Trinity High: High School Bully Romance

by Savannah Rose

  I chuckle, resting my elbow on the wooden plank behind me, pretending that I’m not affected at all. “Aw… Miss Malone trying to be nice… I hope you didn’t pull a muscle or something,” I shoot back because what the hell else am I to do? Her father has his paws in her, deeper than my father has his in me. A part of me gets it. I’ve seen Malone fist her hair in his hands and drag her out of a room because he didn’t like the attitude behind her words. I’ve seen him ball his fists at her, the look on his face making it evident that it was taking everything in him not to strike her. She has to hate me because hating me is easier than dealing with her father’s wrath. And heavens knows, if we were anything other than enemies, her father would come down on her harder than she could handle.

  “Fuck you, Elias,” Kira spits and pushes herself to a standing position. Extending her leg, she kicks me in the shin. It’s always like this with her. With us. Not a single good moment lasts for more than a minute or two. I hiss from the pain. She’s about to descend towards the bottom of the bleachers, when I reach out with my sneaker and trip her, the rage bursting through me like hellfire.

  I didn’t think this through, I realize, as Kira goes down, tumbling and crying out in pain.

  “Son of a bitch!” she screams, landing on her back in the dried-up dirt, holding her left arm. The skin reddens around the elbow. It starts to swell, a little too fast and a little too much for my comfort.

  “Ah, shit…” I mutter, noticing Coach Harding as he crosses the lacrosse field, glaring at me as if I’ve just slapped his mother around.

  “Keep playing!” he shouts at the others, then points that angry finger at me again. “Elias Dressler, you brainless little asshole!”

  I’m paralyzed, unable to move as Kira moans and cries on the ground. I’m in trouble. I’m in so much fucking trouble, and all because she literally brings out the worst in me. I don’t get it. I don’t understand how the two of us are able to have meaningful conversations, to only blow everything to smithereens five minutes later. I don’t get it…

  An hour later, Kira and I are in the principal’s office. Her left arm is wrapped up tightly against her torso, a glum look on her face as she sinks into one of the guest armchairs in front of Principal Johnson’s mahogany desk. I feel bad, but I can’t show it—Dad’s on his way, and so is William Malone. I cannot reveal any kind of weakness. It’s deeply ingrained in me not to…

  “Mr. Dressler, do you have anything to say to Miss Malone?” Principal Johnson asks, frowning at me. He hasn’t said a word since Coach Harding brought us both in here from the Infirmary—after he made me watch as they but the bandage around Kira’s arm.

  If I don’t act like a Dressler when dealing with a Malone, my dad will be pissed.

  “She needs to watch her mouth, is all I’m saying,” I grumble, leaning back into the leather armchair. Principal Johnson does not look impressed.

  “This is grounds for expulsion,” he replies, and my blood runs cold.

  What are the odds that that’ll actually happen, when my dad is one of the school’s top donors? I won’t say that out loud, though. I’ll wait for my maker to say it, when he gets here.

  Speak of the devil…

  The door opens, and in comes my dad. He’s all suited up, no briefcase, just the phone in his hand, car keys jingling in his pockets. He looks tired, and like this is the last place he wants to be—I can tell from the dip in his brow.

  “What the hell happened?!” my dad blurts, shocked by the bandage on Kira’s arm, who can’t even say hello. She looks as though she’s made of ice, not moving in her seat and her gaze fixed on one of the sculptural paperweights on the principal’s desk.

  “Hey, Dad,” I say, as casually as I can.

  “What did you do?” he asks.

  “He tripped Miss Malone. She fell from the bleachers and sprained her elbow. It’s pretty severe,” Principal Johnson says.

  “I’m not going to dance for a couple of weeks,” Kira feels the need to add.

  “What the fuck?!” William Malone’s voice booms through the office. The room is suddenly too small for the alpha male personalities that have just entered it. Hell, even Principal Johnson looks uncomfortable.

  “He broke my elbow!” Kira cries out, all teary eyed.

  Crap. If I felt bad for her earlier, well, that’s all gone now. “I didn’t break it. It’s a sprain!”

  “I can’t dance anymore!” she shouts.

