Charity Case (Kings of Knightswood Academy Book 1)

by Ivy Clyde

  My walls were clamping onto his throbbing cock, loving the heat and friction his every thrust brought me. Throwing my head back, I reveled in the feeling of having him inside me. Until now, all I could do was sneak glances at him during class. There was no way I could talk about my feelings for him with anyone, not even Zoya.

  “Nik!” I cried out as the control within me broke. Waves of pleasure washed through my body, filling my senses with nothing but absolute ecstasy. My body trembled against his as I tried to support my body and not fall to the ground.

  Nik had me pressed against him tightly. One hand squeezed over a breast while the other lay splayed over my stomach as he continued to thrust inside me.

  My body rose to greater heights of pleasure. My moans mixed with his breathy groans as we both mashed our bodies together, seeking heat and pleasure from each other.

  “I am coming,” he groaned harshly as his pace picked up. He was now thrusting into me like he was stabbing my pussy repeatedly. All I could do was gasp and moan as each thrust hit me at that delicious angle, spreading shivers of pleasure throughout my body.

  Nik bit into my shoulder as a massive orgasm shuddered through him.

  White-hot liquid gushed deep inside me as Nik’s body shuddered against mine. As the haze of sex and pleasure lifted from my mind, I realized he’d come inside me.

  Nik’s body slumped against mine, breathing hard while he remained buried inside me.

  “You didn’t wear a condom?” I whispered.

  “Does it matter?” His breaths were coming out in gasps and pants.

  “Yes! I am not on the pill.”

  “What?” He pulled out of me tenderly and slowly turned me around to face him. “You’re not on contraceptives?”

  “No.”

  “Fuck!” he whispered, running fingers through the strands of his dark silky hair. He looked painfully beautiful, standing there completely naked. It was a struggle to keep my mind focused on the issue at hand and not admire the contours of his hard muscles. “I assumed you would be since you were seeing Romano.”

  I shook my head. “It was a one-time thing. We aren’t exactly together. I wouldn’t do this with you if we were.” Hurt flashed through me. Did he think I would cheat on Gabrielle to be with him? Tears filled my eyes as I bent down to snatch my clothes from the ground.

  “Wait, Paris.” He held me by the shoulders. “Romano didn’t force you to become his?”

  “No. When I was with him, he said having sex wouldn’t mean I chose him over you and Liam. That’s why I agreed to be with him that night.”

  “So, you haven’t chosen him?” he asked, looking deep into my eyes. “There’s still a chance you could be mine.”

  I pushed at his chest. “Not when you think I’m some kind of loose woman who sleeps around with guys despite having a boyfriend. They might call me a whore, but I’m not.” I struggled against him, suddenly wishing I could take everything back. If this is what he thought of me, I didn’t want to be around him one second.

  “Stop,” he said, pulling me against his chest. “I didn’t know. I am sorry.”

  “Let go of me right now,” I shouted through a choked throat. “I can’t believe you’d think that way about me.”

  “I’m sorry, Paris. I thought Gabrielle manipulated you into sleeping with him. I knew you liked me, so why would you have sex with him? I wanted to show you how good it could be between us. We haven’t talked in ages and yet, we’re still so good together. You had to see that for yourself.”

  I calmed down a little. “I know. It’s incredible between us but don’t tell me to choose just yet. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I am in love with all three of you.”

  Nik moved away from me and stared into my eyes. “You’re not kidding.”

  I shook my head. “Does that make me a whore?”

  “Does it make me one if I say I still want you even if you were with Liam and Gabrielle?”

  “What?”

  “I don’t care who you spend your time with. Just be there for me too.”

  Bending down, he handed me my clothes and began to get dressed. “We’re both messed up, aren’t we?” he asked with a chuckle. “You’re in love with three guys and I don’t care if you’re with two of them as long as I get to have you too.”

  I leaned against the wall of the chapel and slid down on the ground. Nik came to sit beside me and twined his fingers with mine.

  “So you’re really in love with me?” he asked, kissing the back of my head.

