“Yes, because I have to. You’ve lost your fucking mind, and I need to warn everyone about you!”
“No. Don’t do this, baby….”
Lindsay folded her arms and lifted her chin. “You haven’t given me a choice. And for god’s sake, I’m not your baby!”
“Please, Linz. It… it really wasn’t supposed to go like this.” Frantic hands lifted, shaking in the cold, damp air. “I know you said you hate it when people beg, but I just… I have to. I’m begging you to reconsider. Please, please, please. Just think about how good we’ve always been together. If we can just get past this initial bump and—”
“Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!” Lindsay reached forward and shoved her fanatical admirer in the chest. “Get this through your head once and for all: I will never want you! I will never be with you! You’re a fucking creep, and no one will want to go anywhere near you ever again once I tell them what—”
“No!”
A shriek pierced the air as two hands shot out, pushing Lindsay in the center of her slim torso. She stumbled and teetered by the edge of the roof, a scream trapped in her throat, and then she slipped right over the short balustrade and fell back into thin air.
Everything seemed to slow down as she stared up at the face she’d seen a million times before. The face of the person she never even dreamed would hurt her. Not until tonight.
Now that face was cast in shadow, dark and grotesque. Nearly unrecognizable with its wild-eyed fury and cold, twisted disdain.
Her right hand reached out reflexively, grasping at nothing. “Help!” she cried out.
No one surged forward to pull her to safety. No hands shot out to grab her. She was on her own.
The side of the three-story mansion rushed by in a blur as she plummeted downward. A sickeningly-loud thud registered somewhere in her mind as she finally hit the wet pavement.
She felt almost nothing at first. Just a dull throb in her head. Then the real pain started. Such terrible agony, radiating out from every nerve ending, ripping her into shreds. She could feel that her limbs were twisted at all the wrong angles, bones shattered like glass, and without reaching up to feel it, she knew there was blood seeping from the back of her aching head. It was warm with a metallic scent that wafted over to her nostrils before fading away as the pounding rain diluted it.
Her eyes rolled back as she stared upward, trying and failing to make sense of everything that had just happened. Nothing came to her. Not a single memory.
Not even her own name.
She attempted a moan, tasting blood in her mouth, but she couldn’t tell if any sound actually came out. She couldn’t move, either. Couldn’t even lift a finger. She was completely and utterly dazed, head spinning like crazy as a great weariness washed over her.
The pain finally started to fade, and the world wobbled and turned fuzzy before her eyes. She felt like she was plunging into a dark pool, one that was mercifully warm, descending deeper and deeper by the second. It was soothing. Comforting.
She closed her eyes and let herself sink deeper into the warm nothingness, until she was so far gone she knew she’d never emerge.
1
Laney
‘Good luck, baby. I’ll be thinking about you all day. I’m so proud of you.’
My mom’s words echoed in my mind as I steered my old Honda down the main street of Royal Falls, New Hampshire’s wealthiest town. I looked and felt painfully out of place, because it was the sort of town that only truly accepted people if they had a ton of money or a well-known last name that people associated with class and prestige.
A broke teenager from the wrong side of the tracks—aka me—didn’t exactly belong here amongst all the snobs and wealth-flaunting investment bankers, but unfortunately for the citizens of Royal Falls, they were stuck with me for the next year. After achieving stellar grades at my local high school in the nearby town of Silvercreek, Royal Falls Academy had reached out to offer me an all-expenses paid scholarship for my senior year.
It was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Royal Falls Academy was known throughout the country for its academic and sporting achievements. A spot there, even for just one year, basically guaranteed a student’s acceptance into the college of their choosing upon graduation. Not just in America. In the whole world.
Usually a family had to pay thirty-five thousand a year to send just one kid there. Not only was my tuition free, I had a place to stay in the dorms as a boarding student, which would normally cost a family an extra thirty grand per year on top of the tuition fees. The school had also given me $10,000 to spend at my discretion. I’d used it to help Mom with some bills and also bought myself a new laptop for the upcoming term. The rest went straight in the bank.
