HIDE (Boys Of Darlington Academy Book 1)

by D. V. EEDEN

  Great, what a way to ruin my mood.

  I inhale a sharp breath, unprepared for a question like this.

  “You know what Hugo? I’m not happy. I’m fucking broken and ruined because of you and your dickhead friends. This is the only thing that has made me even smile in weeks, and there you go ruining that for me too,” I say through clenched teeth, my hands tightening into fists on the table. I can feel my long nails piercing the skin of my palm, the blood dripping from my skin onto my notepad, leaving specks of blood.

  What a metaphor.

  The one thing I’m happy about, and these cunts have to ruin it by taking blood from me, making it visible for everyone to see.

  “Are you happy now?”

  I unclench my fist, grabbing a tissue from my inner blazer pocket, wiping the blood from my palms but the blood has already soaked through the pages in my notebook. Hugo leans in over the table, bringing his beautifully perky lips near to my ear, his hot breath caressing my skin as adrenaline runs through my veins. The heat between my thighs turns my legs numb. Goosebumps appear all over my body, making me shiver and the smell of Hugo so close to me is fucking intoxicating.

  “I like seeing you in pain. It turns me on,” he whispers, tilting his face so it’s now facing me. His eyes are half lidded, letting me in on one of his secrets. I try and swallow the knot in my throat, but it doesn’t budge. Hugo chuckles under his breath as he leans back in his chair, continuing on with his assignment.

  Why am I so turned on right now?

  Attempting to get back to my assignment, I try to ignore the feeling that’s left in my stomach, how Hugo affects me so much. The image of his big calloused hands ripping off my uniform, caressing my tiny frame as he takes me right here on this table floods my tainted mind.

  Oh, how just a look from his emerald eyes drive me into a frenzy.

  Hugo infects every brain cell in my mind, and just the thought of those perfectly rounded lips on mine could send me into an orgasm itself. I shake the thought from my corrupted mind before Hugo notices I’m having a sex daydream about him. Why do I have to have these thoughts over these cruel, heartless boys? They haven’t even showed any type of affection towards me, so why is my mind and body betraying me?

  Chapter Sixteen

  I haven’t seen Miles for almost two weeks, so when he sends me a text to apologize, I’m stunned. His excuse is that he had a tough few days and had to stay home for a while. I’m unsure how to respond to him, so a simple ‘okay’ will have to do. I have tried to text him, asking him if he’s okay, but now I think that giving him space might just be what he needs. I don’t want to come across like a needy girlfriend, even though I’m not his official girlfriend. I kept thinking to myself - is he ignoring me because I haven’t had sex with him yet? But I instantly get rid of that thought, as I don’t think he would be like that.

  Well, I’m hoping that he isn’t inclined that way.

  As Blaire hops the shower, I relax on my bed, scrolling through social media when another text pings through. I open the notification, hoping it’s Miles, but to my disappointment, it’s my father.

  I want you at the house next Sunday for dinner, 6pm – I’m not asking.

  Oh great, another dinner party which I will need to attend, probably with all those men again, making me feel uncomfortable whilst I eat my three-course meal. I roll my eyes at the thought. Undoubtedly, he’s also expecting me to be all prim and proper, just as Ms. Veronica taught me to be.

  “Oh, I’m so excited for our pamper day!” Blaire gushes as she exits the bathroom, wearing a cute, frilly baby blue tea dress. I smile up at her from where I’m resting against my headboard, waiting for both her and Maisie to get ready. I was so excited when I woke up this morning that I got showered and dressed before they woke up. I even managed to fit in some study time. A knock sounds from the door and Blaire opens it up finding Maisie dressed in a similar dress to Blaire, but hers is white. Her auburn hair falls elegantly around her small face. These two have really gone all out in their outfits today, and then there’s me, wearing jeans and a nice cream jumper. It’s winter, why would I wear a goddamn dress?

  “Let’s go bitches!” Maisie says, so I get up from my bed and tuck my phone into my little black shoulder bag. Then we’re on our way.

