A Hurt So Sweet: Complete Dark Bully Romance Series Box Set: Elite of Eden Falls Prep

by Isabella Starling

She looks like a living doll, that girl, and she creeps the fuck out of me. She’s only sixteen but already more trouble than I could be if I tried.

  “Everyone’s going to be there.”

  “Who is everyone?” her mother speaks up, and Tatianna rolls her eyes instantly.

  I’ve noticed my half-siblings barely listen to their mother. All they give a shit about is getting in trouble, getting drunk and/or high and fucking up things for other people. They occasionally follow father’s rules, but most of the time, they’re total wildcards.

  “Like, all the boys?” Tianna addresses her mom. “Dexter, , Caspian, Julian and Lai. I pretty much have to be there.”

  “Me too.” Brazen speaks up, shrugging when we all look in his direction. “Someone’s gotta take care of Tianna.”

  Yeah, as if. I know for a fact he’s going to ignore his sister all night while they both do things no teenager should be doing. But there’s a chance here, and I’m not about to miss it.

  I want to go to that party, I realize. I need to find out more about Dexter. I need to make these people think I fit in here, so I can use it to my advantage when I finally get away. Besides, I need a reason to leave the house. I’m going crazy here.

  “Oh, me too.”

  Now, every head turns in my direction, and father gives me a doubtful look.

  “You want to go to a party?” father asks.

  “A party you’re not invited to?” Tianna grits out.

  “Well, Dexter’s going to be there,” I shrug carelessly. “The rest of the Firstborns, too… And obviously, it won’t be as exclusive since you’ll be there.”

  I offer her a saccharine-sweet smile. In the span of a short few days I’ve already discovered how to get to her, and I love it. She looks away, obviously offended.

  “Fine, I don’t see why not,” father says, tapping his lips with a cloth napkin. “I will have Kelley take you all there and pick you up after.”

  “Thank you, father,” we mutter in unison, and I smirk to myself before returning to my soup.

  I pretend not to notice my half-siblings staring at me in contempt and busy myself with the food before remembering what I was going to say.

  I wait for a lull in the conversation before addressing my father again. “Forgive me for changing the topic, I just had another question.”

  “What is it?” he stares me down, as if to warn me not to say or ask anything dumb.

  God, these people really underestimate me.

  “I was under the impression Secondborn were supposed to follow the rules of the Firstborns?”

  I put on an innocent face and bat my lashes at my father. I can feel Brazen steaming from the seat next to me, but I ignore his hand which is now on my knee, fingers digging into the skin painfully.

  “That is how it’s supposed to be,” father nods. “And has been since Eden Falls was established by the six founding families.”

  “Right, right,” I purr. “So, would you say it’s against the rules for a Secondborn to say, hit a Firstborn?”

  Bryony laughs at the idea and my father glares. “Of course, it would be against the rules.”

  “See, Brazen?” I turn to face him, blinking fast to look even more innocent as I give him a triumphant look. “I told you father would get mad if you hit me. Especially here.”

  I touch my fingertips to my cheek, making a pouty face.

  “I’m going to bruise for my first party.”

  “You hit her, son?” Father asks calmly and Brazen looks up from his food wearing an apologetic grin.

  “I just thought she needed to be taught some manners, father. You know, she’s been raised so poorly, she doesn’t even know how to use the right goddamn cutlery.”

  “Language!” Bryony trills, but everyone ignores her.

  Even Tianna’s looking between the three of us, ignoring her food and waiting for the outcome with bated breath.

  “I don’t give a shit what you thought,” father hisses at my younger brother. “That’s not your call to make, and you know that damn well. You only hit her when I tell you to hit her. I don’t want to expect this kind of slip-up from you, Brazen. I don’t want it happening again. Do you understand?”

  His lips form a thin line and he retrieves his hand from my knee.

  I breathe a sigh of relief as his lip curls up in disgust and he mutters, “Yes, father.”

  “Good.” Father returns his gaze to the food in front of him, waving his hand. “No party for you next week.”

