HIDE (Boys Of Darlington Academy Book 1)

by D. V. EEDEN

  Not realizing anyone else has arrived in the library, the sudden thump of a book being slammed on the table frightens me out of my concentration. I look up to see two Royals and an actor. Charles, Hugo, and Royce stand in front of me with their arms folded across their muscled chests. I take out my earphones, stopping the music from playing.

  “Good morning to you too,” I sarcastically say. Charles and Royce have huge grins on their faces, whereas Hugo looks bored as fuck. Royce takes a seat next me, hanging his left arm off the back of my chair.

  “Wow, Africa you must take your job seriously, starting this early,” Charles teases, but in my head, I know he means it.

  “You are sitting at our table Africa,” Hugo drawls and takes the seat directly in front of me. Charles follows suit, taking the seat next to him.

  “Am I supposed to believe you study this early in the morning?” I sit back in my chair, arms folded with displeasure at being disturbed.

  “Wow, Africa I must say you look a lot better with make-up on,” Charles confesses, playing with my pens that are laid out on the table “You should really wear it more often. It takes you up to a number…” he pauses, thinking about what to say next. “Three, yeah I’d say three,” he chuckles under his breath.

  Hugo turns to face him, not looking too pleased. He clenches his jaw, defining the sharp edges.

  “Don’t listen to that fucking idiot,” Royce says, his hand from the back of my chair coming up to brush the loose strands of hair off my face.

  I flinch in my chair and he chuckles, noticing my nervousness and my pulse quickens as my heart races.

  “Don’t worry beautiful, I won’t hurt you,” he reassures me, but the fact that my favorite actor just touched me has my knickers literally soaked, just from that little display of affection. I secretly scream in my head.

  As Royce brings his arm back around to place on the table, I see the exact same tattoo on his wrist as Hugo’s. Maybe it’s a best friends tattoo? I pretend to get back to my reading so that I can try to catch a glimpse of Charles’ wrist, seeing if he has the same. As he’s playing with my pens, he picks one up to throw at Royce and just my luck, his blazer rides up and I see the exact same tattoo. I wonder if Blake has the exact same one.

  I check the time on my phone and notice its nearly breakfast time, so I pack my things away, disappearing from their weird morning antics. I have no idea why they sat with me, but like Hugo said, it’s their table.

  But they didn’t ask me to leave either. Hmm…

  “Hey Ade,” I hear my nickname from behind me, which only Blaire uses. I turn around to see that Royce is jogging to catch up to me, but instead of stopping I carry on.

  “What do you want Royce?” I groan. But seriously, what does he want?

  “I think we got off on the wrong foot and I’d like to be your friend.” his face lights up with his big smile, but all I can do is scoff.

  “Are you serious or is this some sick joke?” I snap. Why should I believe him when his friends hate me?

  I carry on walking in the direction of the dining hall with Royce in tow, but he doesn’t say a thing. People’s eyes are drawn to us as we walk down the hallway, confusion clearly displayed on their faces. I’m confused as hell too.

  “Let me join you for breakfast.” he flutters his long eyelashes at me, and I know I’d feel bad for saying no, so I nod and walk to our table. Thank god Blaire and Maisie are already seated, so I don’t have to have an awkward conversation with Royce or sit in silence wondering what to talk about. Fuck that.

  “Royce, I didn’t realize you were joining us for breakfast.” Blaire raises her eyebrows at me, and I shrug it off. Let her deal with his crap.

  “I thought I’d get to know Ade better,” he wiggles his eyebrows, giving me a devilish grin before sitting next to me.

  “Oh wow, you even use my nickname for her. Cute,” Blaire mumbles and I can tell she isn’t too pleased with this arrangement.

  “Hey Ade, how about we have breakfast another time?” Royce leans in, whispering in my ear, his hot breath caressing my skin and sending jolts of electricity through my veins.

  Royce stands up from his seat, smoothing down his blazer before leaning down and giving me a kiss on the cheek. Instantly heat rushes to my cheeks, turning them red from embarrassment. I catch Blaire gasping from the other side of the table in disbelief and she’s not the only one.

  What the fuck just happened?