  Maisie drives us to the next town over from Stonewall, called Bayside Hill, which has a massive shopping mall and several designer shops. It takes over an hour to get to Bayside Hill, but as soon as we near it, I can tell we’re away from the beach town of Stonewall and more into the countryside, where green forest surrounds the winding main road. Just ahead are the towering buildings and as we turn off right by some traffic lights, the view is replaced into a big glass palace they call Bayside Hill shopping district. My eyes go wide at the scene in front of me and I sit forward in my seat, my neck craning to see it all.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Blaire says as we pull into the parking lot, my mind still in awe over how magnificent this structure is. This is something I’d expect to see in London - even though I have never been to London - not the countryside, but it looks like a city in and of itself. Climbing out of the car, we walk past an extravagant water fountain. A naked roman lady stands tall at six feet, holding an old roman water container above her head. I read the plaque as I walk past, ‘Lady Maria of Bayside’. Hm, interesting.

  We walk on the beautiful Carrara marble tiled path with matching marble columns on each side supporting the roof, as we enter through automatic glass doors. The whole inner mall structure is built on glass and marble, looking like a palace inside and out.

  Our first call of duty is the hair salon and I’m really nervous, deciding I want to cut my long locks from my ass to at least sit just below my shoulders.

  Maybe I might add some highlights? Who knows?

  We find the hair salon that Blaire booked us in, called Eden, and it’s surrounded by plants with a water feature that actually looks like the garden of Eden.

  All it’s missing is Blake as its serpent.

  All three of us girls have our hair appointment at the exact same time, Blaire made sure of it, so we’re allocated to our seats for stylists to work their magic. I explain to the lady how I want my hair cut, and maybe a change of colour too. We get served a glass of champagne and some truffles whilst the stylist gets to work and I’m still in admiration. This is like living in an alternative universe, and I’m not used to being so pampered.

  I have never coloured my hair so this will be a first for me, and butterflies form in my stomach when I see that both Blaire and Maisie are getting their hair refreshed with colour. I have just learned that Maisie’s beautiful auburn hair is not natural, and that she’s naturally a mousy brown colour. Well, learn something new every day.

  ‘’Right, so the hair dye needs to be left on your hair for around forty minutes, and then after wards we will rinse it off then cut and style it’’ The stylist explains as she wraps a plastic cap over my head to contain the heat. I nod my head in agreement and she smiles at me before leaving me to it.

  I sit in my luxurious leather throne, drinking my champagne and reading a juicy celeb magazine while I wait. When the timer goes off the stylist leads me through to the basins where she rinses the colour off and gives me the most amazing Indian head massage. Oh, my goodness, I need to come back here just for the massage.

  Once I’ve sat down back at my chair, the stylist gets to work on cutting my long mane, and I’m not even nervous anymore. It’s time for me to get a new look and build my confidence back up again. As soon as she cuts my hair and blow dries it into bouncy curls, she turns my chair to face the mirror so that I can see the finished product. Both Blaire and Maisie come over, standing behind my chair, their hair already done with just a trim and gloss. They both look fabulous. Looking at me in the mirror, they cover their mouths with their hands, squealing.

  My hair has been dyed, the ends lightened with a technique the stylist calls Balayage – a French term
for either sweep or paint – and it looks amazing. The roots are still the same colour but with gloss to add shine, and the ends are not too light but a lovely caramel tone, working well with my tanned skin.

  “Oh. My. God. You look amazing,” Blaire gushes, still shrieking and clapping her hands in front of her chest. My hair is now cut so that the length rests just below my shoulders, and layers have been added for volume. I am stunned with the magic this stylist has performed. I can see now that my old, dull brown hair was drowning my face, making my skin tone look boring. But now I can even agree I look hot, and I can’t wait for everyone to see the finished product.

  Since leaving the salon, we have gotten our nails done, been to an eyebrow bar and I even got eyelash extensions, making my blue eyes pop. It also means I don’t need to wear mascara all the time and it’s amazing. We rest our feet for a bit, stopping off at a cute little blue café that sits in the middle of the mall. I order myself a large coffee –I haven’t even had one today – and a blueberry muffin.

