“Did you see how she fell?” A girl snickered.
“Serves her right,” another voice answered. “You read the articles, right?”
I stiffened, pulling my feet up onto the toilet so they wouldn’t know I was there.
“Yeah,” the first girl sighed. “Poor Crispin. That girl is bad news.”
“He should’ve done something worse to her,” the other girl agreed. “Like cut that braid off. He’d be doing her a favor, anyway. I mean, lilac hair? Really? What is this, 2009 at Coachella?”
“She’s a loser,” the first voice answered, and they both laughed. “Plain and simple, and Crispin totally knows it. Everybody knows it. She probably does, too.”
I forced myself to bite back tears, waiting until they left the bathroom to exit. My face was red and blotchy, but I only had five minutes until the next class, and I couldn’t afford to be late, again.
Pushing open the door, I walked into the hallway, feeling every pair of eyes in the long space on me. I kept my head down, briskly walking toward the next class, when he called out to me.
“Hey, crybaby!”
The hallway was so quiet I could have heard a feather float. I tried to keep moving when he appeared in front of me.
“I was talking to you, Devin Mooney.”
I looked up into Crispin’s stupid storm-grey eyes, hating every second of our interaction.
Ugh, he was ridiculously handsome. How was this fair to the rest of us mortals? And why did he keep picking on me?
“Don’t call me that,” I muttered. “In fact, don’t call me fucking anything.”
“Crybaby?” He laughed. “I think I will, actually. Suits you, since you’re already crying on your first goddamn day. Which, let me remind you, could have been prevented.”
“Stay away from me, Crispin. I don’t need you.”
“Oh, poor little rich girl,” he smirked. “I think you and that mother of yours are the ones who need to stay the fuck away. I’m just giving you the option to make your life here better than the fucking nightmare you’re in store for if you don’t do as I say.”
“The option?” I laughed out loud bitterly. “And what might I have to do to make you take pity on me?”
He came closer, his presence intimidating and his gaze intense. “Do everything I say.” His tone softened. “Follow my every command. Be a good girl, and I’ll reward you accordingly.”
“I’m not your lapdog.” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, if you were, your life would be a lot easier.”
Feeling braver than I was, I uttered, “I like a challenge.” The burn of my blush tinged my cheeks when I turned around and half-walked, half-ran to my next class.
His laughter echoed in my mind for the next few hours as I struggled to get through math and philosophy. High school was a trip. Mean boys and pretty girls lined the rooms at Wildwood, making me feel even more miserable than I’d thought possible. The clang of the bell hours later sent a rush of relief coursing through me. It meant it was time for lunch, although, that was nerve-wracking on its own. Where the hell was I going to sit?
Slowly, I gathered everything I’d scattered over my desk and made my way to the cafeteria. The hallways were filled with people, bodies pushing this way and that, the scent of expensive perfume and cologne thick in the air. God, they even smelled fucking good. I followed them farther inside the space that would make or break my time at Wildwood.
The cafeteria was spacious and just as modern as the rest of the campus. The room opened into a large sitting area which spilled out onto the courtyard. High ceilings and a lot of space made it appear airy and relaxed, but I’d seen enough teen movies to know it wouldn’t all be fun and games. And as far as food was concerned, there were almost too many options, all of them gourmet and making my mouth water. At least I could muster up an appetite.
I joined the line for a meal and opted for the mandarin quinoa salad. I grabbed a chia drink and left the line feeling strange for not paying. But all the food here was included in the hefty tuition Mom had shelled out for my time at Wildwood, which only made me feel more guilty. I needed to find a way to make this work.
Coming to stand at the end of the pickup line, I felt the blush creeping into my cheeks. There was nothing scarier than staring into an open cafeteria of a new school, not knowing where the hell you were going to sit. The fear held me captive until a familiar voice called my name.
"Tins! Over here!"
The relief was intense, and I turned to the left, feeling the pit in my stomach fill once my eyes connected with Estella's. My best friend was pure perfection, all five-feet-eleven inches of her. Her hair was luscious and thick, a deep shade of brown, while her eyes were a mesmerizing shade of blue. The girl had an hourglass figure that would make Kim K jealous. She’d been my best friend for a few months, and she was the one bright spot in my future at Wildwood. As I locked eyes with her, relief flooded me. She was still wearing the friendship bracelet, the same one that I had around my wrist. She still cares!
I neared the table where she sat with a timid, mousy blonde and plopped down on the bench, not before Estella shooed some girls off to make room for me. It made me feel special; that acceptance instantly made me feel more at ease.
The table made the girl.
"Babe, this is Inca." Estella motioned to the girl next to her with a saccharine sweet smile. "She's my little pet project this year."
Inca blushed to the roots of her hair, her lips tugging upwards in the way expected of her, though she was obviously uncomfortable.
"Inca, this is Tinsley, my best friend in the whole wide world," Estella went on in a sing-song voice.
Stells was the kind of friend a girl met once in a lifetime, and we’d been thick as thieves since she’d guest starred on Devin Mooney. Even though she was the quintessential mean girl from time to time, she always treated me nicely. There were a couple of years between us, but we had clicked instantly. Knowing she went to Wildwood had calmed my anxiety over the whole high school experience I was about to live, or, more likely, stumble through.
