Aside from him, my mom, and the Silvercreek people, only three people knew about the video.
Adam, Trina, and Hunter.
Adam was a definite no-go. He had no reason to hurt me, and even if he did, he’d known about the video for a whole month now. That meant he’d had weeks to get his hands on it and hurt me with it if that was what he wanted. So why would he do it now?
It made no sense.
Trina was much the same. I’d recently discovered that she wasn’t averse to keeping things from me, like the fact that she was best friends with Lindsay Connery when she was alive—something she seemed to have misled me about when we first met—but lying by omission didn’t necessarily make her some sort of psychopath who couldn’t be trusted under any circumstances. Also, like Adam, she simply had no reason to hurt me.
None at all.
That left only one person.
Hunter.
Not only did he find out about the tape very recently, giving him just enough time to get his hands on it and use it against me, there was a precedent to this kind of behavior from him. He’d hated and bullied me in the past, and now that I was thinking about it without a rose-tinted lens of attraction and passion, I realized it was incredibly stupid and naïve of me to think he’d changed his tune so easily.
Of course he did this to me. Of fucking course.
I swallowed hard and raised my chin, looking squarely at Camila and Kiri. “Yes,” I said. “It was him.”
2
Laney
Adam and Trina were waiting for me outside the clubroom when I was done with the Medusa girls.
“Hey, how did it go?” Trina asked, gently rubbing the side of my arm.
I offered her a small smile. “It was okay. I’ll be initiated in a few days.”
“What does that involve?”
I shrugged. “No idea. But I was told that I have to choose some sort of gift to receive at the end of it.”
“Ooh, nice,” Adam said. I could tell he was struggling to keep his tone light after everything that had happened this morning. “What did you pick?”
“I couldn’t think of anything, so they said they’d surprise me.”
“Cool!” Adam offered me his arm. “You ready to go?”
I looked down the hall, pulse racing. “Is it safe?”
He nodded. “I haven’t seen Hunter or anyone else. I think Trina drove everyone off with her banshee yelling.”
Trina grinned and elbowed him. “Hey, my banshee yelling was totally necessary!”
I took a deep breath and grabbed Adam’s arm. “Okay. Let’s go to my dorm. I want to curl up in a ball on my bed and pretend today never happened.”
We headed across Royal Hall, making sure we took the narrower side halls so that we could avoid all of the areas where students usually congregated between classes—the locker banks, the cafeteria, the halls leading to the quad.
We managed to avoid everyone until we stepped into a hall near the science labs on our way to one of the side entrances.
“Ms. Collins! Stop!”
I turned to see Headmaster Sanders hurrying toward us from the other end of the hall. “Oh, shit,” I muttered, shoulders slumping.
“Guess it was only a matter of time before he hunted us down,” Adam said, rolling his eyes upward.
Sanders finally reached us, chest heaving from the exertion of chasing us down. “Ms. Collins, I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” he said, mopping his brow with a handkerchief. “We need to have a discussion about—”
I held up a palm, not even caring if I seemed rude. “Sir, please,” I said, my voice close to cracking. “I really can’t do this right now. Can we talk another time?”
I expected Sanders to huff angrily, but instead he nodded. “Of course. I just wanted to let you know that you aren’t in any trouble for that… that incident in the auditorium. I’m aware of the true nature of that deplorable video, and I will be doing everything I can to find the student—or students—responsible for displaying it.” He stopped and cleared his throat. “I also wanted to extend my deepest apologies to you, Laney. I’m genuinely ashamed that something like this has happened on my campus.”
“Oh,” I said meekly. After my past experiences with Sanders, I was expecting him to find some way to blame me for the whole thing.
“How do you know what the video really is?” Trina asked, eyes narrowing.
Sanders neatly folded his handkerchief and slipped it back in his pocket as he replied. “A student came and informed me about it after the incident,” he said crisply. “Like I said, I’m disgusted that someone could do something so terrible to a fellow RFA student, and my staff and I will get to the bottom of it.”
“A student?” Trina cocked her head to the side.
Sanders shot her a quizzical look. “Hm?”
“You just said that a student told you that the video showed an assault. Which student in particular?” she asked.
“It was Hunter Connery,” Sanders said. “He was very concerned about you, Laney.”
Trina let out a derisive snort. “Well, if you care so much about getting to the bottom of the incident, you need to call Hunter right back into your office. He’s the one who did it.”
His brows shot up. “You think he was responsible?”
“Yes. Hunter Connery and his band of merry manbabies set up that video,” Trina said, arms folding.
“Why would he track me down and tell me about the video if he was responsible for displaying it?”
“Because he’s trying to get on top of the whole thing by making himself look innocent right away. It’s like how criminals sometimes insert themselves into investigations and act like they’re helping. They want to be close to it so they know what’s going on, and they also want to make themselves seem like they’re above suspicion,” she said. “Oh, also, Hunter was one of the only people on this campus who knew about the existence of that video.”
Sanders rubbed his chin. “I see,” he said frostily. “In that case, I’ll have to have another chat with him.”
