridge.

  He doesn’t look happy, not at all, and I don’t think its paranoia making me think it’s aimed at me. I’ve had a feeling, from the very first moment I met him, that he doesn’t like me. He looks through me, like I’m nobody. And I guess I am to him.

  Then again, I don’t think he’s capable of a smile. His face would probably crack if he tried. This is my second time meeting him, and both times have been hostile.

  I don’t even care enough to want to know why he doesn’t like me. His reasons are most likely as pathetic as everyone else’s.

  I don’t like him, and it’s clear he doesn’t like me.

  However, he is still a friend of Nova’s.

  “Would you like me to get Nova?” I ask, opening the fridge door.

  “Do you just help yourself to food?” he accuses, like I’m some thief in the night.

  I gently place the juice on the counter, before grabbing a glass down from the shelf. “Doesn’t everyone in their own home? Or is that a task rich people don’t do?” I ask sarcastically, forcing a smile on my face.

  “Just reminding you where your place is. You wouldn’t want to step out of place; bad things could happen.”

  “Step out of place? And what, spill juice on me?”

  “Watch it, young lady. You have no idea who you are messing with.”

  “Are you threatening me?” I ask, appalled. Who does he think he is? I want to laugh, but I’m afraid it might piss him off more.

  I want to slap the slimy smile off his face. “I hear you are, in fact, Sam Farley’s biological daughter. Shocking. I guess you are the rightful heir to his empire. Such a large responsibility for someone like you.”

  I slam the glass down on the counter. “One, I don’t know who hit your head to make you believe you have a right to know, but to save you putting your nose where it’s not wanted again, he’s still waiting on results. Two, his empire can burn to hell for all I care.”

  His gaze hardens. “Be careful. We all have stakes in that empire.”

  “Royce, what are you doing here?” Nova asks, looking from him to me, and I swear I see a flicker of fear.

  His smile couldn’t be any more fake. What the hell is he up to?

  “Not to worry, now. I was just leaving. I forgot, I have a business meeting soon.”

  “Was there a reason you were here?” she asks him, yet still watches me closely.

  “I came to make sure no trouble would come of the boys this weekend. I heard that Ivy was attending, and after her arrest the other day, I had my worries.”

  I want to snort at the condescending dickhead. Has he met his sons? Within days of being here, I was groped, threatened, and had clothing torn from my body.

  “I wasn’t arrested, merely detained until morning,” I bite out.

  “Ivy wasn’t charged. She happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Nova explains. “She is still settling in.”

  “Still,” he states calmly, making me want to punch him when his frosty gaze turns to me in disgust. “I’ll be off. It was good talking to you, Ivy. You really should be careful where you step. Wouldn’t want to get on anyone’s toes.”

  I watch with a narrowed gaze as he strolls out of the kitchen, letting himself out. I finish my drink, ready to get out of here.

  “What did he say to you?” Nova asks once we hear the door shut behind him.

  I shrug. “Not a lot. He’s a twat though.”

  She laughs and it’s genuine. “He’s a bit much. Always had a broom stuck up his arse.”

  It’s my turn to laugh. “You did not just say that.”

  She shrugs back, sobering. “Ivy, I need you to stay away from Mr Kingsley.”

  “Why? I thought you were friends?”

  She looks away, busying herself in the fridge. “We are, but he’s notorious for his affairs. He likes younger girls.”

  I grab a banana from the fruit bowl. “Ew. I’ve just puked into my mouth.”

  She giggles, but it doesn’t sound right. “Go have fun.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Oh, and Ivy?” she calls.

  “Yeah?”

  “Annette has put a card and pin number on your dressing table. Make sure you take it with you.”

  “Nova—”

  “No,” she interrupts, holding her hand up. “I know you don’t feel comfortable taking my money, and I know you have the money Mrs White has been paying you, but I’d like to do this. It will give me peace of mind. I’d like you to have fun when you’re there and not be worrying about buying stuff or feeling out of place when they do. Could you please, just take it?”

  Feeling uncomfortable, I nod, not saying anything else as I walk off.

  Since my arrest
, I’ve tried to stay mad at her. I have. But it’s like it hit her that I was really here, and she began to really get to know me. I still sense hidden secrets, but there’s nothing I can do.

