Ruin Me: A College Bully Reverse Harem Romance (Weissmore Academy Book 1)

by Nora Cobb

  “So you don’t know.” Royce laughed. “My little pauper, I know more about you than you ever realize.”

  I hated it. At this moment, I hated all the kings for what they were keeping from me. They had no idea what I had been through in my life, how much I had wished to know who my parents were and why they had abandoned me.

  They had no idea how I had scraped the lowest of the low to survive, to get where I was today, and I didn’t mean this academy.

  I meant as a person.

  Low self-esteem ran rampant amongst the poor kids that couldn’t get adopted and there had been more than once in my life that I thought it would be easier on everyone if I just killed myself and took myself out of the equation.

  I hadn’t, though. And evidently, someone wanted me around to for this exact moment, however painful it was. “I don’t care what you say,” I started, reaching around him to grab the doorknob. “Nor do I care to be in your presence any longer.”

  Royce shot his hand out and gripped me around the waist, pulling me against his hard body where my shoulder was buried in his chest, his lips right above my ear. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Your knight in shining armor is a monster like the rest of us. We all knew who you were, and the plan was for all the kings to have you, not just Arthur.”

  My breath caught.

  “But don’t worry,” Royce laughed, his breath heavy against my ear. “We would have been gentle with you. But that was before Arthur grew a complex and decided to have you for himself. Do you know why?”

  I had my guess, but I didn’t want to say it. Because if I said it, it would be real.

  Royce pressed his lips closer to my ear as his hand roamed my body until it settled above my belly. “He wanted to put his brat in you. He wanted to steal you out from under us.”

  I struggled against his grip, tears burning my eyes. No. He was lying. Arthur had always used protection every time we were together and I was on the pill, had always been since I was sixteen. The chances of me getting pregnant were slim to none.

  Surely he hadn’t been planning on becoming a father. Not yet.

  My stomach lurched as I thought about him being part of this plot, willing to go along with it until something changed.

  “Go ahead and cry, little pauper,” Royce whispered, his lips nipping at my neck. “Show me your weakness. You’ve known the truth all along: we’re all bastards.”

  “I don’t believe you,” I forced out, pushing against his strong arm. I needed to get out, I needed to get away from him and process what Royce had just dropped on me. “Let go of me!”

  “As you wish,” Royce growled before releasing me.

  I stumbled and grabbed the knob, twisting it so that I could get out of the bathroom. I didn’t stop until I was safely in my room, slamming the door behind me and locking it for good measure, glad that Johanna was not there to see my breakdown.

  I slid down the length of the door to the floor, the torrent of tears releasing from my eyes and coursing down my cheeks. Arthur had been in on the plot to get me pregnant?

  Did this mean that he had succeeded in the first step of getting into my bed?

  My hand shook as I covered my mouth with my hand, a small gasp leaving me. I knew that Arthur didn’t love me. It was far too soon to be talking about love and a serious relationship.

  But I at least thought he liked me just a little, meaning that he would have confessed this plot to me.

  That was if he cared.

  There was only one way for me to find out and I didn’t know if I was ready for what the outcome might be.

  ***

  Later that evening, I attempted to do my homework, ignoring the knocks on the door as I did so. It was likely Arthur, wanting to know why I wasn’t coming over, but I couldn’t face him just yet.

  My heart was still too tender.

  Johanna walked in right after dinner, throwing her bag on her bed. “God, I hate this school.”

  I looked up and swallowed. We had not talked since my blow-up with her and I had been so wrapped up with Arthur lately that I rarely saw her when she wasn’t already asleep.

  I missed my friend and needed her more than ever now. “I’m sorry,” I blurted out, breaking the ice first.

  She paused, not looking at me as her fingers stilled on her bag. “About what, Anna?”

  “About my outburst,” I continued, rubbing my hands over my arms. “I’m sorry that I yelled at you when you were only trying to look out for me. I’m sorry that I acted like a spoiled brat.”

  Johanna laughed hollowly as she walked over to my bed, sitting on it. “You weren’t acting like a spoiled brat. Trust me, I have seen enough in my lifetime to know what that looks like. I’m sorry too. It’s your life and if you want to take the leap and sleep with Arthur, then I have no business telling you what to do.”

  I sighed, rubbing my forehead where a lingering headache seemed to not want to go away. “Royce cornered me today.”

  “He did what?”

  “He locked me in a bathroom and told me that the kings have a pact to get me pregnant.”

  Johanna stared at me like I had grown two heads. “Pregnant.”

  I nodded, unable to believe it myself. What royalty did I have running through my blood for them to all want to be the father of my baby?

  It was crazy to even consider that.

  “Well,” Johanna finally said, shaking her head. “I had no idea, really. What a bunch of assholes.”