“Good.” Trina took a step back. “You’ve let him and his cronies get away with this bullshit for far too long.”
Sanders cleared his throat again, looking deeply uncomfortable. “I think it’s time for you two to get to class now,” he said, motioning to Adam and Trina. He turned his gaze to me. “Laney, you can go back to your dorm and spend the rest of the day there, if that’s what you’d like. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for you to stand in these halls right now.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Actually, sir, I was wondering… could I have the rest of the week off?” I asked. “I’ll still do all of my work, of course. I just don’t want to go into any of my classes for a few days. Not while that video is still fresh in everyone’s heads.”
I knew I was asking for a lot, but to my surprise, he nodded right away. “That’s understandable, and it’s probably a good idea considering the circumstances,” he said. “I’ll make the arrangements with your teachers and have Ms. Flores drop your classwork off each morning, and you can skip all of your extracurriculars. But only until Friday. We can’t let today’s incident affect your schooling forever.”
“I know. Thank you, sir,” I said.
He gave me a thin smile. “You’re welcome.”
Trina’s brows lifted. “While you’re handing out favors, would it be okay for Adam and me to skip the next few periods?”
“Why?” Sanders asked, turning his attention to her.
“I just don’t think Laney should be alone after what happened. It might even be a good idea for us to take her off campus altogether for a while,” she said. “We could take her into town and get her some pancakes at our favorite place. I know it won’t fix what happened, but it could help to cheer her up a bit.”
Sanders let out a sigh. “You’re really pushing it, Ms. Seaborne, but… all right. You can skip your morning classes and return after lunch.”
“Thanks
, sir.”
He shot her and Adam a warning look. “I mean what I said. I expect both of you back in your usual classes by fifth period.”
“We’ll be there.”
Sanders straightened his shoulders. “All right, then. I’ll talk to all of you soon.”
He strode away, and my eyes widened as I watched him go. “Wow. He was a lot nicer than usual.”
Trina snorted. “Of course he was. He’s probably worried you’re going to try to sue the school.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line. “If I had a lawyer, I’d probably think about it.”
“Save yourself the trouble,” Adam said. “We know Hunter did it, which means my dad would end up paying for it, so we may as well skip all the legal drama, and I’ll just write you a check on behalf of my family now.”
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Thanks for the offer, but it’s not your fault your brother is an asshole. You shouldn’t have to pay.”
He shrugged. “Eh, it’s my dad’s money, so it’s fine.”
“Well, if I’m ever that strapped for cash, I’ll consider hitting you up.”
“You can let me pay for the pancakes, at least,” he said, returning my smile. “Let’s go.”
Half an hour later, the three of us were in our usual booth at Café Seven with the biggest spread of comfort food I’d ever seen. Adam and Trina had ordered almost everything on the menu.
It looked and smelled heavenly, but I wasn’t hungry. All I could do was listlessly prod at my syrup-coated pancakes, wishing I didn’t feel so sick.
Trina looked at me from across the table with a wrinkled brow. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Like I’ll throw up if I actually eat anything.”
“I meant emotionally, not physically,” she said, tilting her chin very slightly to one side.
I put my fork down and sighed. “I guess I feel kind of numb,” I said. “It almost feels like this morning happened to another person.”
She offered me a sympathetic smile. “I get it.”
“I just can’t believe Hunter would do this to me,” I said, shaking my head.
“Me neither,” Adam said. “He’s done shitty things in the past, but this is a whole new level. I’m actually shocked that he did it.”
Trina nodded. “Same. I mean, I always thought he was a dick, even before you started at RFA,” she said, still looking at me. “But this surpasses every expectation I’ve ever had of him and his capacity for being a dick. It’s unbelievable.”
Adam’s brows furrowed at that. “Hold on… why are we so sure it was actually him?” he said slowly.
“What do you mean?” Trina said. “It was obviously him.”
“I know that was the conclusion we jumped to, but now I don’t know if it actually makes sense,” he replied. “Like we were just saying, this is a real low, even for someone like Hunter. I just can’t see him doing it.”
“Doesn’t mean he didn’t.”
“But he wasn’t the only one who knew about that video. We did,” he said, gesturing to himself and then Trina. “I mean, obviously it wasn’t us who did this shit, but who knows? Someone could’ve overheard us talking about it that night, when Laney first told us. Right?”
“No.” Trina shook her head. “The place was totally empty, unless you count the waitress and the owner. But they wouldn’t do this shit.”
Adam’s shoulders slumped. “Oh. Right.” He sighed and rubbed his jaw. “It’s just so hard to believe Hunter could stoop this low. I know he’s an asshole most of the time, but he’s still my brother, you know?”
Trina averted her eyes and stirred her coffee. “I get what you mean, but I really don’t think he’s innocent in any of this,” she said. “He’s tortured Laney for ages. So why would we believe that he’d suddenly change and turn into a nice guy? It has to be him.”
“Yeah. I guess so,” he replied.
