Ever After (East Raven Academy Book 1)

by Scarlett Haven

  To be honest, I’m not a huge baseball fan. But it does beat sitting around my dorm room. It feels good to be off campus.

  “This is my first baseball game,” I tell Brooks and Estaine.

  Yep. I’m sitting right between the two of them. Again.

  At least Uncle Matty and Jake aren’t close enough to hear the conversation. They’re keeping watch, making sure the area is safe.

  “How can you say you’re American if you’ve never been to a baseball game?” Estaine asks.

  “How have you been alive sixteen years and never been to a baseball game?” Brooks asks.

  Wow.

  They agree on something.

  I shrug. “I was an only child who preferred soccer. And then, when my mom married Rick, Charlie wasn’t into baseball. He liked surfing. I’ve been to a lot of surfing events. I’ve even gone to professional surfing events. I love it. Besides, I have been to a baseball game now. Estaine, be sure to thank your dad for me.”

  “I will,” Estaine says. “My dad supported the guy who was running against your dad. Do you think that’ll make your dad like me less?”

  “Your dad’s a politician?” Brooks asks.

  I look up to see if Jake or Uncle Matty heard. They’re both focused elsewhere, so I’m guessing they didn’t.

  “Estaine, you’ve really got to watch what you say,” I say.

  “Sorry,” he says. “I keep forgetting that Brooks doesn’t know.”

  “I should know,” Brooks says.

  I just shrug. “It’s not up to me to decide.”

  “But it’s your life. And you told Estaine.”

  “To be fair, I practically forced her to,” Estaine says.

  “You and I both know that nobody forces Phoenix to do anything,” Brooks says.

  Yeah, right.

  Everything is being forced on me right now.

  New identity.

  New school.

  Not being allowed to leave said school.

  Even today, what feels like a little freedom isn’t freedom at all. Jake and Uncle Matty are here, monitoring my every move. And I get that it’s all for my safety, but it’s still my life. Am I ever going to get to truly live it again?

  I sit there, watching the game. I’m surprised that Brooks and Estaine are actually talking to each other. Like, they’re being friendly. I honestly thought the two of them would either argue, or just pretend the other wasn’t there. It’s a happy surprise.

  “How do you like the game?” Brooks asks, as half time starts.

  “It’s okay,” I answer. “I don’t understand a lot of what’s going on, but it’s nice to be off campus.”

  “Not as good as a surfing tournament?” Estaine asks.

  “No way,” I answer.

  I hear the crowd start cheering, so I look at the large screen. There is a guy down on one knee, proposing to a girl. I hope she likes baseball. Because, seriously. Who wants to get engaged at a baseball game? Apparently, she does. Because she nods her head, with tears streaming down her face. The couple kiss, and the crowd goes nuts.

  “I’ve never seen anybody get engaged at a surfing tournament,” I tell Estaine, and he starts laughing. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple get engaged before.”

  “Well, now you have,” he says.

  The crowd starts cheering again, so I look up at the screen, expecting to see another couple get engaged. Instead, there are little hearts on the screen and words that say Kiss Cam. The couple on the screen start kissing.

  “What the heck is this?” I ask, as the camera flashes to another couple. This girl just kisses the guy on the cheek and the crowd boos.

  “Kiss Cam. That awkward moment when sometimes strangers are forced to kiss,” Brooks says.

  “One time, when I was at the game with River, they put the camera on us,” Estaine says.

  My mouth falls open. “They pointed the camera on you and your sister? That’s so weird. Shouldn’t they make sure that the two people aren’t related?”

  “River just kissed a random guy on the other side of her,” Estaine says. “He was some politician’s son that had come with us. My dad was so mad at her, but I think the other kid fell in love.”

  “She told me about that,” Brooks says. “We were dating then. River didn’t want me to be mad.”

  I look back at the screen and see a couple kissing very enthusiastically. The girl’s face is red when the guy pulls away.

  These poor people. Why do they do this?

  I continue watching the screen and then see my own face pop up beside Estaine. Neither of us makes a move to do anything, but then the crowd starts cheering kiss, kiss, kiss! So, I lean over and kiss him. It’s hardly even a kiss. Our lips barely touch and then it’s over. The crowd doesn’t seem too happy with our kiss, though.

  Then, I feel Brooks’ hand on mine. I look over at him and he presses his lips against mine. I don’t have time to process anything. He’s just... kissing me. So, I kiss him back. And I’m vaguely aware that the crowd is cheering, but I’m just thinking about his lips.

  He pulls back and I slap a hand over my mouth.

  Did he seriously just kiss me?

  “What the heck did you do that for?” Uncle Matty asks Brooks.