  One of those assholes I had given my virginity to and was well on my way to giving him my heart as well. “I don’t know what to do, Johanna,” I whispered. “I don’t know why people are doing this to me.”

  “Oh, Anna,” Johanna exclaimed, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “I don’t know either but it sucks. You don’t deserve this.”

  “No, I don’t,” I replied, leaning into her hug. It was nice to have someone agree with me for once. “But I’m not going to let Arthur get away with this.”

  Johanna pulled back, concern in her expression. “You need to ask him. I’m not surprised, to be honest. He’s just as bad as the rest, Anna. I just thought that maybe you were the one who could take him down a notch or two.”

  “His crown is still intact, unfortunately,” I answered. “But I’m going to be the one to tarnish it.”

  “That’s my girl,” Johanna grinned, standing. “Get up and get dressed. We are going out.”

  “Out where?” I asked as she ripped open her closet door, throwing outfits on her bed.

  Johanna held out a dress, eyeing it critically. “We are going out for a nice dinner, just you and me. I don’t have a black Amex for nothing, Anna. Maybe we will purchase you some real clothes.”

  I sniffed as a fresh set of tears threatened now. I didn’t care what the kings said about Johanna. She had a heart of gold and without her, I wouldn’t have survived as long as I had at this academy.

  I needed a friend and she was about the only one I had.

  Chapter 12

  I went through the next few days in a fog, ignoring any attempt from Arthur to talk to me. I didn’t know if Royce had told him about our conversation or not, but I really didn’t care either. I stuck to my classes, spending the majority of my time holed up in my room or in the study hall, where I knew the kings would never set foot.

  Unfortunately, I needed to complete an assignment for my art class and I had already chosen the portrait of Arthur during a polo match as my muse; already submitted it to my professor.

  Which meant I would have to go and watch him play.

  When the day arrived, I dressed carefully before grabbing my bag and heading to the field, idly wondering if there were other rich academies which they chose as opponents.

  Likely they flew them in, horse and all.

  I picked a spot where I would have the best view of the players, my heart twisting in my chest as I located Arthur. He truly looked like a king seated on the back of his horse, his stick thrown ov
er his shoulder and a confident grin on his handsome face. Normally that was enough to send my heart fluttering and my body warming, but right now I just felt lost. Did he even care about me or was this all about power to him?

  I wanted to hope that it wasn’t just about power. I still didn’t know who I was, but that was no excuse for what the kings had planned for me.

  Sometimes I wondered if they cared about anyone but themselves.

  The match started and I pulled out my sketchbook, watching as Arthur raced after the ball expertly, handling his horse with such ease that it drew me in, even though I didn’t have a clue what was going on.

  Looking around, I wasn’t the only one watching Arthur either. There was a cluster of girls from the junior class watching him openly, whispering behind their hands and slyly taking photos of him as he leaned down and knocked the ball.

  I didn’t blame them, really. Arthur in his element was a force to be reckoned with, which made him all the sexier, honestly. Had those arms really been wrapped around me? It seemed like so long ago.

  Not that he hadn’t tried to contact me. There were notes slid underneath our door constantly and more than once, he had intercepted Johanna in the hallway to ask about me and why I was avoiding him. She had given him a dressing down that was worthy of a queen, apparently, for the entire academy was abuzz about what was going on between us.

  People had noticed my cold shoulder when it came to the kings and I was something of an enigma since I was still alive to do so.

  Rolling my eyes, I spied Royce and Max on the far side of the field, watching their fellow king make quick work of the other players. I couldn’t understand their strong relationship to the point where they would make a stupid pact as they had about me. What had driven them together? Weren’t they likely to be enemies down the road?

  Or was it truly because they were bored and liked to exercise their power?

  What kind of power did I hold over them? Royce had nearly been salivating at the mouth to tell me about their little pact, yet he and Max hadn’t done much to impact Arthur’s hold on me, not until we had already had sex.

  I would have thought that they would also be wooing me like Arthur if they truly wanted to get in my pants.

  I guessed they hadn’t been thorough when coming up with their plan.

  I sketched a rough drawing of Arthur and his horse, concentrating on my task at hand so I could get the hell out of here before he saw me. The moment the match was drawing to a close, I started packing my things, slinging my bag over my shoulder and starting down the path back to the academy, blending in with the rest of the crowd.

  “Anna!”

  Shit. I wanted to break out into a run, to look like the crazy person they all thought I was, but I remained frozen in my tracks, Arthur coming into view a moment later. He was gloriously sweaty, his polo shirt clinging to the muscular form I knew intimately, the smallest patch of tanned skin in view beneath the undone buttons at his neck.

  God, I didn’t even want to look at the rest of him. “Arthur. Good game as always.”

  “You are avoiding me,” he stated, his eyes full of hurt. “Why?”

