Empire High Elite

by Ivy Smoak

  More silence.

  Mr. Pruitt pushed aside his salad. “Isabella, is that true?”

  “Of course not, Daddy. She’s lying.”

  He looked over at me.

  “She’s been torturing me ever since I first stepped foot in Empire High,” I said. “And today, if anything, was worse.”

  “What?” She laughed. “That’s not…Brooklyn.” She laughed again but the strain was evident. “We’re friends. Tell Daddy that we’re the best of friends. Sisters.”

  I was tired of being her punching bag. I kept my mouth closed.

  “I’m going to ask you one more time, Isabella,” he said. “Is what Brooklyn said true?”

  She rolled her eyes like her mother had. “Technically it was my blazer, so…”

  “Apologize to her.”

  Isabella folded her arms across her chest. “No.”

  “Now.”

  Isabella’s lips pressed together in a harsh line.

  “She didn’t do anything wrong,” said Mrs. Pruitt.

  I was pretty sure I wasn’t the only one that jumped when the wine glass collided with the wall.

  “Both of you get out!” he screamed at his wife and daughter. It looked like he was about to throw more food.

  “You have to be kidding me, Richard,” Mrs. Pruitt said as she calmly sipped her wine. Like this was an everyday occurrence. “Can we please have a civil conversation about your illegitimate child without the theatrics? As far as I can tell, Isabella didn’t say anything untrue to the girl. No harm no foul.”

  The muscles in his neck twitched. “Spend the weekend in the Hamptons. Clearly you both need more time to adjust to her presence. And don’t come back until you’re ready to act more appropriately.”

  “But, Daddy!” Isabella protested. “I need to be at the game tonight! And I just told you about my plans afterward.”

  I doubted that the cheerleading team actually needed her. Or that James wanted to celebrate his acceptance to Harvard with her rather than with his actual girlfriend.

  “Then leave town after the game,” he said.

  Isabella huffed and stood up. “Does that mean you aren’t coming?”

  “I’m no longer in the mood,” he said.

  “Richard.” Mrs. Pruitt stood up. “You’re taking the word of that little trollop over our own daughter.”

  Trollop? I felt myself sinking into my seat.

  “No. Isabella admitted it. Now go. Both of you.” He waved his hand to gesture them out of the dining room.

  Isabella gave me a look of pure fury before stomping after her mother.

  The awkward silence stretched between us as doors slammed upstairs. Mr. Pruitt finished his salad right before the main course came out. And then he held up his hand before the plate could be placed down. He looked at me. But it felt a lot more like he was looking through me. “Is there anything else you need tonight? Anything at all?”

  I shook my head.

  Isabella was right. His wrath was terrifying. Even though it wasn’t directed at me, I still felt my accelerated pulse. Mr. Pruitt was scarier than Isabella and her mom put together. I wanted to tell him that all I needed was to leave. I didn’t want to be here. But no words escaped my throat.

  “I’m going to finish my meal in my bedroom. I’ll see you in the morning. And don’t worry about shoes,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Please just come to breakfast however you wish.” He walked out of the room without another word and the chef’s assistant dropped a plate in front of me before rushing after him.

  Instead of getting up, I just sat there and I watched the red wine drip down the paint. I was too scared to move. My plan had failed. Isabella hadn’t gotten me kicked out. She’d gotten herself kicked out. I cringed as I heard another door slam upstairs. All I’d done was make Isabella hate me a thousand times more.

  Chapter 9

  Friday

  I wanted to crawl under the table and cry. I’d been brave all day. Or at least, I’d tried to be. I’d alienated myself from all the Pruitts by standing up for myself. Matt had treated me poorly, so I’d pushed him away. And now? Now I was all alone in a place that could only be described as a haunted mansion in apartment form. I looked at the creepy portrait of the Pruitt family above the fireplace. It felt like all of them were staring at me. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that the two females in the picture wished I was dead.

