Cruel Prince: Royal Hearts Academy - Book One

by A. Jade

  Not quite the answer I was expecting. “Oh…”

  She grimaces. “Ugh. Don’t do that. I thought you were cool.”

  I have no idea what she means. “Do what?”

  “Look, just because I’m religious doesn’t mean I’m some kind of Jesus freak. Well, I mean I am, because he’s awesome, but I promise I’m normal.” She averts her gaze. “Okay, maybe not normal—but I cuss a lot, stay out past curfew, and watch bad movies.” She blushes. “I’ve also watched porn a time or two. And if Nick Jonas wanted to spend the night with me, I’d seriously consider tossing my virginity out the window.”

  “I think he’s married.”

  “God, don’t rub it in—” She quirks an eyebrow. “You never told me your name.”

  “Dylan Taylor.”

  She taps her foot. “And…”

  Oh, boy. This girl is a trip. “I’m a senior. I have my license, but my car was repoed when my—” I stop mid-sentence because I don’t know her well enough to tell her about my dad being in the slammer. “It’s a long story.”

  Sawyer tips her head to the side, studying me. “It’s okay. We’ll get there.”

  “Get where?”

  She adjusts her glasses. “The way I see it, we’re both misfits in this hellhole. Why not be friends?”

  In theory, it makes perfect sense, but superficial friendships for the sake of not being alone don’t really appeal to me. “Um. No offense, but—”

  “What? Did your best friend have sex with your boyfriend or something?”

  “More like my worst enemy,” I whisper before I can stop myself.

  Evidently, I’m in need of a friend more than I thought because I’m one extra shirt away from spilling all my secrets.

  Sadness clouds her eyes. “Ouch. That would definitely explain your trust issues.” She smiles. “For what it’s worth, you don’t have to worry about me having sex with anyone but my future husband.” There’s a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Or Nick Jonas. Because heaven help me, I would ride him frontward, backward, and sideways on a Sunday.”

  I start to smile, but it occurs to me that if we’re going to be friends, I should let Sawyer in on the truth. “Since we’re on the subject of sex, let me state for the record that I didn’t fuck my cousin. Oakley started the stupid rumor to get back at me because he thinks I ratted him out to his dad about smoking weed in the basement.”

  “Okay, let me get this straight…you’re saying you didn’t fuck your cousin?” Her face falls. “Damn. I’m not sure I want to be friends with you anymore. The apple’s lost its shine, you know?”

  I kind of love that she’s as fluent in sarcasm as I am. “Well, shit. Would you reconsider if I tell you about the time I got drunk and dry-humped my uncle?”

  A mixture of shock and intrigue washes over her features. “Really?”

  “No. My dad’s an only child.”

  She starts to laugh, but the sound of the late bell ringing cuts it short. “Crap.” Before I can protest, she steers me toward the exit. “What’s your next class?”

  “Chemistry.”

  She winces as we walk out the door. “Mrs. Beck can be difficult, but I can help yo—”

  Her sentence is interrupted by the sound of something heavy hitting a locker…followed by shouting.

  When we turn to see what the commotion is, my breath freezes in my throat.

  Jace’s arm is pinned over some poor guy’s neck while Oakley and Cole stand in front of a visibly irate girl who’s so pretty, I have to do a double-take.

  “Leave him alone, Jace. We were only kissing.”

  Sawyer tugs on my arm. “Let’s go. Jace Covington is not only bad news, he’s Britney’s obsession. Your life will be so much easier if you stay away from him and the drama his family causes…especially now that baby Covington has entered the chat.”

  Oh, shit. Last time I saw Bianca she had a mouthful of braces and still watched cartoons.

  Now she’s…

  I can see why Jace wants to pummel her make-out buddy.

  “Go to class, Bianca,” Jace grits through his teeth. “I’ll deal with you when we get home.”

  Before she can protest, he seizes the guy’s collar and slams his head against the locker. “She’s a goddamn freshman, pervert.” The guy starts to speak, but Jace pulls him forward and slams him against the metal for a second time. “She’s also my baby sister.”

