Ruthless Royals

by Eva Hart

  I looked up, and it was that Dane guy. The one from this morning. He had a frown on his face, and the girl looked at him with an affronted gasp. Why was this guy standing up for me.

  “What do you know Dane. Mind your damn business,” she snapped.

  “She’s not doing anything wrong. Buzz the hell off,” he stated.

  The girls glared at him, and then back at me. I shrugged.

  “It wasn’t me who said it. It was him,” I said.

  The glared at me once more, and then looked at Dane once more.

  “Dane Graham watch your place,” Tabitha said, looking at him as she walked on by.

  “Hey Tabitha, this doesn't involve you. Get your little cronies away from her. Not everyone wants to deal with your bullshit. Leave her alone, she’s just eating lunch,” he snapped.

  Tabitha glared at me, and I could tell that she was pissed I even had someone sticking up for me. It wasn’t like I asked him to or anything.

  The girls got up, scoffing at me before leaving. Dane smiled at me before sitting across from me. I quickly tensed, feeling like his eyes were on me.

  “Sorry about that. I’m just sick of their bullshit,” he said.

  “Yeah, same. But you’re better off not getting close to me,” I admonished.

  The last thing I wanted him to deal with was the teasing from these guys because of me. But Dane simply smiled.

  “Well, if you want to talk, I have my own reasons for hating these guys,” he said.

  His own reasons? I felt tempted, that’s for sure. I wasn’t sure if Dane was friend or foe yet, but there was something almost…magnetizing about him. He was attractive, and he stood up to these assholes. But I still felt the apprehension.

  He wouldn’t hurt me, right? But Dane had that look that screamed he had something to tell me, and I felt the growing desire to discover what it was that he was hiding. I followed him out to where the courtyard was. He looked about, and then he spoke.

  “The truth is, I have my own dirt against these guys,” he said.

  “What though? I mean, you’ve seen how they treated me. I have a target on my back because of this,” I said.

  “I know, which is why I should tell you that my sister was a part of the elites when they got in trouble. You might know her as Bailey,” he said.

  I didn’t know of a girl named bailey, but I stuck around, listening to what Dane had to say.

  “Well, Baily was with the elites, and so was Lucas’s ex-girlfriend Freya the night they got in trouble. You know, the girl who overdosed,” he said.

  My eyes widened as I listened to him, realizing that he had his own reasons for hating these guys.

  “What…what happened to Bailey?”

  “She’s alive but…she suffered massive brain damage from the overdose. She hit her head when she fell, and since then, she hasn’t been able to recognize others. To this day, she can’t live on her own. My parents are faced to take care of her. Because of what those motherfuckers did,” he said.

  He clenched his hands, and I nodded, feeling sympathetic for him.

  “So you have your own reasons for hating them too,” I said.

  “Damn right I do. I want you to speak up against them Jules. You can’t just sit there and take it. That’s not how it works. You need to fight them. They’ll only hurt you more and more,” he said.

  I didn’t think that. I felt like…if I did end up speaking up it would do me no good.

  “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll take care of myself,” I said.

  “You’re going to regret that Jules. I’m the son of a real estate inventor, and I hate these guys. But I can’t do a dan thing about them either. I hate this. I really, really do,” he muttered.

  I understood that, but if I continued down this pathway, it would only hurt me even more.

  “Relax, I’ll figure out what I want to do about this Dane. Just…just don’t get yourself involved. It’s better this way,” I said.

  “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you don’t speak up, it’s going to hurt,” he said.

  “Right. I get that,” I said.

  “Seriously Jules, you don’t have to fight this alone. I have my own reasons, and I would stop at nothing to see these guys taken down,” he said.

  “Yeah well, the feeling is mutual, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to stand up for me. You’re popular, and you play sports too. I think it’s better if we don’t get too close,” I said.

  “Sure, if you say so,” he replied. He got up, leaving me alone finally, and as I looked at him when he left, I felt a strange sense of of worry.

