by Jade, Ashley
“Beyond fucked up.” Expression full of disgust, Dylan looks at me. “Want me to give them a taste of their own medicine?”
As much as I appreciate her offer, I don’t believe two wrongs make a right.
Something tells me I can’t say the same about my former self.
Jace clenches his fists. “We can’t let them get away with this.”
“We need to call the police.” Cole’s green eyes flash with rage. “Have those little bitches arrested.”
Dad takes out his phone. “Oh, trust me, son, when I’m through with them—”
I quickly halt him before he makes the phone call. “I don’t want you to call the police.”
As nice as it is to hear them all getting along for once, this isn’t what I want.
Five sets of eyes blink in confusion.
Jace looks at me like I’ve sprouted another head. “Why not?”
I take a deep breath and let it out. “Because I deserved it.”
That does nothing to clear up their confusion.
“Bianca,” Sawyer says softly. “No one deserves this.”
She’s wrong. “I’d agree, but while they were…you know, beating me up. I had a flashback.” I wipe my damp palms on my skirt. “I—uh. I was really mean to them.” Tears clog my vision because I feel like such a horrible person. “I made their lives miserable and I think they attacked me today to protect themselves and make sure I knew they wouldn’t stand for it anymore.”
And I can’t blame them one iota.
Sawyer and Dylan exchange a glance.
The fact that no one jumps to my defense tells me all I need to know.
The old Bianca was rotten to the core.
Unfortunately for me, I’m the one paying for her behavior.
My stomach rolls with my next thought. God only knows how many enemies I have at school.
Finally, Jace speaks, “Bianca, I get what you’re saying, but we still have to do something. What they did was…extreme.”
Cole nods in agreement. “I don’t care how much of a bitch you were to them in the past, it doesn’t warrant them attacking you the way they did. For fuck’s sake, you need crutches to get around. You couldn’t defend yourself even if you wanted to.”
“Which is exactly why they did it,” Dylan whispers, appearing deep in thought. “They wanted to strike while she was down.”
Sawyer huffs out an irritated breath. “Which means this wasn’t an impulsive mistake that got out of hand.” Her face scrunches up. “It was calculated.”
Cole rubs his forehead. “Man, who knew girls could be so damn vindictive.”
Sawyer and Dylan give him a look as if to say, ‘Duh.’
Dad holds up his phone. “I’m going to have them all arrested for assault and put behind bars.” Sadness flickers in his eyes. “Sweetheart, I know I haven’t always…” His voice trails off and he tries again. “I need to make sure you’re safe and those girls pay for what they did to you.”
Jace’s expression softens and for once he’s not looking at our father like he’s dirt on the bottom of his shoes.
“Hold on,” I say as the thought occurs to me. “I think I have a better solution.”
If Caitlyn and the rest of the cheerleaders want me gone and the entire school has a preconceived notion of me because of how I was…maybe, it’s best I go someplace new.
This way, this Bianca can have a fresh start and not be judged for what she did and how she treated people in the past.
“I want to change schools.”
Jace and Dad exchange a perplexed glance.
“Why?” Cole questions. “All your friend—” I can see the exact moment it dawns on him. “Right.”
Dad shakes his head. “Absolutely not. Royal Hearts Academy is a very prestigious school. One that looks spectacular on college applications. I’m not letting these girls ruin your future.”
Jace shrugs. “Plus, the only school you’d be able to transfer to is Royal Manor High.”
“And trust me, you don’t want to go there. That place is full of gangs and thugs from the bad side of town.” Cole narrows his eyes. “Not to mention their football team sucks balls.”
It’s all I can do not to roll my eyes.
“I was at RHA for four hours and got jumped in the bathroom,” I remind them. “Besides, going someplace new would give me a fresh start—”
“No,” Dad argues. “It’s out of the question.”
Agitated, I fall against the hospital bed. It’s clear he’s not going to budge without a fight, and I’ve had enough fighting for one day.
“I still don’t want them arrested—” I start to say until I remember something Caitlyn said to me. “The accident…”
I can’t even bring myself to say the words.
Jace’s brows pinch. “What’s wrong?”
The muscles in my back tighten as I force in a shaky breath. “Did someone die?”
Jace exhales sharply and takes a step in my direction, approaching me like I’m a bomb that’s about to go off at any minute. “Where did you hear that?”
I tell him the truth. “Caitlyn. She said my…” I pause because I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. Then again, nothing about my former life surprises me anymore, so I guess it’s not entirely out of the question. “She said my lesbian lover died in the accident.”
Needless to say, everyone is speechless.
Including me, because I don’t recall anything about this girl.
Jace clamps his mouth shut, like he’s trying to decide the right words to say.
I look to Cole for answers, but he’s locked up tight too.
I try Sawyer next, but she looks down at her feet.
“Can someone please tell me what happened.”
“We don’t really know,” Jace responds after another minute passes. “We weren’t there.”
Understandable, but they still have to know more than I do. “But you all know what happened after, right?” I press a hand to my quivering belly. “Did she…did she die?”