  The dude looks positively petrified and I can’t say I blame him.

  Jace has always had deep-rooted anger issues—but most people wouldn’t know because they usually mistake his silence for contentment.

  However, deep down, he’s quietly stewing in all the rage simmering beneath the surface…like a deadly volcano on the verge of erupting.

  It’s why I sought him out on the playground that day.

  We were best friends…but our demons were kindred spirits.

  “I had no idea, man,” the guy chokes out. When Jace eases up slightly, he adds, “She told me she was a senior and a foreign exchange student.”

  Bianca winks at him. “Bonjour.”

  Sawyer motions for us to leave again, but I stay rooted to the spot. Jace is a jerk, but I can’t shake this intrinsic need to make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.

  Like commit homicide in the middle of a school hallway.

  “See?” he proclaims innocently as Jace takes a step back. “It was all her. She was practically beg—”

  His sentence is cut short by Jace’s fist.

  “Try not to rough him up too much,” Cole utters as Jace winds his arm back, preparing to deal him another one. “The first game of the year is Friday and Declan’s one of the better players on the defensive line.”

  The knee Jace sails into Declan’s groin makes it clear he doesn’t give a shit about his brother’s upcoming football game.

  “Jesus Christ, Covington,” the guy wails as Jace strikes his jaw. “You made your point, all right? I won’t go near her again.”

  Bianca rolls her eyes. “Pussy.”

  Oakley and Cole snicker, but Jace isn’t amused. In fact, he appears to be growing angrier with every passing second.

  Whatever’s happening now goes beyond some guy hooking up with his little sister.

  “Take Bianca to class.” Jace’s tone is clipped. Threatening. “Now.”

  “Are you serious?” Bianca groans as Cole shoves her messenger bag at her and Oakley takes hold of her elbow. “I’m not a bab—”

  Jace sends a sharp kick to his adversary’s stomach. It’s so brutal I wince as he slumps down the locker. “Get the fuck up—”

  “Stop,” I interject before Jace rams his foot into Declan’s abdomen. The guy is already on the floor, curled up in a fetal position with blood oozing from his lip…pleading with Jace to end the torture. Enough is enough. “I’m pretty sure he got the memo.”

  Those piercing dark eyes flick to me. “F—”

  “What the hell is she doing here?” Bianca interjects.

  Aside from stating the obvious, I’m not really sure how to answer that.

  Bianca takes several steps forward until she’s standing directly in front of me. “Haven’t you done enough?”

  The venom laced in her words makes me inwardly wince. We didn’t hang out much given our age difference, but we were always cool with one another.

  Or so I thought.

  Before I can ask her what her issue is, she edges forward, getting uncomfortably close to my face. “Stay the fuck away from my brothers, you backstabbing little snake. Or so help me God, I w—”

  “What in the world is going on here?” someone shrieks behind her. “Are you okay?”

  When I look up, I see a stern-faced woman who’s visibly fuming. Her gaze keeps ping-ponging between Declan, who’s still on the floor, and the rest of us.

  “Crap,” Sawyer mutters under her breath. “That’s Mrs. Beck.”

  Perfect. At least now she’ll know why I’m late.

  Jace ya
nks Bianca toward him. “Go to class.” He looks at Cole. “Both of you.” His attention shifts back to Declan. “I’ll handle this.”

  They start to walk away, but Mrs. Beck halts them. “No one will be going anywhere. Not until I speak to Principal Ryan.” She pulls out her cellphone and brings it to her ear. “Sorry to bother you, Principal Ryan, but we have an urgent situation in the hallway by the science lab. It involves an injured student and the Covington boys.”

  She practically spits out their last name as though it were rancid food.

  “Nothing happened. I’m fine,” Declan tells her before she hangs up.

  The teacher doesn’t buy it. “No, you’re no—”

  “I was in a rush, so I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I ended up running face first into an open locker and busting my ass.” Rising from the floor, he juts his chin toward Jace, Cole, and Oakley. “They stopped to see if I was okay.”