  My cheeks warmed as I leaned against his shoulder. “Yeah. I wonder how that happened.”

  He chuckled softly. “I am glad because I might be in love with you too.”

  38

  Paris

  As promised to myself, I lazed away most of the next few days after the exam. We had a week’s break before the results would be announced. My exhaustion didn’t let me worry much about them anyway. I’d done the best I could. At the very least, I knew I’d done well enough to pass.

  Liam and Gabrielle had taken off to Macau for the week to enjoy a break before graduation. They forced me to join them too but my lack of a passport stopped me. At the moment, my documents were getting processed for one but I didn’t mind. The last few months had been exhausting. Being in bed and reading on my Kindle were the best way to enjoy a break.

  My phone buzzed beside my pillow.

  Picking it up, I squinted at the brightly-lit screen in the darkened room. It was three in the afternoon and I’d gone down for a nap after a heavy lunch. Being back at the Davenport Mansion further helped me relax which meant I was taking full advantage of the week-long break after the exams.

  Let’s go shopping for a graduation dress- Zoya.

  I yawned.

  My wardrobe is full of new dresses. Come here and pick anything you like. I texted back. The bed felt amazingly warm and comfortable. There was no way I wanted to hop around the city looking for a dress for graduation. There was not much of a point either way as most of its awesomeness would get covered under the academy’s maroon robes.

  That’s no fun at all, Zoya texted back. I am already bored. Let’s go shopping. Please? Half a dozen emojis followed the message.

  I groaned and typed. Fine. Pick me up in an hour.

  A dozen happy emojis came back from her in reply.

  Dragging my body off the bed, I went into the bathroom for a quick shower.

  Refreshed after the shower, I got dressed in a sleeveless dress of pale blue cotton. A denim jacket would have been perfect with it but since I didn’t own one anymore, I chose a chic black jacket to go with it. Now that there was some time to indulge in shopping, I decided to get some jeans, shirts, and hoodies for my wardrobe. I missed the comfort of those familiar clothes.

  Zoya came to pick me within half an hour. Ruben invited her inside and made her tea while I hurried to put on my shoes and find a bag that wasn’t my school satchel. Excitement was welling inside me. It would be amazing to hang out with Zoya on a warm spring afternoon. We could visit all our old haunts today.

  “Hey, bestie,” I said, walking into the parlor room where she sat eating an almond pastry. “I’m ready.” I twirled around to give her a good look at my outfit.

  “Nice,” she said sagely, chewing the large bite she’d taken from the pastry. “The food in this house is delicious.” She gestured at the spread before her. There were cakes, sandwiches, and pastries laid out among the large flower-painted teapot. “You should invite me more often.”

  I chuckled. “Sure. Come anytime.” Deep inside, I felt another jolt of surprise. When did it become so easy to invite a friend here? Had I really accepted the Davenport Mansion as my home now?

  Zoya stuffed another pastry in her mouth and gestured for me to follow her.

  Leading me to her car, she sat at the wheels while I got in beside her.

  “No Javier?” I asked.

  “My brother took him away today,” she said, pulling out of the d
riveway. “It’s just us today.”

  “Awesome.” Soon, I was smiling ear-to-ear as we drove through the city traffic. It had been a while since the two of us were out together.

  Zoya drove us to one of the posh neighborhoods in the city. She was determined to get a new dress for her graduation that day.

  “What about you?” she asked. “Are you sure you have a nice dress?”

  I nodded. “My wardrobe is full of nice stuff.”

  “This should be special for you,” she said. “You’re graduating to senior year in your dream academy. Where’s the enthusiasm?”

  I grimaced, looking away as she parked the car. Some of the things that happened to me at Knightswood had definitely turned the dream into a nightmare.

  Climbing out of the car, I stretched my arms over my head. The sun was high in the sky, warming me up wonderfully.

  “Come on!” Zoya tugged at my arm and pulled me away from the parking lot. Chuckling, I stumbled after her as she led me to her favorite shop.