  “For two weeks! Cool your fucking jets,” I reply.

  “Elias. Shush,” my dad cuts in, and my lips are sealed.

  Mr. Malone puts a hand on Kira’s shoulder, and she narrows her blue eyes at me. “You done messed up,” she whispers, and Mr. Malone squeezes hard enough to make her wince. It also shuts her up, so I’m grateful for that.

  The Principal stands up, hands politely settled behind his back. “Mr. Dressler, Mr. Malone, thank you for coming here on such short notice. I’m sorry I had to pull you away from your busy schedules, but this has to be settled, once and for all. Kira and Elias have gotten into trouble one too many times, and I’m afraid the school has run out of patience where the two are concerned.”

  Mr. Malone scowls at my dad. “You did this.”

  “Fuck you, William. I didn’t do anything. Your daughter provoked my son,” Dad replies, straightening his back. I swear, it’s like watching two silverback gorillas about to fight one another. It makes my face burn.

  “Gentlemen, please, let’s watch our language in the presence of children,” Principal Johnson says, offering a faint smile.

  “Language? Puh-lease, Kira’s foul mouth is nothing compared to Dad’s,” I mutter. It gets me a slap on the shoulder from my dad.

  “Shut up,” he mutters, then shifts his focus back on the principal. “Okay. So, what happened, exactly?”

  Principal Johnson sighs, as if he’s about to delve into 1001 Arabian Nights in one go. It makes me roll my eyes—a quick glimpse to my left, and I see I’m not the only one. Kira seems to feel the same way, as I can only see the whites of her eyes now.

  “Well, apparently, there was an exchange between Kira and Elias. It culminated with harsh words and Elias tripping Kira. She fell down the bleachers and sprained her elbow. Plus, some other bruises…” Principal Johnson says, keeping it remarkably short.

  I guess he’s tired of us. This isn’t our first disciplinary visit, and chances are it won’t be our last before junior high is over, either. Kira and I… we’re volatile. Always drawn to each other, always doomed to explode and get hurt.

  “And that part about how the school lost its patience?” Dad asks, cocking his head to the side, as the principal opens his mouth, ready to explain. “What, you think you’re going to expel my son over this? I doubt you’re doing so well in terms of donations in order to afford such an idiotic move.”

  It’s enough to cause Principal Johnson’s forehead to smooth, beads of sweat blooming on his face. Dad hit him right where it hurts, and the reality is anything but comfortable. The Dresslers pump a ton of money into this school, on a yearly basis. Dressler Corp. donated the entire computer study room, with custom made furniture from this snazzy Italian designer whose name I keep forgetting.

  “Mr. Dressler, what you donate to our school should not excuse your son’s behavior—”

  “You might want to rethink that,” Dad cuts him off, smiling coldly.

  “Typical. Bribing your way through school so your son doesn’t end up on a back alley with a needle in his vein,” Mr. Malone chuckles, and I can’t stop myself from throwing daggers at him. There’s a lot to unpack in that statement of his, and none of it is true, anyway—but he knows it. The jab was aimed at my dad, in reference to the rumors circling about my mom. I’m just collateral damage.

  “Look who’s talking. If it weren’t for your Christmas Ball donations, your daughter would be in juvie right now with Dina Kemper for child pornography,” Dad replies.

  “It was a stupid prank, and my daughter
did not distribute any of those photos, to begin with!” Mr. Malone says. “Your son, on the other hand, tried to kill my daughter today.”

  “I didn’t! It was a—”

  “It was a what? An accident?” he interrupts me, and I’m silent again. I can never win with this guy. He hates my dad so much, that he hates me, too, by mere association. He looks at Principal Johnson. “So, are you going to expel this little shit, or does he need to kill my daughter in order for you to do something?”

  “Hey…” I manage, unable to stop myself. This is getting way out of hand. I would’ve preferred two hours’ worth of reprimanding from Principal Johnson than even five minutes of this hot mess.

  “Enough! No one is expelling Elias!” Dad raises his voice. “I’ll cover your daughter’s hospital bill and treatment. I’ll throw in a nice fruit basket, for good measure. Elias will apologize, and that’s the end of that.”