  I couldn’t stay here. If I did, I’d probably never wake up. I looked behind me at the door to the kitchen. No one was watching me. If I was going to escape, now was my chance. Felix was somewhere in this apartment building. All I needed to do was sneak out.

  I stood up and looked down at my feet. I guess it would have been a good idea to wear shoes so I could flee. But I didn’t necessarily need shoes to roam the halls of this apartment building. I was sure the fancy carpets in the halls were regularly cleaned. And even if they weren’t? I’d risk the cleanliness of my feet to stay alive.

  A floorboard creaked as I tiptoed out of the dining room. I cringed even though I was pretty sure Isabella and her mother had left. Running into them without Mr. Pruitt there to protect me was my worst nightmare. And why had he protected me? It didn’t make any sense. He’d kicked out his legitimate family and taken my side. To someone else, it may have been reassuring. But it wasn’t when I knew for a fact that he’d never wanted me. It was just odd.

  I took a left down the hall past the room with the piano. The way to the front door was the only thing I’d remembered about this whole stupid place. I was relieved when I reached it without running into anyone. I grabbed the handle, but it didn’t turn. I turned the lock and pulled again, but it didn’t budge. What the… I stared at the keypad to the side of the door. Oh no. It was just like the one by the elevator in the other apartment. What kind of maniac made it impossible to leave? This was a fire hazard. The apartment complex shouldn’t allow it. I tried the handle again to no avail. Damn it. Freedom was just on the other side of that door. I hadn’t come this close only to be stopped by a stupid code. Come on. I pulled again.

  “Mr. Pruitt insists on locking everything down once he retires for the night.”

  I almost screamed. I hadn’t heard Miller sneak up behind me. “Miller, you scared me half to death.”

  He smiled. “I’m sorry. I was trying to find you, but you left the dining room before dessert.”

  I just stared at him for a moment. Had he heard the argument? He must have. Or he must have at least seen the red wine on the wall and the shattered glass.

  He cleared his throat. “A young man stopped by while you were eating dinner. Felix Green. Here’s the message he left.” He handed me a folded piece of paper.

  I opened it and read the short note.

  I was hoping to surprise you. But apparently the Pruitts don’t do surprises. Pretty lame if you ask me. And the guy that answered the door said I needed to be on the approved visitor’s list? I requested to be put on it, but then he said it would take a few days to run the necessary background checks. What the hell is that all about? I’m pretty sure he just didn’t like me. Call me. Or better yet, get the hell out of there and come over. I live in 24C.

  -Felix

  “Boyfriend?” Miller asked

  I didn’t even realize I was smiling until the corners of my mouth fell. “What? Oh. No. Just a friend. Why didn’t you let him in?” It couldn’t have been the background check that Felix had mentioned. That was clearly a joke.

  “Mr. Pruitt has rules about these things.”

  Or maybe it wasn’t a joke. “Background checks for visitors? Really?”

  He shrugged but didn’t offer any details.

  “So…instead of letting Felix in, can you let me out?” I gestured to the keypad behind me. “Or give me the code?”

  “Locking everything down when Mr. Pruitt retires extends to everyone in the household.”

  Okay. “But Felix invited me over.” I waved the note in the air. “He lives in this buildi
ng. I’ll be back in just a few hours,” I lied. I was never. Ever. Coming back to this place.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you out.”

  “You’re…that’s…isn’t this kidnapping?”

  The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. “If I was allowed to let you out or give you the code, I would. But I can’t. And I almost forgot, I have about ten missed calls and a voicemail for you on my phone from…Matt?”

  Oh God. “I’m sorry about that.”

  “Is he your boyfriend?”

  Why was he so interested in whether or not I had a boyfriend? “No.” My voice came out harsher than I meant for it to. But I didn’t want to have this conversation with him. I wanted to be on the other side of the door.

  “Pretty sure he thinks otherwise. Mr. Pruitt will want a full disclosure on all your relationships.”

  Ew. No. I stared at Miller. “What did Matt say in his voicemail?”

