Shattered Rose: A High School Bully Romance (Ravenshaw Academy Book 2)

by Iris Taylor

  I heard the sincerity in his voice and forced a smile. Somehow, the guy just didn’t come across right. But he beat Sam up for you. That’s a big deal, right?

  This time, I allowed myself a real smile. “Thanks. I appreciate the offer.”

  Entering the house, I found Julian sitting in the living room with my mom, her head cradled on his lap, a shawl around her shoulders. He was nursing a mug and hers was still full – of hot cocoa, it looked like. She sat up when she saw me and gave me a hug.

  I hugged her back, feeling her fingers stroke my skin gently. “You are my only family in this world...what would I do without you?” Pretty soon, my shirt was wet again, but I let her be. She would heal in time, just like I did. I just had to show her how strong I was and how much I had grown. She needed me to be strong, just like I needed her to be strong, too.

  “We’ll get through this. This time, we have close friends to help get us through.” I smiled at Julian, who was looking at my mom with eyebrows furrowed with concern.

  “It’s been a long day. You need your rest, and I think I need to get away for a little while.” When my mother looked panicked, I clarified. “I’m gonna meet some girlfriends for a little while, so that I don’t have to think about what happened today. I might want to stay overnight too, if that’s okay with you? I’ll send you a text.”

  My mother looked at me and nodded. “Stay safe.”

  Her words reminded me that nowhere in the world did I ever feel safe. Not at home, not at school, and not anywhere public. But it was time to let down my guard. Sam had been taken in by the police, and I now had Simon, Lucia and my mom by my side, and Julian and Brody too. They were now knew of the things that had happened to me. I wasn’t alone anymore. I didn’t need to feel alone anymore. I just needed to convince myself of that now, and start adapting to the new me that had shared everything with the outside world.

  Chapter Five

  Lucia took one look at me and ran from the doorway to her house and hugged me tight. “Oh my god, girl, you’ve lost so much weight.” Her voice was laden with guilt. I had sent her a text earlier to ask if I could sleep over, and asked Brody to send me, figuring that asking him for help for something as simple as that was one of the easier things I could do to give up my self-reliance and start trusting people.

  She dragged me up the stairs towards her bedroom and sat me down on the dark blue couch. I liked how she did up her room – in dark blues and greys, with hints of maroon here and there. “Here. You take the bed tonight. I’ve ordered us some pizza – it should be here any minute now.”

  Once we were settled, both of us nursing hot mugs of cocoa, Lucia cleared her throat. “Listen. I owe you an apology.” She held up one hand to silence my weak protest.

  “Let me talk. See, I had had no issues with Adrienne and Jessica since first year. I mean, they had bullied me here and there – but nothing like what they did to you. Pretty happy to be below their radar – and since you came, I felt...exposed?” She looked at me apologetically. “I know that’s not quite what you want to hear but it’s the truth. Then I saw all these things happening to you and it made me realize it could backfire and hurt me too. Selfish, right? But honestly, it really freaked me out when I thought they had unearthed something about my new friend that I had no clue about – and so it was pretty easy to make me go running the other way.”

  She looked down at her hands, appearing remorseful. I knew I already forgave her. What she said was exactly what any normal person would do – protect yourself first. A basic human instinct, one I could not fault her for. And she was coming clean about it with me, which was more than could be said about other people. I preferred honesty above all else.

  “And then Simon updated me all the things I didn’t know about – the horrible videos that were on the internet, how you were...raped. And it made me realize that of course you wouldn’t want to tell people that part of your life. That was why you moved, wasn’t it? To get away?”

  When I nodded, she sat next to me on the bed and hugged me again. “I know nothing about what you’ve been through, but I see it now. You are literally the strongest person I know, hands down. And I’m sorry I ever doubted the kind of person you were, and even if you don’t want me as a friend anymore, I will still do my best to help you. Starting with those Barbies and what they did to you.”

