I wasn’t going to cry, I refused to give Harry the satisfaction of getting to me and I went to my bedroom window to look out back up the gravel drive toward the school where I’d last left him.
It was dark and empty, and I let out a sigh of relief that he wasn’t still there standing, but in the distance, illuminated by the light of the Boarding house, I saw four figures.
I opened the window to get a better look, straining hard against the low light.
There was no mistaking who one of them was. I could see the long dark hair from all the way in my bedroom. Geri.
Seeing her sent a shiver down my spine, especially after I saw who was with her. Harry. So, I’d been right all along and as I swallowed back the tears of anger that threatened to fall, I identified the two other figures as the other leaders of the Crest Club. Rupert and Sebastian.
Curiosity set in my bones as they disappeared from view and part of me contemplated following them inside and surprising them while they were all fucking Geri, but one, my dad would never have let me out again, not after my disappearing act and two… I wanted nothing more to do with Harry Von Bevik and I promised myself that I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of thinking I was another notch on his bed post even if I had to bring the Crest Club down myself.
Chapter 12
It was early when my alarm went off and I had to use all my strength to pull myself up from bed, have a quick shower and leave the house before either Beth or my dad properly got up. I still wasn’t ready to discuss the happenings of the night before yet and just thinking about it made me want to crawl back into bed and hide away.
I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and slowly closed the front door behind me, shuddering at the freshness of the early morning.
I’d had a lot of time to think things through and even though sleep hadn’t been completely fulfilling, I’d woken up with a clearer perspective.
I didn’t regret having sex with Harry. No. I’d enjoyed it. It was what I’d wanted and talking myself into believing I’d been used was going to do nothing for my wellbeing as at the time, I been certain he’d wanted it too and he’d seemed completely perplexed after my mood shift when he dropped me off.
I stopped and closed my eyes, remembering the feel of his hands over my body and the image knocked the wind out of me. Somehow, I was going to have to forget about it and move on. The faster I was able to do that, the sooner I would heal.
I continued up the drive toward the school and headed for the dining hall to get a slice of toast before classes started. Thankfully Pen and her posse were nowhere to be seen and I sat down to enjoy my breakfast in peace.
I’d only been seated for several minutes when the door opened, and Sebastian walked in. Our eyes met almost instantly as he walked past me, followed by some more of the Crest Club boys and I was sure one of them had been in that room with Geri.
I watched as strutted over to the breakfast counter, looking back over his shoulder at me. His green eyes connecting with mine again.
Why did guys who were no god for you have to be so…attractive? There was something about him that set him apart from all the other Cresties. His family obviously had money, but there was a darkness in his eyes. A roughness that I couldn’t quite put my finger on and just by looking at him I could tell from a mile off that he was a fuck-boy.
The type who you just knew you wouldn’t ever want your daughter to bring him.
They all paid for the breakfast baps and walked past me again.
One of the guys pretended to throw the water from his bottle in my face and they burst out laughing when I jumped backwards.
“Dickhead!” I sneered after them, which made them laugh more.
“We’ll be coming for you next, you little ginger fuck-vessel!” the boy spat back, and the others tapped him proudly. All apart from Sebastian.
He didn’t laugh and when the others noticed his deadpan face they stopped too and as they left the dining hall, the door slammed shut behind them and I realised I’d been holding my breath.
As the school started to fill up with students, I made my way back through the halls to my form room and even though it was still a little early, a number of students were already in the class waiting and there was no mistaking the voice I could hear as I approached and entered. Pens.
“You’re a Crest slut!” I heard her spit and as I walked in, I saw her at the back of the classroom, her neck outstretched and face close to Geri’s.
She glanced over her shoulder when she heard me enter and once she was satisfied I wasn’t a teacher, she continued her rant.
“Don’t think none of us know what you’re about, you sad pathetic, poor little bitch!”
Geri turned her face away from her and our eyes met. My first thought was of her being spit-roasted by the boys and the second was of her name flashing on Harry’s phone just after we’d had sex.
“I don’t have to answer to you or, anyone,” she said flatly. “Back off Penelope.”
Geri tried to sit down on her chair, but Pen kicked it out from under her and the spattering of students in the class burst into laughter as she tumbled to the floor.
“Back off?” she echoed with a wicked smile. “Oh, you haven’t seen the start of it. You’re playing sick games with some of my friend’s boyfriends…I can get James and Elliot expelled from Atherton and pressed with criminal charges!”
The face on one of her posse dropped and she stood up.
“Ugh, Pen…”
“Quiet Milly,” she snapped, silencing her with her hand and without even looking round at her. She turned back to Geri who had pulled herself up and was avoiding eye contact. “So, say something!” she spat at her. “Have you been fucking James and Elliot?”
Our eyes met again before she answered in a quiet voice.
“I… I love them…I’d die for them. I’d actually do anything for them. Is that what you wanted to hear? Will it make you feel better if I tell you that when you were with Archie, I fucked him too?”
