by James Tate
“What about me?” Eddy demanded. “I didn’t betray you. I’m your best friend and that’s not going to change, no matter what our fucked up parents and their heirs do.”
She wore her stubborn expression, arms crossed over her chest, but the hurt was still there in her eyes.
A long sigh left me. “I love you, Eddy. You’re the first chick I’ve bonded with in a really long time. But right now, I need some time. I’m angry and hurt, and I know it’s shitty of me because you don’t have a clue what actually went down, but please try and understand, right now I can’t be around you. You remind me too much of what I’ve lost.”
Needing to escape from the pain in my chest—indirectly related to the girl across from me— I pushed past her toward the door.
She stopped me with softly spoken words. “Have you even given them a chance to explain? Not everything is black and white in our world. It might have looked like betrayal from the outside, but maybe they were still working for you. For the five of you.”
I didn’t turn back or answer, but again, those words hit a soft spot inside of me. I hadn’t given them a chance to explain, even though they had tried a million times. I couldn’t imagine a single thing they could have said to justify their actions, but…
I left, unable to deal with Eddy or my thoughts a moment longer. Evan was in the hallway waiting for me, and he wasn’t alone. Clearly he’d had to call in the reinforcements to deal with me.
Beck, Jasper, and Dylan stepped forward the moment I walked out. I scowled, stopping them in their tracks. Smoothing my face into something neutral, I looked across the group. My eyes resting on each perfect, gorgeous face. Despite my best efforts, I did care about these assholes, and I wondered if it would ever stop hurting to be around them.
“Why are you here?” I asked shortly.
“We need to tell you something,” Jasper said, his eyes doing that pleading thing that he was so good at. “The school is not safe grounds any longer. We’ve just learned that Huntley has enrolled a student here. We don’t have any other information yet, but for now, we need to appear as a strong, united team. We cannot allow them to see any weakness in our ranks.”
Fear and panic pushed through my apathy. “You’re lying.”
This had to be some sort of ploy to get me to fall back in line with them. It had to be, because this was their territory, and they still had all the power. Right?
Beck shook his head. “It’s the truth. There is a lot you don’t know. A vote coming up that could change the structure of our council, and this is the start of Huntley’s play for power. Showing a united front amongst Delta’s successors has never been so critical.”
“No,” I said without giving it another thought. “I won’t be pushed around by you like this. If this hasn’t come from the ones controlling my strings, then you can all go fuck yourselves. I do official Delta business only.”
Beck’s eyes were blazing when they met mine, and the darkness in them was a warning. A warning that I was pushing him past the point of comfort. That he was going to figure out a way to punish me for making life difficult.
Bring it on. He’d crushed me so hard that I was basically half a foot shorter, in spirit at least, so they better bring their best.
“If you don’t join us, Butterfly,” Beck said softly, his tone causing every hair on my arms to rise, “then we’ll have no choice but to make it very clear that the rejection was caused by us. We need to show strength and unity. An heir choosing to leave us, especially a new, female one, is a weakness in our ranks. But if it looks like it’s us hazing you, pushing you out to prove your worth. That isn’t the same.”
I snorted. “What the fuck can you do? Gonna beat me up and stuff me in a locker?”
They didn’t answer, and then one by one, they turned their backs on me, and walked away.
“Remember that we warned you, Riles,” Jasper said, over his shoulder.
“Whenever you want back into the fold, you know where to find us,” Evan added.
Beck and Dylan didn’t say anything, but the looks they leveled on me before they exited the hall had so much emotion in them, that for a beat, I couldn’t catch my breath.
Eddy, who must have been standing nearby, even though I hadn’t noticed her the entire time, stepped up to my side. “What the hell just happened?” I asked her, confused as fuck.
She turned a pale face and wide eyes on me. “They’re publicly rejecting you, Riles. Whatever you’re mad about, you need to get over it right now.”
