Ryland Academy Rules: A High School Bully Romance Box Set

by Mya West

  I turn away at the thought of my own parents. They were not good law-abiding citizens, or even parents for that matter. Even though I am sad they died, I wish all the memories I have of them could burn with them.

  “We didn’t have it easy,” I say, agreeing with him.

  “Then you come here to Ryland, and you see how these people live. It is just normal to them. They act like not having a butler twenty-four hours a day makes you poor. They have no idea what poverty is. I saw what they had, and I wanted it for myself. I thought I was willing to do anything to have it too.”

  Part of me understands. We both know what it’s like to come to Ryland with fresh envious eyes. I was willing to put up with anything Lance threw at me to stay here. I wanted this lifestyle.

  Jaxson turns his head away from me again. “For whatever it’s worth, I’m sorry. I wish I could take it back. Take it all back. Never come to this fucking town to begin with.”

  “Fuck Ryland,” I whisper.

  Jaxson nods, and looks back at me. “So, I guess you and Lance are kind of a thing?”

  “It may be pretty short lived, given our situation,” I say with a smirk.

  Jaxson laughs. “Well, the guy pisses me off a lot, but I guess he isn’t bad. He brought me here, and we’re all leaving together. That’s more than I would expect from anybody.”

  I change the subject. “Is Nat the loose end that Lance was talking about?”

  Jaxson has a face of disgust. “We’re planning to burn the house down. It will get the whole town’s attention and maybe give us a distraction to leave.” Jaxson smacks the bar and looks over the counter. He points at a few gas cannisters. “I’ve never started a fire with gas before, but I think we have enough gasoline.”

  I did not even notice the several gas cannisters huddled together on the other side of the bar. It was more than enough to take care of all the loose ends at the Smithson’s house.

  “The camera in the other room, is that the one Nat was filming on that night on the trail?”

  Jaxson nods his head. “It’s part of the rules. Someone has to witness and record it.” He shakes his head. “It’s so fucked up thinking about it now.”

  “I want to watch it,” I say sternly. “Can you grab it? I’d rather not go in there again.”

  Jaxson looks at me confused. “Why would you want to see that shit?”

  “I feel like I need to see it for myself.” Jaxson is about to say something, but I cut him off sternly. “Show me.”

  The more I can learn about The Beasts, the better, I figure. Besides, we have a few more hours to go until Lance comes back before noon.

  ∞∞∞

  It’s already one in the afternoon, and Lance is not back.

  Jaxson is pacing in the kitchen. “This is wrong. Something isn’t right.”

  For once, I completely agree with him.

  Danna tried to call him several times, but he did not pick up. He did not text back. He did not respond at all.

  For a moment, I wonder if Lance took off without us. It is easier to escape without extra baggage. He’s got the keys to the boat on him. He could have gone solo.

  I remember last night and the affection and intimacy he showed me. I knew in my heart that he would never leave me.

  “Maybe we should just head to the pier,” Danna suggests. “Meet him at the boat.”

  “He could just be running late,” I say, not believing myself.

  Jaxson storms into the kitchen. “If he does not come back here soon, this place could be compromised. The Beasts could know where we are already and be coming here.”

  He has a point. We could not stay here.

  We need a new plan. After a while, one comes to me. It is not a good one, but it’s better than waiting here and hoping The Beasts don’t find us first.

  I go downstairs. I hear Danna yelling after me, but I ignore her. I go behind the bar and pick up all the gas cans one at a time. Most of them are full, except one. I grab the camera on the bar counter and go back upstairs.

  “You guys aren’t going to like this, but I think I have a plan.” Jaxson and Danna look at me confused.

  “Are you going to watch that again?” Jaxson asks, pointing at the camera.

  “Not exactly,” I say. I go over the details of my plan in depth.

  Jaxson is using his large arms to squeeze his forehead. On the other hand, Danna has a large smile. I knew she would like my idea.

  “That is fucked up,” Jaxson says.

  I smile. “Thanks.”