In some ways I admired her reliance and bravery to stand up to the head girl, but the flash of anger that crossed Pen’s face was undeniable and in one quick movement she had Geri’s long dark hair in her hands, tugging at it and slapping at her face. Despite the chorus of gasps and ‘fight!’ around me and the fact that she was also somehow involved with Harry too, I jumped into action and ran to the back of the classroom throwing my bag down on the side table as I managed to pull Pen off, much to her annoyance, and drag a dishevelled Geri away down the aisle. I could already smell and see that she had a large blob of bubble-gum stuck in the middle of her beautiful thick hair.
“What the fuck, Pen?” I asked glaring at her. And this was supposed to be the head girl? What kind of warped school was this?
She smirked when she realised what I was referring too.
“Don’t cross the line, Ally,” she said “I’ll squash you just like I’ve squashed many other girls who come to Atherton as charity cases. Neither of you belong here. You’re nothing but dead weight that needs extinguishing. That’s why you all end up as Crest club whores. Sick mums, dead mums, alcoholic mums…you’re all the same…”
I lunged towards her and at the same time she swiped my bag off the table to our side and held it up.
“Adios Ally!” She laughed, and I watched as she emptied the entire contents of my bag out onto the floor, scattering all of my belongings everywhere. My tampons, diary, schoolbooks and more.
Our eyes met amongst the laughter and she held up two small purple foil wrappers, one empty.
“Planning something?” she asked and fresh laughter erupted then died down as everyone including myself noticed they were condoms.
“You put them there!” I said, struggling to contain my anger.
“Oh, but did I?” she asked, mocking my voice. “Because a little someone told me that they saw you creeping out of Harry’s room last night. Isn’t that right Harry?”
I whipped my head behind me to
see that he’d just walked into the room followed by Rupert and Sebastian.
“You see, my source is very reliable,” she continued. “And they heard all sorts of puffs and grunts coming from your room. Nothing gets past me! Cross my path again? I’ll make sure the recording is sent to every person in this school.”
“Just send it anyway!” Someone piped up from the other side. “If it’s a video, I’m dying to see if she really has ginger pubes!”
I felt myself flush crimson.
“Pen?” Harry shouted. “What the fuck are you doing? Are you insane?” He came toward us, but she ignored his question and just as the other Cresties filed in, I noticed one of them that had been in the clinch with Geri back in the club rooms. Was it James or Elliot? She caught sight of him too and immediately she sprinted from the room.
I wanted to stand and show my defiance to Pen, but as I watched Geri’s chewing gummed head disappear out of the door and down the corridor, I had to follow her.
“That’s right,” I heard Pen say as I walked past a confused Harry who tried to reach out for me. “You two go off together and cry. You’ll both be gone by the end of the week.”
I left the room amidst a sea of laughter and snide remarks, the anger I felt making my cheeks flush. I knew they were red as I hurried through the hall trying to catch up with Geri, but that was the least of my worries.
I followed her into the girl’s toilets where she flung herself over the sink and heaved. God, she was having a panic attack.
I ran to her side and put my arm around her.
“Just breathe!” I said quickly. “Come on. It’s okay, you’re not alone in this. Just calm down and breathe.”
She gave a few more gasps of air, clutching at her chest before she turned to me, her eyes raw from crying and suddenly the overly confident girl I’d seen that day in the form room and the one I’d seen working those Crest boys faded away and all I saw was a vulnerable student. One whose fragility had been masked all this time.
Her breathing slowed and she ran the tap, throwing the water over her face. As she bent forwards, I caught sight of the chewing gum again and it sent a fresh wave of anger over me.
I didn’t even think girls were like that anymore. Sure, I’d seen them in those American high school films, but I hadn’t realised that deep nestled by the English coastline people could still act with so much venom. Not even in my rough London school had there been bullying to such an extent.
“We need to go to Mr Creswell,” I said lifting her long hair so she could see the stuck locks in the mirror. She looked up slowly and I saw the sadness in her eyes once she laid eyes on the tangled mess, because she knew what the answer was. It would need cutting out.
She took a deep breath, shook her head and gave me an uncharacteristically forced smile.
“No need,” she tried to say breezily. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Huh?” I looked back at her confused. Had we been in the same classroom? Had she not felt the thud on her arse after her chair was kicked from beneath her?
She narrowed her eyes at me.
“Let’s face it, Ally, she’s head girl. We don’t stand a chance against her, so why let her win?”
She walked over to the paper towels and I watched in disbelief as she dried her hands and face.
“But your hair…” I said pointing to it. “The chewing gum! You’re going to have to cut your hair so much shorter to get it out. Its unacceptable behaviour. How many other students have had to go through this? You? Me? We have to speak to Mr Creswell before it gets out of hand. We should go now before anyone else gets a chance to feed their version back to him.”
Geri gave me a light laugh, though I felt the dark undertones of it.