  Mr. Malone eyes Dad carefully. “Back out of the Brooklyn supermall deal, and I’ll consider the fruit basket.”

  This is unbelievable. His daughter’s in literal pain, I screwed up, the school wants to expel me, and all he can think about is his business? Seriously? Jesus Christ, I think I see why Kira is so… off. With a father like hers, no wonder she acts out.

  “Listen, William. I’m not backing out of any project, and you’re free to pursue whatever course of action you wish against my son,” Dad says calmly. “We’ve got an army of lawyers ready to take you on, as always. But he’s not leaving this school. Take the apology and everything else I’ve offered, or leave it.”

  Mr. Malone looks at his daughter for a moment, then at me, then at Dad and the principal. “I’m too busy for this shit,” he ultimately says, and slips his credit card into Kira’s bandage. “Here, check yourself in at the Holy Cross for a proper checkup. I’ll let your mother know.” He smirks at Dad. “I’ll see you at the next round of negotiations for Halifax, then.”

  “That you will,” Dad replies, and Mr. Malone walks out.

  Kira is utterly befuddled, not that I can blame her. She’s well within her rights, since her father practically bailed on her. Oh, man…

  Dad exhales sharply and gives the principal a dry smile. “There we go, Mr. Johnson. All settled. I’ll see you at the next donor meeting. Expect my check in the mail.” He then turns to look at me. “Come on. We’re going home.”

  I get up all sluggish and feeling awful, as Kira watches me with her lips pressed into a thin line. This is too much. I can’t do this.

  “Dad,” I whisper, pulling him aside. “Can’t we at least drive her to Holy Cross?”

  He scoffs. “No. She’s a big girl. She can take a cab.”

  Before I can say anything else, he hauls me out of the office, leaving Kira and an equally stunned principal behind. There’s so much I would like to tell her right now, but I know it won’t change much between us.

  Our dads hate each other, obsessively. I doubt Kira and I will ever get past it. I want to, and maybe she’s considered it, too… but our feud feels so old, so deeply embedded into our lives, that it’s become a part of who we are.

  Tomorrow, everything will be the same. We’ll curse at each other. She’ll try to pull a revenge prank on me. I’ll pay her back in kind, then feel like shit knowing that I’ve caused her even a sliver of pain, physical or emotional… or both. It’s been this way since I can remember. For years, we’ve been at each other’s throats.

  I’d like to say that I look forward to the end of all this, but I’d be lying. Because the end of our feud will probably mean that we won’t see each other again anymore, either. And I don’t like that. For better or for worse, Kira Malone is a part of my life. I didn’t ask for it, but I don’t want it to go away, either.

  All I can do is roll with the punches and find a way to enjoy it.

  10

  Elias

  Sheldon La Roche is quite possibly the only person I am able to trust in this world. He’s been my defender and right-hand man since Dad first got sick. He supports me with the same ferociousness he had put in service of my father over more than a decade ago. With Mom out of the picture, finding her way back to herself at a psychiatric clinic - he’s pretty much the closest thing to a parent I’ve had, since Dad died. Unlike my parents, however, Sheldon has always treated me like I’m an adult, aware that I was forced to grow up too quickly.

  Today, I’m not exactly in the best of moods. Everything with Kira plus the visit to mom has me a little on edge. Sure, I might have switched schools to Trinity High for the sake of being able to see my mother more often, but it’s still not easy looking at her without really being certain that she’s in there. Those who say that my father drove her mad wouldn’t be fully wrong. But he’s not the only one to blame. Mom’s sick and a mentally unstable woman who forgets about taking care of herself can land into a hole that is never ending. That’s where my mother is now, and it kills me. Maybe that’s why I was so delicate with Kira after finding her in the gazebo. Regardless, I need to put all of that to the side for a minute and allow my brain to breathe.

  When Sheldon comes to my house to tell me about William Malone, I listen, unequivocally, needing something to be distracted by. Sheldon’s judgment prevented numerous failures in Dressler Corp. Hell, he singlehandedly pulled the company out of the gutter during the financial crisis, and that was before he was even offered a position as our in-house lawyer.