  “Just me and you next time,” Royce adds before he walks away from me, joining the Royals table.

  “What the fuck just happened,” Blaire mouths to me as Maisie giggles behind her hand. “Royce doesn’t just kiss people on the cheek,” she says, her eyes bulging out of her skull and I have no clue what to say to her, so I just eat my fruit salad in silence.

  After breakfast, the girls and I amble to our first class, English literature, where unfortunately for me I share with all the Royal douche bags. Just to add the cherry on top, I sit next to his royal asshole, Blake Crawford.

  Taking a seat at my desk, I organize what I need for this lesson along with my homework. I skim through the completed assignment to make sure I’m happy with the outcome, hoping I get graded at least a B. I let out a long sigh, rubbing my palms over my face. I am not eager for this class to start. I’ve never been the academic type, more of a doer which is why dancing and gymnastics has always been my top graded class.

  My thoughts are interrupted by Blake pulling out his chair then slamming his bag on the desk as if it’s an inconvenience. He takes out his workbooks and pens before throwing his bag on the floor beside him, then he takes a seat. I try to keep my eyes forward so that I’m staring at the interactive white board, but something about Blake is distracting my thoughts. I can feel the anger and hatred seeping through his skin. Every movement he makes is to distance himself further away from me. I haven’t been this close to Blake since outside the headmaster’s office where he cornered me, the memory sending shivers down my spine, triggering my skin to prickle.

  Blake’s right leg starts to bounce under the table, shaking the whole damn thing, his arms flexing as he plays with his pen, making little tapping noises on the wood.

  My eyes start to twitch with annoyance and unintentionally I snap, “Can you stop moving so much?” I try and keep my voice down so the teacher doesn’t hear us, but a few students have, and they turn their heads to stare.

  Blake slightly turns his gaze in my direction, nostrils flaring, and clenching his jaw before he leans in a little closer to me. “Africa, I warned you, and now you have royally pissed me off,” he spits through clenched teeth, spittle landing on my cheek from the close proximity.

  “I will make sure you wish you never attended this university, maybe even have you begging that you were back in the bush with your tribe,” he threatens, leaning back in his seat and turning to look away from me again. He focuses his attention on the teacher at the front and all I can think about is how good he smelled. The smell of cloves mixed in with oakwood and vanilla, the smell of a king, and he really is a king here.

  But soon after my pulse quickens, and my breath hitches in my throat. I don’t take too kindly to threats.

  Before the class is finished, the teacher comes over to Blake, handing him his already completed homework assignment and I catch the big red A on the front.

  Colour me impressed.

  He grabs it from the teacher and that’s when I notice the tattoo on his wrist, just like the others. So, he also has one. I almost ask why but stop myself, remembering who I was about to talk to. He stands up, pushing the chair back with his muscly calves, and picks up his bag before storming out the room.

  The dude needs some help with his anger. I really feel sorry for Blaire having to put up with his sulky attitude all the time.

  After the day is done, I decide I need to relieve some stress but this time I want to go swimming. I haven’t tried out the Olympic-sized swimming people in this castle, but I am sure it’
s extravagant. Lucky for me, I get the pool to myself as no one else booked a session. Being by myself is just what I need right now.

  I’ve been swimming since I was three years old with my mum, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since, especially as I built some core strength. It was vital for swimming in the ocean against rough tides while surfing. Which reminds me, I need to get down to Stonewall beach one of these days and go for a surf. That would make me feel complete.

  I get changed into my academy issued swimsuit, which is black with the academy logo resting on my right breast, and wrap myself in a white fluffy robe before stepping out into the pool room. I look around at the vast space with seating stands on three sides of the room for when competitions take place and a score board right at the front near the jumping boards. Ahead of me lay the water which looks perfectly still.

  Slipping the robe off, I throw it on the bench near the wall and make my way to the edge of the pool. I climb down the steps and my toes hit the water. Expecting freezing temperatures, my tense body relaxes the deeper I head into warmth and heat. This is a posh school so I guess they can afford the heating. I float for a while, stroking my arms to keep me afloat before I clutch onto the side and start my laps.

