Royal Engagement

by Chance Carter

  “Okay,” I admitted. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Jake relaxed at my side, and we turned to leave. Their glares seared my back like thousands of red-hot needles, and I couldn’t help but feel like a loser as I made my retreat.

  Why did Dallas hang out with those guys? There was nothing redeeming about them. I would know since I’d been playing football with most of them for the past three years. Nelson was a loud, obnoxious asshole who hadn’t respected a woman a day in his life. Rob was a brute with nothing but shit for brains, and though Paul was the nicest of the bunch, it was only because he was the quietest. He still went along with everything the others said. Then there was Wes, who seemed to take on the worst characteristics of all of them. Dallas was too good for them, and I doubted she had any real interest in being there. I only hoped when I asked her to prom, she would accept, and I could help her escape them for good.

  Jake and I caught up for a little bit by our lockers, but I practically sprinted to class once the bell rang. I wanted to have as much time to talk to Dallas as possible, and she usually showed up early.

  I leaned against my desk and waited for her. And waited. The classroom filled with people, but Dallas and Sasha were still missing from class. Then, just as the second bell rang, they came in and sat down at their desks.

  It was too late. Mrs. Fairfax was already telling everyone to settle down, and I took a frustrated seat as I realized I would have to wait until the end of class to ask Dallas. Things weren’t going well for me this morning, but that didn’t mean anything. Dallas liked me. We’d shared an amazing kiss, and I knew that she wanted to go to prom with me just as much as I wanted to go with her. She was going to say yes.

  I watched her during class, but something was different. Ordinarily, Dallas was loose, relaxed. She nodded along to points she found interesting and doodled in her notebook when she was bored.

  She volunteered to answer questions, unlike Sasha, who was much too cool. Today she did none of those things. She sat still in her chair and stared straight ahead. I had a feeling if I could see her eyes, I would find them blank. Something was on her mind.

  The second the bell rang, Dallas shot up from her chair and headed for the door. I barely had time to gather my stuff up and follow after her. Jake tagged along behind me since our next class was together. He had the good sense to keep his distance.

  I caught up with Dallas at her locker and tapped her on the arm.

  “You practicing for a marathon or something?” I asked, exaggerating my breathing.

  Dallas smiled, but her expression was guarded. “Practicing for a marathon?”

  “I’ve never seen someone leave a class so quickly. I figured either training for a marathon, or you found something aggressively disgusting about tonight’s homework.”

  She chuckled. “As much as I despise homework, all I was trying to do was get from A to B in the least amount of time. You know me, always like to be on time.”

  “I won’t keep you long then. I’ve been trying to find a time to talk to you all day.”

  “Oh? About what?” Dallas clutched her books tight to her chest, eyes flickering with curiosity. She kept looking over my shoulder, sneaking a glance off to the side, like she was keeping an eye out for someone. I found it strange but continued anyway.

  The words tumbled out of my mouth smoother than anticipated. “Will you go to prom with me?”

  Dallas’s mouth split into a wide grin, but a half-second later the smile dried up into a frown. In my head, I heard a record scratch, and trepidation darkened my mood.

  “I’m sorry, Shane. I would love to go to prom with you,” she said, forehead creased as if she were in pain. “Only I’m not going to prom.”

  “You’re not?” I frowned.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Dallas looked down the hallway again, and when she hadn’t answered after another couple of seconds, I gently guided her chin back to front and stared down into her eyes.

  “Dallas, what’s wrong?”

  Her eyes, endless pits of blue, widened. She stepped back, and my hand fell to my side.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “I just don’t want to go to prom.”

  “Then let’s not go to prom,” I suggested. “We can go for a ride down to the beach and make a big bonfire or something. I just want to spend my night with you.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Dallas—“

  “I just can’t, okay?” she snapped suddenly. People around us turned to look, alarmed by the sudden noise.

