Not My Prince: A Dark Bully High School Romance

by L V Chase

“You’re a spoiled bitch, Cinnamon,” she snarls. “I never ask you for anything, and the one time I need you, you just throw in the towel? You’re a shitty, selfish daughter.”

  The line goes silent. I look down at my phone. The screen shows the blinking time-lapse of the call before it returns to the home screen.

  “Fucker,” I mutter.

  “What’s going on?” Jay asks.

  I shake my head. He doesn’t need to know about my fucked-up relationship with my mother. I know exactly what he’d say—how my mother is the bad one, how I’m a saint, and I should just cut her out of my life. It’s always painfully simple for people who aren’t involved. The only two people who could possibly understand are the two people who hate me the most.

  “I need to get some air,” I say. I point to smaller door at the side. “That leads out to parking lot, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Thanks.”

  I walk out, leaving the dreamscape to reenter the real world.

  25

  Grayson

  Sophie and Lana are each holding onto one of my arms, trying to claim me as her own. It feels more like they're trying to tie me down. I've been ignoring them the whole night, and they're getting more and more desperate for attention.

  Eric’s back. His girl’s straddling him, face-to-face, grinding against him like we're in the middle of a club and not Homecoming. He grins at me and leans over.

  "Check out the nips on pink girl," Eric says. "What do you think?"

  I glance towards the stage where the Homecoming Queen contest is still going on. A blonde, one of the scholarship girls, is strutting forward to the emcee. Her dress is thin, and sure enough, just like Eric said, I can see two hard nubs pointing out from beneath the fabric of her low-cut dress.

  I shrug. "It's all right."

  I still haven't managed to find Cin. Did she even show up? Everyone comes to Homecoming, even the losers. Unless she’s here but hiding somewhere in the corners.

  "You looking for her?" Eric says.

  I frown and look to him. He's got his face buried in his girl's chest.

  "What?" I ask.

  "You looking for her," Eric mumbles from his cozy place. "You know."

  "I'm not looking for anybody," I say.

  I'm supposed to be watching the girls on stage for Dad's project, and also because I'm one of the judges for Homecoming Queen. But my eyes are still scanning the tables, the field, the bleachers, anywhere for Cin.

  And then I see her. When the doors to the banquet hall swing open, I spot her fucking leaving by the back entrance towards the parking lot.

  I fling the two girls off of me on either side and get up. When I make it outside the stadium and into the parking lot, I don't see her right away. A few girls are out here, smoking weed, and there’s a couple on one side of the parking lot already making out, the girl halfway out of her dress.

  I step back into the shadows to avoid attracting attention. I doubt Cin would want to deal with any of these fuckers, either. Where would she go...

  There's a clump of trees on the edge of the parking lot, where the overhead lights don't reach. I stare at that shadowy patch for several seconds while my eyes adjust.

  Cin's there, sitting against one of the trees. I head over.

  When she sees me approaching, she stands up in a rush and makes like she's going to leave.

  "Wait." I hold out my hands. "I'm not doing anything."

  She frowns, her eyes glittering even in the darkness. "Then, why are you here?"

  "Just needed some fresh air. All that noise, that shit, you know. It's stuffy as fuck."

  Cin doesn't say anything, just folds her arms. She's got on a light, strappy white dress with some splash of colors on the front. It almost looks like art. She rubs her upper arms as if she's cold.

  "You chilly?" I step to her side and put one arm around her.

  Her skin turns into goosebumps where my hand touches her shoulder. She slips down and out of my arm.

  "Not chilly enough to fall for that," Cin says.

  "Fall for what?" I ask with a wide grin. "Me?"

  She rolls her eyes. "You're not nearly as smooth as you think you are."

  I step closer and take one of her hands in mine. "Your sweaty palm says otherwise. And here I was, thinking that you were feeling cold." I rub my thumb in circles over the back of her hand. "When you're feeling something else."

  Cin snatches her hand out of mine. "Look, I just want to be alone."

  "Alone? Why'd you even show up here, then?" I look around but don't see anyone else nearby. "Who'd you come here with, anyway? Jay? Where is he?"