  I place my feet against the wall, still clutching onto the side as I prepare myself to start. Pushing myself off the wall, I start to front crawl with my face in the water, only catching breaths after a few strokes.

  Once I’ve completed ten laps, I give myself a rest stop where I began, staying afloat for a while before putting my head under the water for a few seconds. One of my favorite places in the world is below the water, listening to nothing but just silence. I let myself sink to the bottom and sit on the pool floor, feeling the water move around my skin and just trying to keep myself down, holding my breath for as long as I can.

  Sitting there, I let my memories join me, releasing them out of the closed cage I keep locked. A picture of my mum pops up first, and my lips curl up into a smile remembering how beautiful she was. She was my best friend, and she didn’t deserve to leave this horrid world so early. My feelings well up inside me, threatening to explode. She was supposed to be here for me, graduating with a degree, and one day be at my wedding to the man of my dreams, but some lifeless dickhead had to take that all away from me too early.

  Now I’m stuck in my own little cage called Darlington Academy with stuck up cunts, a billionaire father who doesn’t even have an ounce of love in his heart, and possibly no future for me here because I can’t even pursue my own dreams. Dreams that were stolen from me the moment I boarded that plane to start a new life in a different country.

  Naturally, I can hold my breath for at least three minutes before I need to come up for air, so after a few minutes of dwelling, I put my memories back in the little cage at the back of my mind and I start letting myself float naturally to the top of the water. My favorite part is when the water slides off my face and taking that first breath again. I open my eyes as I make my way up and a few shadows hide the light of my passage from above. I can’t see who it is or how many people stand there but as my head slightly pops out of the water, I get to take a fresh breath. Just as my lungs expand with this new air, a strong hand grabs a fistful of my hair, pushing me back under the water.

  Whoever it is, they hold me under for a few seconds before pulling me back out. I gasp, grabbing another quick breath before they push me back down. I struggle against the hold, my scalp stinging with how hard they’re gripping my hair. I try to remove their strong hold with my own hands, but nothing seems to budge.

  Who the fuck is doing this?

  They pull me back out, still holding my hair and I struggle to take a breath. The water falls from my eyes and they start to focus. The shadows start to form into Blake, who is holding my hair as he kneels down on the side with a murderous grin on his face. Beside him is Hugo and Charles, their arms crossed in front of their chests. Charles has a Cheshire Cat smile plastered on his face as he enjoys the view of Blake trying to drown an innocent woman, but Hugo stares down with no expression on his face. He’s blank like a void and has no visible emotions, but that doesn’t surprise me as he seems like he has a black soul. My body tremors as I start to panic, and my chest tightens under the restriction of air.

  “Enjoying a little swim, are we?” Blake chuckles under his breath but it’s not sincere. I can tell he’s finding pleasure in hurting me. I stare into his icy blue eyes, trying to find any humanity but there is not a glimmer of remorse behind them, just darkness. I manage to yelp as he pushes me back down into the water and my hands fly up, trying to scratch him off me, but he doesn’t shift. He’s too strong for me and my mind goes into overdrive, thinking of the worst that can happen. I’m going to die at the hands of Blake Crawford, and he doesn’t care.

  Why would he care who I am, because to him I’m just an exchange student from another country who has no family so no one would miss me, would they?

  “I warned you not to mess with me and pay back’s a bitch,” he roars, pulling me back up again, hot tears rolling down my cheeks and I can’t contain my emotions. I hyperventilate and the pain in my lungs are unbearable as I cry out to plead. The salty tears sting my face as they stream down before hitting the water and Blake chuckles even further.

  “You now have an enemy which you wish you never crossed.”

  He pushes me down under again as I take my breath, my mouth still open as I descended, the water replacing the oxygen in my lungs. My head starts to feel hazy whilst my body stops struggling, giving up on me. My life flashes before my eyes and the faint picture of my mum returns with her hand holding out, ready for me to take it so that I can go with her. Something is dragging me back. My hands keep drawing back even further and she starts to disappear like a distant memory again.

  “Adelaide!” I faintly hear my name being called. My mum is calling my name, reaching out for me.

