by Ruby Vincent
She hummed. “Okay, good to know. Next, have you ever...?”
Dr. Miller quickly went through the list. “Alright, that’s it. Let me get you something for that headache.”
“Wait, what about my mom? Is she here? Is she coming?”
Miller flashed me a smile. “Your mother hasn’t been contacted.”
“What?”
“When it was determined you didn’t need outside care, we held off on calling your mother. We didn’t want to alarm her.”
My eyes narrowed. Who was “we”?
“You’re free to tell her once you leave, of course,” she finished. Miller patted my good wrist. “I’ll get those painkillers. Your head must be splitting.”
Miller slipped out of the door and I sunk back onto my pillow. Splitting was a nice word for what my head was doing. I heard the door open again and breathed an audible sigh of relief. I was taking those painkillers and going back to sleep, maybe pain wouldn’t follow me in there.
“You look like hell, baby.”
I might have snapped my head up if self-preservation didn’t keep me still. I tensed as Jaxson stepped into my line of vision.
“What are you doing here?”
He grinned. “Came to make sure you’re alright of course.”
“Get out.”
“Don’t be like that.” Jaxson plopped down on the stool. “If I wanted to see you like this, I wouldn’t have made the no-physical-harm rule.”
“You also made the rule that everything else was fair game. I made the mistake of letting one of you get close once.” My hookup with Maverick and that stupid email roared through my mind. “I’m not doing that again.”
He put up his hands. “Fine, I’ll leave, but there’s something I need to know first. Knight business so I’m not going until you tell me.” Jaxson’s grin faded, morphing into the serious face I rarely got to see. “Valentina... was this an accident?”
My fist curled underneath the sheets. I was shaking and was sure he could tell. “Would it matter to you if it was?”
Jaxson reached out and brushed the hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered, caressing my cheek before he pulled back. I wanted to say my treacherous body didn’t respond—shivering the way it always did—but if that was the case it wouldn’t be treacherous.
“Yes,” he said softly. “It would.”
“It was an accident,” I said after a minute. “So you’re Knightly duties are over.”
Thankfully, Jaxson didn’t say anymore. He backed out of the room, passing Dr. Miller on the way.
“Goodness. When did you get here?” she asked after him, but got no reply. She shook her head and handed me my painkillers. “Get some rest. You’ll be sticking around for a while.”
She didn’t need to tell me twice. I swallowed the pills then shut my eyes to the world while I waited for the headache to subside.
I needed to have a clear head... because that fall was no accident.
I SPENT THE ENTIRE weekend in that bed before Dr. Miller sent me off with a knee brace and wrist in a cast.
Sofia was waiting for me when I stepped into my room. She hugged me so hard I squeaked. “You know,” I wheezed, “I didn’t break a rib, but you seem to want to change that.”
She laughed, but it sounded partly like a sob. “Shut up. I’m so glad you’re okay. If they would just get those stupid elevators fixed!” she burst out.
I pulled back. “About that—”
“But there is good news,” she plowed on. “At breakfast this morning, Jaxson announced that it’s over.” Sofia’s eyes shone brightly with a mix of relief and unshed tears. “He said that if anyone touches you, they’ll deal with him personally. Val, you’re not marked anymore.”
“Sofia, are you— Are you serious?” Of all the things I thought she would say that hadn’t made the list. I could barely conceive of that. I had been living under the axe of that joker card for months, and now it was just gone.
“It’s true. This means things can go back to the way they were.”
Sofia pulled me into another hug.
“Wow,” I breathed. I was happy too, of course I was, but I wondered if what this really meant was that Jaxson didn’t believe this was an accident either.
IN SPITE OF SOFIA’S hope, things couldn’t go back to the way they were—not for me. In the weeks that followed, I hobbled around on my bum knee to apologies, offers to make up and hang out, and tear-filled speeches about how they didn’t want to treat me that way; they were scared.
Eric, Paisley, and Claire welcomed me back into the group, but it wasn’t the same. Sofia came to me and apologized before the Knights gave her permission to act like a decent human being. They didn’t.
As for the Knights, Ezra offered to tutor me again, but I walked away from him mid-sentence. I wasn’t there yet. I didn’t know if I would ever be. Maverick made no attempt to approach me. We kept up our regular routine of pretending we didn’t see each other in the halls or during art class.
Jaxson was a whole other animal. The guy went back to flirting with me like the last few months never happened, but him I tolerated more than the others. Offering to sleep with me for money was awful, but still way down the list of broadcasting my mom to the whole school, using my deadbeat dad against me, destroying my work, choking me, or sending me tumbling down the stairs. I was at the point where I had to prioritize my enemies, and the person or people responsible for the last one were top of the list.