  “You’re going to pay for this,” Brazen hisses at me under his breath, but I just give him a wide smile in return.

  I may not ne winning the war yet, but this battle’s all mine.

  As we move on to the next course, I promise myself I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit at home all day just because the Oakes stole my former life from me. I’ll be damned if they’ll break me. I’m not like the girl before.

  I’m nothing like Lily Anna at all.

  Chapter Six

  Pandora

  Kelley, the driver, come to a stop in front of Tianna’s school first.

  She’s two years younger than me which means she’s still going to Eden Falls High, while Brazen and I are both starting at Eden Falls Prep this fall. It’s an elite prep school that lasts for two years after high school. There’s only a hundred of us in the whole school, and everyone knows everyone.

  Except for me – this is my first day, and I feel clueless.

  I look at Brazen for help, but he snubs me like always. I shouldn’t expect him to be nice to me. He probably can’t wait to take someone’s side over mine again.

  “Thanks, Kelley,” I mumble as Brazen climbs out of the car without saying a single word or taking his eyes off his phone screen. “See you after school.”

  Our driver touches his hat in acknowledgment, offering me a heartfelt smile. The staff at Oakes Estate have warmed to me quickly. Probably because I’m less high maintenance than Bryony, who has estheticians, makeup artists and stylists coming to the house every day, more normal than crazy Tianna with her ever-changing personality, and less of a perv than Brazen. I’ve caught him feeling up maids’ ass-ets multiple times now. Gross.

  I follow Brazen out of the car, readjusting my new designer bag higher up on my shoulder. Eden Falls Prep looms before me, a historic grey building with ivy climbing all over the walls. This place is rich with times gone by, times that I couldn’t care less about.

  Brazen walks ahead of me on the steps, and I follow behind, my heart beating faster than ever. I’m aware of every pair of eyes on me as I make my way through the yard and toward the entryway to the building. Some of these people were at the engagement bash, but most of them are way beneath my status. That means they’re forced to respect me out of the sheer fear of what my father will do to them if they don’t. But nobody’s brave enough to approach me. That is, until I’m in the high-ceilinged classroom with amphitheater seating.

  A girl saunters up to the spot I’ve taken up and plops down on the seat next to me. She crosses her arms and legs daintily, tilting her head to the side with a smile that probably breaks hearts all over this school.

  She’s stunning. Like, the kind of stunning you see on the covers of magazines and tell yourself you can’t genetically look like.

  Her long black hair is a sharp contrast to the near-porcelain skin with not a blemish in sight. Her eyes are wide, almond-shaped and tilted, with thick lashes that match her hair. What makeup she’s wearing is minimal, and only enhances her unforgettable beauty.

  “Hi,” she says, extending a hand in greeting. “Araminta Fox. Your new best friend.”

  “Excuse me?” My eyebrows shoot up.

  I know who she is – I’ve been forced to learn the names of all the Firstborns in this town, and she is one of them. Her mother, Estefania, was one of the founding members of Eden Falls.

  “Araminta Fox,” she repeats slowly, as if she’s speaking a foreign language. “Your. New. Best friend.” />
  “And what qualifies you for that position?” I ask her, my heart speeding up and hoping she doesn’t get offended by my response.

  While I have the same status, I have a feeling a lot more people are going to listen to the pretty heiress over me.

  “I was Lily Anna’s best friend,” she shrugs, pulling a Louis Vuitton diary out of her purse and opening it to an empty page, her feather-tipped pen poised over the paper. “You are Pandora, right?”

  “Right,” I nod, my smile losing some of its sharpness.

  She’s the first one besides Dex and Brazen who’s used my name. And she didn’t do it to hurt me. She seems to understand I prefer the name I grew up with.

  “We girls gotta stick together,” she winks at me. “Besides you and me, the only other Firstborn girl at Prep is Coco Rose. And trust me, you do not want to get on her wrong side.”

  She motions to a girl sitting a row in front of us. She has flowing black hair, straightened to perfection but somehow still managing to have more volume my locks have ever held, and bronze skin covered in freckles. She’s just as beautiful as Araminta.