Butterflies flitted around my stomach as I headed out of town and onto the tree-lined road that led out to RFA.
I was out-of-my-mind happy and excited about obtaining the amazing scholarship, but I was also nervous and jittery as hell. I’d done a lot of Googling since I found out I was going to the prep school, and according to all of the forums and message boards I’d come across, RFA had a reputation for unbelievable snobbery and terrible bullying.
I didn’t know whether to believe it or not. Royal Falls had a snobby reputation, sure, but people tended to exaggerate stories online. I knew that all too well. I used to chat with quite a few internet buddies—people I met on games and forums—and some of them were horrified when I mentioned that I was from Silvercreek. They seemed to think the town was one step above a war-zone, filled with drugs and serial killers, all because they’d heard exaggerated stories.
Yes, Silvercreek was mostly poor and run-down, and yes, it had a high crime rate, but it wasn’t that bad. So for all I knew, RFA was totally fine as well, and the stories online were pure fiction.
I was only a few minutes away now. I could tell by the mountain scenery coming up on the left. As I steered my car around a bend in the road, I silently went over the rules about my new uniform. Skirts no more than two inches above the knee. Tasteful makeup allowed, but nothing beyond that. Hair has to be neat and not dyed any unnatural colors. No jewelry aside from sleeper hoop earrings, watches, or rings associated with school clubs.
I swallowed hard and touched my necklace before tucking it under my blouse. It had an L-shaped pendant on it, but if I tucked it under my white uniform blouse, no one would notice it. With the navy blue, gold-trimmed blazer over the top of the blouse, the thin silver chain was barely visible either.
I normally wouldn’t flout school rules so much on the first day—or ever—but the necklace was very important to me.
Usually birthday gifts in my household were small and cheap, because we couldn’t afford much else, but last year, my mom had done something different when I turned seventeen. She found the L necklace at a pawn shop in Silvercreek and spent a whole week’s pay on it.
The pendant was made of real diamonds and emeralds, and it would’ve cost a lot more if Mom bought it in a regular jewelry store. Even with it discounted in the pawn shop, it was way out of our budget, but she made it clear that she thought I deserved something nice. She said I helped her out a lot by working at the local diner on weekends and contributing as much as I could to the bills, and she wanted to do something to make me feel appreciated. When she saw the necklace in the store window, she couldn’t walk past it.
I’d worn it every day since.
As long as it was on me, I could feel the warmth of my mom’s affection for me, even if we were miles apart. She’d sacrificed so much for me, and I loved her endlessly.
I went around another curve in the road and crested a hill. Then the school was suddenly right in front of me, even more amazing in reality than it appeared in the catalog and online photos.
“Oh, wow,” I said breathlessly, marveling at the towering gray sandstone buildings decorated with arches, spires and gargoyles. The whole campus was like something out of a fairytale.
Flanking the road
ahead were five-foot-high stone walls that stretched into the woods on either side. An ornate archway of wrought iron curved over the road and the gates directly below it.
I drove through the imposing entrance and onto the lush green campus. It was early—barely seven in the morning—but already I could see that the place was bustling with activity.
Suddenly every fragment of my confidence was gone and my stomach was sinking. This was real now. I was actually here amongst all this wealth and privilege, and I was a total nobody. I would probably never fit in.
I pulled my car over to the edge of the road and clutched my beloved necklace as I drew in a series of deep breaths, willing the panicky feeling to go away. When it didn’t, I grabbed my phone and tried to call my mom. She would make me feel better.
She didn’t answer. She was probably already flat-out busy at work.
I groaned and opened a web browser on my phone. Then I clicked into my favorite forum, hoping some of my regular chat buddies would be online. Unfortunately, everyone was offline. Probably still in bed.
I scrolled through my chat bubbles anyway, hoping that just seeing my friends’ names would make me feel better. It actually helped for a minute, until I got down to the very bottom of the page and saw my old conversation with a user named xxLNZxx.