  However, as he left, I saw Luca and Phoenix giving me smiled.

  “Why, look at that, little Jules here is cozying up to that rich bastard,” Phoenix said.

  “I’m not doing any such thing. He came up to me. His name is Dane, and I don’t know him other than you guys somehow hurt his sister,” I said.

  “We did no such thing,” Luca said.

  “Whatever. It’s not like I like him or anything,” I said.

  That was a total lie though. I mean, he was attractive, but I knew better than to get involved with any guy at this school. However, I noticed the Elites didn’t believe me.

  “Oh come on, it seems like you can’t keep your hands off him. Or maybe that’s what you want,” Phoenix said.

  I clenched my hands. These guys were teasing me, but there was also an air of sweetness to their words. I didn’t really know what to make of this, so I simply shook my head.

  “You’ve got it wrong. I’m not doing any such thing,” I said.

  “Well, you’re certainly cute enough to get any guy in school. Plus, we enjoy the feisty ones,” Phoenix said with a purr.

  “Oh yes. Seems like you’re fitting in just fine,” Luca said.

  “I have no interest in you guys,” I said. Again, that was a lie, but they simply just laughed, and soon, the trio then walked away.

  They left, leaving me alone in the courtyard. I didn’t know what to make of any of this. They seemed to be flirting, and I liked that about them. There was an attraction to them which was growing, but the torment didn’t stop. I continued to be harassed by the Elites, while Luca, Phoenix and Thorne simply just watched. Thorne was the only one of the three not actively flirting, but I could feel their growing attraction to me. I didn’t understand why they cared so much, but it’s not like I could fight this either. If I did, I’d end up getting hurt. I didn’t want that, and I know that they saw this as fun, and it definitely wasn’t something that I could fight.

  I just had to figure but my next move. I’d only get tormented more and more if I didn’t stop this, but how could I stop the three most powerful, most attractive men in school? I really didn’t know anymore, and I felt like there was a growing desire to speak out, but I also feared what might come out of this. It definitely bothered me, but I felt powerless against these bullies, unsure of what to do, and most of all, feeling the growing desire from their fliting, even if I was being tormented by them in the process.

  Chapter 7

  I had to grin and bear it, but that doesn’t mean it was fun, however.

  I continued to get harassed by these girls, unable to stand up for myself. I could feel my own desire to stand up for myself starting to dwindle. While I did fire back at them whenever they would make little quips, I sometimes I would feel a little bit off-put by the way they would respond to me, and I’d be unable to say anything back.

  One night, as I was heading back to the dorm, I went to my shower bag, grasping it and holding it. As I picked through my pack, I noticed something…fuzzy in there.

  I pulled it out, immediately screaming on instinct. It was a dead rat! What the fuck.

  I grabbed it, and cringed. I needed to get rid of this. The best way to do this was to toss it in the biohazard receptacles. I didn’t want to see this shit in the dorm, that’s for sure.

  “Hey, I have to go downstairs for a minute. And then I�
��ll hit the showers,” I said.

  “Fine,” JJ said. She barely spoke more than a word or so to me at this point, especially after the recent mess. I felt bad that we drifted apart, but that’s how it went sometimes.

  I went outside, heading down the stairs and over to that area, when I noticed a group of people near the doorway. It was a small brown door, and I noticed that there was something in there. What was going on?

  “What is this?” I asked one of them.

  The guy completely ignored me, but opened the door.

  I threw away the rat, walking back over. There were a couple of jeers from some of the kids that were there, but I noticed the stairs descending. At the very bottom was a small boxing ring, with attendees all cheering.

  “What the heck is this?”

  In front of me was Thorn and some random guy, both of them duking it out. I saw the sweat drip down his chest as he fought the other guy. It was a bloody fight, but after a few minutes, there was a sound of a referee counting to ten. When they did so, the crowd erupted into cheers.