"Has anyone bothered you today, amor?" Estella asked with raised brows, leaning toward me with a conspiratorial nudge. "Just say the word, and I'll get the problem fixed for you." She punched her palm with her fist.
"I'll be fine," I assured her, choosing not to mention the earlier incident. It was nothing, anyway. That guy probably just bumped into me by accident. "I met a really nice girl."
"Oh, really?" Estella asked, spreading organic peanut butter on a rye cracker. "Who is she?"
"She's a sophomore," I explained. "Her name is Andromeda. Cool, right?"
She stopped with her knife in the air, raising her eyes at me. "As in, Awkward Andromeda? Like, the biggest freak in the school? God, Tins, you really know how to pick ‘em."
I furrowed my brows, shaking my head and muttering, "No, that can't be her. She's gorgeous and super sweet."
Estella gave me a doubtful look, sighing dramatically. "Honestly, babe, how many Andromedas do you think there are in this school? I know exactly who you're talking about, and I'm telling you now, don't associate yourself with her. You don't want to hurt your reputation at Wildwood from the get-go, right, cariño?"
While she talked, I let my eyes scan the cafeteria crowd, and they stopped on a now-familiar tall, lanky figure. Andromeda waved at me, jumping up to catch my attention. Her star stickers reflected the light.
"Right," I muttered, looking away.
I wasn't sure whether Estella saw us, but I felt guilt settling right back in the pit of my stomach as I turned to my salad. But my appetite was well and truly gone, and after a couple of minutes picking at the mandarin and quinoa, I pushed it away, done pretending.
The whole time, Estella had been chatting with the other girls, making Inca and myself outcasts. We exchanged a few glances, but neither of us spoke. Lunch was miserable, and despite sitting at the cool kids' table, I felt singled out and alone. Great. Just great.
/>
I used the time alone to inspect the rest of the people sitting at our table. Estella's other friends either wore lacrosse or cheerleading jackets over their uniforms. Occasionally, one of them would glance at me, but Estella gave them the death glare a second later, so no one dared snicker or say anything. I was grateful for that. Despite the comfort of my best friend attending the same high school, there was still someone I'd have to deal with throughout the year. Although I didn’t want to admit it, I was more terrified of a certain Crispin Dalton than anyone else who went there. Nobody else had the power to hurt me as much as he did.
Estella may have been able to protect me around her cheerleader friends, but Crispin was something else. Fear ran through my veins, and I braced myself for the next time I’d have to see him, already afraid of the pain he’d undoubtedly cause.
Yet, when he appeared in the dining hall—looking every inch the teenage dream I remembered him to be—all the blood rushed to my head. Calm your tits, woman.
Estella seemed to notice Crispin’s arrival, too, leaning over and nudging me with her elbow. “You okay?” she asked, motioning to him. “Do I need to kick some Dalton ass?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Just say the word, and I’ll make him bite the curb,” Estella promised with a conspiratorial wink.
I averted my gaze but not before catching him looking at our table.
Crispin Dalton was like a freaking magnet. I swear every girl in that goddamn room stared, but he sauntered right across the cafeteria toward us. The noise quieted as if people were waiting to hear what he'd say. I knew my life at Wildwood depended on the way Crispin treated me. So far, it wasn’t very promising. He hated me, I thought guiltily. I was the reason everything went to hell for him.
"Hey."
God, his voice was all low and gravelly and freaking irresistibly sexy. It would be so much easier to just hate him. I wished I could. I needed to.
I swallowed hard, finally looking up through black lashes. "What now?" I muttered, despising myself. “Just, fucking… leave me alone. I don’t know how many times I have to ask you.”
Maybe he was just trying to be nice this time. But I didn’t trust him. The whole world was at a standstill as I waited for his next move. Slowly, he cracked a grin and sat down on the bench next to me as if the classroom fall had never happened. As if we were friends. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but him being this close wasn't helping matters much.
“Reconsidered my offer?” he asked.
"No,” I grunted. “Like I already told you two freaking times, I’m not interested.”
“Suit yourself,” he ground out. “Just saying, you could be prom queen in less than a year. You could have your dream high school experience. Just do as I say. Would that be so goddamn hard?”
Staring into his eyes, I found myself falling under their spell. They were so deep and tempting but so damn cruel at the same time. “Yes, it would be the stuff of nightmares.”
I can’t think of a single way to get past what had happened. We can’t just pretend it was nothing.
"Have you been showing her the ropes?" Crispin's next question was meant for Estella, and my skin bristled with jealousy as he looked at her, pretending our conversation hadn’t taken place.
"Yeah." Estella smiled. "Don't you worry. I'm going to take good care of our little Tins."
Somehow, my best friend had managed to make me feel small despite the fact I was older. She hadn’t meant to. It was her mere presence that caused me to pale in comparison. I'd never be as pretty, as tall, as freaking loaded, or as sexy as Estella. And I knew without a doubt, if Crispin had to pick between us, he'd pick her.