Even though I kept my eyes and ears open, the days ticked down to finals without me finding out who it was.
“I still think it was the Diamonds,” Sofia said as we chilled in our favorite spot on the roof. “Lots of people were just following along, but those three went out of their way with bullying you. I think Natalie even enjoyed it.”
My head was tilted back as I looked up at the stars. “You noticed that too.”
“Yep. She freaked me out with the things she would say about you. Then there’s...”
“Ryder,” I finished.
“I mean, it happened the same week he tried to choke you.”
I shook my head. “I’ve thought about it a hundred times, but I believe that if Ryder wanted to kill me, that’s not how he would do it.” I brushed my fingers along my throat. “He’s a bare hands kind of guy.”
“But he’s also not a stupid kind of guy. Making it look like an accident keeps him out of prison.”
“I don’t know how we’ll prove it was him or anyone else. The line that tripped me up was gone when I came back, and there are no cameras in the stairs. I may never know who it was.”
She leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder. “At least that psycho hasn’t come after you again, and the Knights did the right thing. Tomorrow is our last day of finals and then two months away from this place.” She looked up at me. “You’ll come visit over the summer, right?”
“I’ll try, and you can come stay with us too.”
“I’d love that. Your mom is way cooler than Madame Madeline—something you’ll find out when you stay.”
We laughed and shifted to talking about our summers. The knowledge of what someone tried to do to me would always lurk at the back of my mind, but at least I would soon be home.
THERE WAS CHEERING—ACTUAL cheers when the final bell rang the next day. Sofia tackled me outside of class sporting two strawberry root beers.
“To celebrate,” she announced.
I laughed and linked arms with her. We had one more thing on the agenda and then everyone was heading back to the dorms to pack.
Together the freshman class piled into the auditorium and filled in the rows. Sofia and I snagged seats in the middle, ignoring a wave from Paisley to join her, Eric, and Claire. She was still friends with them, but she respected that I needed time.
Headmaster Evergreen tapped the microphone and quickly got silence. “Hello, freshman class. I would just like to say congratulations on completing your first year at Evergreen Academy.�
�
Whoops and cheers rang out again.
“We won’t keep you long as I know you’re all eager to get ready for your summer vacation. So let’s begin the awards ceremony. Mr. Van Zandt?”
Jaxson jogged out from the back of the stage, waving his hands as he yukked up the applause. “Alright, everyone. Let’s get this thing started because the limo is already running and I’ve got a year’s worth of shitty junk food to devour. First, top GPA goes to....”
I tuned it out as the Diamonds got their accolades. It wasn’t enough that they fancied themselves the best, but then the school had to go and confirm it too.
It’s been so long since I’ve been home, I mused. Adam turned a year old and I had to celebrate it over video chat. Maybe we could go somewhere this summer. It would be nice to—
“And student of the year goes to... Valentina Moon!”
Wait. What?!
“Val, that’s you!” Sofia grabbed me and hauled me up. She propelled me over the feet of my classmates and I stumbled up the steps of the stage in disbelief.
“We award student of the year to the person who exemplifies dignity, honor, integrity, and class.” Jaxson rattled this off from his cards. I had no idea why the school kept choosing him as an M.C. but the headmaster was smart enough to give him a script.
I passed the line of students who had already been awarded. Isabella met my eyes and gave me a bland smile. Natalie didn’t look at me at all.
I walked up to Jaxson and plastered a smile on my face. This is probably the administration’s way of apologizing after looking the other way when I was marked.
The rest of the Knights sat in the front row with their eyes fixed on me. I looked away from them and sought Sofia. She had her phone out like the rest of the class, filming my big moment. She waved when she caught me looking.
“The student of the year is someone who we should all look up to as an example of the best of Evergreen Academy.” Jaxson turned and beamed at me. I held out my hand for my award. “Which is why I can’t give her this award.”
My smile slipped. There was a lull as his final sentence penetrated the audience.
Headmaster Evergreen half rose out of his seat. “Mr. Van Zandt?”
Jaxson peered at him over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, man, but I can’t do it.” He tossed the cards aside and they fluttered to the floor. “How am I supposed to give her an award for dignity, honor, and class when she’s got none of those things?”
A sick feeling churned my stomach. No, not again. Don’t do this.
“For one thing, my girl’s a liar.”
I need to get out of here now. I backed away from Jaxson and hit a wall. I spun around and found the Diamonds were at my back. The smirk on Natalie’s face curdled my insides. Six pairs of hands grabbed me and made me face Jaxson. They held me still while I struggled.