  The vengeance was clear in her eyes. She hated them, just like I did. “Thanks, Lucia. I don’t know what I’d do without you – probably drive Simon crazy, I guess.”

  We both started to cry, my tears a mixture of relief, happiness and melancholy. Life had given me lemons and I perfectly planned on making lemonade with them. Now I had my friends and family by my side.

  “We got your back, Cara. You mark my words, those girls will regret messing with you.” Her words reverberated in the room as we both got lost in our own thoughts.

  After a while, we heard her mom call out to her, and soon the scent of Hawaiian pizza filled the room.

  “This may just be the wrong topic to talk about over pizza, but there’s something you should know.” I updated her about Sam’s attempted attack this afternoon, and how Brody came and saved me, and knocked him out. Lucia’s mouth was left hanging open, her pizza untouched in her hand. She threw a fist in the air when I told her the police took Sam away. “Serves him right! I hope someone takes a liking to him there and rapes him too!”

  I shook my head, chuckling quietly. Sam deserved all that and more.

  “Seriously though, he has some sick obsession with you. I mean, I can see you’re super hot and all that, but you’re his niece.” She shuddered as she said the words, then her eyes went round and she clapped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I’m being so insensitive. I hope I didn’t just make you relive any nasty memories.”

  I shook my head. “I’ve talked about it so much today it feels like someone else’s life. I’m just getting used to the fact that my well-guarded secret is no longer mine.”

  She nodded, her eyes full of sympathy. “I’m glad it’s over,” she whispered.

  “Soon. And then I can focus on the nonsense at school.” I told her about the hospital visit and that I still had to see the police to make another statement. I told her that I had already brought up the bullying with the police, and that I had not spared any details. “I thought it was important that they know, you know? Because it’s all connected. And the bullying...it’s getting worse.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know how you can be so put together. Your grades are so good, and you’re still working at the bookstore aren’t you?”

  “I work the afternoon shift tomorrow. Which reminds me, I’m trying to work more shifts – I need the money and there’s too much time on my hands anyway.”

  She nodded in understanding. “Crazy. But I can see how your brain functions. You work better when you’re in control – so you control everything that you can. I guess it’s better than just giving up.”

  I threw a piece of pizza at her, laughing. “What are you, some kind of shrink? Don’t psychoanalyse me.”

  We finished the pizza and rubbed our happy bellies. “Thank you so much for not cutting me off the way most girls would’ve,” Lucia said, turning to me with a smile.

  I smiled back at her. “I’m not most girls.”

  APRIL JOINED US FOR brunch the next day. Lucia kept her up to speed with everything that had happened, and I watched as her eyes grew as big as saucers. I could see the news of my attempted rape and all the suffering I went through in the past weigh heavily on her. She was quiet most of the time, occasionally dabbing her eyes with a napkin.

  “You’re my new hero,” she whispered when Lucia left for the washroom. “And I’m so sorry for not being there for you. Now I feel bad for believing those rumors initially. I didn’t in the end you know, but by that time I didn’t have the courage to come up to you myself anymore.”

  I squeezed the hand she offered. “It’s ok. I guess – just ask me out
right next time. It was really hard without someone to talk to.”

  A lone tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. “There won’t be a next time. I’m gonna stick with you and see this through. I’ve been a crap friend and plan to make up for it. I solemnly promise.” She held out her pinky and I laughed as I linked mine in hers.

  “By the way, I may have overheard something the other day that I thought was interesting...”

  Once Lucia joined us, April updated us about a freshman she had overheard crying in the girls’ locker room one afternoon after school. It seemed that she had missed her period for several months and had just discovered she was pregnant.

  “I was inside a cubicle, minding my own business, but these kids were whispering and one mentioned checking her urine and finding out she was pregnant. Of course, I was tsk-tsking to myself but then I overheard that she had been supposedly seeing a senior for a few weeks before being dumped. She mentioned the name Elijah. Can you believe it? That’s not even the worst of it. It turns out she was not only having sex with him on the regular but he was hurting her while they were at it? I saw the scars on her back myself. They quickly ran out when they saw me but I had heard the whole thing already.”