I decided on the spot that he'd only come over to talk to her, and the feeling ate me up while they chatted easily. A moment later, I realized Crispin had asked me a question I'd completely missed by worrying myself sick. "Sorry?" I muttered, hoping my cheeks weren't as red hot as they felt.
“I said, how’s your mom these days?” he repeated.
“Crispin.” Estella’s voice held a stern warning. “Don’t go there.”
“I’m just asking.” He shrugged. “Is she still fucking her way to the top?”
I got up, grabbing my chia drink, but his fingers wrapped around it, too, yanking it out of my reach.
“Let go,” I demanded.
“Crispin, leave her alone,” Estella insisted.
"I was just telling Estella she should come to my party." He grinned, winking at my friend and pulling the drink out of my hand. He unscrewed the cap and took a long swig while I glared.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a blast.” Estella smiled, though her expression was still strained, glancing between Crispin and me. “Are you…”
An awkward silence lay between us. I knew what she was going to ask. My friend wanted to elicit an invitation for me as well.
“You should come,” Crispin said easily, his hand leaving mine and making my skin tingle in its wake. “Bury the hatchet.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather not.”
“Aww.” Crispin laughed. " Such a shame, crybaby. I think this is basically your last chance to drink out of a red Solo cup. You ain’t getting any younger.”
Sometimes it was so easy to forget how close we used to be. “Those are still a thing?”
"Why don't you find out?" Getting up, he grabbed his backpack. "My place. Nine Friday night. We're having a little get together since my... mom and sister will be out of town.”
I looked down, feeling the shame burning me. And that's all my fault.
"Why Crispin Dalton," Estella purred. “Are you extending the invite?”
"Yeah. Bring some friends." He glanced at the cheerleaders with a smirk. "Got the address, yeah?"
"Yeah," I whispered.
"Cool, maybe we'll drop by." Estella shrugged.
"See you then. Maybe."
Estella and I locked eyes, and I sighed deeply. “Tins,” she sighed. “Why are you fighting this? I mean, he’s literally offering to make your life easier.”
“I don’t need his help,” I muttered. “And I don’t want to go to his stupid party.”
“I think you should,” she said. “It’ll be good for you. Like Crispin said, it’s time to bury the hatchet.”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on,” she insisted. “I’ll even keep you company, so you don’t have to deal with him too much.”
“Maybe,” I muttered, making her squeal in excitement.
"Okay, get ready at my place on Friday," Estella said. "You do the hair; I'll pick the outfits."
“I really…” I started. “I really don’t think I should go.”
“What? You’ve got to go. His parties are legendary.”
“But, Stells, I can’t just go to Crispin Dalton’s house. My mom would kill me.”
“So, don’t tell her.” She grinned wickedly. “We’ll tell her the party’s at my place.”
I gave her a doubtful look, trying to ignore the hopeful beat of my heart. "Deal.”
He did invite me, which means…he doesn't hate me. Maybe. Possibly. Probably.
We finished our lunch, but by the time we were done with our food, I felt increasingly more guilty about the Andromeda thing and how I'd pretended not to see her in the cafeteria.
Estella walked me to my next class, and we hugged goodbye. I wouldn't see her again until the next day. She was already on her way to her classroom when I spoke up.
"Hey, Estella?"
She turned to face me again, her grin so pearly white it was almost blinding. "Yeah?"
"Um, I was wondering if I can invite someone for Friday," I said.
"Oh God," she rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me it's that Andromeda girl."
I stayed sheepishly quiet, and she groaned, shaking her head. "Honestly, Tinsley, there are cooler people who need your charity way more than that girl."
"She's really good at makeup," I offered. "Maybe she can help us get ready."
"Yeah, no thanks." She groaned. "I’d rather not go out looking like a circus clown."
I remained quiet, and she finally waved her hand in the air dismissively.
"Fine, tell her to drop by my place at seven. We can get ready together."
I beamed, running up to her and giving her a quick hug. "Thank you," I whispered into her ear. "You don't know how grateful I am. And watching out for me, too. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Babe." She took me by the shoulders, staring into my eyes. "You would be fine without me. You might even be better off."
"What do you mean?" I furrowed my brows.
"You prefer to stay in the shadows; I get it," she said gently. "But you should be the center of attention, Tins. You're the sweetest, kindest friend I've ever had, and I want the world to know it. There’s a reason you’re a superstar. And, babe... The scandals of others shouldn't shape your life. I don't care what People says. You’re your own person. Not the sins of your mother."
I managed a trembling smile, looking up at her as I muttered, "You really think I'm a superstar?"
"Duh," she rolled her eyes, giving me a wicked grin as she pulled back. "Why else would I hang out with you?"
She blew me a kiss over her shoulder and left me wondering whether I would ever really be able to move past the story that had made it to every tabloid in the world.
After all, like mother like daughter…
Read with Kindle Unlimited or buy the book here!
Also by Betti Rosewood
LORDS OF WILDWOOD
Boys That Tease
Boys That Read
ELITE OF EDEN FALLS PREP
A Hurt So Sweet Volume One
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Two
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Three
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Two: A Dark High School Bully Romance Page 18
