Rogue. Just his name had the power to fill me with sadness. “You guys always have a thing,” I replied, forcing my voice even, but failing miserable.
The Heirs were named for their birthright. They were the four most powerful successors in Savannah. Their parents owned the town, which meant that they did, too. Hell, with how many investments they had, I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up owning the world.
“You always did pay close attention to Rogue,” Godfrey said, his tone somewhat hard.
I often wondered if Godfrey was in love with me. At least, the way someone like Godfrey could love. He had a serious god complex and thought that everyone was beneath him. At first, when our mamas pushed us together, he laughed it off. But the way he acted whenever I brought up Rogue made me wonder if he was actually jealous. Jealousy was just another one of their traits that I’d become used to. I latched onto it like a fool. The boys I once loved conditioned me to crave cruelty, I guess.
“Bye, Godfrey,” I said, before adjusting the strap of my brown leather messenger bag up higher on my shoulder.
Godfrey smiled, pulling his dark aviators off so that I could look into his cool blue eyes. “Stop coming here, Scar,” he said, making my insides churn. “This place isn’t for you anymore.”
Hurt, I turned on my heels and started walking quickly away. “See you tomorrow night for dinner,” he called at my back with a dark chuckle. I raced down the train tracks without another word. Maybe this place had lost its magic, after all.
Chapter Five
“No.” My voice carried through the cavernous room and even seemed to echo down the hallway.
My mama, Porschia Livingston, was still wearing her fashionable business suit that screamed, “prep school Principal.” Her hair was bleached blonde, but her eyebrows betrayed that her hair was actually the same brunette color as mine. She stood above me in our informal living room with her manicured hands on her hips.
“This was not a yes or no question,” she told me sternly. “I’m telling you, you’re done. The fights. Skipping class. Moping around like you ain’t got a lick of sense. I’m over it, Scarlett Anne.”
“I didn’t do anything! Stephanie came at me in the locker room,” I told her, gesturing to my face. I thought I’d done a good job of covering up my faded bruises with makeup, but word still got to her. Nothing escaped Principal Livingston. “Do you think I’d look like this if I’d fought back?”
“I told you that if you’d gotten into one more fight, it was boarding school. I meant it,” she said, her harsh face magnified by the tight bun at the back of her head.
“And I told you, I didn’t get into a fight,” I snapped. “Stephanie cornered me.”
“It doesn’t matter, Scarlett. There’s too much talk. It’s unseemly.”
I scoffed. “I’m sorry I’m so unseemly for you and your reputation. Too bad my bullying isn’t polite conversation for your weekly sweet-tea social, Mama.”
“You leave Monday,” she said, ignoring me. “The boarding school is in Switzerland. There are some very prominent families there. All girls, of course, so you can’t get into another Heirs debacle. Although, if you’d just apologize, I’m sure this whole thing could be cleared up,” she said, as if it was some small trifle, and I was being stubborn.
I clenched my fists so hard that my nails cut into my palms. It didn’t even matter to my mama whether or not I was at fault. As far as she was concerned, we were lower in the hierarchy, and I needed to kiss the guys’ feet until I was back in their favor. The embarrassing thing was that it wouldn’t matter if I did. They were done with me.
The only person more devastated than I was about my best friends blacklisting me was my mama. She enjoyed the privilege that accompanied my connection with them. She was popular by association, but the moment I was last season’s Prada, she started losing her patience.
“Why can’t you be on my side for once? Why are you so quick to believe the rest of the world? I’m your daughter!”
Mama’s lip twitched as she appraised me, licking her lips as she mulled over how to respond. “It’s not that I don’t believe you…”
“Really? Because that’s exactly what it sounds like. You didn’t believe me when I said the girls leaked naked photos of me in the locker room all over social media, either.” I could feel my fury growing as I spoke. “You keep punishing me. Taking away the things that don’t fit into the plan you have for my life, and it’s bullshit.”
“Heavens to Betsy. Watch your language!” she yelled at me.