About two years ago, we’d become sort of ‘online besties’, chatting nearly every day. She said she lived somewhere near Royal Falls, and she didn’t seem to care one iota that I was from the impoverished town of Silvercreek. She was nice to me all the time, and even though we never met in person or even exchanged our real full names, it felt like we’d known each other forever. We could talk about practically anything.
She asked me to meet up with her about a year ago, seeing as we’d talked about it so often but never actually done it, but when I tried to call her to discuss it, she didn’t answer, and her profile went offline. After that, I never heard from her again.
It seemed so silly to be sad about losing a friend I never actually met in person, but it stung all the same to see her name sitting there at the bottom of my inbox, forever greyed-out like the other offline users. I could really use her advice right now, or even just a friendly ‘Hey, don’t worry, you’ll be fine’. But that obviously wasn’t going to happen. Not with her.
With a sigh, I put my phone away and started the car again. I had to suck it up and go in now, or I’d be late.
I headed past perfectly-manicured lawns, following signs until I reached the closest student parking lot. It was full of luxury cars that made my secondhand Honda look like a busted old pile of junk.
Oh well.
As I made my way into the lot, I drove right past a group of gorgeous girls with smooth, tanned legs and glossy hair. All of them wore RFA uniforms. I swallowed hard, instantly feeling out of place with my junk-heap car, but when the girls saw me, they all waved and smiled like I was one of them.
So much for RFA’s so-called snobbery.
I left my bags in my trunk for now and furrowed my brows as I looked down at the campus map on my phone. It was enormous, spanning over two hundred acres, and it bordered a national park—pristine land made up of mountains, valleys, dense forests, lakes, and streams with a vast network of hiking trails and camping spots. One of the largest lakes sat on the outer edge of the park, cutting right into the RFA campus, and a note on the map stated that it was used by the academy for water sports.
That part of the map was probably only one-hundredth of the whole thing.
I zoomed out and groaned inwardly. It was going to take me forever to get used to the size of this place. Right now, it seemed unfathomably big.
“Admin… admin… where are you…” I mumbled to myself as I ran a finger down the elaborate map. “Ah, there you are.”
I took off toward the admin offices, where I was supposed to meet with an advisor named Meredith Flores. As I walked, delicate light filtered through the towering pine trees lining the path. It made everything look fresh and magical, especially when it hit the dew on the lawns at the right angle.
Damn, I was never going to get over the sheer beauty of this place.
When I found the offices, I stopped to smooth my skirt down and straighten my little tie. Then I stepped inside, holding my head up and hoping my nerves didn’t show too much.
The double-height office foyer was lit by several chandeliers, and a sweeping staircase led up to the second level. The dark wood-paneled walls were lined with maps and framed photos from decades past, and marble busts of historical heroes and politicians sat on pedestals at regular intervals. They seemed to glower at me as I made my way past, as if they knew I didn’t belong.
Oh, shut up, I lectured myself. I might be poor, and I didn’t hail from an elite family, but I did belong here. I earned this, and with the weight of an RFA senior year education behind me, I actually had an amazing shot at life. A shot at being part of a world I had only ever dreamed of—a world of privilege, success, and freedom.
A kindly-faced woman with gray hair approached me and asked if I knew where I was going. I told her I was looking for Ms. Flores, and she directed me to a door on the right side of the first floor hall. I thanked her and headed down the hall before timidly knocking on the door.
A pretty woman with ash blonde hair glanced up at me. A friendly grin broke out on her face. “You must be Laney.”
“Yes. Nice to meet you, Ms. Flores.”
She rose to her feet. “I’m so sorry. I was going to wait for you out in the parking lot, in case you got lost, but time got away from me. I always have so much to do on the first day back.”
She was wearing a long, flowy skirt and a loose top with a floral pattern. Her arms were decorated with many thin silver bangles, and a necklace with a bohemian-style charm hung over her chest. She wasn’t what I expected from an RFA staff member at all. She seemed way too young, cool, and arty.