  The glass-encased boutique was chilled by air-conditioning. We were welcomed by two young women in black uniforms.

  “Where’s your latest collection?” asked Zoya.

  They led us further inside the shop. I looked around at the beautiful, fancy clothes hanging from the racks. Zoya never brought me to such places before. My ripped denim shorts and sneakers would’ve never allowed me to cross the threshold of such a place.

  “Have a look here. There are plenty of other options too but these just came in two days ago,” said one of the shop assistants.

  “Thanks,” said Zoya, checking out the clothes hanging along an entire wall. “Come take a look, Paris. You might find something you like.”

  I didn’t need a dress but looking wouldn’t hurt. So, I joined her in perusing the lovely dresses hanging there.

  “Are you kidding me?” said an annoyingly familiar voice.

  It was Holly, standing with her hands on her hips. She wore a tiny sleeveless dress and her hair was put up in a messy bun. Brianna stood next to her in a playsuit, holding a dress in her arm.

  “Polluting our school wasn’t enough for her,” said Holly, glancing at her friend. “Now she has to lower the standards of our favorite shops too.”

  “No one’s stopping you from going elsewhere,” said Zoya, coming to stand beside me.

  “We aren’t going anywhere,” said Brianna, setting her dark eyes on me. “Don’t come at graduation or it will be the last thing you ever do. Understand?”

  “Are you threatening me?” I met Brianna’s cold gaze, refusing to look away or back down.

  “Take it however you want, charity whore,” said Holly. “Either way you won’t be around much longer.”

  “Stuck so far, haven’t I?” I challenged.

  “Is everything okay?” One of the shop assistants came forward, smiling hesitantly at both groups of girls.

  “This place is letting gutter whores touch all the clothes. We’re out of here!” fumed Holly, dumping the clothes that Brianna was carrying at the young woman and stomping away. Brianna glanced at me before following her friend out of the store.

  “They need to chill,” said Zoya, grinding her teeth.

  However, the air cleared as soon as Holly and Brianna left. Zoya went back to looking and trying out dresses, leaving me to ponder Holly’s words. They weren’t done with me yet. Something was definitely being planned for graduation day but this time, I refused to be helpless.

  Our exam results were posted on the school portal site three days before graduation day. Logging into my account, I went through all my scores, slowly getting back the ability to breathe. I received full marks for both Math and Advanced Math. Physics, Chemistry, and Biology earned me marks in the nineties while English came close with eighty-five percent.

  I can live with that, I thought, going through my marks again.

  Part of me wanted to know who scored the highest in each subject, but no matter what, I was at least one of the students topping Math. These grades would definitely help me with securing a place at the best engineering schools in the country with a guaranteed scholarship.

  My phone buzzed.

  Picking it up, I said, “Did you check your exam results?”

  “Yep. I passed everything,” said Zoya cheerfully. “I don’t think I ever studied this hard for anything.”

  I smiled. It was good to hear how confident she sounded. There were times when Zoya would groan about not knowing whether she would pass a class back in Kensington.

  “We need to celebrate,” said Zoya. “Right now!”

  I chuckled. “Sure. Come over here. I’ll make you a chocolate cheesecake.”

  “Yum!” It had been Zoya’s favorite since we were in sixth grade. Mom taught me the recipe and Zoya loved it the moment she had a taste. “I am coming over right now!”

  The day after the exam results were announced, I received an email from Principal Thorne, saying I was going to be the recipient of the ‘Best Progressing Student Award”. My mouth fell open as I read the email where she was openly praising for doing so well and ‘not disappointing her’.

  Graduation Day was already shaping up to be a monumental event. There was no way Brianna and her posse would sit back and let me enjoy my walk up the stage to collect my diploma or my award.

  Before the day of graduation, I installed the ‘Find a friend’ app on my phone and sent invitations to Nik, Liam, and Gabrielle. All three texted back immediately. They wanted to know what I was up to.

  Just in case, I texted back to them.