  A loud knock on the front door makes all three of us jump. Danna takes out the gun from her jacket pocket. Her hands are shaking as she hands it to Jaxson.

  More loud knocks on the door make me jump. I almost feel like the police are about to ram through the door at any moment.

  Jaxson raises the gun and opens the door slowly.

  “Outsiders are back!” Bryce yells with a smile. He is holding two large luggage bags under his arms.

  Jaxson peeks outside and looks around the empty streets, then he firmly grabs Bryce by the shirt and pulls him inside, shutting the door behind him.

  Chapter 12

  Lance

  There is not much time to spare.

  I have everything planned. Everything is already scheduled. Now it is time to simply implement it.

  I drive down the road and pass my home. I think about stopping and grabbing a few things, but know better. Chase could have told everyone by now what I did to him. They may already assume I am the one who killed Nat and Jaxson.

  It would be nice to see my father one last time, but he’s someone I fear the most right now. As an elder of The Beasts, it’s his duty to uphold the rules, even if they could cause harm to his only son.

  I make a sharp turn down a different road. I take out my cell from my pocket and glance at a message I received from Carlos. With one eye on the road, I open the text and it’s him telling me to come when I can.

  Perfect.

  It was a pipe dream of mine to own an all-inclusive property in Brazil. Carlos was an integral part of starting that dream. He had all the right government contacts. Anybody who needed to be bought or paid off, could be and for a reasonable price. Any proper channels that I needed to have on place, Carlos was able to assist, even with less legal channels as well.

  I did not have any plans on sticking around Ryland my whole life, and now was the time to start new. The Beasts would not have the same level of respect in a country like Brazil. I could manage my own security team and keep us all safe from them.

  Before heading to Carlos, I needed to ensure the boat was completely ready to go. One last check to ensure I had everything I needed. I made a list last night.

  Sometime between holding Elle in my arms and the other things we did, I made a complete inventory of everything we needed. I was already sure I had most of it, but needed to double check.

  Soon we would all sail off towards a new beginning.

  I pull up to the dock, and the parking lot is completely empty. When I get close to the boat, I look around and confirm nobody is around before going aboard.

  I take out my list and confirm what I already realized. The boat is nearly stocked and ready to go.

  I do not need to go to the market to grab a few more things, but it wouldn’t hurt. I make a note of a few things I should grab.

  I go inside the cabin below deck and confirm the small cache of weapons is still there. A few assault style weapons and handguns should be fine for where we are going.

  Carlos can help with extra security when we get to Brazil. I have been helping him in more ways than just money, such as helping his kid get a drug arrest erased from his record. Little things here and there to ensure when I needed it, I could trust him.

  I pack up the cache of weapons and head back on deck. When I confirm the small list of items I need to grab, I leave and head back to my car.

  It does not take me long to see the tall and thin man wearing dark leather gl
oves, leaning against my car.

  “Hello, Mr. Cain,” Thomas Winters says with a smile.

  My father comes out of the passenger side of my car. “You truly disappoint me, son.”

  ∞∞∞

  I sit in a large chair on a stage while members of The Beasts look out at me from a crowd, chanting different obscenities. I am not forced to sit, but Winters had already shown me the handcuffs he has on him and told me what was required of me. I knew better than to not listen to a man like Thomas Winters when he made a demand.

  On the stage with me is my father, Thomas Winters, Principal Aldridge, and his son, Chase.

  Principal Aldridge tries his best to get the unruly crowd settled.

  My father looks out to the crowd, listening to all the different things the members are yelling at me.

  “Kill him!”

  “He killed Jax! Fucking hang him.”

  Part of me wonders if my father thought he could smooth this over. With chants of taking off my head growing louder, I think he realizes not even Arthur Cain can change my fate.

  Even my own guidance counsellor, Mr. Ferlong, was calling for my death.

  The guilt is stricken on his face, as if it was a natural gesture.

  Chase, on the other hand, was smiling ear to ear. I think he knew what would happen tonight and hoped someone would record it as well.