  I took a step away from her, palms up. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”

  She sighed, grinding her teeth, and walked away. I could’ve sworn I heard her mutter, “Me too.”

  Someone clapped me on the back, and I looked to my left to see Jake standing beside me, watching Dallas go.

  “That was cold of her,” he said. “I wonder who pissed in her cornflakes.”

  “I don’t think it’s as simple as that,” I replied.

  Jake shrugged. “It happens, dude. Girls can be hot and cold at a moment’s notice. I don’t want to shit on your dreams or anything, but maybe she’s just the kind of girl who can be nice to a guy when they’re alone but embarrassed of them when there are people around.”

  I snorted. “Gee, thanks, Jake. You think I’m embarrassing?”

  “To a girl who hangs out with the football team?” Jake raised a ginger brow.

  I scowled and started walking to our next class. Jake kept pace beside me, chatting away in a way that I’m sure he thought would make me feel better.

  “...a ton of girls at this school who would kill to go to prom with you. They think you’re a babe. I know you’ve got this thing for Dallas, but it’s probably a good thing that she showed her true colors now. At least this way—“

  “She’s not like that!” I rounded on him, catching his eye, so he knew just how serious I was about it. “There’s something wrong with her today. Something on her mind. You may not believe I know her well enough, but something I do know is that she isn’t the type of girl to act a different way in public. She’s completely genuine, always has been. She doesn’t put up a facade or walls, and she doesn’t lead people on. You can think that I’m being delusional and believing what I want to believe if you want to, but that’s the truth. Something’s the matter with Dallas, and as soon as I know what it is, I’m going to try my damnedest to help her.”

  Jake blinked up at me in surprise. “Well, shit, dude. Why didn’t you just say so?”

  I gave him a small shove, and he laughed. I didn’t understand my best friend at times, and I doubted I ever would, but I was glad I had him. Before Dallas, I never thought I’d find someone I liked quite as much.

  Chapter 12

  Dallas

  I wanted to die. I wanted the crappy laminate hallway flooring to swallow me up like quicksand, but as fast as humanly possible. I was in shock. How could I turn down the one guy I wanted to go to prom with? I had to, but that didn’t make it hurt any less, especially when he was so sweet about it. I wished I could have told him what was on my mind. Shane would have been the perfect person to confide in.

  “Nicely done, stud,” Sasha said, sidling up to me the second I turned the corner.

  Sasha was the second to last person I wanted to see right now. The last, of course, being Wes. The worst part was I needed to play nice with her, and not for the same reason I needed to play nice with Wes. Sasha was going to be my only friend at Gromley’s party. However, being there with Sasha was probably the same as being there alone.

  When I didn’t reply to Sasha’s comment, she flicked a curtain of long inky hair over her shoulder and continued as if she didn’t notice.

  “We’re going to have way more fun at Gromley’s party than that stupid prom. I’m so excited that you finally stopped being such a wet towel and decided to come.” She linked her arm through mine and started dragging me toward our next class. I stumbled a
long, hardly registering the words that she tossed back at me.

  “Wes’s dad is such a babe. It’s so stupid that I can’t get into his club yet, so he hasn’t seen me. This party’s going to be the ultimate opportunity for me to strut my stuff in front of him.”

  I frowned and stopped, pulling Sasha to a halt. “Wes’s dad is going to be there?” I asked.

  “Of course.”

  “But...isn’t Wes a little too cool to have his parent chaperone his party?”

  Sasha gave me a blank look as if she were wondering if I was messing with her. When she realized I was completely serious, she threw her head back and laughed.

  “Oh my god, Dallas. Could you be any more of a virgin?” She started yanking me forward again, and I stumbled to keep up. “It’s not going to be some stupid high school party where the most action is going to be some wasted jock trying to cop a feel while we play spin the bottle. Preston Gromley and a bunch of his business associates will be there—and I do mean the ones from the shadier side of the business. It’s going to be epic.”