I rubbed my eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “I keep thinking about it, and I can’t understand why he’d do it. Or why he’d hate me so much. I thought we were….” Falling for each other, I wanted to say. “I thought we were fine with each other,” I ended up saying instead. “So why would he want to hurt me like this?”
“Maybe he planned to do it before you guys made up,” Adam suggested. “And he forgot to stop it from happening.”
I shook my head. “We made up on the same day I told him about the video. So that’s not possible.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Maybe he didn’t believe you,” Trina said, looking back up at me.
“About what?”
“The whole Lindsay thing. Maybe he was only pretending to believe you when you told him it wasn’t you. Maybe he still thinks you did it.”
Adam’s brows shot up. “Oh, shit. That’s gotta be it,” he said.
“But why the hell would he say he believed me if he didn’t?”
“To lull you into a false sense of security,” Trina said. “So he could hit you when you least suspected it. When you were as vulnerable as he could possibly get you.”
That was the same thing the Medusa girls said earlier. I nodded slowly, wishing it would sink into my brain properly. “I guess so,” I mumbled.
“I bet he was probably even going to try to sleep with you and make you think he was falling in love with you,” she said. “Just to make sure you’d really feel it when he turned around and betrayed you.”
I swallowed hard and looked down at my plate, blazing-hot shame creeping over my cheeks.
Trina’s face fell. “Oh, no. Laney. Tell me you didn’t.”
I couldn’t speak. I simply nodded as a fresh round of tears spilled out, dripping onto my napkin.
“You slept with Hunter?” Adam asked, eyes wide.
Another silent nod.
“When?”
“Yesterday,” I choked out.
Trina let out a short sigh. “And then the video got released just a few hours later,” she said, cutting her eyes to Adam. “Still think he might be innocent?”
Adam put his head in his hands. “Fuck,” he muttered. “I’m going to kill him. Seriously. I can’t believe he’d do this to you, Laney.”
“It wasn’t really him,” I said. “I mean, he kissed me first, but I did the rest.”
Trina shook her head. “No. He manipulated you into thinking it was all your choice.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I mumbled, picking at my nails.
“Did he make you feel like he had real feelings for you?” she asked, leaning forward. “And did he make you think you’d be together afterwards?”
“Yes, but—”
“He manipulated you, Laney. It’s literally the oldest trick in the book—act like you’re in love to get laid,” she said. “But in Hunter’s case, he didn’t just want to get laid. He wanted to break your heart. And the worst thing about it is that he has you blaming yourself and feeling like you deserve it for being so trusting and naïve.”
“Well, it’s only a matter of time before everyone else knows how naïve I am too,” I said with a sigh. “I’m sure he’s already told all of his friends.”
“Yeah, probably,” Adam said, eyes tightening at the corners. “I honestly wish I wasn’t related to him. He’s such a fucking prick.”
“At least I’m joining the Medusa girls now,” I said. “So everyone at school can think horrible stuff about me if they want, but none of them can actually say or do anything to me.”
Trina bit her bottom lip and frowned. “Are you sure you want to join them?” she asked.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Adam said before I could respond. “They’ll be able to protect her from anyone who tries to bully her from now on. Even Hunter.”
“I know, but I remember you saying you got a weird vibe from them when you had lunch with them a few weeks ago,” Trina said, still focusing on me. “Do you still feel that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it’ll be fine. I don’t actually hav
e to participate in any of the stuff that I don’t want to do,” I said. “And when I finish this year, they’re going to pay for me to go to college wherever I want.”
Adam let out a low whistle. “That’s a pretty sweet deal.”
“I know. So I think it’ll be worth it in the end. I just have to try and get through the rest of this year at RFA.”
“Well, with the Medusas on your side, I think it’ll be doable,” Adam said.
Trina looked unconvinced. “I don’t know. What happened today was really, really bad. Even the Medusa girls might not be able to stop it all from continuing.”
“Well, I guess I just have to hope that they can,” I said, stomach churning.
Her shoulders drooped as she let out a deep breath. “I hate to say it… but maybe you should just leave,” she said in a low voice.
I raised my eyes to match her gaze. “What?”
“Leave RFA, I mean.”
“You think I should quit?”
She nodded. “I know I begged you for ages to hang in there, but things are seriously awful now. I honestly think it might be best if you left.”
Before I could reply, Adam spoke up. “It kinda sounds like you’re trying to get rid of her,” he said, one brow arching.
Trina’s eyes widened. “No, of course not!” she said, vehemently shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Laney. I know how that must’ve sounded. But I’m honestly worried about your safety. Not just your physical safety, either. I’m worried about your mind.”
“My mind?” I said, brows furrowing.
“These bullies have been fucking horrible to you. And this thing today….” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I don’t even know how you’ve dealt with it so far. If it was happening to me, I think I’d totally lose my shit. And I’m worried it’ll get to a point where they finally push you too far, and you’ll just snap and—”
She stopped abruptly, face flushing bright pink.
Shattered Kingdom: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Royal Falls Elite Book 2) Page 2