  “Something about needing to talk. And that his lawyer is having trouble finding a loophole. He said he was sorry like ten times.”

  I knew I’d asked him what Matt had said in the message. But the fact that he’d listened to it was a little invasive. I was too defeated to care though. A part of me had been holding out hope that Matt’s lawyer would come through, even though Matt never seemed to. Matt had promised I wouldn’t have to stay here. But another broken promise added to the list was no surprise. And honestly, he probably didn’t even care anymore. If the rumors about him were true, he was probably getting over me by working his way through the cheerleading team a second time.

  “Are you okay?” asked Miller.

  I nodded even though I was anything but okay.

  “I’ll mention to Mr. Pruitt that you need a phone.”

  “No, that’s…” I let my voice trail off. Honestly, getting a phone would be really nice. Especially if I was trapped here. “That would be great actually. Speaking of which, is there a phone I can use in the house?”

  “You can use mine again if you’d like.” He pulled it out of his pocket.

  I wasn’t sure why, but this felt like a trap. Was someone going to jump out from behind that antique vase and punish me for accepting the cell phone? “Am I allowed to use your phone?”

  “No, not really.”

  “I don’t want to get you in trouble.” That was the last thing I wanted to do. Miller was the only one in this house that seemed capable of a genuine smile. I didn’t want to lose that.

  The smile that I’d just been thinking about spread across his face. “It’s fine. Really.” He held it out to me.

  I wasn’t going to fight with him over this. He was handing me a lifeline and I was going to take it. I called Felix first and let him know I wasn’t allowed to leave. I was very aware of the fact that Miller was staring at me. And because of it, I ended the call sooner than I wanted. “Can I make one more call?” I asked.

  Miller nodded.

  I dialed the number and held the phone back up to my ear. Kennedy picked up after only one ring.

  “Please tell me this is my best friend and she hasn’t been murdered by Isabella yet?”

  I laughed. “It’s me. And I’m alive…for now.”

  “Oh thank God. I’ve been so worried. I looked all over for you after school ended and you were nowhere to be found. I’ve been answering the phone all day like this by the way. I really freaked out the pizza delivery guy.”

  I laughed again. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you too. What’s it like there?” asked Kennedy. “Oh wait, let me guess. Creepy as hell?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Do you think you’ll come to work tomorrow? I know you had called out sick today, but I thought you were still planning on coming tomorrow. I think it’ll feel normal, you know?”

  Normal. I doubted that. But a night of work sounded a lot better than a night of whatever the hell this was. “Yeah, if I’m allowed out, I’ll be there. I’ll talk to Mr. Pruitt about it in the morning.”

  “If you’re allowed out? What does that mean?” Kennedy asked.

  “It means there’s a keypad and I don’t have the code.”

  “Weird.”

  I stared at the keypad. “I know.”

  “Maybe the code is Isabella’s birthday,” Kennedy said. “Do you have any idea when that is?”

  “Nope.”

  “Hmm. You really should know your sister’s birthday, Brooklyn.”

  “She’s not my sister.”

  Kennedy laughed. “I know, I was just kidding. Maybe the code is 666. You know…the universal code for Isabella.”

  “That’s not a bad guess.” I didn’t try it though. Just because I thought the Pruitts were evil didn’t mean they personally identified as evil. Or did they?

  “So you’re really stuck there?”

  “Yeah. Nobody is allowed in and I’m not allowed out.”

  “Are you going to be okay tonight?”

  “It’s the same apartment building that Felix lives in. It’s nice knowing he’s nearby even though I can’t see him.”

  “Well, that’s not so bad then. His apartment isn’t exactly homey, but it’s nice. Not even a little creepy.”

  “The Pruitt’s place isn’t decorated like Felix’s. It’s more haunted mansion-esque in here.”

  Miller laughed from behind me.

  I turned around and smiled at him. “I should probably go. I’m borrowing a phone.”

  “Okay, but you should call Matt when you get a chance. He’s kind of…losing it. He stopped by about an hour ago and he looked awful.”