  Lucia looked at me with a somber smile. “Why does this sound like something we could use as blackmail?” The gleam in her eyes bordered on evil. I shook my head. I disliked the guy, I wanted to even the score with his friends, but not at the expense of a young girl who had been taken advantage of like I had been.

  “She must be so scared. Pregnant at such a young age and having the father out of the picture...This actually sounds connected to something I overheard too...” I told them about Elijah and Adrienne’s conversation in the deserted washroom.

  When I was done, Lucia shook a finger at me. “I knew it. I knew these rich kids were sick and twisted. So Adrienne is cheating on Noah with Elijah? And she knows about his secret activities with this, what, thirteen-year-old? And is helping him cover it up? Sick. What do you think they’ll do to the girl?”

  I shuddered at the thought of the poor girl being subject to Adrienne’s evil planning. “April – do you know who the girl is? Maybe we could help her.”

  April shook her head and looked doubtful. “She just looked like any other tween to me. Small, timid. Doubt I can place her but I’ll keep an eye out.”

  “I suppose if she’s already missed her periods for a few months she would be showing pretty soon. Keep an eye out for a freshman who may also be skipping physical ed or missing school entirely.” I knew that even though my plan seemed sound, there was no way we would be able to find her amongst the throng of juniors we had in the school. I didn’t know a single one of them.

  “I think it’s doable. I’ll get my cousin Zoey to find out. She’s every bit into gossip as I am,” Lucia said with a laugh. “She’s a freshman too so shouldn’t be too hard for her.”

  I hoped fervently that Zoey would find out who the girl was before Adrienne managed to execute any of her plans for her. I remembered her words. She won't say a word. I'll make sure of it. It sounded like a promise laced with menace and rigid resolve. If she was anywhere as cruel as she had been to me, the girl probably wouldn’t last. I hope she makes the right decision and tells her parents. The thought ran through my mind unfiltered, and I realized I knew what I should have done about Sam all those years ago.

  Chapter Six

  Joshua went past the counter I was doing my English essay on and stopped, laying a big box next to me. I looked up and smiled, hoping he didn’t mind that he was doing all the work whilst I was busy catching up on school assignments. It was quiet today, and I was trying my best to stay awake, so I had fixed him and myself a cup of coffee each. So far, it seemed to be working. My essay was more than two-thirds done.

  “Hey, Cara. Listen. I know this may seem like it’s coming out of nowhere but, would you like to go out on a date with me? Say, tomorrow night?”

  I blinked. That had come out of nowhere. I certainly hadn’t expected it coming from Joshua, with whom I barely exchanged a few words with when we worked the same shift. Or was I just a really oblivious person?

  “Um. Actually, I’m going through a rough time right now. I’m not ready to see anyone yet.” My voice wavered and I laughed awkwardly.

  He shrugged. “Bad breakup? I get it. That’s alright, I’m glad I asked. Just – if you change your mind, you know where to find me, okay?”

  I nodded and let out a sigh of relief when he picked the box up and went to the back of the store. Things were weird every day, although Joshua asking me out was a good kind of weird. He didn’t seem at all miffed about my rejection, although I guess I had to wait and see if things would become awkward between us.

  The door chime went off and I looked up to see Simon stroll in, a cocky grin on his face. “Hi, stranger.”

  I looked at the clock and saw that it was about half an hour before my shift ended. “Hey, fancy meeting you here. Never thought I’d see you in a bookstore.”

  His grin grew wider. “Me neither. But I thought you’d be happy to hear the news.” Looking around, he saw we were alone and said in a low voice, “Kitty managed to delete everything.”

  My eyes grew round. “Everything?”