  Thorn continued the fight, when the other guy fell down. The referee came over, holding up Thorn’s hand.

  “And the winner is Thorne! Our next match will be with Luca Vs. Sven from Lily’s Breath, the rival school!” one of the announcers said.

  The crowd was going insane with those words. I felt my body move closer towards the ring, and I saw Luca look at me for a brief moment. But, instead of a look of hatred, it was something else. Something different. Was it arousal? I honestly didn’t even know.

  I couldn’t believe this. There was an underground boxing ring down here. The next fight was between Luca and Sven, and I noticed that Sven stepped into the ring with a look of anticipation on his face. Luca then smiled, a devilish grin, and as he put the mouth guard in, I heard the dinging of the bells, and soon, the referee spoke.

  “Challengers are you ready?” he asked.

  They both nodded, and I watched with extreme shock and arousal as Luca immediately lunged at Sven. The first attack was a jab at his side, causing the sound of a groan to escape his mouth. I couldn’t stop watching as Luca did this, both amazed, and a little bit scared honestly, by the time Luca was done with this guy, he was a bloodied mess.

  It was both amazing to watch, but also completely terrifying. I mean, I knew Luca was strong, especially given his pedigree, but he also, along with being strong, had an air of fear attached to him.

  The crowd began to leave, and after the gaggle of girls cried out about how good and how hot Luca was beating that man down, they jeered at me and then ran away. I was used to it by now, and then, after a brief moment, Luca and I were facing one another.

  The tensions between us were only rising. He looked at me with a devious smile.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” he said.

  “Yeah well, your little friends left me a present in my shower bag, so I had to dispose of it. Then I heard about this,” I said with a purr.

  I mean, I didn’t know if flirting with the enemy was the smartest choice, but Luca seemed pleased with the words.

  “Yeah, this is my boxing ring. I both run it, and fight in it sometimes. That was some punk wo owed me money. Guess he won’t forget that,” he said.

  I looked at him, suddenly noticing the scar on his chest. It was in the shape of a diamond. Suddenly, instinctively I moved my hand out, moving straight towards the diamond and touching it. Luca flinched, and then spoke.

  “Watch it. Warn someone before you touch them,” he said.

  “S-sorry, I just noticed it,” I told him.

  “Well, I’m smart enough to not let sluts touch me,” he sneered.

  I glared at him. I mean, he was the one who was caught behind the theater fucking some girl.

  “I mean, that’s a little ironic coming from you,” I said.

  “What, you’re saying you’re not a slut? You sure love flirting with Phoenix and that Dane fucker,” he said.

  “I mean, calling that flirting is a stretch,” I said.

  “Whatever, you’re still a slut to me,” he said.

  I felt like he was teasing me at this point. This man probably did think I was a slut because of the way I acted. Of course, I knew of his background too.

  He was the son of two of the biggest mafia gangs out there, and they only came together to quell the tensions in place. Luca didn’t have any other reason for his actions, and he was supposed to carry on the family legacy. I felt a bit for him, feeling bad about this as well.

  “Anyways, I’m surprised you run this place,” I said.

  “Yeah well, someone needs to do something fun around here. Don’t go telling your daddy about this, you hear? Or else, I’ll get involved,” he said with a smile on his face. I looked at him, noticing that he was grinning with those words.

  “I have no desire to. Do both Thorn and you run this?”

  “Mostly just Thorn, but I take care of the trash that’s causing trouble. I definitely make sure that justice is served for everyone,” he said.

  “I see, and I’m guessing that ‘justice’ is the fuckers who don’t give you your money?” I asked.

  “You could say that, or people who don’t get out of the way. And yeah, don’t tell your dad, or else we’ll make sure that you’re next in our little ring,” he said.

  “I have no desire to. I don’t give a rat’s ass what you’re doing around here, I was just disposing of a rat, when I saw the place,” I said.