  Brooks just shrugs, but there is a smile on his face.

  “We need to go,” Jake says. “These things are televised, and after the spectacle you just made...”

  He doesn’t finish his sentence.

  But I can see the worry on both of their faces.

  We get up during the middle of halftime and leave the stadium.

  The whole time that Uncle Matty pulls me away from the box where we were just sitting, all I can think is, what just happened?

  3pm.

  Ever after.

  “Why the heck did you do that?” I ask Brooks, after we’ve been in the car for a good thirty minutes. It’s the first thing anybody has said since we got in the car, and anger has been slowly building up inside of me.

  “I was jealous,” Brooks answers.

  “Jealous? Seriously?” I ask, then slap him across the face.

  Because I am so mad at him that I can barely stand it.

  He deserved it.

  “That hurt,” Brooks says, covering his cheek with his hand. “Why did you hit me?”

  “Because I didn’t want to kiss you,” I answer. “And you had no right to do that.”

  “You kissed me back,” he says.

  “Because I was in shock,” I say. “How dare you? Seriously. I wanted my first kiss to be something memorable, and you just stole it.”

  “You kissed him first,” Brooks says, pointing to Estaine.

  “That hardly counts,” I say. “And Estaine didn’t force me to kiss him.”

  Brooks opens his mouth to say something, then closes it.

  “I’m sorry,” Brooks says, after a few seconds of silence. “I didn’t realize that kissing me would be so horrible.”

  “Don’t even try to turn this back around on me,” I say, hating that his words make me feel guilty.

  “Teenagers,” Jake says, from the front seat.

  “So dramatic,” Uncle Matty says.

  “Uh...” I groan. “Seriously, guys. Can you just not talk right now? And can we drop Brooks off at West Raven?”

  “We are on our way there, now,” Jake says.

  “Thank you,” I say, sitting back against the seat.

  “Is Phoenix in danger?” Estaine asks.

  “Possibly,” Uncle Matty says.

  “I’m sorry,” Estaine says to me. “I never should’ve suggested going to the game. I never would have, if I’d thought this would happen.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I say.

  “She’s right,” Uncle Matty says. “Being on the kiss cam wasn’t bad until Tweedledum decided to kiss her. And if the video of what happened goes viral, they won’t know she’s at East Raven. But they will know she’s in Massachusetts.”

&
nbsp; “But it was a professional sports game,” I say. “I’ve traveled to lots of places with Charlie to watch surf tournaments.”

  “Yeah, but you didn’t go to baseball games before,” Jake says. “I think that this will just narrow down the search a bit.”

  “But that means Mom, Rick and Charlie are safe, right?” I ask. “Because now they’ll be turning this state upside down to look for me, instead of looking for them.”

  “Maybe, but we can’t know for sure what they’re going to do,” Uncle Matty says.

  “Everything is going to work out,” I say. “I know it is. It has to.”

  “Phoenix isn’t exactly a common name,” Brooks says. “Can’t they just look up your first name, and easily track you to East Raven?”

  “No. She’s not in the system as Phoenix,” Uncle Matty says. “We wanted her to have a different name all together, but Phoenix is stubborn.”

  “I can barely remember my fake last name,” I say. “Trust me, I would’ve slipped up a thousand times over if you made me go by something else.”

  “It’s true,” Estaine says. “She always had a different story about her parents every time we talked. Plus, every time she lies, it’s clearly written on her face.”

  I smile as I look at Estaine, loving that he’s saying that.

  I hate lying, and I know my life depends on me being able to lie well, but I don’t want to be a good liar. In fact, I really hate lying.

  I’m glad I can be honest with Estaine.

  Brooks clears his throat. “Uh... Phoenix, I really am sorry I kissed you.”

  I turn my attention to him.

  His blue eyes.

  He is still the most beautiful boy I’ve ever met.

  Yet, I’m still mad at him.

  Furiously mad.

  “Can we still be friends?” he asks.

  What a loaded question?

  Do I want to be friends with Brooks?

  Yes.

  Do I want to be more than friends with him?

  Maybe.

  I don’t know.

  “Just friends,” he clarifies, as if he can read my thoughts.

  “Just friends,” I say.

  Because friendship is all I can offer Brooks right now. It’s all I can offer anybody right now.

  Because my life is in danger.

  Because I’m confused.

  Because I think I might have feelings for Estaine.

  I don’t know what my future holds, or if I even have a future. But one thing I do know for sure. I’m ready for my happy ever after.

  Sunday, September 3

  I wouldn’t bring you back.

  It’s laundry day. Because, even after the most mortifying and embarrassing day of my life, I still have to have clean clothes. Sometimes, life really isn’t fair.