  “Wow,” I mutter under my breath. “Fuck me, nobody said I’d have to get plastic surgery to be pretty enough to fit in here.”

  Araminta laughs at my remark, throwing her head back. There’s something sexy about her – she’s so relaxed, so confident. I’ll never be this comfortable in my own skin. Not even if I look half as good as her.

  “Look, you just desperately need a haircut,” she shrugs at me, giving me a wicked grin as I mock-gasp. “And some highlights. And you really, really need to get your nails done. Are they not even… polished?”

  I glance at my hands, suddenly self-conscious about my nails. They’re short and stubby, and they always have been. I keep my toes painted, but I always forget about my hands.

  “Why don’t we go out?” Araminta suggests. “You’re new in town and I doubt your little sis is willing to share all the best beauty places in town. I’ll take you to my stylist, too. It’ll be fun.” She flashes me a perfect smile. “Bring your dad’s card, it’s got a bigger limit.”

  “You think my father’s going to be okay with that?” I ask her, biting my bottom lip. “He hasn’t been very approving of me.”

  “Trust me, kid,” Araminta smirks. “You can twirl him right around your little finger. Speaking of which, let me see the ring!”

  She grabs my hand and balks at the size of the diamond on my ring finger.

  “Holy shit. He really went all out.”

  At that, the professor, a tall man in his fifties wearing a clean-cut suit, enters the classroom, and everyone but Araminta stands up to greet him. I follow a second behind them, flushing because of my faux pas, but Araminta tugs on my hand and makes me sit back down.

  “You’re a Firstborn, babe,” she tells me softly. “We’re above the teachers. No need to stand up.”

  I nod silently and remain seated as the teacher walks up to his desk. He doesn’t comment on the two of us not standing up, and Araminta winks at me. I’m starting to understand what it means to be a Firstborn.

  “Stick around and you’ll learn,” my new friend murmurs in my ear. “You’ll have them eating right out of the palm of your hand… Just like I do.”

  ***

  Araminta and I don’t share another class that day. I am mostly in beginner classes, being dubbed an uncivilized, undereducated individual during my preliminary examination held by the uptight Mrs. Robinson.

  The classes are nothing like I’d imagined. I have an etiquette class, riding lessons, drawing lectures and finally, my day ends with a dancing class. I’m already dreading it because it’s run by the same woman as the preliminary exams. She already looked at me with distaste the first time – I don’t even want to know how she’s going to act around me today.

  I arrive to the changing room to find it full of girls who go deathly quiet when I walk in. Fear cripples me, stopping me from snapping at them with a witty remark, and I put my bag down in complete silence, digging through the pockets until I pull out my leotard and the ballet shoes we’re forced to wear. I glance around the room, unsure whether we’re supposed to get changed right there. My school before had some privacy, but this seems almost too brutal. All the other girls are dressed already, and I sigh, admitting defeat.

  Slowly, I unbutton the blazer of my uniform and peel it off my body. The blouse follows suit, then the plaid skirt. I leave my knee-highs on and quickly get the leotard on. Then, I expertly snap my bra off under the fabric – the other girls don’t look like they’re wearing them. Once I finally straighten back up, they’re all still staring at me, and I pale at the thought of them examining my body in excruciating detail.

  “Girls! Come through please!”

  We follow the sound of Mrs. Robinson voice to the studio. It’s attached to the building’s main gym, and I hear laughing and shouting coming from there. I glance at the expansive hall behind me, catching a glance of a blonde-haired boy tapping a ball and smirking at his tall, dark and handsome opponent.

  Dexter.

  “What’s so distracting, Miss Oakes?”

  I keep watching him, his muscles rippling under the fabric of his shirt and his smile deadly and striking all at once.

  “Miss Oakes, are you still with us? Do I have to send you to the principal?”

  An elbow hits me between the ribs, and I snap my attention to the girl who dared touched me. She pales under my scrutiny, but motions to Mrs. Robinson in warning.