  I did not have to wait for Principal Aldridge to calm the crowd to realize how this would end.

  Chase walks up to me. I raise my head and gaze at his rageful smile. “Don’t think I forgot about this?” He punched me in the abdomen area, and I almost fall to the floor and curl up in a ball. Instead, I take the pain and smile coldly back at him. “That’s just for pissing me off,” he whispers in my ear. “The fun will begin when I get to sic my dogs on you.” Chase turns to the violence hungry crowd and raises his hand, and they quiet down almost immediately. “Rule number fifty-nine!” he yells, pointing into the crowd and then at my father. My father lowers his head immediately. “If a member attempts to kill another, or is successful, the member attacked or another of the elders can choose the punishment of the perpetrator.” Chase smiles at me. “I choose death for Lancelot Cain!”

  “I didn’t try and kill you!” I yell at him.

  He looks back at me with cold eyes. “The shotgun to my head, the burn mark on my face, your threats to kill me are enough to prove it. Or do you deny it?” I do not bother answering. I wish I had.

  My father storms up between Chase and me. “That rule hasn’t been used since the late nineteenth century! It was made for a different time!”

  “It was made for situations like your son!” Chase yells back.

  “Don’t talk to an elder like that!” Arthur Cain demands back.

  Principal Aldridge steps in front of his son. “As another elder, I can speak on my son’s behalf. Chase has a point. Hell, I have the history books to confirm it in my study. Back then, it would be Chase who would be execute your son!”

  My father steps closer to Principal Aldridge. Before the loud crowd chanting for violence, most could not hear what he says, but I could. “Is this about my boy, Davis? Or is this about how I won Aloha over you all those years ago? Let my boy leave tonight, and you can name your price. You can have everything and anything. Don’t take my only boy.”

  Principal Aldridge looks at him with sincere thought. “Lancelot chose his fate when he murdered Nathanial and Jaxson. Did you forget about them?”

  I could tell them all that Jaxson is alive. I could tell them where Elle, Danna, and Jaxson are. Hopefully, they could come up with a way of leaving town without me. I know they could not. It’s an illusion to think I could.

  “We could put it to a vote,” Principal Aldridge says in a stern voice to my father. “That’s the best deal you’re going to get Cain.”

  Chase walks up to me and shoves me in the chair. “Where are the bodies, Lance?” Chase looks at his father with a thin smile. “Jaxson is dead. Lance has disqualified himself. That means I win by default. I’m the Alpha!”

  “That’s not how it works, Chase,” my father says to him.

  “I’m sure we have a rule for this somewhere,” Chase says confidently. “We have one for almost any situation.” Chase looks back at me coldly. “I can still win easily. Tell me now Lance, where is Elle?”

  I look up at him with a smile. Chase strike me in the face hard.

  “I can kill the bitch tonight,” Chase yells at me. “Where is she? We all know you are hiding her. We will find her. I promise you, I will make it quick if you tell me now! I’ll make it so much worse for her if you don’t.”

  I spit out blood on his cloak and smile at him. “Who taught you how to hit? Fucking pitiful.” Chase strikes me again, harder, and I keep the pain inside without showing much expression besides regaining my senses.

  “Call him off, Aldridge,” my father demands of Davis.

  “My son has a point,” Principal Aldridge says.

  My father walks up to me, leaning into my ear. “You need to help me, son. You need to tell us where she is. I can maybe save you tonight.”

  I look at him with a sense of guilt. Some of the things he said tonight, I did not expect. He seemed as if he would do almost anything to save my life tonight. He brought me to The Beasts over a sense of duty. He probably thought he had the power to help me.

  I disappointed him, but that doesn’t matter anymore.

  “I’m sorry, Dad,” I say to him quietly. I look up at him and see for the first time an expression I had never seen worn by my father. Fear.

  “I love you,” I say to him. The words escaped me before I even thought about saying it.