“It’s fine. I found my way,” I said, giving her a shy smile.
“You must be tired after the drive. How far away is Silvercreek again?”
“Only half an hour. I packed last night, so there wasn’t much to do this morning.”
“Still, it’s only seven. I’m sorry for making you arrive so early, but I figured it would give us time to go over everything before I show you to your dorm.”
She gestured for me to take a seat, and we spent the next fifteen minutes discussing various school topics like the rules, honor code, and important academic dates. I was also given a class schedule, ID, keycard, and a paper version of the campus map.
“You’ve been assigned to a top-floor dorm in Blair Hall,” Ms. Flores said, eyes sparkling as she pointed it out on the map. “You’re lucky. They did some renovations last term, and all the students on that floor were moved elsewhere. They’re still in their new dorms, so you’ll practically have that whole top floor to yourself.”
“Wow. That’s cool.”
“Should we go and check it out?”
“Sure.”
“Actually, let’s go to your car first. I’ll help you carry your bags.”
Five minutes later, arms laden with luggage, we headed down a brick path toward my new accommodation. A cool wind rustled the deciduous trees around us, and red and gold leaves fluttered to the ground like confetti.
“Fall is the best season, isn’t it?” Ms. Flores said with a contented sigh.
“Definitely,” I said with a fervent nod. Our state was famous for its gorgeous autumn scenery, and RFA was a prime example with all of its colorful foliage mixed in amongst the evergreens.
“Blair Hall is that building over there,” she said, pointing up ahead to the right. “And the main school building, Royal Hall, is that huge one farther down the path. The crown jewel of RFA architecture.”
I could see why. Royal Hall was massive and elegant with ivy-covered gray stone, inky black shingles on the roof, Gothic arches, and ancient windows with diamond-patterned leaded glass. It had several sharp spires stickin
g out from the roof, making it look like a castle, and like the rest of the buildings here, it had several ornamental gargoyles as well. They were hideous yet strangely endearing.
Blair Hall was like a smaller version of it. Old-fashioned luxury. When I blinked, I half-expected it to be gone, and everything would turn out to be a blissful dream.
“By the way, as well as acting in an advisory capacity for new students, I’m also a guidance counselor here,” Ms. Flores said as we approached my new dorm. “So if you ever need any help, you know where to go.”
“Got it.”
“Have you thought about joining any clubs yet?” she asked, glancing back at me.
I nodded. “If I can, I’m going to join the debate team, Model UN, rowing club, astronomy club, and the campus magazine. I was also thinking about trying out for the fall play later in the term. That sounds like fun.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s very impressive. But are you sure you’ll be able to manage all of that?” she asked. “You don’t want to take on too much too soon.”
“I think I’ll be okay. I’m really good at time management. I had to learn it back in Silvercreek when I worked part-time during the school terms.”
She nodded slowly. “Well, that’s good. You’ll make a lot of friends with so many different activities on your schedule.”
Truth be told, I wasn’t joining so many clubs to try and make friends. They would just be an added bonus.
I was doing it because of the sheer level of opportunity. Back at Silvercreek High, there was no such thing as Model UN, school magazines, debates, or sports apart from football and cheerleading. I’d always dreamed of being able to add all of those things to my college applications, but without the money or opportunity to do so, I had no chance.
Now I did, and I intended to take full advantage of that fact.
“Can I ask something about the rowing club?” I said, brows lifting as something occurred to me.
I’d never actually rowed on water before. I’d never even been in one of the crew boats. But a few years ago, one of the wealthy Royal Falls people my mom worked for decided to clear out their house, and they donated some stuff to her. Somehow she ended up with a rowing machine from their home gym. She almost threw it out because she had no interest in it, but I begged her to keep it. It was great for upper arm and chest strengthening, and it helped keep me fit when it was too cold or rainy to go running through the woods and park like I usually did in the mornings.
Savage Prince: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Royal Falls Elite Book 1) Page 2