“I’ve been beaten up. I’ve been picked on. I’ve been tormented every day. You know they put a used condom on my locker? A used one!” I watched her face for a reaction, and more disappointment flooded me when I saw that she didn’t have one. “You care more about your job at the school than you care about me.”
“I can’t take care of you if I lose my job at the school, Scarlett.”
I scoffed. She didn’t take care of me now.
“I’m not going,” I said with a growl. “You’ve already taken away gymnastics, now you’re taking away my school?” I couldn’t believe this. Smith Academy might be full of assholes, but it was also where the guys were. It was the only place I still saw them.
“Again with the gymnastics?” Mama asked in an exasperated voice before throwing her arms up in the air. Truthfully, I knew I should be happy about this. It could be a good thing for me. It could be the fresh start I needed— and I needed space from Savannah. I just didn’t want it. Not yet.
“You’re going, Scarlett Anne. I swear on God’s good grace that you’d best not be giving me any trouble about this. Start saying your goodbyes.”
Ha. The only people I actually wanted to say goodbye to had already said it to me.
Mama’s eyes softened as she stared at me, and I saw a glimpse of the woman she was before. Before dad left us for a younger model. Before the guys started making my life miserable.
She did love me. She just loved the idea of a perfect life more. She didn’t need drugs or alcohol, because she was addicted to climbing the social ladder. She sat down, making the couch dip beside me and I breathed in her perfume—Chanel. It was a fragrance that once comforted me, but now I associated it with her selfish parenting style.
“This could be good, you know,” she whispered. It was like even here, protected in our home, she didn’t want to be overheard. “This could be good for both of us. I won’t deny that you got the short end of the stick, Scarlett. You’ve been miserable since they cut you off last year.”
I squeezed my eyes shut at the memory. It was still so odd to me. I fell asleep feeling loved and at the center of the guy’s universe, then woke up as their enemy. If only I knew what I did to make them hate me so much, maybe then I could finally let them go.
Mama straightened, as if that was enough sentimental bullshit for her. “Anyway, you’re going. End of story.” She got up and smoothed her suit. “You’ll go to Switzerland, and you can finally leave this all behind. It’ll be better this way, you’ll see.”
My chest caved in. All of the holding back I’d done for months was for nothing. She’d been threatening me with boarding school, and now, it was happening, even though I’d let the bullies walk all over me. I’d let them disgrace me and humiliate me, and it hadn’t meant a damn thing.
When Mama left, I took a few steadying breaths before standing to look in the mirror hanging in our entryway. I stared at each bruise. I took in how empty my eyes were, and how my lips seemed permanently fixed into a frown. I was done. I was leaving, even though I’d tried so hard to stay. But you know what? I didn’t need anyone or anything. Mama, the guys, and Smith Academy might have all given up on me, but I wasn’t giving up on myself.
I was going to be shipped of? Fine. I’d give them all a goodbye to remember.
Chapter Six
The little black dress I’d stolen from my mama’s closet was tight. Too tight. Where she was shorter and willowy, I was taller
with a round, firm butt, and strong arms and legs. I didn’t usually show off my body, because Mama hated it. She always had some comment to make about how I was too muscular for a girl, but really, she just wanted me to be soft like her. But I was proud of my figure—the way my thighs were toned and tan, and even though my breasts were on the smaller size, I still had an hourglass figure, so I filled out the thin material nicely, showing off just how strong and feminine I was.
After deciding that the dress was perfect, I studied the rest of me. My long, brown hair framed around my face that was mostly dominated by my large brown eyes and full lips. I stared at the cut on my lip. At first, I’d tried to cover it up with makeup, but after debating for three hours whether or not I actually wanted to attend this party, I decided to leave it bare. Let the world see that I was bullied, I didn’t care.
Rogue Kelly was having a party at his parent’s estate tonight. It was something he did most Saturdays since kicking me out of the group. Rogue and the guys had always been known for their lavish parties, but it seemed that since I was out, they'd started throwing them more consistently. It was an unspoken understanding that I wasn’t invited to anything they put on, but I didn’t care.