  It will take me some time, but I am getting there to make it easier for her. Because whether I want to admit it or not, I need her. Not for her money, not for her home or schooling, but for who she is. I need to know I still have someone in this world I can call family, someone I can turn to so I don’t feel so alone. I’ve been alone all my life.

  It’s bloody Selina. She’s made me soft. She’s this ball of energy that likes to diffuse the tension.

  I head back into my room, finding Selina throwing clothes off hangers. She sticks her head around the door.

  “How come you get all the cool clothes? I’m getting Annette to go shopping for me.”

  I shrug while laughing, heading straight into the bathroom. Selina might love my clothes, but she wouldn’t be her without her pink, girly clothes.

  *** *** ***

  Ankles crossed, my back against the boot of Nova’s car, I wait for the twins and Kaiden. I’m kind of hoping Grant isn’t coming this weekend. He’s not a prick anymore, but he also hasn’t warmed up to me. I made sure they didn’t get arrested, and granted, I did that more for Kaiden, but still, you’d think he’d at least show some kind of gratitude.

  “I’m feeling queasy,” Selina groans.

  I look over to the step she’s sitting on. She does look a little pale. “You okay?”

  “What if they do something to me?” she asks, her expression panicked.

  “Then I’ll punch them in their plastic noses,” I tell her, shrugging.

  She laughs, then groans, clutching her stomach. “Everything will be fine.”

  “It will. Have fun. I don’t know why you are worried. They’re just jealous, petty bitches.”

  She beams up at me. “You’re right. They are. I’m not going to let them ruin my weekend.”

  “That’ta girl.”

  “I’m hoping I lose my virginity this weekend,” she blurts out.

  “Just don’t pick the twins,” I tease, winking.

  She laughs. “My other friends would have talked me out of it.”

  “It’s up to you, Selina. It’s your life, your body. Don’t listen to society. It doesn’t need to be perfect if you don’t want it to be. You want to wait until marriage, go for it. It’s up to you. You don’t need anyone’s permission.”

  She stands up, dusting off her blue skirt that flows to her knees. “You’re right. I don’t. If it happens, it happens.”

  “Are you ready?” Ethan yells, jumping off the wall in front of his house.

  A car pulls up, so I guess we are.

  “Did you bring snacks?” Lucca yells from somewhere inside the house.

  “On the stairs,” Ethan shouts.

  Selina rolls her eyes at me, taking her bag over to the car. A man opens up the boot, taking the bag from Selina, so I follow, handing him mine.

  Another car pulls up, Grant and a few others I recognise from their parties inside of his car. I’m just grateful I don’t have to sit in a car with him for two hours.

  He beeps the horn. “Where’s Kai? Let’s get on the road.”

  “Here!” he rumbles, a rucksack thrown over his shoulder as he steps down.

  Ethan pushes in front of me, diving into the back of the car. I don’t think it’s a limo, but it definitely has enough space in the back to be one.

  Selina gets in after him, more refined and elegant than he did, which makes me smile.

  “Ivy,” Kaiden calls, and I spin around to face him. He crooks his finger at me, and I roll my eyes. Stepping away from the car, I head over to him, high-fiving Lucca on the way.

  When the car door slams, I glance over my shoulder, my brows scrunching together. “What—why are they leaving me?”

  “You’re riding with me,” Kaiden rumbles.

  I struggle to hide my surprise. “I am?”

  He smirks. “You are. Come on.”

  “So demanding,” I mutter, surprised when he holds the door open.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  The drive over was silent. We only did one stop and that was to meet up with a group of more people from Kingsley Academy. Apart from that, Kaiden left me to my own devices.

  We pull up to a gated lane, and ‘Kingsley Retreat’ is written in bold gold lettering above the gate.

  “Do you own everything?” I ask, turning to Kaiden.

  “You own ten hospitals in the UK alone,” he sasses back.

  “No, I don’t,” I screech. “Wait, Sam owns ten hospitals? Does he know anything about medicine?”

  “No idea. They’re private centres, run by the best surgeons in the UK. He has more in the US.”

  “Bloody hell. My mum had a TV big and thick enough that even a car going over it wouldn’t crack it. No wonder he doesn’t want to believe I’m his daughter.”

  I realise I’m talking about my personal issues, which is something Kaiden and I don’t get into, not really. We fuck. He’s seriously good at it, but together, it’s phenomenal. I can never get enough.