  As if on cue, the three amigos nod.

  “It’s the truth,” Cole exclaims with a shrug. “Just wanted to make sure my teammate didn’t do something stupid and permanently injure himself.”

  “Word,” Oakley chimes in. “It would be a damn shame if something terrible happened to poor Declan before the big game on Friday.”

  “Before or after the game,” Jace grits between clenched teeth.

  Irritated, Mrs. Beck turns to Sawyer and I. “Tell me what really happened?”

  “We don’t know,” I blurt out, gesturing to my new friend. “We were in the bathroom the whole time. We didn’t see or hear anything.”

  Beside me, Sawyer sighs. I can practically feel the disappointment radiating off her. “Yeah…what she said.”

  I don’t like to lie, but I also don’t like to snitch. If Declan doesn’t want to tell Mrs. Beck the truth, it’s his prerogative.

  Plus, there’s also a small part of me that doesn’t want Jace to take the fall for protecting his little sister. Even though he went too far, and it’s clear she hates me.

  The teacher doesn’t look convinced, but it’s out of her hands when Principal Ryan and the nurse arrive on the scene and Declan reiterates that he ran face first into a locker.

  “All right, if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do here.” He throws his hands up. “You’re all free to go.”

  We start to disperse…but not before Bianca calls out, “I meant what I said, bitch.” She lunges in my direction. “Hurt one of my brothers again and they’ll need dental records to identify your traitorous corpse.”

  Jesus. The girl isn’t just holding a grudge again me…she’s devising a plan for my murder.

  As much as I’d like to blow off her threat, I can’t…because I have no idea why she’s pissed off in the first place.

  I never hurt her brother. Unless you count me moving away abruptly, but that wasn’t my fault. I tried to reach out to him, but Jace ignored me.

  All this fury the Covingtons are harboring for me doesn’t add up.

  I’d never betray them.

  “What’s your pr—”

  “Enough, Bianca.” Jace steers her down the opposite hallway. “You need to chill.”

  Sawyer waits until they’re out of earshot before she speaks. “I know it’s probably none of my business, but I have to ask. What’s the deal with you and Bianca? Why does she hate you so much?” Her eyes go big. “What did you do to her brothers?”

  “I have no idea,” I tell her honestly.

  But I intend to find out.

  Chapter 12

  JACE

  “Y ou going to Christian’s tonight?” Oakley asks as we head to our cars. “Rumor has it he’s throwing a back to the hellhole, so let’s get drunk bash at his place.”

  I’m not surprised. Christian will find just about any excuse to throw a party. And given his parents are gone most of the time and have a huge house, he’s got the perfect set up to do it.

  “I’m not sure.” The words I’m about to spew taste like poison on my tongue as I approach my Lexus. “Depends what Britney wants to get into later.”

  That earns me a strange look from my friend. “I thought you two seemed extra close today, but I figured it was because she blew you before school.” He lights a blunt and takes a quick pull before passing it to me. “But it sounds like things are getting pretty serious.”

  I take a long drag as I conjure up my response. Technically, he’s not wrong. Britney and I are getting serious…but not because I’m interested in her for anything more than getting my dick wet.

  I just want to hurt Dylan.

  No. More than hurt.

  I want to torture her until she feels even a small fraction of the pain she’s caused me and my family.

  And because I know my buddy so well, I know her Achilles heel.

  Every time she sees me with Britney…it will gut her.

  Whenever she thinks about all the dirty things I do to her nemesis when we’re alone…it will dig the knife in that much deeper.

  Until finally…she won’t be able to take it and goes back to wherever she came from.

  It occurs to me I never found out where exactly that was, because my brother’s horny, one-track mind interrupted the convo.

  “Why is she here?”

  “Who?” Oakley looks around. “The parking lot’s empty. We dipped out early to smoke, remember?”

  “Dylan,” I elaborate. “Why is Dylan here?”

  He takes the blunt from me. “This shit must be better than I thought. Dylan ain’t here, bro. You’re just high as fuck.”