Since yesterday, I’d come to terms with my future. Knowing that I was going to Switzerland to an all-girls school freed me in a way. What was the worst that they could do now? I was leaving. I could handle the hate. I couldn’t handle leaving without closure. So, here I was. Dressed up in a tight dress and heels like a warrior going off to the front lines. At least I looked good.
I walked downstairs, clasping my clutch in my hand as my heels clicked along the marble tile. It had been a while since I’d gotten dressed up.
“Well, you’re overdressed for dinner with the Taylors,” Mama observed from her chair in the sitting room.
She was the picture of hypocrisy, wearing a bright flowered dress that showed off her cleavage and complimented her pale skin. She was impatiently clicking her red nails along the side table while assessing me.
I cursed inwardly. I’d forgotten that our monthly dinner was tonight. These dinners started when Godfrey and I were kids. It was our parents’ lame attempt at fixing us up together. I watched as she glanced at the clock, likely counting the seconds until Daddy showed up. That was the thing about a good image, you had to maintain it. Daddy might have been living in a hotel across town with his flavor of the month, but he still showed up here for family dinner. Even though everyone whispered about his affairs, my mama liked to keep the illusion of having a happy family. I thought it just made her look like a joke.
“I’m not staying for dinner,” I said just as the doorbell rang, saving me from her angry response.
She stood immediately, glancing at the clock once more, likely worrying that Daddy wasn’t going to show up on time. I don’t know why she bothered. It was the same thing every week. Daddy showed up fifteen minutes late, and the Taylors asked questions. Everyone was always asking questions. That’s what happened in a city full of socialites.
She let out a thankful sigh when the back door opened, and the sound of my daddy’s expensive dress shoes moved on the marble tile towards us. “Anyone going to answer the door?” he called from across the house. He turned the corner and rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Hey, Daddy,” I said robotically. There was no affection in our greeting.
He eyed me suspiciously, taking in the cut on my lip. I don’t know why I was bothering to greet him. Family dinner night put him on edge, and I gave it about negative four seconds before he ignored me and started looking for reasons to bitch at Mama. It was kind of their thing. He was much easier to handle when it was just him.
“You going to let her go out in public looking like that? Did she get into another fight?” he asked Mama before sliding his eyes back to me.
“I told you. I’m handling it,” she replied, her teeth and fists clenched.
“I’m right here, you know,” I piped in, earning another clinical once-over by Daddy. I wasn’t bothered by his lack of affection. Normal, loving families were a rarity. Dysfunction was to be expected in our tax bracket. It’s what happened when you could pay off your problems.
“Yeah. You told me. Switzerland, huh? Pretty soon you’ll run out of places to send your problems, Porchia.” Ouch. I almost felt bad for her.
The doorbell rang again, and they both looked expectantly at me. I almost opened my mouth to argue, but decided not to. At least I could sneak out if I opened the door while she whisper-yelled at Daddy for being late. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to them fight or watch him wash off the bright red lipstick stain that his new girlfriend left on his collar.
I opened our large, ornate front door to greet Mr. and Mrs. Taylor on the other side. “Good evening!” I said, forcing a cheerful smile on my face, despite spotting Godfrey behind them.
Mr. Taylor owned the law firm my father was a partner at. He had every judge in his pocket and every criminal within a fifty-mile radius on speed dial. He was known for getting the worst of the worst off, and prided himself on it. He looked like an older version of Godfrey—the same cocky smile, the same pretentious air about him. Blonde hair, blue eyes, handsome and suave. I didn’t like him one bit.
Mrs. Taylor was a tiny woman but had hair bigger than her husband’s head, and red lipstick that was always smudged at the corner of her lips. “Hello, Scarlett. Your father here?” Mr. Taylor asked while dragging his eyes over me. Like most men, the only attention he paid a woman was to her body. He never really bothered to engage in conversation with me.