Lines strain along Cole’s mouth, like he’s trying his hardest not to speak. I silently plead with him to tell me the truth because after pretending to be Liam, he owes me that much.
“Hayley didn’t make it,” he finally whispers.
Despite the fact that the name isn’t one I can recall, my heart spirals with grief.
Another death.
I’m starting to feel like there’s a bad omen over my head and whoever I love is destined to meet the grim reaper.
“Oh, my God.”
My head whirls. I can’t take it anymore.
“I know everything sucks right now,” Jace says, pulling me close. “But we’re all here for you.”
For how long?
How long before they end up dead too?
I don’t even bother wiping my tears away.
I just let them fall.
What’s the point of living when everyone I care about dies?
Jace looks at our dad. “On second thought, maybe a fresh start isn’t such a bad idea.”
Dad’s expression is solemn. “I’ll take care of it.”
Chapter 13
If I thought Jace was overprotective dropping me off at RHA for my first day, it’s nothing compared to the way he is when he drops me off at Royal Manor High.
Only this time, he’s not with Dylan.
He’s with Cole.
And the both of them are driving me nuts.
“Don’t talk to anyone,” Jace says. “I don’t care if they seem nice.”
I want to remind him that it will be hard for me to make new friends that way, but then Cole says, “If anyone offers you drugs, don’t take them.”
Good grief. They can’t be serious.
“Say no to drugs,” I mutter. “Got it.”
“If someone tries to get you someplace alone,” Jace grunts, his hand tightening around the steering wheel. “Run away because it’s a trap.”
“But no
t before kicking them in the balls.” Cole flicks his gaze to me. “Because you never know. They could be sex trafficking.”
My mouth drops open. “Are you two done yet?”
Jace pulls into an empty spot and cuts the engine. “No.” He turns around to face me. “I got you something.”
“What?”
He pulls a metal object out of his pocket. A second later a small blade pops up.
I glare at him in disbelief. “You got me a knife?”
“A pocket knife,” he corrects. “Keep it on you for protection.”
I look around. Aside from everyone being dressed in regular street clothes and the faint sound of rap music blaring in the distance, it looks exactly like the Royal Hearts Academy parking lot.
Ergo, I’m no less safe here than I was there.
I adjust my backpack and grab my crutches. “I’m not carrying a knife.”
Not taking no for an answer, Jace slips it into my purse. “Just in case.”
Because I know there’s no point arguing with him when he’s like this, I open the car door and step out.
“Want me to walk you—”
“No,” I snap, cutting him off. “I’ll be fine.”
Because no one knows the old Bianca here.
I slam the door with my crutch. “Thanks for the ride.”
Cole sticks his head out the passenger side window. “Remember, if anyone messes with you, punch them in the crotch and call us.”
“Got it.” I flutter my fingers. “Buh-bye.”
It’s not that I’m not appreciative, I just need a little breathing room.
They make no motion to leave, which no doubt means they’re going to watch me walk inside.
Sighing, I adjust my crutches and start hobbling across the parking lot.
I glance around. If I thought my closet was full of revealing clothing, it’s nothing compared to what some of these girls are wearing.
There’s so much bare skin, I feel out of place in my jeans and the t-shirt I borrowed from Dylan.
I’m so focused on everyone else instead of where I’m walking, I slam into someone as I enter the building.
“Watch it, slut,” some girl sneers.
I take in her thin frame, long curly brown hair, dramatic makeup, and pointy talons that seem to go on forever.
The girl looks like she can easily kick my ass from here all the way back to the other side of town if she wanted to.
“Sorry.”
She gets uncomfortably close to my face. “You should be.”
I want to scream because it seems like no matter what high school I attend, there’s always a Queen B.
I notice the small group of girls behind her. And her minions.
“Come on, Mercedes,” one of them urges. “Kick her ass already so we can go.”
The girl—who I assume must be Mercedes—smiles smugly as she appraises me from head to toe. “Looks like someone already did.”
Yup, and I’m not in the mood for a repeat performance.
“Look, I really don’t want any problems.” I gesture to the paper in my hand. “I just want to find my locker.”
Before I can stop her, she yanks the paper from my hand and scans it.
Her eyes darken before they narrow.
I’m about to ask what the problem is, but she rips the paper to shreds and shoves past me.
Awesome.
* * *
“If you have any questions or concerns, I want you to feel free to come straight to me,” Mrs. Rodriguez—the principal—tells me.
The second I walked into the office for a new schedule, she called me inside hers.
And she’s been talking non-stop ever since.
“Thanks.” I glance at the clock. Homeroom is going to end any minute. “I should probably get going.”
“Not so fast, I’m still waiting on your student pal.”
“My student pal?”
I have no idea what that is.
“Yes.” She wipes crumbs of donut off her mouth and licks her finger. “Your father told me about your unique circumstances, and I felt the best thing to do was to set you up with someone from the Peer Assistance Program. This way, you’ll have someone to walk you to all your classes for the first few days and show you around.”