“They said I’d face opposition from others who were jealous…”
“They?” I followed her to the main toilet door and closed it when she tried to pull it open. “Who’s they? You’re not talking about James and fucking Elliot, are you? I saw you guys in the Crest rooms together. I saw what they were doing to you…”
Annoyance flashed over face and she dragged me back towards the window, before she kicked all the doors to make sure the cubicles were empty, then turned to me.
“Listen,” she snapped, her voice a low hiss. “They’re good to me, no matter what the rest of the world thinks. They help me and look after me and what happens between us is no one’s business.”
“Geri, I…”
“No!” she shouted and for a moment I could tell that she’d surprised even herself with the outburst. “I need them…” she continued in a quieter voice as she walked away from me. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t see them anymore…”
Her words sent a chill down my spine and as I studied her face, I realised that something wasn’t right with her. The words she spoke and how she said them almost made her sound infatuated….brainwashed.
“What about Harry?” I asked cautiously, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer. “Is he one of those guys? Do you need him too?”
She smiled and shook her head.
“No… its not like that with us he….” She stopped when her eyes narrowed at me and she rushed back over to my side, grabbing my arm.
“Geri, you’re hurting me!” I snapped trying to pull out of her grip. “What the hell?”
“Stay away!” she whispered and looked over her shoulder as though someone was listening. “Just whatever you do, stay away. Don’t do what I did. Don’t get involved with the Cresties.”
Her phone rang and she jumped and took it out of her blazer pocket. All I saw were the last letters of their name: ‘ot’ and I didn’t need a degree to know who that was.
She forced it back into her pocket and looked up at me.
“I shouldn’t have said any of this,” she said letting me go. “I have to… I’ll see you later, Ally. Thank you for helping me out back there.”
I rubbed at the spot where her fingers had been digging in.
“It’s okay, don’t mention it, but is that Elliot calling? Are you sure…?”
“It’s dark…” she interpreted. “Just do as I said.”
And with that, she left the toilets and it took me a good moment to let her words sink in and process them properly.
Had she been warning me away from Harry? Or the crest club in general? If it was so bad, how come she was so forgiving of them?
My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened again, and a few girls walked in. None of them looked at me as they held stock by the mirrors and reapplied their make-up.
I thought about asking them what they knew about the Crest Club, but I decided against it. Something was going on in this school, something that I wasn’t privy too but other people were and it was enough that Geri had either been brainwashed into it or forced against her will and her stark warning that was supposed to send me running for the hills, only made me want to investigate further and I vowed to get every last one of them.
Chapter 13
I left the bathroom with a clear plan in my head. First, I was going to go to Mr Creswell the head and report what had happened. Whether he believed me or not, that was another story, but I couldn’t stand around and do nothing when I noticed a vulnerable student. Back in London, we had a buddy programme that meant anything you observed but did nothing for, you were held accountable.
I didn’t want the bullying of Geri or anyone else on my hands.
Second, I was going to talk to James and Elliot and maybe record our conversation on my phone. Anything that I could get from them about what they were doing and how they’d turned her into a gullible sheep would aid their downfall.
“Hughes? Wait!”
I froze. The only person with that voice that called me that was…
I turned to see Harry jogging towards me. He had my bag in his hand and he held it out to me.
“I thought you’d need this,” he said when he reached me. I took it from him slowly.
“Tha
nk you. I completely forgot about it…”
He nodded and waited for a group of people to pass before he spoke.
“I handled it in there when you left. Rupert and I spoke to her about this. It can’t continue.”
I shrugged, not wanting him to see whether It affected me or not.
“She’s a bully, Harry, and I don’t know why you associate with her.”
He frowned at me, my words clearly hitting a nerve.
“It’s deeper than association, Hughes. It’s my family. It’s years of business and promises.”
“Then you’re just as bad as she is,” I said walking past him. “Thank you again for my bag. I really appreciate it.”
He didn’t follow me until I’d walked several feet away and then I heard his footsteps behind me.
“Wait. Don’t just go like this. You did it last night and we need to talk about what happened.”
“That’s just it,” I said, forcing the nonchalance in my voice, so hard that I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. “Nothing did happen. It’s fine. I’m okay. We’re okay.”
His eyebrows furrowed at my words and for a moment I thought that I’d somehow given the game away that really, I was a wreck inside and I was hurting more than I’d let on.
“Oh…right,” he said slightly confused and he watched me intently, waiting for me to crack… to break, but I couldn’t. Not after everything that had happened since. The worry in my dad’s voice, the blank vacant takeover of Geri’s mind. No. We were better off as we were before.
“I should go,” I said gesturing over my shoulder with my thumb. “Thanks again. I’ll see you around I guess….”
“Um, yeah…I guess…”
I turned and left before he was able to say anything else and I felt my stomach sink at the realisation of what I was doing, and I just hoped for my own sake that walking away was the right thing to do.
I spent the rest of the morning concentrating on my classes and not allowing any thoughts of the Crest club, Geri or Pen to enter my thoughts until I was stood in front of the dining hall again for lunch.
Diamond - A British Academy Rich Boy Bully Romance (Atherton School Crest Club Book 1) Page 9