  Next second, the door to my room opened and Liam walked in. A look of relief crossed his face as he found me sitting on my bed.

  “What’s with the app?” he asked, moving towards the bed and sitting on the edge.

  “In case I get lost anytime,” I said with a grin. “At least you’ll be able to find me.”

  My mind went back to the memory of the dark night when Brianna left me on the side of a dark, deserted road under pouring rain. I was lucky Liam was able to find me that night but it could’ve been worse. With Brianna and Holly’s warnings still ringing in my head, I knew they would try something on the day of graduation.

  “Are you okay?” asked Liam.

  I nodded. “Everything’s okay. Are you ready for tomorrow?”

  He shrugged. “It’s nothing special. Happens every year.” He motioned at the phone in my hand. “We’re all going to be together tomorrow. You, Zoya and Lucas can sit in the same row as me and Gabrielle.”

  I shook my head. “I doubt it will work that way. They will seat according to our names. We’ll be called to the stage according to the alphabetical order.”

  Liam frowned. “I will keep an eye out for you.” Reaching for my hand, he gave it a squeeze. “I don’t know why you’re anxious but I promise to be there for you. Mother and Father will be there too. No one will dare lay a hand on you tomorrow.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. A lot of parents would be accompanying their kids to the ceremony tomorrow. It felt far-fetched for Brianna or Lucien to do something before so many people but a nagging feeling told me to stay alert.

  On the day of graduation, Clara fussed over both me and Liam. Much to his annoyance, she kept straightening his tie, dusting invisible dust from his blazer and touching his hair. With me, she tried to style my hair into a French braid but it turned out to be lopsided. In the end, I just brushed it out and let it sit in the usual gentle waves around my shoulders.

  “That does look best,” said Clara with a critical expression. “But you know what? I need to practice my braids. Back in the day, I used to be an expert. Living with boys sucked all my feminine touches.”

  I chuckled. “Relax,” I said, giving her a one-arm hug. “You’re always feminine and pretty.”

  She beamed at me. “You’re sweet, Paris.”

  We were driven to the academy by Charles. Clara sat beside him on the passenger seat while Liam and I sat at the back. Part
of me felt happy and at-home with the Davenports despite the unknown dangers waiting for me at school.

  My phone sat nestled inside my bra. It was uncomfortable but was well-hidden because of the jacket I wore over my dress. It would stay concealed even when I would be in my graduation gown.

  There were valets waiting for us at the academy’s gates. Climbing out from the car, we were ushered through the front gates of the school while someone drove the car into the visitors’ parking lot.

  “It’s always amazing to be back here,” said Clara, squeezing Charles’s arm.

  “Yeah. So many memories scattered everywhere.”

  They walked before me and Liam, following the crowd of well-dressed men and women.

  “Do they know about the award you’re receiving today?” asked Liam.

  I shook my head. Since I didn’t even know if I’ll be able to get up on stage, I hadn’t said anything to Charles or Clara. If something bad happened to me, it would upset them even more.

  “Why are you so nervous?” asked Liam, taking my hand in his. “You are cold and sweaty.” He halted, tugging me backward. “Seriously, what are you expecting?”

  “Something bad,” I confessed.

  “Paris.” Liam’s azure eyes were narrowed at me. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise you.”

  I nodded. “I know, but just in case…”

  “Come along, you two,” Clara’s voice called us from the front. “We don’t want to be late.”

  Liam and I walked after them.

  We left them seated in the school auditorium while the two of us walked to the back entrance of the building to collect our graduation gowns.

  “Girls go this way,” said a middle-aged teacher, pointing to a room down the hallway. “Boys, step in through here. You will find your graduation gowns with your name tags and academy ID numbers.”

  I gave Liam a nod and walked down the hallway.

  The room I entered suddenly turned quiet. The girls who crowded the table with the gowns jumped and rushed for the doorway, leaving the place empty except for a few people. Brianna, Gianna, and Holly. They were all dressed in expensive gowns, very much ready for the graduation ceremony.