by Shel Stone
“Sounds charming,” Cecily said tersely. “No girlfriend, then?”
Again, Tory chuckled. “No,” she said firmly. “Had a thing with Abby Wishart for a while and I think they occasionally see each other. I don’t know. He doesn’t tell me what he’s up to. Generally, though, he doesn’t really do high school girls that much. He likes older girls. There was this rumor around that he was sleeping with this young financier’s wife, and it all went to hell in the end. No, like, he’s really watching you. I swear.”
Nervousness clasped Cecily’s gut again. In a way, she wasn’t sure she wanted to look. There was something a little Freddy-esque about him. And the last thing she wanted was another hopeless crush, while she had to sit and watch him swanning around with his various girlfriends.
Maybe that wouldn’t happen. In her gut, she sensed that while he was cool as hell, he didn’t have the sheer likeability of Freddy, so maybe she wouldn’t be that obsessed with him. It would be nice not to be obsessed with a guy.
“Hey, Tory,” a cute guy said. Large, blond and built, looking in a way only an American did. He gazed over to Cecily briefly.
“Hi, Mont,” Tory said with a smile. If Tory was sullen about Adrian, she was all smiles for Mont. “How are things? I take it you’re playing this year. Mont is our local star lacrosse player.”
“Oh,” Cecily said. “Right. I’m Cecily.”
“Monterey,” he replied. “Have you just started at Carterton?”
“Yes. First week.”
“So you’ve come from Europe, right?”
“I am originally American, but I suppose I don’t sound it.”
“No, you really don’t.” The cutest smile spread across his lips.
“And how is Isolde? Is she here tonight?”
“Couldn’t make it,” Mont said.
“They’re the cutest couple,” Tory said. “We’re all super jealous.” She said it good-naturedly, which made Cecily wonder if Mont here was the local Freddy with his Savannah.
“Isolde is such a cool name,” Cecily said.
“She’s a cool girl,” Mont replied. He wore jeans that fit him nicely, and a loose white t-shirt that was soft enough to hug quite a few of his taut planes. Yep, Cecily could see that it was impossible to dislike him. And he praised his girl when she wasn’t around—that just about melted her heart.
“Wasn’t sure we’d see you here, being as you and Adrian have never really been on the same page,” Tory said.
“I’ve got no problem with Adrian,” Mont said with a shrug. “He stays out of my business, I stay out of his. How’s your brother?”
“Good. Out at Stanford and loving it,” Tory said.
“Glad to hear it. It’s good to see you, Tory, and nice to meet you. Sorry, what was your name again?”
“Cecily.”
With a smile and a nod, he moved on to say hello to a guy who was happy to see him.
“He’s cute,” Cecily said.
“And taken. Loyal too, if you care to know.”
“Not really the kind to run after other girl’s guys,” Cecily said.
Putting the top of her bottle to her lips, Tory considered her. “You’re really pretty.”
“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Clearly I’m not the only one who thinks you’re cute, because he’s actually coming over.” Tory shifted between her feet. “Hi, Adrian. Cool party.”
“Someone had to kick senior year off,” he said and lit a cigarette. “Not sure I’ll throw any more.” He looked around as if bored. “And what rock have you crawled out from under?”
Cecily was offended. That was pretty rude. “Switzerland, predominantly.”
“Catholic school?”
“Protestant.”
“So why are you here?”
Quite the interrogation. “To prepare for college.”
“Not Oxford or Sorbonne, then?”
“No,” she said. It seemed he had some familiarity with Europe. By the way he looked at her, he was clearly studying her.
“Junior?”
“Senior.”
There was awkward silence for a moment, but he didn’t seem urged to fill it.
“I’m so jealous you two only have one year left,” Tory said with a little laugh.
Adrian didn’t even look at her. “Was it your choice to come here? Leaving your school senior year harks some kind of maladjustment.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no, it wasn’t.”
He smiled. “Reined in by daddy. Have you been misbehaving?”
The statement stumped her. “No,” she replied, unsure whether she wanted to carry on with this conversation.
His eyes watched everything she did and it made her uncomfortable. “How’s your brother?” he finally asked, turning his attention to Tory.
“Good. Loves it over there.”
“Went as far away as he could, didn’t he?”
“Stanford is hardly out in the wilderness.”
“Studying politics, I hear? With his connections, I’m sure he could have gotten into Harvard.”
Adrian certainly seemed to be implying something and by the look of her face, Tory didn’t like it. “Stanford has one of the best political science programs.”
“Uh huh.”
“And where are you planning on going?” Cecily asked, partially to stop his thing with Tory, because it felt heavy.
“Haven’t decided,” he said. “Probably Columbia. Might study ethnic basket weaving.”
“Sounds very challenging. I take it you’re an artist?”
“In my very soul.”
It was the perfect time for Tory to come in with something terse, but she didn’t. She was scared of him, Cecily realized, and recalled how Tory had said he was harsh when people did things he didn’t like. Or was that only with girls?