  It’s all I can do not to knock him upside his head. “Living with you,” I stress. “Why the fuck is Dylan living with you?”

  Finally, I see the wheels in his head turn. “Oh.” He exhales a puff of smoke. “Some shit happened with her pops. He’s in the slammer for the next year or so. My dad was able to get—”

  “Hold up. Brian’s in jail?”

  Not many things shock me, but Dylan’s law-abiding—won’t even go over the speed limit while driving—father being locked up definitely does.

  “You know her dad?” Oak laughs to himself. “Or should I say, my uncle.” He starts tapping invisible dots in the air. “Or is he? If Dylan’s mom was Crystal’s sister…and my dad married Crystal…and Dylan is Crystal’s niece. What does that make Dylan’s dad to me?”

  I’m starting to see why he flunked biology and has to repeat it this year. “Nothing. Just a dude in prison.”

  His shoulders rise as he inhales. “Bummer. My dad’s so fucking lame and boring, the thought of being related to a bad ass in prison was kind of cool.”

  “I hear you, man.” I take the blunt from him. “Why did he get put away?”

  Usually I don’t mind Oakley venting about his dad, but time is of the essence.

  He shrugs. “He embezzled almost ten-million from his job.”

  “Christ.”

  He nods. “I know. I overheard my dad and Crystal talking about it once. Apparently, he did it for his wife. Or as Crystal would say—his fake-tittied, conniving, gold-digging, whore replacement wife.”

  Crystal isn’t wrong.

  Last I checked, Brian was a financial officer who was well off enough to own a home on the good side of town and afford private school for Dylan. Then out of nowhere, he uprooted his daughter and his new young fiancée in the middle of the night—all because he was offered a prestigious job opportunity, and his fiancée said she’d call the engagement off if he didn’t take it.

  At least that was the gist of it from the frantic voicemail Dylan left me that night.

  Right before the treacherous bitch turned my life upside down.

  However, given the timetable of events…I quickly realized she was full of shit.

  Dylan knew she was moving weeks before she left. Maybe longer.

  My former best friend just wanted to punish me for not giving her what she really wanted.

  What we both wanted.

  Chapter 13

  DYLAN


  Past…

  M y lungs burn like they’re on fire as I continue running down the wet street, but it pales in comparison to the pain ripping through my chest.

  My dad is engaged. To Savannah.

  Savannah, who wears tight, revealing outfits that make me blush and talks to my dad in a stupid breathy voice I can’t stand whenever she wants him to buy her something.

  That’s the woman he’s choosing to take my mom’s place.

  He’s making a big mistake.

  Savannah can’t make him happy. My dad never smiles the way he did when my mom was alive. He doesn’t laugh or make silly jokes, either.

  My heart sinks with my next realization.

  He doesn’t talk about her anymore.

  Because somewhere along the way, he stopped loving her.

  No…worse. He forgot about her. Like she never existed.

  And I know the second he marries Savannah and they have babies…he’s going to forget all about me, too.

  Because it’s clear he hates anything that reminds him of her—and now that he’s marrying Savannah and starting over, he won’t need me anymore.

  He’ll have his replacement family.

  Instead of the broken, damaged leftover daughter he got stuck with.

  The one he no longer wants, because she’s tethered to all the bad shit in his life.

  Tears sting my eyes as I round the corner and charge down the next block. Not even the heavy rain is enough to keep them at bay.

  He promised he’d never leave me. He swore I wouldn’t lose him like I lost her.

  It turns out my father’s nothing but a lying asshole.

  The pebble hits Jace’s window so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter.

  Mr. Covington’s probably going to be mad if he catches me throwing rocks at his son’s window in the middle of the night, but I don’t care.

  Regardless of our weird argument earlier, I need my best friend. It doesn’t matter if Jace doesn’t feel the same way about me, I’ll get over it. I’d rather have part of him than none at all.

  I launch another pebble at his bedroom window. If he doesn’t wake after this, I’ll throw a damn brick through it.