  “Lily Anna!”

  I look up and it finally hits me the old witch was calling out my name. I still haven’t gotten used to the new one.

  “Sorry,” I mutter.

  “Sorry?” she repeats. “Is this how you act in all of your classes? I must say, Miss Oakes, they warned us you would be… well, a tough cookie, but this is just sad. Have you taken ballet before?”

  My mouth sets in a thin line and I shake my head.

  “No?” She’s practically smirking at me now, and I feel the atmosphere changing as my classmates snicker.

  These girls apparently think it’s okay to treat me this way and are only being encouraged by the old ballerina.

  “How tragic, Miss Oakes. You can’t even do a basic pirouette?”

  I refuse to answer, staring at the annoying woman and hoping she’ll be smart enough to back down from this argument, because it’s one fight she has no chance of winning.

  “I’m waiting,” she reminds me instead, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the floor.

  “First of all,” I start, my voice sweet and slow, like I’m speaking to a child. “Do not call me Lily Anna. My name is Pandora.”

  She snickers, looking around the room for support. But the other girls are quiet yet again, waiting to see how this plays out before they pick sides.

  “Now, ballet’s not really my thing,” I go on, making a sad face at Mrs. Robinson. “So, I don’t think I particularly want to be in this class. That’s not going to be a problem, is it, Mrs. Robinson?”

  “It’s part of your curriculum.” She furrows her brows at me. “You can’t pass the year if you don’t complete your ballet training.”

  “But I don’t feel like it,” I purr, taking a step closer to her. “So, I’m going to go back and get changed, and go home early, because I don’t feel like spending another hour and a half in your delightful company. That way, neither of us needs to tolerate the other. How about that?”

  “You can’t do that,” the woman huffs, but I just laugh out loud.

  “Oh, I think I can,” I tell her. “Or did you forget who I am? I may use a different name, but that doesn’t change the blood in my veins. So please keep my grade a straight A and I won’t report back to my father.”

  “Why would I do that?” She narrows her eyes at me.

  “What do you make, Mrs. Robinson?” I ask. “A hundred g’s a year?”

  Her face falls, and I know I’ve overestimated her earnings
.

  “Oh, you poor thing. It’s even lower, isn’t it? That puts you right at the bottom of the food chain. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, but I’m at the top.”

  I smirk at her crestfallen face. “I’m going to leave now, and you’re going to be nice for once in your life and maybe put in a good word with the staff for me.”

  I blink my eyes at her. “We got a deal?”

  A silent battle of wits ensues as we stare one another, but I’m shocked myself when she gives me a curt nod. I guess I really do have some power here.

  I smile wide before blowing the rest of the girls a kiss and practically skipping back to the changing room. Free at last. It may only be an hour before Kelley picks me up again in front of Eden Falls Prep, but I’m going to use it to blow off some steam – any way I fucking can.

  I pull down the scrunchie holding my locks in a tight bun, and my dark brown hair tumbles around my shoulders. A look in the mirror in the changing room reveals a victorious grin on my face. When I’m not utterly miserable, I don’t look so bad at all.

  I gather my hair in my fist, pouting at my reflection.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

  I turn around at the sound of the masculine voice, paling when I come face to face with a tall boy who towers over me. His shoulders are incredibly broad, and I can see tattoos sneaking up from under his vest top. He can’t be older than me, though.

  “Excuse you?” I raise my brows at him. “You’re in the girls’ locker room, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  I point at a stray bra dangling from a hook behind him.

  “Oh, I know,” he says, giving me an evil smirk. “I came to find you. Wanted to get a better look at Dexter’s newest toy.”

  God, there’s that stupid nickname again. Why does it send shivers down my spine? It makes me sick to think Dexter probably uses it with every one of the girls he’s kissed… or slept with. This isn’t grade school, Pandora.

  “I’m nobody’s toy,” I tell the stranger with a firm smile. “Do you even know who I am? You’re talking to a Firstborn here.”

  “Maybe I should ask you the same.” His lips curl up in a smile. “I’m Lai.”