Chapter 5
THE MURMUR AND LAUGHTER of students in the halls of Carterton Academy filled Adrian’s ears while he watched out the window, waiting for Cecily Chambers to arrive. After originally dismissing her at the party, his mind had returned to her again and again. More so as the party ended and there was only mess and drunk stragglers left. And yesterday, he’d gone through her social media in meticulous detail.
A lot of photos with her friends in St. Tropez, London, Paris. Dinner parties. And various photos of her in cute little Swiss villages. There was an innocence about them. She didn’t curate her social media professionally as some girls did. There wasn’t a professional photographer anywhere in sight. And there weren’t just photos of her, either. These where photos she’d taken. Flowers, architecture—things she’d bought.
“Hi,” a girl said, drawing his attention away. A freshman, who clutched her books to her chest and smiled coyly. Adrian was sure that worked for her normally. “My cousin knows your family really well.” She bit her lip. Quite forward for a freshman.
“My, aren’t you an ambitious girl with a healthy sense of entitlement,” he said with a grin and he turned his attention back to the window.
Now she didn’t know what to say. “I just thought I would introduce myself.”
Adrian actually knew the type, the girl that came in and chose the biggest, baddest on the block, and believed she had a good chance of success. That was her plan, what she had seen for herself. She would set herself up as queen of the school and just have a fantastic time. Based on her inane charm and unassailable sex appeal, he would simply fall at her feet.
It was an issue stemming from how some of these girls were raised. Entitled princesses who’d been given everything they wanted by doting fathers.
“No need to be such a dick,” she said as if her displeasure would shock him.
“No need not to be, really. Why shouldn’t I be? I can tell you how this will all go in one minute. I’ll invite you into the boy’s bathroom, tell you how pretty you are. You’ll blow me and I’ll come all over your pretty little face, then ignore you for the rest of the ye
ar. But I’ll do you a favor and won’t tell anyone,” he said with an exaggerated wink.
Her mouth opened in shocked protest, then with a huff, she turned sharply on her heels. “Dick,” she called as she walked away.
All in all, he’d probably done her a favor. That was the easy way for the girl to find out that things didn’t actually organize themselves around her whims. There were harder ways and there were guys at this school who specialized in trading on girls’ sense of entitlement.
But here was the sense of entitlement he was actually interested in. Cecily just stepped out of the black town car. Adrian studied her as she moved, her bag hanging from her shoulder as she spoke briefly to the driver. No security detail, he noted. Clearly Jeffrey Chambers didn’t feel any threat resulting from the shit he’d done.
Flinging her hair slightly, she turned around and headed toward the entrance of the school. In his brief engagements with her, he hadn’t quite gotten a handle on her yet. She wasn’t a complete doormat, but to what degree she had claws, he didn’t know either. But he hadn’t gotten the sense of a jaded battler either. There had been a wariness, however. Those bitches had probably warned her against him.
That only made this more interesting.
Her uniform was neat, her dark blond hair was neat. There was something sweet about her, raised in an exclusive protestant school in Switzerland. In did make her different from some of the girls around here, but he didn’t exactly know how.
As she entered the building, she disappeared from view.
“Hey,” Sebastian said. Adrian had been so focused he hadn’t even heard him approach. “See you dragged your ass here. Good start to the year.”
Adrian wasn’t in the mood to talk. Truthfully, he wanted to go see where Cecily had gone. As of yet, he hadn’t confirmed where her locker was, but it would be easy to find out. “What do you want, Seb?”
“Just wanted to see if you want to go out tonight? Maybe hit some dirty bar in Midtown.”
Sebastian always liked to get away from the upper east. Liked the girls. As for Adrian, he wasn’t sure he could be bothered. Even without thinking, he knew how the night would end up. There would be drinks, girls, dragged to some salacious party somewhere, to then wake up in some strange apartment or hotel room because he’d been too fucked up go home. And probably too fucked up to get laid too. That was the kind of night Seb wanted.
“Can’t,” Adrian said. “Have to have dinner with Dad tonight.”
“Come out after.”
“We’ll see. Probably won’t be in the mood.” It was rare he came away in a good mood after hanging with his dad. And really, did he want another round of Seb’s favorite nights? Seriously, wasn’t he too young to feel so jaded?
“Saw you sniffing around that new girl,” Seb said with a smile. Adrian frowned deeper, wishing these assholes would mind their own business. But Seb always paid attention to the new girls.
“Fuck off,” was all Adrian said.
“Not like you to pay attention to the high school girls. Nice girl, though. Isn’t she like a convent girl or something?” Seb said with a smile as he walked away.
“Seb,” Adrian called. “Stay away from her.”
“Like that, is it?” Seb’s gave him the finger before he walked around a corner.
“You have no idea,” Adrian said to himself. No, it wasn’t like that at all. He just didn’t want her sullied before he sent her down in flames.
Cecily was falling in with Audrina, who was apparently her cousin. That was useful, because he could get Mishti to gather or deliver any information he wanted. And Audrina, it remained to be seen if she remained loyal to family ties after he was done with Cecily.
The bell rang and grudgingly Adrian walked to English class. Warm fussies washed over him as he saw Cecily Chambers sitting in the middle of the far row. It was like fate was clearing the way for him. Instead of taking his usual desk, he veered toward the far row and stood by the seat next to hers. “Move,” he said to Stanley Isaacs, who promptly gave up the seat.
