“Oh, geez,” I laugh. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. They danced for a little while and had dinner together. It’s not as though they were planning their wedding.”
“I don’t know,” she says with a shrug, looking down at her lunch. “You don’t know my dad like I do. He was so into her. To him, that’s pretty much a done deal.”
I raise my brow as I look back at Hendrix with a million thoughts roaming through my mind, every single one of them wondering if Mom is even ready for something like this. “Are you sure? Because I haven’t seen my mom like that for ages. She was practically shining with him. My dad only died eight months ago, and that’s still really fresh for her, for both of us, but at the same time, I want her to be happy. If your dad could make her happy …”
A seriousness comes over her and she looks at me as though she’s diving right into the bottom of her heart to find the right words. “You know, my dad is a real genuine guy and if your mom isn’t ready and whatever they felt on Saturday night is real, then I really think he’d wait. He's not the kind to screw a woman around and to be really honest with you, I haven’t seen him happy like that in a really long time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “As long as your mom feels the same too, then I think this could actually turn into something.”
“All this from just one night together?”
“Just think about how romantic it would be. It’s literally a Cinderella story. They met at the ball and everything.”
“I’d hardly call the Gatsby party a ball.”
“True, but around here, it’s probably the closest we’d ever get.”
“Bullshit,” I laugh. “If I even hinted to Colton that I wanted to go to some fancy ball, he’d have the party planners and caterers there within minutes.”
“Good point,” she laughs. “That guy has got it bad for you.”
I can’t help the warm, fond smile that stretches across my face. “Yeah, he kinda does, doesn’t he?”
“Understatement of the year,” she tells me. “We might not have really known each other during that masquerade ball but I was there, and I saw the way he danced with you, everyone did. And then that kiss … fuck me, if only I was that lucky. Everyone here knows what you mean to each other. There’s no denying it. At every party and even on that boat right at the beginning, he watches you. He’s so aware of everything that you do. You two are like a real-life Romeo and Juliet.”
I gape at her. “Romeo and Juliet died at the end of the story.”
“Yeah, well, take out that part and the whole families at war thing and then ...wait. I’m pretty sure there was an arranged marriage in there somewhere too. You know what, screw it, you guys aren’t Romeo and Juliet. That was a bad example. You can be a modern-day telling of Cinderella.”
“How did this conversation go from trying to set up our parents to figuring out what me and Colton are supposed to be? Can’t we just be us?”
Drix shrugs, looking less than impressed by the idea. “I mean, I guess you could just be you two, but that’s so boring.”
“Forgive me, I didn’t realize my life was supposed to be here for your sole entertainment. However shall I make it up to you?”
Her eyes bug out of her head. “WAIT. Cinderella had an evil stepmom and bitch twin sisters. Colton has that.”
I let out a heavy sigh. Here I thought the whole Cinderella comparison was over but it sounds like she’s only just getting started. Either way, it’s better than talking about rumors and somehow, it’s gotten my mind off my shitty weekend, so for now, I’ll play along. “True,” I tell her. “But then wouldn’t that make Colton Cinderella and me Prince Eric? I don’t know how he’s really going to feel about that.”
Hendrix gives me a blank stare. “First of all Prince Eric is from ‘The Little Mermaid.’ If you’re going to try and keep up with me, then at least get your stories straight. The prince you’re looking for is Prince Charming. And secondly, who gives a shit if he has to play the role of Cinderella? I’m sure deep down, Colton will get a thrill out of putting on a gown and acting like a princess for a day.”
“You know,” I say, thoughtful. “You’re not wrong, but if we really have to get into this, can’t we be Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder? Now that’s a guy I could get down with. He’s got that whole smoldering thing going on.”
Hendrix lets out a deep groan. “You’re ruining my whole point here.”
I give her a cheesy grin. “Sorry, but where I come from, we didn’t exactly grow up memorizing every Disney movie on the market. It was more like trying to figure out the easiest way to hit the concrete that’ll cause the least damage during a drive-by shooting.”
Drix’s eyes bug out of her head and I regret the words the second they come out of my mouth as I’m thrown back to standing outside the Widow’s clubhouse, only to have to face that exact situation. Kian didn’t stand a chance.
“Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately,” I say, glancing around the cafeteria and trying to shake off the fear that the memory invokes in me. Having bullets zooming past my face isn’t exactly something I’ll be forgetting any time soon. “Trust me, the people in Bellevue Springs wouldn’t last a few hours in Breakers Flats.”
“You’re telling me,” she scoffs. “Just the thought of a drive-by shooting is making me sweat. I wouldn’t even know how to respond to something like that. I’d probably panic and start running down the street screaming.”
I nod, knowing just the type. I've seen it before and believe me when I say, it’s not the response you want to have in a situation like that. When in doubt, always get down.
I’m just about to tell her that when the wicked witches of the west walk through the door with their adoring fans at their back. Hendrix and I instantly look their way along with every other girl in the school.