  He nodded, watching my reaction. “Every site she found them on. And if you’re worried they’ll pop up again, she’s going to comb the sites every few weeks to make sure.”

  The joy that seized me was enough to make my eyes tear up.

  “Aww shucks. You are a girl. Come here.” He gave me a hug from across the table, and from where my chin rested on his shoulder, I could see Joshua looking at us both curiously. I wiped away some wetness from my nose with the back of my arm and pulled away.

  “Thank you,” I whispered. “And thank Kitty for me too. I don’t know how to ever pay her back.”

  Simon waved my words away. “No big deal. She likes challenges like that. Like I said, she also owes me one.”

  I gave him a curious stare and he laughed. “It’s what friends are for, right? Listen, do you need anything at all before I go?”

  I wondered if Joshua wouldn’t mind if I left a bit early. “Do you mind sending me to the hospital? I’ve got an appointment there.” He nodded. I quickly went to the back to ask Joshua if he wouldn’t mind me heading out early for an appointment, then came round to pack my books.

  Simon was waiting for me in his car. “Why are we going to the doctor’s?” I realised he still didn’t know what had happened at home with Sam, and quickly brought him up to speed. His jaw clenched when I was done, and he stayed quiet for a while before saying, “That guy deserves to die a long, horrible death.”

  I couldn’t agree more. “That’s what Lucia said, too.”

  He glanced my way. “You guys are talking again, huh?”

  “Yeah, she wrote me a long apology and I spent the night at her place.”

  “You’re really unlike most girls, Cara, you know that? The girls I know would probably not be as forgiving.”

  I shrugged. “I’ve got bigger battles to fight. Plus, she sounded so guilty and pathetic...”

  We both laughed.

  “April too. They both offered to help me bring the bullies down.” I told him about what I had heard in the washroom and what April had found out about the knocked-up freshman Elijah had hooked up with. Simon let out a whistle. “That’s some messy shit. So Adrienne and Elijah huh? I wonder how I didn’t see that before. They’ve been close since grade school. I’m not surprised she’s covering for him, although it makes me wonder if it’s purely because of their friendship.” His voice was laden with doubt. “I wonder how much Daddy dearest will pay the girl off.”

  His words startled me. “Simon, that’s it! That’s why his parents were at the principal’s office that day!” I frowned. “But he said he was worried the girl would report him. Which means that when I met his parents before that, they were there for something
else.”

  His grim reply got me thinking. “Well, I would hazard a guess and say this is probably not the first time he’s hooked up with someone so young. Maybe he’s gotten another kid pregnant before.”

  When we arrived at the hospital, he offered to accompany me but I told him I would prefer to be alone. Any news I was to receive needed time for me to process, alone. Waving to him as he dropped me off by the hospital entrance, I took a deep breath and marched up to the counter to announce my arrival to the receptionist. Within fifteen minutes I was asked to enter a room down a corridor separate from where I had been examined before.

  “Dr. Alice will be right with you,” the smiling receptionist informed me. I wondered if she would still be smiling if she knew the reason I was there.

  Dr. Alice came in, dressed in a prim cream suit and shut the door behind her. “Cara, I’m glad to see you again. How are you feeling today?”

  I gave her a smile to indicate I was feeling okay. “Not too bad, considering. But the day would be better if I knew my test results.” Please let everything be negative. Please.

  “I was hoping your mother would be here so I could have a chat with her today.”

  My heart plummeted. “Is something wrong?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. Your test results all came back negative. Your swabs and blood results are completely normal.” She looked at me and I couldn’t help the wetness that now covered my eyes. I hadn’t realized how nervous I was about testing positive for something. Now that I had no such concern to burden me, the sense of relief was overwhelming.

  She scooted her chair closer to me. “Cara, it’s just that I’m wondering how such a thing could have transpired without your parents’ knowledge. Forgive me for asking, but it’s part of my job to make sure you are safe and that such a thing won’t happen again.”