My middle name might as well have been stubborn. “Hell no! They’re the ones who fucked up. They betrayed me. There is no way I’m going to just forgive it all now because they’ve forced me into some sort of shitty position.”
She shook her head, movements fast and jerky. “No! You don’t understand. Seriously. They rule this school. Every girl wants to fuck them, every guy wants to be them. You’ve been under their protection almost from the first moment you walked in here. If that protection disappears … worse, if it’s clear that you’re not one of them now, then the vultures will tear you to fucking pieces. You’ve been where all of them want to be, and they’re going to punish you for that.”
Seriously?
“I think you’re overreacting. Despite their opinions on the matter, they’re not actually gods. And no one cares about me. I’ll just be forgotten.”
Eddy shook her head, making a small disparaging sound. “Trust me. You were in the inner circle and everyone was jealous of you. You should have heard the chicks bitch about how you didn’t deserve what you had, and the guys all guessed what an awesome fuck you must be. Bottom line, now that you’re on the outs, they’ll make your life hell. You said the guys aren’t gods, but in this school, they might as well be.”
I couldn’t believe her, because if I did, then I’d be right where those assholes wanted me: needing their help and protection. With a shake of my head, I strode back to calculus, entering the room without knocking or offering any apology or explanation. That was how it usually worked when I was with the guys, but this time Mr. Greensmith leveled a glare on me.
“I’m not sure how your old school worked, Ms. Jameson, but here in Ducis, we do not just run in and out of classrooms like we own the place. See me after class.”
“Uh, sorry,” I said, stumbling back to my desk and sank down into the chair.
That was the first time I’d been reprimanded in this school, and the teacher had a point: I had been treating this place like I owned it. But no one had an issue until now … Eddy’s words ran through my head.
Could it really be happening already? Was it possible that people cared this much about the opinions of the Delta heirs? I tried to discreetly look around the room, and more than one set of eyes were on me. But … that didn’t mean anything. I mean, people had been curious about me since day one. I was a Deboise by birth but not by name; I was part of their elite crowd, but never actually claimed in any way. Beck and I had a relationship of some sort, but almost no one knew about that.
I was an enigma. That was the only reason they were looking at me. It had to be.
Focusing on the teacher for the rest of the lesson, I managed to take one page of notes and gain zero understanding of what we were learning. When the bell rang and the students filed out, I slowly made my way to his desk.
“I really am sorry,” I started, as soon as we were alone.
He didn’t seem to care about an apology though, already writing something on a green piece of paper, his lips pursed, making his wrinkles a little more defined. “Detention slip,” he said, handing it out to me. “Next time you’re late. Or you leave without permission, it’ll be two. See you this afternoon.”
With a low, almost inaudible groan, I reached out and took the slip before I tucked it into my folder. “It won’t happen again,” I told him, and then spun to rush from the room. No way in hell was I going to be late for my next class.
The guys might have won the first battle
, but I was going to win the war. I was determined.
6
By the time the lunch break bell chimed, I was more than ready for the detention. At least there—hopefully—I would be left alone.
News of the Delta boys “rejecting” me had traveled like fucking wildfire, and by the time I’d left calculus every eye in the school was on me. For several classes, I was just stared at, but come lunchtime—when I quite deliberately chose to sit as far away from the boys as possible—it was like the floodgates opened. Some bitch tried to trip me before I even got to my table, and it was only thanks to Eddy’s shouted warning that I didn’t end up wearing my massive, overflowing plate of roast chicken, vegetables, and gravy.
In my defense, while I despised almost everything about Militant Delta and their dodgy, shadowed world … the food wasn’t one of those things. The food was something I’d actively missed, and I would have been pissed if that bitch had made me waste it.
“You sure you want to sit here?” I asked Eddy with an arched brow as I placed my tray down and sat. “In case you didn’t get the memo, I’m public enemy number one now.”
Eddy snorted a laugh. “Oh, girl. No one missed that memo, trust me.”