  I swallowed hard. He’d been a jerk. Countless times. But it still hurt me to know that he was hurting. Or…hurt me more. I was already hurting. “So I guess he told you what happened in class?”

  “No. What happened?”

  I gripped the phone a little tighter in my hand. He hadn’t told her that I broke up with him? He just showed up at my best friend’s place to try to get her to make me call him back? That wasn’t him being hurt. That was him being manipulative. “We broke up.”

  The line was silent for a few beats. “Because of what Isabella did?”

  “No. Because of what he didn’t do.”

  Another stretch of silence. Kennedy knew about Isabella blackmailing Matt. I’d spilled everything to her on the steps of Empire High the morning before Matt was supposed to announce to everyone that we were dating, but didn’t. The same day that my uncle died. We hadn’t talked about it since. I hadn’t talked about it with Matt either. None of it seemed important after that. But for some reason I expected today to be different. Especially since Matt had just asked me to be his girlfriend officially. Today was my first day back at school and I’d needed him. I’d needed him and he hadn’t stepped up. I’d lost my whole family. I just needed one person to rely on to have my back. And it wasn’t him. I sniffled, remembering how sweet he’d been in the park this morning. Secret rendezvous weren’t enough. “I’ll explain it all at work tomorrow. I just can’t be with someone who…”

  “I’m proud of you,” she said, cutting me off. “God, I was so freaking mad at him for just watching when Isabella poured milk on you.”

  I should have known she’d have my back. I didn’t need Matt. I had her.

  “Screw Matthew Caldwell,” she said.

  Yeah. Screw Matthew Caldwell. I said goodbye and gave Miller’s phone back. For just a second, my fingers brushed against his palm.

  He cleared his throat and shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Do you want me to have some ice cream sent up to your room?”

  He got me. A recent breakup meant eating a huge bowl of ice cream in your room and crying. But that wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to be alone. But I also knew how inappropriate it would be to ask if I could eat ice cream with him. He’d already let me borrow his phone. So instead of saying anything at all, I just nodded.

  “Have a good night, Brooklyn.” He gave me one last smile and walked back toward the k
itchen.

  I hugged my arms around myself to help prevent the chill in the air. A good night? That wasn’t possible. I watched him disappear down the hall. I was pretty sure I was already going mad in this house. Because all I could think about was how Miller’s arms looked just as strong as Matt’s. I didn’t know how to sleep alone anymore. I’d quickly grown used to falling asleep in Matt’s arms. But running to Miller wasn’t the answer. He worked here. He wasn’t my friend. And I was sure he didn’t want to hang out with a high schooler on a Friday night.

  I knew all that. I knew it, and yet…I hurried after him.

  Chapter 10

  Friday

  The kitchen was empty, so I pushed into the staff kitchen. Miller was leaning against the counter laughing at something the chef had just said. But his laughter faded away when he saw me. The chef turned around to see what he was staring at.

  “I’ll be right up with some options, sweetie,” she said.

  “Actually, is it okay if I just eat it in here?”

  She looked at Miller and then back at me. “I guess that would be alright. What do you prefer, mint chocolate chip or…” she tugged open the freezer and pulled out two containers “…there’s also raspberry with chocolate chips.”

  I wasn’t paying attention to the options because I was focused on the fact that each ice cream container had a little label with Miller’s name. “Oh, I don’t want to steal anyone’s ice cream. Don’t the Pruitts have some?”

  She laughed. “No. The Pruitts don’t eat ice cream.”

  “Are they lactose intolerant or something?” I was glad I didn’t inherit that. I wasn’t sure which was worse…never eating cheese or inheriting the evil gene. Probably the evil thing. But it was close.

  “More of a vanity thing,” she said. “So, which flavor will it be?”

  I looked over at Miller. “That’s okay. I’ll just…” I looked over my shoulder at the door. I really, really didn’t want to leave.

  “It’s fine,” Miller said. “I got this, Barbara.” He grabbed the containers from her.