  We sit at a round table in the corner of the café, sipping on our coffees as we talk about how the morning has gone so far.

  ‘’I am so glad not to be home this weekend. I cannot face being around Blake right now or even my father. They have both been acting so strangely since my father took on an extra business deal’’ Blaire says, her face looking deflated as she mentions her brother. ‘’But I am glad to be here with you girls. We needed a day like this.’’ She continues, but within a second her expression changes and she now has a smile on her face.

  ‘’If you need to talk about it Blaire, we are here for you too.’’ I console, offering her a soft smile as she nods in my direction, but from the silence I can tell she isn’t ready to reveal anything as of yet but luckily, I am patient. Maisie raises her dark auburn eyebrow in my direction.

  “So, when are you next seeing Miles, or even better … Zach?” she asks, taking a sip of her coffee. The girls are still not sold on the idea of me and Miles, but as soon as they heard about Zach, they were all for it.

  “Well, Miles has hardly texted me, but I’ve heard from Zach. We’ve exchanged a few texts; he’s wondering when I’m going down the beach to surf.” I shrug, trying to ignore the cheeky smirks appearing on both their faces. Blaire straightens her back, a huge grin forming before me as she comes up with an idea.

  “We should all go down and try to surf.”

  I know exactly why she wants to join me down the beach - so she can ogle all the other male specimens. I don’t blame her. There were some extremely hot and attractive men, and even Charles looked to die for in his wet suit. It’s not every day you see the Queen’s nephew looking rugged. Blaire waves her arms around, gesturing for us to move.

  “Come on ladies, we have some shopping to do.”

  The rest of the afternoon we literally shop until we drop. I haven’t been in so many stores in my entire life. I used to find one shop I liked and that’s the only place I would go to. The girls made me buy a few new dresses, skirts, and cute little tops, plus way too many shoes. I even get changed out of my jeans and jumper into a little yellow wrap around dress to match the girls as I felt out of place in my too casual clothing, and I feel amazing.

  Who knew that getting pampered like this and a whole new wardrobe would be so comforting?

  When we arrive back at the Academy, we drop off our shopping bags back at the dorms and head straight to the dining hall for dinner. This day has left me starving and I could eat for ten people. All of the sudden I feel nervous knowing that most people will see my new look. Not every student has gone home this weekend as it’s supposed to be the big Halloween party.

  We are skipping the party and have three ladies coming to the academy later this evening to give us all a full body massage. That’s exactly what my muscles need. I can’t think of anything worse than attending that stupid Halloween party, knowing for a fact I’d be setting myself up for another taunt or humiliation from the Royals.

  Entering the dining hall through the double wooden doors, everyone’s eyes have fallen onto us. A slight smirk appears on my face, blood rushing to colour my cheeks bright red as people notice my new look. I mean, what I did was drastic. At least I think it is. The Royals are all seated at the high table by the floor to ceiling windows, eating their dinner, and still dressed in their academy uniforms. I guess the party doesn’t start till later this evening if everyone is still here, not even dressed yet.

  For some reason Blake looks furious as he watches me, Blaire and Maisie walking over to our table. The muscle in his jaw ticks as he clenches his teeth, his hand wrapped around his sharp knife tightly, turning his knuckles white. I know he would use it on me if he could. Charles has a smirk on his face, shaking his head before looking down at his dinner and taking another bite of his steak. I wonder if he’s laughing at me.

  Royce is leaning back in his seat, his eyes studying me as I walk past their table, brows furrowed, and I can see his mouth twitching. He looks as if he wants to say something, but he’s holding it back. I look at Hugo last, knowing he’s emotionless but he makes me nervous the most. His face is pure poker face as usual, but his eyes are blazing with vehemence and I can see he wants to see me in pain, just as he admitted to me the other week. He wants to see me beaten and bleeding on my knees for him, praying for mercy. He wants to be the god that will grant me my freedom.

  I would happily fall to my knees for Hugo, just for one night of passion in his arms. He looks at me as if I should be punished, and the Royals are providing me with the hell that I’m caged in, punished for my sins. They are the demons instructed to crack the whip.

  Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I stride with confidence to my seat and just as I’m about to sit down, Miles appears. His eyes go wide, scanning my body, his smile gleaming with passion as he studies my new look. I give him a confident smile.

  “Damn, where the fuck did Ade go?” he says.

  I sit down and Miles takes the seat next to me, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

  “You look … amazing.”

  We order our dinner, and as I’m feeling confident, I splurge on a big meal, not worrying about anyone else judging me. I don’t want any of the other students to think that the Royals broke me. I’d rather them believe that I might have fallen, but I have picked myself back up again.

  “Are you not going to the Halloween party tonight?” Miles questions, and it hits me that I completely forgot to tell him that we have decided not to attend. I hope he wasn’t thinking about us two going together.

  “I’m so sorry I completely forgot to tell you, but we’re not going tonight,” I whisper. I don’t want the rest of the students knowing that we decided against it. The party seems to be the biggest party of the year, thrown by the Royals of course, and it’s absurd if no one attends. Well, fuck them.

  Miles nods and kisses me on the cheek before leaving me again, exiting out of the dining hall.

  Once we have eaten our dinner, the girls and I get ready to leave the dining hall and head back to the dorms to prepare for our massages. As I stand from my chair, someone taps me on the shoulder, and I turn around to face the lovely Ruby Lockhart with her two cronies, Constance Evergreen and Priscilla Voss. All three of them are standing in my pathway with their hands tucked behind their backs, making it impossible for me to get through.

  “Oh, look everyone. Africa decided to get a little make-over to try and fit in,” Ruby cackles, and the whole room turns around to stare at us, giggling behind their hands. Ruby tuts, a scowl replacing the grin. “You think because you got your hair dyed and some eyelashes, that all of a sudden everyone is going to love you? Ha.”

  I stand in front of her, arms crossed over my chest, raising my chin so she thinks she’s not affecting me but secretly I’m shitting myself.

  “You look even more like an AIDS ridden whore now than you did before, and it doesn’t take away from the fact that you’re still a murderer.”

  It’s how she
drags out the word ‘murderer’ in her hyena tone voice that makes me see red. Blaire and Maisie are behind me,

  ‘’Leave her alone Ruby!’’ Blaire warns, her eyes wide as she confronts Ruby, but she isn’t listening to her warning.

  No, they’re all grinning at me and I can’t pluck up the courage to even lift my fists or to bite back with words. Nothing wants to come out. My body has gone stiff like a mannequin and it’s so frustrating, knowing I can’t stand up for myself.

  “Trick or treat…. Bitch,” Ruby growls, and that’s when Blaire and Maisie are pulled away, students surrounding me and the three bitches in a circle. Before I know it, I’m having rotten Halloween pumpkin insides thrown at me. Covering me from head to toe. I try and block out the shit by crouching away, my arms covering my face but it’s no use. I am drenched and I fucking stink. The whole room bursts into laughter, enjoying the fact that I’m covered in rotten pulp and I’m standing here taking it.

  I am a coward.

  When the escapade ends, I try and pull off as much pulp from my body, hair, and face but the rotting smell still lingers. My new dress is soaked and ruined.

  I want to scream and hit everyone in this room with a baseball bat, breaking their bones and making them bleed, just as they do to me on the inside. I run back to my dorm, immediately discarding the dress in the bin when I get into the bathroom. I jump in the shower, scrubbing off the rotten smell and it takes nearly three washes to stop it from lingering on my skin and hair.

  What the fuck have I done to the fucking cunts here, apart from attend? Seriously, these posh twats need to get a grip. Is this what rich people do for fun? Do they pick on the poor, helpless people because they know they can’t do anything back? These people are supposed to be our future politicians, businessmen and woman… and even better, they are in the royal fucking family.

  These are the people who run the world and let the poor people suffer, and it doesn’t surprise me. I’m glad I got to live a normal life in a beautiful country rather than with a parent who doesn’t love me and just views the world as money bags.