  We take our seats in the living-room. The sun breaks through the thin white curtains, dressing everything in a soft light, as Erica, one of my maids, serves coffee and pastries. Sheldon looks calm, but I know he’s always on edge when it comes to William Malone. If there is anyone who hates that man as much as my dad did, it’s him.

  “How’s Kira?” Sheldon asks, aware of our little trip to the hospital from the other night. I tell him everything, thus securing my own protection. Sheldon’s contact list could cover up Watergate without blinking an eye—let alone a rich girl’s overdose.

  “I don’t know,” I reply, sipping coffee. The bitter liquid trickles down my throat, spreading warmth through my stomach. It’s the one thing I’m not sure I’d be able to live without. “I haven’t spoken to her since I left her at the hospital. She should be fine, though. The doctors said she was out of danger.”

  Sheldon frowns, occasionally glancing at Erica as she finishes setting up the coffee table service and leaves the living room area. “Are you sure she’s out of danger, though? She’s been taking Oxy since her leg injury, well over the prescribed amount. It’s a clear sign of addiction.”

  It bothers me, of course, but I don’t like saying it out loud. It would imply that I actually care about her and any such feelings for a Malone would be detrimental to my reputation, not to mention the company. I may trust Sheldon, but no one can know what goes on inside me. These are my demons to tackle, and no one else’s.

  “Probably. But it’s not really my problem,” I say, leaning back into the armchair. The words feel stale on my tongue, plagued with the sourness of the past as opposite to the prospect of a much brighter future where Kira and I are concerned.

  Sheldon murmurs something under his breath before raising his voice. “If Malone’s sole heir to the business is unreliable due to drug problems, it opens him up to serious trouble on the market.”

  “I’m not bringing Kira into this,” I say, determined to keep her as far away from this mess as possible. She’s got enough on her plate. “Besides, Malone is grooming Janelle for a position within the company. Kira’s determined to keep dancing, so I doubt she is in any manner interested in running the company.”

  “Now’s not the time to start protecting the enemy, Elias.” I don’t like the way he says that. A week ago, those words would have meant something. The Kira back then was the Kira I had known growing up. She wasn’t weak or broken or in need of being handled with silk gloves. This Kira, the one who I found on a bench in her gazebo, well, she’s in a completely different ballgame. Only this ti
me, she’s not the one pitching fastballs, instead, she’s being beaten down with the bat.

  “You can’t exactly fake an overdose,” I say to Sheldon. “She’s not in a good place and I’m not the type to kick someone when they’re down.”

  Sheldon sighs. “If you want to take Malone down, I might have a good avenue for us to follow…”

  His voice trails off, his eyes fixed on me. I know that look. Sheldon is a hawk. Even in his mid-fifties, his mind is as sharp and as dangerous as a poisoned arrow tip. If he sets his sights on someone, that person is irrevocably screwed, and for the past five years, Sheldon has been digging into all aspects of William Malone’s life—both business and private.

  Nothing he’s come up with so far has been enough to take the bastard down, but that hasn’t stopped Sheldon from digging deeper. He’s taken extensive trips across the country, sometimes being away for months on end, just to meet and talk to former friends and business associates of Malone, contractors and clients, distant relatives… pretty much anyone who could tell him something about the man. Something that wouldn’t do his company any good if it ever came to light.

  “Well, go on,” I say after a long pause. “Don’t keep me on the edge of my seat here.”

  “I just want to make sure you know what we’re getting ourselves into. Taking William Malone down will not be easy. You’ve seen for yourself.”

  “I’m honoring my father’s memory with this endeavor,” I reply. “I’m also getting a dangerous man out of the public. Provided we find a smoking gun, obviously.”

  Sheldon shoots me a cool grin. He’s not the kind of person to exhibit such emotions, so… whatever he’s got on Malone, it’s big. Bigger than anything else he’s come across before. “I’ve spoken to Joe Fowler’s wife. His parents. Former college buddies.”

  It’s my turn to frown. Janelle and I aren’t exactly friends, but we don’t have the kind of beef that Kira and I do. Digging up her father’s skeletons – I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of that. “Where are you going with this?”