I glared at her, and she just rolled her eyes and shrugged. “I’m still a Langham, even if I’m not a successor. The boys withdrew their protection from you, not me.”
I glared harder. “Gee, thanks.”
“It’s entirely within your power to stop it, Riles. I don’t understand what they did to get you so worked up, anyway?” It was posed as a question, her head tilted slightly to the side and for a moment I just wanted to tell her everything. But that would mean admitting to murder.
My breath escaped in a heavy sigh, and I poked at my food. “I can’t tell you.”
Eddy nodded, her eyes downcast. It was clear she was hurt. She’d spent her whole life around the secrets of Militant Delta and now here I was, her best friend, keeping secrets from her.
“I’m sorry—” I started, but she shook her head.
“I get it,” she said with just a touch of bitterness. “I just think you’re being stupid. Or stubborn. Whatever, same thing in this situation.”
I groaned and scrubbed my face with my hands. I’d only been back at school for half a day and it already felt like a fucking lifetime.
“Change the subject,” I muttered, trying to find a topic of conversation that didn’t make me want to rip my head off. “Uh … wanna come look at real estate with me this afternoon?”
My heart wasn’t in the offer. I was still leery as fuck of all things even remotely Delta related—Eddy included—but knowing that the entire school planned on hazing me, a friend in my court surely wasn’t the worst idea. So, fake it till you make it. Right?
Eddy’s brows shot up, a forkful of lettuce halfway to her mouth. “Real estate? For what?”
My lips curled up in a half grin. “I’m getting my own place. Debitch and I came to an agreement.”
Eddy’s jaw dropped. “Uh, does Beck know?” She answered before I had a chance. “I’m going to guess no.”
I shrugged. “Doubtful. Unless Catherine told him? What does it matter?”
My friend’s eyes cut across the lunch room to where I knew Beck was watching us. I could practically feel his eyes burning holes in my back. “We all live within the Delta compound for a reason, babe. There have been like, loads of assassination attempts on the guys … not to mention Oscar.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as fear decorated her face. “I just think Beck is going to have an issue with it. Especially now.”
I laughed a bitter, humorless sound. “Beck has issues with a lot of things right now. Doesn’t mean I should give two shits what he thinks.”
Just as I finished saying that, something wet hit me on the cheek … and stuck there. Horrified, I raised my hand and swiped the gob of saliva soaked napkin paper from my skin and turned my death glare in the direction of where it’d come from. A pack of cackling students congratulated one of the boys for his superior aim, and a blonde girl I’d never seen before smirked at me like she’d just won some sort of competition.
“Who the fuck is that?” I muttered, gritting my teeth and turning my back on the table of snickering cretins. I wasn’t prepared to take on the whole school. Not yet, anyway.
Eddy wrinkled her nose in distaste, sneering in blondie’s direction. “That is why the guys are going into major freak out mode. Katelyn Huntley.”
I spluttered the sip of water I’d just taken. “Sorry, fucking what?”
“They didn’t tell you? Seems a bit stupid,” Eddy was muttering, and I snapped my fingers at her to bring the focus back.
“They told me there was a spy, but they didn’t say it was an actual fucking Huntley heir. I thought Delta owned this school?” I was trying to keep my volume down, so my words were coming out in a harsh whisper. “How is this possible?”
She shrugged. “Beats me, no one tells me anything, remember? I only know who she is because I hacked into her school records just before lunch. She’s enrolled under Katelyn French, but her birth certificate has her surname as Huntley. She’s the youngest daughter of Graeme Huntley, CEO of Huntley Tech. Oh, and his wife, Cunt— Christie Huntley.”
It was very clear that Eddy was not a fan of the wife. If she was anything like the daughter—my one minute impression of her anyway—then I wasn’t surprised.
A dull ache was forming behind my right eyeball and I rubbed at my forehead. A Huntley heir. Fucking typical of the boys to leave that minor detail out.