Cecily looked over as he sat down and he smiled. “Did you enjoy my party?”
Her mouth opened for a moment, then closed. “Yes, thank you for inviting me.”
“I didn’t invite you.”
Color crept up her cheeks. “I think the girls brought me along. They didn’t think you’d mind.”
“Would you mind strangers turning up at your house?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Luckily you’re somewhat pretty and sufficiently well-mannered. I’ll forgive you this one time.”
A confused frown drew her eyebrows together. She didn’t know how to take this, or if he was serious. Turns out, she wasn’t all that good at hiding her thoughts and emotions. They showed right on her face.
“Is there a boyfriend in the picture that you also seek to drag along to my parties?” There hadn’t been signs of one on social media lately. There were a few photos of her smiling with some Euro-douche from the spring. And again, as she’d been skiing in the Alps with her friends.
“Are you asking if I have a boyfriend?”
“I think it sounded just like that. Was there anything about the question you found confusing?”
“Just the tone, I guess.”
Class started and they had to turn their attention to the teacher, who talked about fucking Chaucer. Meanwhile, Adrian spent it thinking about the girl beside him. Her fingers were slim and elegant. Her shoes were black suede flats. Long pale legs, with the hint of a tan. He took it that with her coloring, she didn’t tan easily. Certainly didn’t fake it.
Ugh, it was unbearable that he had to put up with another year of this. Obviously he would do the work needed. Failure simply wasn’t something the Morecrofts traded in. Although there was a big one marring their record. Even so, it was more important than ever not to embrace it.
Maybe he should have fucked that freshman. He wouldn’t be feeling so antsy now. Or maybe it was having dinner with his dad that made him feel bored and restless. It wasn’t ever something he looked forward to. But his father insisted, seeing these dinners as the sum of his fatherly duties, because he always preferred to spend time with whatever mistress de jour he had holed up somewhere in an apartment.
And his mother was drunk in her house in Bermuda. His parents would never get divorced. It wasn’t the done thing, but their marriage had ended quite some time ago. It had actually taken a while for him to realize his parents weren’t actually together. Because they’d both lied about it very effectively. And he’d been too gullible to question them. Looking back, it had been such a long time ago.
He couldn’t even remember the perspective of the world he’d had as a kid. Then it had turned out that a lot of the things he’d believed in were lies. And now it had turned out that his father’s invincibility was a lie too. Jeffrey Chambers was responsible, the victor. Was she even aware? Did she have any idea? Probably not. From her social media, all she cared about was her friends, shopping and dinner parties. Once she got herself sorted, she would fit right into the elite Manhattan society.
Chapter 6
ADRIAN WAS IN HER ENGLISH class every morning, but otherwise he ignored her. It wasn’t hard to work out the reverence people around here had for him. When he spoke, people listened. It wasn’t that simple, however, Cecily was starting to learn. There were challengers and usurpers. There always were in any kingdom. The challenge came more from the lacrosse players, who had a kind of cool credibility that came from being adored by the whole community around the school. Adrian was definitely not part of that crowd, and there appeared to be a degree of ignoring each other. Kind of like kings and popes.
There were also the usurpers, who were vying for position next year when Adrian and his crowd, that seemed to consist of Sebastian Hawke, Finn Trueblood and Zayn Summers, had all gone off to college. They were very male centric, Cecily determined. The only hint of a queen was Abby Wishart, who was apparently not together with Adrian, bu
t there was history. Or so Morgan had explained.
This was all quite fascinating and Cecily wondered if she should actually major in social anthropology in college. She hadn’t even considered a career in academia. Truthfully, she hadn’t really considered a career in any detail. Over the summer, she’d been so pre-occupied about returning to Europe, she hadn’t even considered what she would do there.
It might not be socially correct to say so, but a lot of the girls in her school, her old one, probably as well as this one, their true objective was to get married. Not much had changed since her mother’s time, when she had come out as a debutant with the only objective being to marry. In the meantime getting a degree in fine arts. Russian seventeenth century art at that. How her mother had decided on that major, Cecily still had no idea, because she wasn’t all that interested in art.
“I’m going to Bergdorf after school. You want to come?” Tory asked.
“Sure,” Cecily replied. It wasn’t as if she was interested in shopping right now, but she had no reason not to.
“I need a dress to this fundraising gala my parents are forcing me to go to. My mom’s a patron of the charity. Got a yoga class later. You can come to that too. I guess you don’t have all your classes and things sorted. I keep forgetting that you’re brand new. You haven’t gotten anything sorted. Have you even got a hairdresser?”
“Nope,” Cecily said.
“You know the best ones don’t take on new clients, and when they do it’s only by reference. I’ll pass your name on to mine.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Life sucks when you don’t have a great hairdresser. It’s like trusting someone with your child. So what’s up with you and Adrian? Has he been in touch?”
“No, why would he be?”
“I don’t know. I just thought as he took such an interest in you at the party. That is quite rare. He doesn’t normally take an interest in anyone. There was no doubt he was checking you out.”