“She’s not a virgin.”
“What?!” I shouted. “Yes, I—”
Jaxson reached inside the podium and pulled out a folder. I froze. My denials lodged in my throat at the sight of my medical file. Why did he have that? How?
“Not only that,” he continued, “but we called it on the slut thing. She had chlamydia.”
The auditorium erupted into chaos—screaming, shouting, gagging, laughing, and chanting.
“Dis-eased Slut!” “Dis-eased Slut!” “Dis-eased Slut!”
With strength I didn’t know I possessed, I ripped myself out of their hold and ran. A few of them gave chase, but once I escaped out of the back doors into the courtyard, they gave up. Tears blinded me as I bolted across the quad and tore into the dorms.
Sofia was not far behind me. She burst into my room minutes after I threw myself on my bed.
“Val?! Val?!” The bed dipped as she clambered up. I felt a hand on the back of my head. “Holy fuck, Val. I can’t believe that piece of shit,” she spat. “Please, don’t cry. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I sobbed and sobbed. Crushing, body-wracking cries that I was certain would never stop. Sofia spent almost an hour trying to console me. When my tears slowed, she guided me up and gently wiped my face with a blanket.
“It’s going to be okay, Val. There’s no way Jaxson is going to get away with breaking into your medical records.”
I put my head in my hands. “The damage is already done. Whatever slap on the wrist he gets won’t take it back.”
“I... guess that’s true.” She put her arms around my shoulders and drew me in. “But still, you don’t have to be ashamed. There’s nothing wrong with not being a virgin—”
“I am a virgin!” My shoulders shook as my tears returned—hot and furious leaking down my cheeks. “I a-am! Rape doesn’t count.”
“R-rape?” Sofia’s arms slackened and fell off my body. “Please tell me that this didn’t...”
I lifted my head and looked her in the eyes. She went deathly pale.
I cried for hours. For a while, Sofia cried too. Eventually, we fell into an exhausted sleep. I would have welcomed the darkness, but mine brought me no comfort. The nightmare returned, and when it woke me in the middle of the night as it always did, I sat up in bed and stared through the darkness.
I didn’t cry or shake or sweat. My body was still, but my mind wasn’t.
That auditorium had been waiting for Jaxson’s big reveal. It had been a setup from start to finish. Maybe even as far back as when I fell down the stairs and he declared the marking was over.
This was always coming.
A buzzing drew my attention to the nightstand. I answered Mom on the second buzz.
“Hello?”
“Hey, baby.” A lusty wail came through the speakers. “Did I wake you?”
“No.” I pushed back the covers and stood. “I was up.”
My feet carried me into the bathroom. I flicked on the lights and got the full look of my puffy face, red nose, and ratty hair. I looked horrible, but it stirred no emotion in me. My green eyes were clear.
“It’s Adam,” Mom sounded in my ear. “He won’t stop crying no matter what I do.”
I placed my hand on my chest. No tightness. No gasping breaths. No deep ache like my soul was being scraped away.
“Can you talk to him? It might help if he hears your voice.”
“Sure, Mom,” I said easily. I reached out and opened my medicine cabinet. When my reflection reappeared, she was holding the scissors. “Put him on.”
Adam’s wails reached deafening. They battered against my ear as I placed the phone in the crook of my neck. “Shh, baby. It’s okay.”
Snip, snip, snip.
My long chestnut hair fell in clumps around me. “Don’t cry, Adam. Mommy is here.” My son’s hiccupping sobs continued. “It’s alright, baby boy. Listen to my voice. I’m right here.”
I continued my crooning until the baby was down to soft sniffles. “Everything is going to be okay, son. Mommy is going to make it okay.” I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t recognize her. That was good. I would need to be someone else to do what was going to happen next. “I’m going to make everything right again, Adam. I promise.”
If you would like to get Book Two, Broken, click here!
Broken
They broke me.
Ryder, Maverick, Ezra, and Jaxson didn't think I would come back for my second year.
The coldly cruel Knights of Evergreen believed the Mark would be all it took to get rid of me... to keep me quiet.
But now I've got a whole new reason to stay. Those four will know a pain far worse than what I've endured.
They tore me apart until there was nothing left... and now I'm going to return the favor.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruby Vincent is a published author with many novels under her belt but now she's taking a fun foray into contemporary roma
nce. She loves saucy heroines, bold alpha males, and weaving a tale where both get their happy ever after.
Copyright © 2019 by Ruby Vincent
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.