  "None of your business."

  "No, I'm curious. You came with him?"

  Cin scowls, and I smile. I love how her face lights up when she's mad.

  "I said it's none of your business," Cin replies. "I don't bother you, you don't bother me. Isn't that what you want?"

  "Maybe I want you to bother me." I spread my hands. "Bother away."

  "Is that so?" Cin smirks. "Then, why don't you tell me what's going on between you and your father?"

  Now, it's my turn to frown. Something dark flashes across my face as I think back to Dad hitting me.

  Cin's smirk turns to a worried expression. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." She backs away from me like I'm about to murder her.

  I stare at her. Is that how she sees me? "No, I walked right into that. It's okay." I shake my head. "I know it wasn't you. I know you didn't go to Ally about that."

  I shrug, then move to her side to lean against the tree behind her. After several seconds of silence, Cin leans against the tree, too.

  "Do you..." Cin's voice is extra soft, gentle almost. "Do you want to talk about it?"

  I turn to find her looking at me out of the corner of her eyes. She quickly looks away.

  "It's not what you think," I say.

  "I've seen a lot of shit where I come from," Cin says. "If I can help—"

  "It's nothing," I hiss, maybe a little too harshly.

  Cin physically winces and shrinks away, as if I've punched her.

  I sigh. "Look, it's no big deal. Just drop it, okay?" It's annoying that she thinks I can't handle it on my own, but, at the same time, I'm kind of amused that Cin thinks she can do anything about Dad.

  "What about you?" I ask. "What're you doing out here? Don't you have a date waiting for you inside?"

  Cin's quiet for a moment. Her breath is soft and ragged, like she's holding something in. "I could ask you the same thing," she finally says. "Don't you have somebody?"

  I grin. "I've got two. But I don't give a damn about either of them. You still haven't answered."

  I stare intently at Cin in the dim light. She brushes the hair back from her face, then rubs a finger across her eyebrow. Her knees are bent inwards. She picks at the fabric clinging to her sides. Her green eyes flicker uncertainly to me, then to the shoes she's digging into the ground. She wants to say something, but she doesn't know if she can trust me.

  "I won't tell anyone," I say. "I promise. You kept your word. I can keep mine."

  And I would. A businessman's only as good as his word. I mean, you can lie, cheat, and steal, but that's for the fuckers you don't give a damn about. What's that mean for me? That I give a damn about Cin?

  I did kiss her. And so fucking what? I've done a hell of a lot more to plenty other girls. A kiss means nothing.

  Her mouth draws my eyes, those warm, gentle lips. Her upper teeth biting into the lower lip as she comes to a decision.

  "My mother got herself in trouble," Cin says in a quiet voice.

  I have to strain to make out the words. The music from the stadium's loud enough to hear even from here by the parking lot.

  "Your mom?" The one that you almost got killed? I don't say it, but I'm thinking it.

  "Yeah. It's just...I worry about her, but I get upset about her, too. I don't know. I just needed to get away from it all."

  I'd offer to lend a ha
nd with her mom, like she did for Dad just now. But I'm not sure what either of us could do to help the other, even if we wanted to. Hell, my mom's dead, and Trisha's dead weight, nothing more. The fuck do I know about dealing with mothers.

  "Me too. I can't stand that glitzy shit." I nod towards the stadium. "They asked me to judge the Homecoming Queen contest. Like holy shit, how hard do you have to try to find so many boring, lifeless bitches?"

  Cin snorts. "I actually asked why we don't choose the Homecoming King. Why don't they parade a bunch of himbos up front for us girls?"

  I laugh. "You know why. Bullshit, right?"

  Cin shrugs, but she's still smirking. Nobody's choosing the Homecoming King because there's only one king at this school. Me. And there's no fucking way I'm wasting my time dancing on stage for these fuckers.

  The music's still playing. The upbeat song ends. A new, slower song begins.

  I take Cin's right hand in my own. Her arm goes stiff, but I tug her closer.

  "Let's dance," I say.