  I’m afraid to look at his reaction.

  “I can’t really talk about Dads. Mine’s the biggest prick you’ll ever meet. I don’t think he even wanted kids. Sam is different. He’s made mistakes, yeah, but he’s not like our dad.”

  “We can’t pick our parents, right?”

  He forces a laugh. “I love my mum. I’d die for her. But I wouldn’t have chosen her for the twins. They needed love and support growing up and she gave them nothing. I had my nan until the day she died.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “No, it’s my mums,” I whisper quietly.

  He pulls into a parking space, shutting the car off before turning to me. “No. It was our parents’ fault. They made their own choices. I don’t say sorry a lot, if ever, but I am for taking shit out on you.”

  “I get it,” I tell him, taking a deep breath. “I’ve taken my mum’s choices out on Nova. I’ve done it a lot, but I’m so angry at them all.”

  “Selina’s on her way over,” he states calmly. “Stay with me tonight.”

  He doesn’t ask. He demands. “What about Selina? They’ll know.”

  “She’s staying next to the twins. We gave you both your own pods.”

  “Pods?”

  He grins. “You’ll see. I’m in number six.”

  I roll my eyes. “I’ll find it when no one is looking.”

  “I know!”

  A tap on the window grabs my attention, and I hold my finger up to Selina, who looks pale.

  I open my mouth with a witty remark, but he gets there first. “Don’t be angry at Nova. She loves you, that much I can see.”

  He gets out of the car, leaving me to stew on his words. Selina begins to tap on the window again, impatient this time.

  I push the car door open, glaring up at her. “Yes?”

  She sags with relief. “You seem your normal happy self. They drove off before I could argue and said Kaiden wanted to talk to you alone. What did he want? Was it bad?”

  I inwardly laugh. I dread to think what the twins said when they told the driver to drive off.

  “He just wanted to ask how things were going with Nova,” I lie.

  She seems to relax more. “That’s good. That’s really good. After, you know, the things you told me, I was a little worried he was going to leave you on the side of the motorway. But you’re here and in one piece.”

  “Yep, I am,” I tell her, chuckling. I sober when I see Kaiden brush Danielle off, earning him a death glare in return. She looks around, searching, until her gaze finds mine and hardens. Her eyes narrowed into slits.

  Guess someone didn’t eat her Cheerio’s this morning.

  “Come on. The guys are going to show us to our pod.”

  “What is with that?” I ask, letting her link her arm through mine. I’ve
never done this shit, but Selina’s like this excited puppy you don’t want to say no to.

  “They’re beautiful. It looks like it’s a tree trunk laid down with the inside cut out and made into a room. Some have canopies outside the door, some don’t. This isn’t the main site, but it’s been made especially for parties like this.”

  We keep walking up a path, and my eyes widen at the sight in front of me. A circle of wooden ‘pods’ frames the area. All look exactly how Selina described, like someone had taken the thickest tree trunk and cut out the inside before laying it on the floor to make a small home. It’s not made out of a tree, though it’s clearly wood, the front carved into a rounded triangle at the top. They have small decking areas and big double glass doors that are already open, the pristine white curtains blowing gently in the breeze.

  Paths line the way to each pod, a string of fairy lights streaming along to light the way for when it gets dark.

  We walk further down the path, passing pods as we go, and I’m in awe. Camping, to me, has always been a small tent you get cramped into. I’ve never been, but I remember a few homeless people on our estate sleeping in them.

  These, to me, are a luxury. They’re beautiful, and I’d happily live in one for the rest of my life, and I haven’t even been inside.

  “Which one’s ours?” I whisper to Selina.

  She leans in closer so the twins in front, who are flirting outrageously with a group of girls, don’t overhear us.

  “I think we’re going to the tents,” she explains, sounding almost disappointed. “I really wanted a pod.”

  The twins suddenly stop. “Selina, you’re here next to us.”

  “Yay,” she squeals, earning dirty looks from the girls. “Come on, roomie, let’s go check our room.”

  Ethan steps forward from the group. “Um, Ivy is in one of the tents down the path.”

  Selina’s excitement disappears, and her shoulders slump. “All right.”

  “Let’s check out yours, then head down to mine,” I tell her.

  She nods, stepping up onto the porch. I follow her inside, my eyes widening a fraction as I pass two grey love seats on either side of the door.