“Oh.” All things considered; it doesn’t sound like a terrible idea. “Thank—”
She looks past me. “Here he is now.” Frantically, she waves her hands. “Hey, Stone, come on in. I’d like you to meet Bianca Covington.”
Stone hovers around five-ten, with a slim build, short jet-black hair, a chiseled jaw, and well…a very attractive face.
However, it’s the anger harboring in his dark brown eyes that suck all the oxygen out of the room.
I have no idea who he is, but the venom behind his stare is unnerving.
“Hi.” I hold out my hand, hoping to make nice. “I’m Bianca.”
“Fuck off.”
Well, then.
Mrs. Rodriguez nearly chokes on her donut. “Stone, is there a problem?”
“Yeah, there is. I’m sorry, Mrs. Rodriguez, but you’re gonna need to find someone else. I can’t—”
“Why?” I interject. “Why can’t you show me around?”
The anger in those brown orbs kicks up a notch. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Does he know me? Because it sure seems like he does.
And if that’s the case, I need to know what I did to piss him off because I don’t want to face another situation like the one at RHA.
“Look, I don’t know what I did to upset yo—”
“Jesus Christ.” His jaw works. “You’re a real piece of work.”
With that, he hightails it out of the office.
“I’m so sorry. He’s never been like thi—” Mrs. Rodriguez starts to say, but I’m already chasing after him.
Well, as much as I can with my crutches.
“Stone, wait,” I call out. “Please.”
He keeps walking.
“Look, I’m sorry for whatever I might have done to you.”
That has him turning around. “Seriously?”
I blink. “Yes?”
Grimacing, he leans in. “All right, cut the shit. What the fuck are you really doing here?”
Drawing in a deep breath, I tell him the truth. “A couple of months ago, I was in a car accident and in addition to a broken pelvis, I have amnesia. I can only remember little bits and pieces of my life and those bits and pieces come at random. I used to attend Royal Hearts Academy, but apparently I pissed off a bunch of people there and—” I point to my still bruised face and black eye. “This was the result.”
There. It’s all out in the open.
He starts howling with laughter. “Man, I always knew you were batshit, but this?” He holds up his hands. “This is on a whole new level.”
To say I’m confused would be an understatement. “Batshit?”
“Yeah.” He swirls his finger around his ear. “Batshit crazy.”
“I know what batshit means, I’m just trying to figure out why…or rather, what I did to make you feel that way about me.”
Leaning against a locker, he studies my face for what feels like an eternity. “You’re shitting me, right?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “No, I’m not shitting you.”
His tongue finds his cheek. “Well, for starters, how about the time you photoshopped a baby dick onto my body and then spread it around like herpes to our entire freshman class?”
I wince.
Bianca sure stirred up a lot of shit.
He starts ticking things off with his fingers. “There was also the time you and your brother showed up at my job and assaulted my boss—who you spread lies about by the way—before your brother beat the fuck out of me for no reason.”
Well, shit. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.” He pulls a face. “And I still haven’t forgotten that night at the marina—” He averts his gaze. “On second thoug
ht, that’s not important. All that matters is that it also resulted in Cole attacking me once again at my job.”
The hurt look on his face tells me whatever happened that night does in fact matter. “What happened at the marina?”
A muscle in his jaw bunches. “Don’t play dumb, Bianca.” A threatening look enters his eyes as he leans in. “Last, but not least, let’s not forget the fact that you and your psycho family ruined my brother’s life.”
“Ruined your brother’s life?” I repeat, not understanding. “How?”
He laughs, but there’s not a drop of humor. “You know he had nothing to do with Liam’s—”
My heart twists at the mention of my brother’s name. “You knew Liam?”
I have no idea what to make of the expression on his face. “Well, no. I didn’t, but Tommy did.”
Tommy.
Hurt is a potent throb in my temples. I feel like something is trying to break through the surface, but it can’t.
“Stone?”
“What?” he snarls.
“How did my family ruin your brother’s life? And what did Liam have to do with it?”
Stone tilts his head as if trying to view me from a new angle. Whatever he sees has his expression softening. “You really don’t remember, do you?”
I give my head a shake. “No. Like I said, I have amnesia.”
With a sigh, he snatches the paper out of my hand and examines it. “Go fucking figure.”
“What?”
“Not only do we have the same English class first period, our lockers are next to each other.”
“Oh.” My teeth snag on my lower lip. “Look, I know you’re supposed to hate me for what my family did to your brother, but do you think you can find it in your heart to show me where our lockers are and maybe a class or two?” I shrug helplessly. “I’m confused enough as it is and—”
“I’ll help you out.” His nostrils flare on an indrawn breath. “On two conditions.”
“What?”
“One—don’t ask me questions about our past, because it only pisses me off and reminds me why I shouldn’t be helping you to begin with. And two—after today, promise you’ll stay the hell away from me.”
I don’t like the sound of that at all, but what other choice do I have? “Sure thing.”