“She looks like a bitch,” I commented, casting another look in the new girl’s direction. She’d moved fast, already surrounding herself with fawning acolytes who appeared to be pandering to her every whim—including shooting a spitball at me.
Eddy snorted. “She’s that and more. Worse yet? She’s spending a lot of time hanging off Beck, which is both weird and screwed up. They’re enemies.”
Jealousy and primal possessiveness flared up inside me, and I had to swallow it back with conscious effort. “Good for her,” I said, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. “They’d make a lovely couple.” The words were like acid on my tongue, and suddenly I’d totally lost my appetite.
My friend started laughing, grinning at me like a hyena. “You’re a sucky liar, Riley Jameson.” She nudged my tray. “Are you done with that? You should probably get going to the gym before the bell rings. I can only imagine what these bitches will have cooked up over the lunch break.” She shuddered, and I groaned.
“Fuck it.” I sighed as I followed Eddy to put our trays away. “No amount of high school bullying can make me forgive Beck for what he did.” She made a noise, and I realized what I’d said. “Or any of them.”
Eddy gave me a quick hug, like she was wishing me luck in my next class, then headed off in the direction of her own, leaving me with my gloomy thoughts.
Fucking Beck. Yes, I was the most pissed off at him, and rightly fucking so! None of the other boys had lured me into their bed. None of the others had made me care. Made me think they cared.
Pain rippled through me as I acknowledged the falsity in that line of thought. I had thought they cared. All of them.
But not like Beck.
* * *
When the rest of the girls in my class entered the gym and saw me sitting there already in my sports clothes, their scowls could have stripped paint. Eddy was right. They’d been planning something.
Even so, they satisfied themselves throughout the class by tripping me, throwing balls at my face—which I managed to dodge—and shoulder checking me way more than a game of volleyball called for.
The whole thing was baffling. They acted like they would get some kind of prize for being bitches toward me. Maybe they thought they would? In the form of Beck’s dick down their throat in a dirty supply closet.
The thought should have made me roll my eyes with contempt and disgust, but all my body could conjure up was burning jealousy. Godd
amn Sebastian Roman fucking Beckett was still under my skin.
After the class finished I hung around as long as humanly possible before entering the locker rooms. As badly as I wanted to skip the whole showering and changing situation, I smelled. Bad. The amount of effort it had taken to evade the worst of the attacks during volleyball had left me sweating and exhausted.
“Hello?” I called out cautiously as I peered around the seemingly empty locker room. “Anyone in here?”
No sound came back to me except the dripping of the showers. I’d managed to kill a solid twenty minutes slowly packing up the volleyball equipment and it was already well into the next class period so I’d have been surprised if anyone else was still here. Still, it didn’t hurt to check.
Quickly as I could, I checked all cubicles to verify that I was indeed alone, then grabbed my stuff and locked myself into a shower. Only once the little bolt clicked over did I let out the breath I was holding.
“Fuck me,” I muttered under my breath as I stripped off my sweaty sports clothes and hung them on the back of the door. “This social outcast shit is exhausting.”
I took my time in the shower because, screw it. I was already so late for my next class that I may as well take my time. It wasn’t until I’d dried off and pulled on my underwear that I noticed.
“Fuck,” I cursed, holding up my uniform. Someone had taken to it with a pair of scissors or a knife or something, because my skirt was shredded into ribbons and my shirt was full of holes. I hadn’t noticed when I’d grabbed it from my locker because it’d been tucked into the top of my bag where I’d left it.
A rustle of fabric was all the warning I got, a split second before a hand darted over the top of my shower door and snatched my sweaty sports uniform—leaving me with nothing to wear.
“Hey!” I yelled, slamming the door open and racing out to try and catch the clothing thief. “Of course it’s you,” I sneered, spotting Brittley—Beck’s fake girlfriend and all around town bicycle—standing by the door, holding my clothes up like a trophy.