  "Why would I do that?" she asks, holding my hand at arm's length like it's a dead fish.

  "Because you want to."

  I pull Cin close, one hand on hers, another on her hip. Her waist meets mine, her chest meets mine, and our faces are an inch apart. Holding her this close to me, body against body, sends a torrent of heat through me. Something growls within me, hungrily. She shivers, too, with wide bright eyes. She searches my face like she wants to find an answer, but this isn't the time for questions. I pull her other hand around my waist, drawing her chest even closer so that her head is resting on my shoulder.

  We sway slowly from side to side, my tuxedo's jacket lightly rustling against the satin fabric of her dress. My hand moves up the back of her dress until it rests on a bare patch of skin. I hold her, feeling every soft breath she takes in my palm, carefully, gently, afraid that she'll run or vanish if I hold on too tightly.

  I nuzzle the side of her face, cheek to cheek, inhaling the clean floral scent of her hair. We're still stepping slowly to the music, but our steps linger, no longer following the beat. I clutch her tighter, pressing my body into hers, soaking up her warmth, giving her mine. Her thigh lifts and angles between my own legs. I tilt my head to look her in the eyes.

  They glimmer. She knows. I know.

  Neither of us are leaving the shadows here unscathed.

  I move her again to the other side of the tree, away from the music, away from the parking lot and lights, where it'll be just the two of us. It's dark here, but I don't need to see her to know that she wants this, too. When I shift to wrap my arms around her, she reaches up to touch my chest. Her hands gliding under my jacket, across the front of my shirt, pressing into my abs.

  I reach up and take her face in between both of my hands, holding her close to mine. I taste her, first along her neck, the line of her jaw, then I end at her mouth.

  She melts, I take her in, swallowing her gasps, her panting, the little noise she makes when my palms run down the front of her dress to find hard nipples pressing against them.

  She's mine. All mine.

  I play with a nipple through the dress, and she pushes her chest harder into me. I reach down the top to find the silky, soft flesh. Her hand clutches at my hair from either side, pulling my head downward. Our mouths are still locked in a kiss, but I break away briefly to grin.

  I'm taking her. She's not taking me. There's a difference, but I like her eagerness. I kiss her once more on the lips, then make my way down her neck. I pull her right breast out of the top of her dress and take the erect nipple inside my mouth. My tongue flicks it, swirls around it, toys with it. Cin arches her back, pulling my head against her breasts, and she moans.

  Like I said, she's mine.

  I make her moan and writhe within my arms again while I run one hand down the side of her body, then back up, under her dress. My fingers tiptoe along the tender skin of her inner thigh, and she clamps her legs tightly together, but I press upward, and her legs splay wide apart. I hook one finger, then two underneath the crotch of her panties.

  She squirms as I slide my finger up and down the slick outer lips before settling on the hard nub at the front end of her slit. I reposition my hand so that my middle finger is drawing circles around her clit. Her thighs squeeze back shut, and she wraps both arms around my head.

  "Stop, stop!" she hisses into my ear.

  I slow my finger. I let go of her nipple from my mouth and lift my head, confused for a moment. She clearly wants this as much as I do.

  She bites me in the meat above my collarbone, just to the left of my neck. "Stop playing around," she practically growls into my shoulder. "Come on, damn it."

  I wince from the sharp pain, but I'm laughing softly. Even now, she can't go quietly like the others. She won't let me win without a fight.

  Her hands find my belt, then my zipper. She tugs at it, her hands reaching inside to find my swollen cock. I twitch and throb as her fingers encircle my shaft. She starts stroking me.

  I slip my finger inside her, drawing a sharp gasp, then pull my finger out slowly, making sure to rub it against her hard clit.

  "Grayson," Cin moans.

  She knocks my hand away from her pussy and instead lifts her dress up to her belly. She leads my cock with her hand to her entrance until I can feel the heat from her against my tip.

  She needs a reminder that I'm the one in control. I grab her hand by the wrist. When she doesn't let go of my cock immediately, I take her mouth in mine again, cutting off her breath with a flurry of savage kisses. I take her hands off me and flip her. The ground or the tree? I figure the tree is easier and push her against its trunk.