  I adjusted my bag on my shoulder, gripping it tightly. “I have my reasons.”

  “Reasons that you are willing to share with me?” he asked, ignoring those that tried to congratulate him on the game. It was obvious to me at least that he wasn’t used to being ignored by anyone and somehow I was hurting him by doing so.

  I looked around. “I really don’t want to do this here, Arthur.”

  He shoved a hand through his hair. “Can you give me ten minutes to change then? Please, Anna?”

  His soft request nearly undid me. This was the guy who had slept with me, taking my virginity because he wanted to get me pregnant! I shouldn’t give him the time of day.

  But I needed to know if what Royce had said to me was the truth. “Fine,” I forced out. “I will wait for you.”

  He touched my cheek before running back in the direction of the clubhouse, leaving me to wait for him to shower and change his clothes.

  ***

  Exactly ten minutes later, he was jogging back to me, his hair still wet from the shower. “You waited.”

  “You asked me to.”

  Arthur started to reach for me but I flinched and he stopped, tucking his hands in his pockets instead. “You want to walk toward the lake?”

  I gave him a half shrug, all sorts of emotions flooding me. How was I going to start this conversation? Why did I still want him to take me in his arms and tell me that he was falling in love with me?

  I should hate him so much.

  He was quiet until we were a good ways away from the nearest person, walking close enough to me for our shoulders to brush each other’s occasionally. With each touch, a lick of fire coursed down to my belly, reminding me of what we had together.

  And what I wasn’t so sure I wanted any longer.

  Arthur drew to a stop before me, his eyes falling on mine. “Tell me what’s going on, Anna.”

  “You were trying to get me pregnant.”

  His eyes widened in surprise and I waited for him to deny the entire ludicrous idea. He had to. It wasn’t even fathomable that he would think that way. He should be excited about graduating and starting to live his life, not wanting to be a father.

  But he didn’t and I felt my heart cave just a little.

  “So it’s true,” I whispered, my voice breaking despite my need to hold myself together. “Oh my God, you used me.”

  “Anna, wait,” Arthur said, touching my arm so that I wouldn’t run away. I probably did look like I was about to bolt and for good reason. “It’s not what you think.”

  I shook off his touch, disgusted by him and what he was trying to do to me. His touch might have ignited my body at one time, but no longer, not with this heartbreaking news that he had just all but confirmed. “Did you ever care about me or was this all for your stupid pact?”

  “Of course I care about you,” he bit out, his expression hardening. “I’m not a complete monster.”

  “You could have fooled me,” I said brokenly, keeping back the tears for later. I would not cry in front of him. He didn’t deserve my tears or my sympathy. “What kind of person are you, Arthur? Who even comes up with this shit?”

  “Who told you?” he asked instead.

  “Royce,” I threw out, not caring if it meant that they would run swords through each other later. I didn’t care at all, every hope now crushed because of him and his stupid kings. “He told me everything about your little pact and how you wanted my birthright.”

  “Your birthright is precious,” Arthur said softly, his eyes pleading. “It’s one of the many things that drew me in to you, Anna.”

  “Cut the crap,” I shot back, tired of hearing his empty words. “I’m done, Arthur. Leave me alone.”

  “I know who you are.”

  I laughed hollowly, feeling as if my heart no longer belonged in my chest. “It seems that everyone knows who I am, but no one is willing to tell me. Is there anyone in this damn academy that will tell me the truth?”

  “You need to talk to the headmistress,” Arthur said, surprising me once again. “She will tell you the truth.”

  I thought about the hard woman who hated my guts for reasons unknown. It was odd that she had pounced on me like she had, but I thought it was because I didn’t belong in her precious academy, not that she knew who I was. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Go talk to her,” Arthur replied, his voice heavy. “See what answers you get.”

  I stared at him, waiting for him to apologize for what he had done, how he had broken my heart, but he just looked at me with those pitiful rich-boy eyes, as if I would think it would be just fine that he and his friends had decided to make that pact.

  About me. Were they that heartless?

  In that moment, my heart broke a little. “I hate your games,” I told him, wishing I was strong enough to punch him or push
him in the lake. “And I hate you.”

  “You don’t mean that,” he said quietly, his mouth drawn in a tight line. “You’re no different than we are, Anna. It’s just a matter of time.”

  “I will never be like you,” I spat out before turning away, heading back to the academy. I wouldn’t. The things they were doing, playing with people’s lives; it was wrong.

  I just wished it hadn’t been me.

  How many other people’s lives had they messed with for their own fun and entertainment? While most of the world wished to be where I was, in the presence of these royal families, I hated it more than ever. They didn’t care about anyone but themselves and I was slowly starting to realize it. They didn’t care that people had real feelings, that there was more to life than just money and titles.