“He’s just in the sitting room with Mama,” I replied, while slumping my shoulders, as if slouching could direct his creepy gaze away from my breasts.
“You look good, Scar,” Godfrey said from behind them, his eyes lingering on the short hem of my dress. “Get dressed up for me?” His parents shuffled past me and made their way inside.
“I’m going out,” I replied with a shrug, before nervously checking the inside of my clutch in my hands.
“Oh, really?”
I thought of how he let Stephanie suck his dick with my blood practically still on her knuckles, and decided to irritate him. “Thought I’d go see Rogue, Bonham, and Luis,” I added with a wide smile, lingering on Rogue’s name just long enough for it to get under his skin. It was nice, no longer fearing things. I wouldn’t be here anymore, anyway. It would be nice to taunt them for a change, instead of the other way around. I was going to wear this new fuck-it attitude with pride.
Godfrey laughed. “You’re going to an Heir party?”
“Yep,” I replied. “Figured I should tell everyone goodbye.”
At that, Godfrey’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, goodbye?” he asked in a dark tone. I didn’t delude myself into thinking Godfrey was actually upset about me leaving. He just had that toddler mentality of lashing out when his favorite toy was taken away.
“My fight with your fuck buddy was the last straw. Mama enrolled me in a new boarding school in Switzerland. Apparently, it’s where all the reject rich girls spend their senior year. I leave Monday,” I explained with a shrug. I was proud of myself for managing to keep my voice even. I didn’t even stutter.
Godfrey went deathly silent for a moment before taking a step closer. “Do the others know?” he asked in a whisper, so low and threatening that I had to swallow back the trepidation his tone had caused.
I eyed him warily. “Since when do I have to tell y’all what’s going on in my life?” I barked back.
Godfrey straightened, a self-satisfied smirk on his tanned face. “Scarlett Livingston,” he sighed my name like it was a prayer. “We know everything. We control everything. And if there’s something that we don’t know, then we sure as hell make sure to find it out quick.”
My heart began to race as Godfrey grabbed my arm, guiding me outside. He shut the door behind us, not bothering to tell our parents that we were leaving. Now that I was being sent away, I didn’t really ca
re enough to stop him.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he opened the passenger door to his Mercedes and gestured for me to sit inside. Once I was settled in the red leather bucket seat, he bent over me so that his nose was just inches from mine. I breathed in his minty breath, hating how I loved having him so close.
“Even forgotten Heirs deserve a proper goodbye, Scar,” he whispered.
I tried not to, but a shuddered breath escaped from between my lips, and Godfrey grinned. The asshole just loved screwing with me.
But he was wrong. I wasn’t forgotten. The loneliness reminded me of what we once had every fucking day.
Chapter Seven
Godfrey drove the way he did everything else—always keeping me on the edge. He flipped through the music every couple of minutes, never letting it be. He constantly revved up the speed of his car, making me white-knuckle it with my fingers digging into the leather of the seat, and then he’d slow back down right as I got used to it. He shifted his hands on the steering wheel, never staying still. Godfrey liked movement. He liked to keep people guessing.
“You really think this is a good idea, Scar?” he asked.
I decided to pretend to be oblivious. “What do you mean?” I asked with a smartass smirk.
“Cut the shit. You think showing up to an Heir party is gonna end well for you?”
“You’re an Heir,” I reminded him. “If you’re so worried about it, why are you driving me?”
He snorted. “I’m just here for the front row seat.”
“At what?”
He sent me a sidelong glance. “At the shitshow you’re about to star in.”
His taunting words made me look out the window. Every street we passed was like an advertisement for the ritzy life. Mansions, manicured lawns, million dollar parks, and pavement that would never be allowed to have a single pothole.
Of course, Godfrey couldn’t stand for me to ignore him, so I wasn’t surprised when I felt his hand land on my thigh. He teased his fingers against the edge of my dress, causing heat to flutter in my belly.
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