  “Adelaide!” I hear again but clearer this time, recognizing Miles’ husky voice. It wasn’t my mum. I can feel my chest heaving heavily, with every breath Miles pushes through my lips, trying to get rid of the water in my lungs. He continues three more times before I cough up the contents from my lungs and come back to full consciousness. “Adelaide!” he shouts, “oh thank god.” he sighs in relief as I push myself to sit up, feeling the cold wet tiles under the palms of my hands.

  My eyes scan the surroundings, realizing I’m next to the pool.

  ‘’What happened?’’ I try whispering to Miles, my throat raspy, feeling as though it’s been cut with razor blades. I look at Miles for comfort as he stares at me with his soft blue eyes, edged with worry before answering.

  “You were drowning, and when I found you, you were unconscious,” he whispers before taking my hand and lifting me up to stand, putting his arm under me.

  “Let’s take you to the nurse’s room to make sure you’re okay.”

  Miles grabs my bags and throws a fluffy robe around me before escorting me to the nurse’s office. His hands resting on my hips, comforting and guiding me the whole way there.

  “Are you okay?” he asks before knocking on the door. “Yeah I’m fine,” my voice comes out a bit raspy. I give him a soft smile, reassuring him that I am okay but really my heart is racing a thousand miles per hour and I still can’t remember what happened. Trying to remember what happened, all I know is that I was swimming. The next thing I knew, Miles was giving me the kiss of life. Although, I can remember his soft lips against mine and the worry in his eyes.

  Miles saved my life.

  The nurse answers the knock on the door with a smile on her face, welcoming us both in and gesturing for us to take a seat.

  “I’m Miss Watson dear, how about you tell me what happened?” she says in a soft tone as we take our seats.

  “Well, I was swimming and I’m not sure,” I try to answer as much as I can, but my memory fails and I shake my head in disbelief. Miles grabs my knee and gently squeezes to comfort me.

  �
�I actually found her in the swimming pool, unconscious and I had to pull her out, so I gave her a five rescue breaths and CPR then she came around,” Miles explains what happened and how he found me while I stare at him in disbelief.

  How the fuck did I drown?

  I mean, I am an incredibly good swimmer.

  “Oh dear. Well let’s check you over to make sure everything is okay,” the nurse – who’s name I’ve just learnt to be Miss Watson – says. She spins around, leaving towards the medical storage room to get her supplies.

  “I’ll leave you to it then,” Miles says, lifting from his seat and getting ready to leave.

  I grab his hand before he can, pleading with my eyes for him to stay. He smiles at me, understanding, before taking a seat again and lacing his fingers through mine, not letting go. I look down at our intertwined hands and smile inwardly.

  Miss Watson re-enters the room, taking the seat opposite me, taking my blood pressure, and shining a light in my eyes.

  “Well everything is looking fine, but due to the lack of oxygen to your brain, you may feel dizzy for a few hours. So I think it’s best that you go back to your dorm and rest.” Her soft wrinkled face is reassuring, reminding me of my grandma, Paul’s mum from back home, who’s soft grey hair was long but always pulled into a bun on the top of her head. Her soft wrinkles had shown her age and even though she was sixty years old, she had the energy of a twenty-year-old. In fact, she taught me to surf and showed me the wildlife around the Savannah.

  God, I loved that woman.

  Miles escorts me back to the dorm, shooting Blaire a text to let her know where I am. He settles my belongings next to the door and leads me through to the bathroom.

  “I must go. I have to teach a dancing lesson to someone else, but I’ll come back later to check up on you.” He holds my hands in his, kissing me on the forehead before heading out of my room.

  I hear the door close softly and that is my cue to peel off the robe and my swimsuit. I climb laboriously into the hot shower, letting it warm up my cold skin. I almost fall over from that dizziness the nurse was talking about while I tried to wash my hair with my favorite honeycomb and coconut shampoo, and scrub off all the chlorine still stuck to my skin. I finally tuck myself into bed, hugging my body tightly, but I’m too anxious to close my eyes in case something bad happens again. My body begins to shiver, not from the cold but in fear and sweat coats my skin as my adrenaline piques. My mind plays tricks on me as the smallest of sounds make me flinch, so I tug the duvet tighter and up to my chin for comfort.