  A bolt of panic flashed through me, white hot and insistent. I gulped and tried to slow my runaway heart.

  “Sasha, don’t you think that sounds a little dangerous?”

  “Dangerous?” She shot me a contemptuous look. “More like delightful. They’re all rich, cupcake. And I’ll be the hottest girl there, so I’ll have my pick of them.”

  I hadn’t seen Sasha this excited for anything since her boobs first came in. Despite the fact that I’d been feeling distant from her recently, I was still protective of her. I didn’t want anything unsavory to happen to her, and this party screamed trouble in the worst kind of way.

  “I really don’t think you should go,” I said. “Preston’s the real deal, and I doubt his business associates are the kind of glamorous you think they’re going to be.”

  We arrived at the classroom doors, and Sasha spun on me, staring down with contempt in her heavily lined blue eyes.

  “Oh, so just I shouldn’t go? You want them all to yourself, don’t you?” she said snottily. “You should be careful, Dallas, because your good girl act is fraying at the edges and soon everyone is going to see right through you. If I were you, I’d embrace the bitch inside sooner rather than later.” She huffed a breath. “Honestly, I don’t know why Wes prefers you.”

  Tears threatened to burst from my eyes, but I held them in. I shouldn’t have said anything. Sasha didn’t know that I was going to this party against my will, and she couldn’t if I wanted to keep her safe. Besides, she probably wouldn’t believe me if I told her. She was set against me. It had never been so obvious.

  “I’m sorry,” I squeaked out. “I just know that I’m going to be spending a lot of time with Wes at the party and I’m worried about something happening to you.”

  It was the closest I could get to the truth, but it seemed to do the trick. Sasha’s expression softened, and she stepped back a little bit to give me some room. I pretended that my former best friend hadn’t just glared at me with eyes like diamond-tipped blades and passed on a smile.

  “Let’s grab a seat,” she said, grinning. “Come on.”

  Sasha grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room, where we took a seat near the back. Wes sauntered in a second before the bell rang and winked at me as he crossed the floor and took the seat just across the row from me.

  I stared obstinately toward the front of the room, even as I felt Wes’s eyes burning holes into my cheeks. To distract myself, I thought about what Sasha had said.

  The good girl act is fraying at the corners.

  It wasn’t an act, of course, but she was still onto something. The part of me that was good, the part that wouldn’t make it an hour at Wes’s party, was eroding faster than I ever expected. The only problem was I didn’t know what lay underneath. What if there wasn’t anything there at all? What if I cracked and broke open, only to find myself a hollow shell? Wes’s party wouldn’t be the end of it. I already knew that. I had no idea what he had in store for me afterward, but I knew I could count on it being a severe test of my will and strength. As I was now, I wouldn’t make it. The only question was whether I had something inside of me that would persevere or if I was just going to crumple into the broken little girl he undoubtedly hoped I would. That was the only way Wes would have me, and he knew that. He reveled in the knowledge that breaking me would mean my submission. Why else would he make me go to this fucked up party?

  It was a power play, designed to show me who was boss. Rather than getting to go to prom with the boy I liked, I’d be chained to Wes’s side at a nightmare of a party.

  I did my best not to think about my uneasy fate all through class, but it was easier said than done with Wes’s eyes burning holes in the side of my head. When class was over, I practically vaulted from my seat in an attempt to get away before he could talk to me.

  No dice. Sasha’s hand latched onto my arm and prevented my escape.

  “Where are you going in a hurry?” she asked. “Let’s walk to lunch with Wes.”

  Sasha knew that Wes wanted me more than he wanted her, and she was willing to use me as a pawn to get close to him. If it weren’t for the fact that he’d chase after me, she probably wouldn’t give a rat’s ass whether I left without her or not.

  Wes appeared at my side, standing too close for comfort. He reeked of cologne. It was probably something expensive, but to me, it smelled no better than the crappy body sprays that all the boys doused themselves in.