Cora and Casey are the new shiny toys at BSP and they’re soaking up every last ounce of attention. They freaking love it and honestly, it’s nauseating, but at the same time, they’re kinda old news. They already went to school here for a year before their mother divorced Charles and dragged them away and I’d put what little money I have on the fact they weren’t well-liked back then either.
They’re bitches. It’s as simple as that and everyone knows it, but they also know that they just got all their inheritance from their father, making them the wealthiest sixteen-year-old twitches on earth and who could resist that?
They walk in like they own the place and I really wouldn’t be surprised if they did, though what I am surprised about is the way their sharp gazes seek out mine and they instantly start making their way toward me.
“Oh, shit,” Hendrix groans as I sit straight in my chair. “This is going to be interesting.”
All eyes start shooting our way, knowing damn well about the shit that’s been going down since they first arrived at school this morning. Drix isn’t wrong, this is going to be interesting and how the rest of the school responds to whatever is about to go down here, is going to set the standard for the rest of the school year. So, whatever this is, I need to bring my A-game and at the risk of sounding like a cocky fuck, it won’t be a hard task—I always bring my A-game.
Cora and Casey step up in front of our table and within the blink of an eye, Jess comes bounding toward us from the other side of the cafeteria, desperate not to miss a showdown. She stumbles down into the space beside me, putting on a show of her own and silently declaring whose side she’s on.
Cora and Casey watch the three of us closely. Hendrix and Jess are the two most popular seniors at Bellevue Springs Private and the fact that they haven't moved from my side speaks volumes. The twins weren’t expecting this when they threw down their bullshit taunts yesterday, claiming they were going to ruin me. It’s thrown them, and for that, I'll always be grateful.
The twins are juniors and around here, that’s really nothing special. Unless you’re at the top, you’re a nobody. It was like that back home an
d I have a feeling it’s like that in every school, so the fact that they have some sort of following should be impressive but I just can’t find it within me to like them.
They’re Colton’s sisters. They’re Colton’s sisters. They’re Colton’s sisters. You need to try, for him.
Hendrix leans back in her seat and smiles up at the girls as the room seems to fall silent around us. “Is there something you need?”
The twin on the right scoffs and I mentally reprimand myself for not taking a moment to figure out who is who. I mean, that’s kinda stupid on my part. If I'm going to go to war with them then I should at least know who I’m up against. She turns her icy glare on me and a smirk pulls at her lips. “What’s this, Oceania? You need your friends to fight your battles for you?”
Fuck it. Screw being nice for Colton. I need to end this and I need to do it now.
I laugh and enjoy the way both of their gazes narrow. They don’t take their eyes off me and it’s clear that without saying a word, I’m already so far under their skin. I slowly stand, enjoying every last moment of this. My hands press down against the table and I lean forward, feeling the tension in the room rising. “You two are adorable. It’s sweet that you think you have any chance of winning this. I already have your brother wrapped around my finger. I have your home, your school, and now your friends. All you have are a few shitty rumors to spread around and I have to admit, I’m kinda disappointed. I thought you could come up with something a little more … exciting.” I look around at the crowd gathered. “You guys thought so too, right?”
They chuckle and the few who are too afraid to join in desperately try to smother their smirks. The twins silence them with one nasty glare but it’s clear whose side they’re on.
Cora and Casey don’t stand a chance.
The twin on the left fixes me with a hard stare that would have any weaker girl shrinking back in fear, but not me. I’ve never been so ready. “We’re only just getting started. You’re nothing—trash. Do you really think these bitches are going to stand by you for much longer? Hell, I sure know Colton won’t. You’re just a toy, something new to play with until something better comes along, and you bet your fat ass that we’re going to remind him of that every fucking day.”
“What’s your deal? Are you jealous? I’d understand one of these other girls trying to get rid of me so they can take my place by Colton’s side, but you two? What’s up with that? Are you hoping to suck his dick too, maybe be the ones to slip into his bed at night? I mean, I’m all for everyone having their own little kinks, but that’s just a little fucked up if you ask me.”
The disgusted look they share is nothing short of priceless. “You’re fucking gross. He’s our brother,” The twin on the right spits.
“I know, it’s crazy, right? Super gross if you ask me, but what other explanation is there for trying to take down the girl who’s currently making their brother happy? You couldn’t be that low, could you? Geez, only jealous bitches would sink like that.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Really? I know you and your skank mother took off and left him behind. Tell me, how often did you call? How many trips home did you make over the past few years? I can guarantee it’s zero. Then you show up out of the blue, right when his pockets get heavily lined. Who’re the real fakes around here? It’s damn clear what you two and your mother are after and Colton won’t fall for that.”
“You’re a fucking bitch.”
I shrug my shoulders. “That may be true but at least I’m not fake like you two. How about instead of trying to get at me, you spend your time trying to build a relationship with your brother?”
They both pull a face and it’s almost as though the idea of mending the bridge between them and Colton is something they’ve never even considered. “Our relationship with our brother is none of your damn business,” the one on the right says.
I lean in just a little closer, making sure I have both of their undivided attention. “Then stop getting in my face and making it my business.”