  “You can call off the search!” a woman’s voice yells out from the entrance of the tower. Elle Maven takes off the hood of her grey cloak, and the crowd of members go instantly quiet. Elle removes her cloak completely, and a camera and several cell phones are hooked up to some makeshift vest she is wearing. “These cameras are all live! So, do not try anything! If my friends see that any harm is done to me, they will send the feed live to all social media platforms!”

  Thomas Winters raises a gun towards her, but my father orders him to lower his weapon.

  “What are you doing?” I yell at her. She looks at me coldly, then back at my father and the crowd of members.

  “What do you want exactly, Ms. Maven?” Principal Aldridge demands.

  “You have our attention, Noelle,” my father says.

  “I won!” Elle says confidently. “And it’s Elle, Arthur.”

  “What are you talking about?” Principal Aldridge asks, laughing to himself.

  She looks at him, pointing one of the cameras to his face. “Principal Davis Aldridge. Good to see you again. As I just said, I won. I’m your Alpha.”

  Chase laughs. “You were always crazy, and now you’re stupid for coming here.”

  Elle points one of the cameras at Chase. “Chase Aldridge, I’m not stupid, and you shouldn’t talk to your Alpha that way.” She smiles at him and gives a wink. “What was the deal? Make the Sacrifice hate you. Then manipulate the Sacrifice to love you. Then perform the Ritual.” Elle points at me. “Lance hated me. After last night, I’m fairly sure he’s deeply in love now.”

  “This is ridiculous!” Chase yells.

  “She has a point, son,” Principal Aldridge says. His words make Chase’s blue eyes turn to pure ice.

  “She’s not one of the Chosen!” my father yells. “That’s an obvious rule.”

  “History shows there are ways around that,” Principal Aldridge says with a smile. “It happened before.” He looks at me and the cameras on my body. “Under such circumstances, I don’t think we have a choice.”

  “She’s a woman!” Chase yells, rolling his eyes.

  Principal Aldridge turns to Chase. “Being a woman doesn’t prevent one from becoming a Beast or Alpha. We just never had a woman so…interesting before.”

  Chase walks up to his father in a
fit of rage, and the two talk in whispers.

  “This is bullshit!” Chase yells, but his father ignores him. Chase looks out into the crowd of members. The chanting for violence has stopped. All attention is on what is happening with Elle and Principal Aldridge. Chase jumps off the stage and pushes through the crowd.

  When Chase is near Elle she yells, “Don’t try anything! I got your close up on camera, and you look like shit.”

  Chase looks back at his father, before storming out of the clock tower completely.

  Principal Aldridge steps forward on the stage. “I’m sure you know that the competition can’t be over until the Ritual is completed. So, what do you propose, Elle?”

  Elle looks at me for a moment, then back at Principal Aldridge. “Lance’s life. I can do it now, tonight. All of you will be witnesses. I already have the cameras taken care of. Of course, if anything happens to me after this is, all the footage will be released.”

  Out of desperation, or just a fuck it all attitude, I smile and whisper, “Proper leverage. Congrats, Elle, you get to be me.” I look at her, and she smiles back coldly.

  I absolutely love her.

  I wanted to save her, and with my life, that could happen now. I wanted to escape Ryland, and that never would have happened anyways.

  Principal Aldridge turns to my father with a thin smile. “He was going to die anyways, Cain.” He turns back to Elle. “Usually, the Ritual is a more private matter, but I think we can make exceptions to the rules sometimes. How exactly are you going to complete the Ritual?”

  Elle smiles. She cannot hide her sense of victory from her face. “Bind his hands, and one of you bring him to me.” She looks at me again. “Then bring me a knife.”

  Principal Aldridge nods his head with a smile. “Thomas, can you help Ms. Maven, please? Bring her Lance.”

  Thomas looks at my father, then back at Principal Aldridge before carrying out the orders. He quickly ties a piece of rope around my hands. He smiles at me before picking me up. Thomas throws me over his shoulder and fireman carries me over to Elle. He whips my body down to the ground.