  “Yeah, let’s walk to lunch together,” he said. “Unless you’ve got somewhere better to be.”

  I thought about all the places I would rather be than lunch with Wes and Sasha. A graveyard. The bottom of a well. A deserted island with only a fish hook and a shell bra.

  “I’m all yours,” I said, hoping he picked up on the edge of disgust to my tone.

  Wes chuckled and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. The smell intensified.

  “Damn right you are,” he said. To his credit, he noticed how put out Sasha looked and pulled her under his other arm. “You both are.”

  She preened on that the whole way to the cafeteria. I held my books to my chest and tried not to think about anything at all. The emptier I could keep my head, the better.

  Wes found us a vacant table in the middle of the room. By that, I mean he told a bunch of freshmen to vacate it. We sat down on either side of him and soon his friends joined us, trickling in from their last classes.

  Everyone began chatting together, exchanging stories of pranks and gossip in animated voices. Wes turned his body to me and smiled.

  “I’m excited about the party,” he said.

  I nodded with a tight smile. “Me too.”

  He knew I wasn’t.

  “Are you going to wear something pretty for me?”

  My chest tightened, and I fought back tears. I pictured another bit of my “good girl” exterior flaking away.

  “I always wear something pretty,” I replied, trying to sound harder than I felt.

  Wes smirked. “I like it when you talk back.”

  “Good. Get used to it.”

  He laughed uproariously at this until everyone at the table turned to see what we were talking about. Sasha’s eyes glinted with malice. It wasn’t fair that she hated me for reasons beyond my control.

  “Dallas is getting sassy with me, guys.” Wes circled my shoulder with his arm and pulled me in close. He tightened it around my neck. “Isn’t she cute when she gets sassy?”

  The other guys all chimed in their assent. I didn’t fight against Wes’s hold, even though I wanted to, because I recognized it for what it was. He thought I was cute when I talked back, but at the end of the day he was still the boss. I wondered if his dad had taught him intimidation tactics or if it was naturally inherited.

  I was quiet the rest of the lunch hour. Hell, I was quiet the rest of the day. I got home after school to an empty house, and when I called Dad around five to ask if he w
as going to be home for dinner, he told me he wasn’t going to eat. I made some food for him and brought it down to the shop, though I was quiet then too. I didn’t have anything to say to him, and he was too wrapped up in his work to talk to me. I wasn’t sure whether he was staying at the shop extra late because he was ashamed and couldn’t face me or if he was just throwing himself into his work in an attempt to pay off his debt a little sooner. Maybe it was a bit of both. Either way, he still wasn’t home by the time I went to bed. The house was quiet. I was quiet. My life, for the moment, was quiet, but I knew it soon wouldn’t be. Whatever Wes and his father had in store for my father and me was going to change my life forever. This party was only the beginning, but what a vile beginning it was going to be.

  The first sob was so loud, so violent, that it surprised me. I turned my face to the pillow, needing to stifle the sound even if there was nobody around to hear it. I couldn’t stand the echo of my wails as I came apart at the seams.

  I cried for my dad, for the broken man he’d become and everything he’d lost. I cried because I missed my mom and because if she were still alive, everything would be okay. I cried because of the terrifying unknown that lay in front of me, and because there was nothing I could do about it.

  I didn’t just cry, though. I wished too. I wished for someone to save me because I couldn’t save myself. The first person who flashed through my mind was Shane, with his piercing green eyes and the conviction that rested in them. The thought of him and his comforting embrace was what finally lulled me to sleep.

  Chapter 13

  Dallas

  Dad turned off his bike, staring over at the flashing lights coming from inside Preston Gromley’s sizable mansion. One of the front windows was busted, and from inside came pulsing bass beats that rattled through my bones. I got off the bike and handed him my helmet. There was no point in lingering.

  “Wait,” Dad said, pulling off his helmet.