  “Fine. I guess I’ll see you around,” he told me with a cold look.

  “Right. Well, hope you have a nice night,” I said to him.

  I walked away, but then; Luca spoke.

  “You know, maybe if you stopped being such a slut, you’d fit in here,” he said.

  “I mean, I can try,” I said with a smile on my face.

  “Heh, that’s probably easier said than done with you though. I know your type,” he said.

  “I’m sure you do.”

  I walked away, feeling his cold gaze against my body. He was both attractive, but also a bit nerve-wracking too. I mean, I just saw an underground boxing ring that they probably have been running since the drug bust. I could go to my dad about this, but I’m not going to bother doing that. he last thing I need is more of their bullshit.

  The next day, I got a text from my dad saying he wanted to talk to me. Great, now I wasn’t going to get a break from the elites about my position. I met with my dad at his office. he opened the door when I got there, smiling.

  “There you are,” he said.

  “What do you want, dad?” I asked, feeling nervous about all of this.

  “Well, I wanted to get to know you better. If that’s okay,” he said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m getting you dinner tonight. Figured a father/daughter dinner to help with the tensions would benefit both of us,” he said.

  That wasn’t going to help the nagging feeling in my body right now. but I wasn’t going to be able to fight this. I simply sighed, nodding as I walked with my dad to his car. We went to a small little diner nearby, and as we sat down, I could see my dad looking at me.

  “You know, I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m just doing what’s best,” he said.

  “Yeah, you only stepped in because mom was out of the picture,” I told him.

  “Well if your mother would actually call me back, we could sort this out. I can’t believe she just left a minor at home. Actually, I can, she is that irresponsible,” he said.

  I mean, my dad wasn’t wrong there. She was incredibly flaky and irresponsible.

  “Was she like this when you two hooked up?” I inquired.

  “Don’t know. It was a one-night stand. She then told me she had a kid, and when I tried to interfere, she told me not to bother. So, I never got a chance to connect with you because of her flakiness,” he said.

  I nodded. “I could see that. she’s like that,” I told him.

  “You’re telling me,”
he said.

  “So are you seeing the principal? I mean, you two were pretty buddy/buddy when I saw you,” I said, pointing out to him.

  There was a moment, and then my dad spoke.

  “I don’t believe that’s any of your business, but if I was, I don’t think that would affect your time here,” he said.

  “I guess so. I mean, it would be weird if you just hooked up with some random chick from the school,” I said.

  “Indeed. Our relationship is strictly professional though. She’s a wonderful woman, and she made a lot of exceptions to letting you in. you can thank her for you being here,” he said.

  “I don’t think I want to thank her. It hasn’t been easy here,” I said.

  I thought about telling my dad the truth, that this school sucks dick, but I didn’t.

  The tension began to dissipate, and as I looked at my dad, he began to smile.

  “Thank you for coming out here though. I know that…I know that I’m not the best with raising kids, but there is still time. I could actually use someone like you in my life. It’s hard out there, being a security guard for a school. I wish I got involved earlier in life, and I do regret it, but I definitely feel like I can make up for lost time,” he said.

  I listened to my dad, realizing he was serious about this. I smiled at him, noticing that he meant it.

  “Yeah, well we can work it out. Together,” I said to him.

  “I’m sure we can. Just know that if you’re getting bothered by anyone, anyone at all, let me know,” he said.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know,” I chirped with a smile. The truth was, he didn’t need to get involved, for both our sakes, but I did appreciate the thought.

  “Indeed. Anyways, how is school?” he said.

  There wasn’t any chance I’d tell him about the bullying and harassment, but I simply smiled.

  “Some of the kids are little shits, but it’s part of the territory,” I said.

  “Yeah, you have those elites. I swear, they’re still mad for me busting them for drugs a year ago,” he said.

  Well yeah, but I wasn’t going to tell my dad to what extent they were taking this. I definitely didn’t want to get him worried.