  Her ass is facing me. She tries to turn and face me again, but I shove her, gently yet firmly, so that she's facing the tree again. Her arms are crossed above her against the trunk, and her head's laying sideways against her arms. I flip the dress back up to expose her ass, then use my feet to spread her legs wider apart. I press down upon the small of her back, so that her ass is pointing upwards.

  The tip of my cock touches her this time. I had meant to tease her, make her beg and moan for me, but as soon as that spot of hot wetness touches me, I can't hold back. My cock's already pushing forward, opening her up as I slide inside. She moans, and her pussy clenches around my shaft as I fill her.

  "Fuck," I whisper.

  Then, there's no more talking. I thrust slowly at first, in and out of her, luxuriating in the slick wetness coating my cock. Then, I go faster and faster until my body's slapping against her ass loudly. I don't care, though, if anyone hears us. From the noises she’s making, I don't think Cin cares either, right now.

  From this position, I can only see half her face. It's dark, too, but I can tell when she starts grimacing, shutting her eyes tight, gritting her teeth. Her breathing is louder, faster. I'm close, too, that tightness in my cock getting more and more intense.

  I wanted her. I wanted this from the first moment I saw her, even if I didn't realize it at the time.

  Her pussy squeeze me, and I thrust harder, faster until a sharp hiss of air rushes out of her clenched teeth. Her body shudders, and I have to grab her by the waist so she doesn't fall because of her trembling legs. But I don't stop. Three more thrusts, and then my cock's throbbing, twitching inside her as I reach my own climax.

  It's over.

  I pull out of her slowly, and she collapses onto the grass. I wipe myself off with a handkerchief, then toss the handkerchief into the darkness. I zipper myself up and smooth out my clothes.

  She's still sprawled on the ground, motionless. There's a quiet rustle as she sits up. Her green eyes reflect the faint, distant lights.

  "What now?" she asks in a husky tone.

  I wipe the sweat from the side of my face. I got what I wanted, and nothing's changed. Nothing can change, because she's still her, and I'm still me. I'm a fucking Voss, and she's a damn scholarship girl. I fill my lungs with the cool air to wash away her scent.
<
br />   "Nothing, Cin," I reply. "Absolutely nothing."

  I walk away.

  "Grayson," she whispers, softly at first, then more desperately. "Grayson!"

  I keep walking.

  26

  Cin

  Once, I plunged into a lake with Damian. It was the middle of winter, but it was still something new and wondrous with someone I cared about. A few seconds later, I slowly lost feeling in my hands, then my arms. I panicked. I thrashed in the water. I was certain I was going to die.

  This is a worse than that.

  It shouldn’t be. I know I don’t have any right to be surprised and that this painful moment will pass, but my whole body is still a wreck. My chest is in a constant state of restriction, my head is heavy, and my legs are ready to melt into the ground.

  I stagger back into the stadium. Jay is right beside the entrance, which is a blessing and a curse.

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  “Yeah,” I say, adjusting the strap of my dress. “What’s going on?”

  “They’re about to announce the Homecoming Queen.”

  I feel wet grass on my knee. The name Aurora Voss bursts through the speakers, and everyone cheers. I watch the Jumbotron find her and display her as she ascends the stage, smiling and wiping a non-existent tear from her cheek. I look over at Jay. I want to tell him that I’m feeling sick, that I want to leave, but he’s invested so much into this night for me. All I’ve done is betray him.

  So, I act.

  I act like I’m proud of Aurora for winning some bullshit beauty contest.

  I act like I’m in awe.

  I act like the world is in the palm of my hand instead of thrown off orbit.

  Most of all, I act like Grayson is still my enemy. He lingers on the edges of the room, acting like nothing happened.

  After chatting with her friends, Aurora walks over to him, showing him her crown. He says something to her. Her shoulders slump, and she quickly moves back to her friends.

  Grayson’s eyes scan the area, stopping at me.

  Shit.