Uptight barbie twin on the right rolls her eyes before looking down at Jess and Hendrix. “I’m so done with this. You whores better watch your backs. You’re fucking stupid for siding with this bitch and we’re going to make sure you know it.”
Drix laughs beside me as though their threat is the funniest thing she’s ever heard. “Okay, babe. Whatever you say. I look forward to it.”
The twins glance at each other and I watch in fascination as their jaws clench in unison and their eyes swivel back to mine. “I expect my bathroom scrubbed tonight.”
I bow my head and wave my hand out in a sarcastic gesture. “It would be my pleasure, my queen. However, I saw the skid marks you left all over it this morning, and unfortunately, I don’t clean up after other people’s shit. So, you can go right ahead and clean that bowl yourself. Now, I can direct you to the cleaning supplies if you need. I know you’ve never cleaned up after yourself a day in your life.”
Her face goes bright red and they glance back at each other again, both lost for words and unsure how to fight back. I find a wide grin stretching across my face. All morning, they’ve been spreading shitty rumors about me, trying to humiliate me and bring me down, and in a matter of seconds, I’ve thrown it right back in their faces.
They turn with a huff and start taking off but if they’re going to give me their backs, then they should know that I’m more than capable of stabbing them in them. “Oh, hey twinnies,” I call in a singsong voice, watching as they both look back over their shoulders. “It was a nice try, but next time, you’re going to have to work harder than that.”
The twins storm away and just like that, I drop back into my seat and look across at Jess while picking up an apple and taking a nice juicy bite. “Now, tell me what went down with Milo this morning.”
Chapter 6
I walk through the front door of the Carrington mansion, being extra loud and making a point of not coming in through the service entrance, because why the hell not? It hasn’t even been 24 hours since the three long-lost Carringtons came home but I’m determined to do absolutely everything in my power to get under their skin. With that in mind, I dump my school bag right at the front door for the twins to trip over. Hell, maybe I’ll move back into the spare room that I was in when I first got here, but on second thought, that’s also the room Jude attacked me in, so I might give that one a miss.
I make my way through the house until I’m pushing through to the staff quarters. It’s a mess of people busy cleaning up and it leaves me wondering if Colton had people here again today. The poor guy. He’s so freaking busy, he hardly gets a chance to be an eighteen-year-old kid. He has the weight of a billion-dollar company resting on his shoulders. I don’t even want to imagine the kind of stress that comes along with that.
As I glance around, I find myself looking for Maryne until the ugly reminder settles into my heart. She’s not here. She’ll never be here again.
She’s gone.
I let out a heavy sigh and struggle against the tears forming in my eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to not seeing her face in here again. She was everything. Her presence was known no matter where you were in the mansion and now without her, it just seems so empty, so lonely.
I could always count on Maryne for a smile. She was there to lift me up after a shitty day. I never actually sat down and talked with her about everything that was going on at the beginning but she could sense something was wrong. She was very maternal, especially for a woman who never got the chance to actually be a mom.
My phone dings from deep in my bra and I fish it out of there. This stupid private school uniform is trying to kill me. What uniform doesn’t have pockets for us to hide things in? It’s ridiculous.
I glance down at my phone and everything inside of me shatters.
Sebastian.
No, I’m not ready for this.
It’s only a text, but I know e
xactly what it’s going to say and reading those words is going to kill me.
I don’t know what it is about Sebastian but out of all of my Widows, he’s the one I always bonded with the most. He was my best friend—not in the way that I was friends with Nic. This was something different, something deeper. He was a brother to me, a protector, the guy that I always knew would be there.
What a joke that was. Out of all the guys, Nic and Sebastian’s betrayal hurts the most. Those two were supposed to be the ones I trusted the most, they were supposed to be my world, but they lied. Just like my father did.
I look down at the notification on my phone, trying to find the strength to read Sebastian’s message. I've heard from them all over the past week … in fact, I've probably heard from them a little too much, especially Nic, but after the weekend and the bruise he left on my arm, it’s going to take a little more than some shitty apology to reel me back in. Nic is sick. He's obsessed and it’s becoming unhealthy, but out of the four of them, if one of them was capable of reeling me back in with shitty words, it’s Sebastian, and deep down, we both know it.
Taking a breath, I press on his message and mentally prepare myself.
Sebastian – Can we talk? I miss you, O.
I find myself staring at the message. One minute passes and it turns into two. Before I know it, I’ve been staring down at my phone for at least five minutes and I still have no idea what to do. Do I message back? Do I tell him that I miss him so freaking bad that it hurts? Do I ignore it? Why does it have to hurt like this?
I want them back in my life so desperately, but they betrayed me. They lied, they did the one thing I never thought they’d do. Sure, they’ve kept things from me before but it was never an outright lie. They’ve been deep in the Black Widows since before I knew them and I always knew that there were some things that they weren’t going to share with me. They kept that part of their lives concealed in an attempt to protect me from it, but this was my father, my life. How am I supposed to forgive and forget that?
Barbie B*tch: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Rejects Paradise Book 3) Page 5