  Estaine brought his laundry over to the girls’ dorm so we could do it together. I love that he did, because I don’t want to be alone right now. I could barely sleep last night because I was worried that a terrorist was going to come kidnap me again.

  I stayed at Uncle Matty and Jake’s house last night as a precaution. They weren’t too worried, but it’s hard to tell with them. I think sometimes they act like everything is perfectly okay because they don’t want to worry me. I’m pretty sure the two of them could act cool even under attack. It’s probably the first thing they teach you when you’re training to be Secret Service.

  When I woke up this morning, I was thankful I was still safe at Uncle Matty and Jake’s place. There were no terrorists, and no viral video of the kiss cam incident.

  Maybe we overreacted. No, not about the kiss. I’m still mad at Brooks for kissing me when I didn’t want him to. But maybe the kiss cam incident wasn’t a big deal.

  “Are you doing okay?” Estaine asks, when he sees me that morning.

  “Yeah,” I answer, as I put my clothes into the front loading washer. “I mean, I was worried last night, but I guess it was all for no reason. No terrorists came, so I guess we’re good.”

  “Yeah,” he says, but he doesn’t sound convinced. “I was worried about you all night. Well, I have been for a while. Since I first found out.”

  “It’ll be okay,” I tell him.

  “You shouldn’t be the one comforting me,” he says. “You’re the one who lives every day in danger.”

  I shut the washing machine and start the cycle. “I’m not worried. Uncle Matty and Jake are good at their job. They’re the ones who rescued me the first time I was kidnapped. I’m confident they can find me again.”

  “I guess,” he says, rubbing the back of his head. “Just, what happens if... I mean, what if they...” his voice trails off. “I want you to be safe. And... alive.”

  I actually hadn’t thought of that.

  If they killed me instead of kidnapping me.

  But what would they win if they killed me?

  “This group... they have something against my dad. They want to use me as leverage. They can’t use me if I’m dead,” I say. “So, don’t worry about me.”

  “It just... sucks,” Estaine says. “And why your dad? My dad’s a politician too. It could’ve easily been me instead of you.”

  “I’m glad it’s not you,” I say. “I want you to be safe. Besides, my dad is part of the group that writes laws for our country. That makes him disliked by a lot of people.”

  “You know, my dad is going to hate the fact that your dad’s republican,” he says.

  I laugh. “And my dad is going to hate that yours is democrat. But he will like you. I mean, as long as you vote for him when you’re old enough.”

  “Your dad raised you, so he’s got to be pretty good, right?”

  “I think he’s pretty cool,” I say. “But maybe I’m a little biased.”

  “You said your dad’s wife is pregnant, right?” he asks.

  “She is. Nora,” I say. “She’s about halfway through the pregnancy.”

  “Is it weird that you’re going to be seventeen years older than your sibling?”

  “Maybe a little,” I answer. “To be honest, I figure Nora and Dad will have more kids. Nora’s in her twenties still.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “It sounds weird, I know. But once you meet Nora, you’ll see why I love her. She and my dad together are the perfect match,” I say. “I miss them. I miss all of my family.”

  “When do you think you’ll see them again?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I hate that all this has happened, but I’m glad you’re here,” he says.

  “Me, too. I thought I would hate it, but I don’t,” I say.

  “Are you going to forgive Brooks?”

  “Uh...” I say. “I told him I would, but I’m still so mad at him. I still can’t believe he did that.”

  “I can,” Estaine says. “Brooks has always been impulsive.”

  “I like Brooks,” I say. “But he gets so jealous. I really hate that.”

  “He was that way with River,” he says. “They were usually fighting over a guy.”

  “Do you think romance in college is any better than high school romance?” I ask.

  “I don’t know,” he answers. “On one hand, I think a lot of people learn from mistakes they make in high school romances. But on the other hand, maybe we just are who we are. Seeing my parents fighting all summer was terrible. Maybe it doesn’t matter if you’re sixteen or forty. Maybe some relationships are destined to make it, and some aren’t.”

  “I think it has more to do with if the people are willing to fight for the relationship. Every couple fights, right? I mean, even Dad and Nora argue. But they have this thing where they refuse to go to bed mad, even if it means staying up until one in the morning, talking through their issues. It’s cute. I like it. And they definitely won’t argue in front of me,” I say.

  “What about your mom and stepdad?”

  “Mom fights. Rick is so chill,” I say. “So, whatever Mom wants, Mom gets. They hard
ly ever fight each other. But when Rick is serious about something, he will win. I asked him why he always lets Mom get her way, and he told me it’s best to pick your battles. Don’t fight over little things, just stand your ground on the things that are really important to you.”

  “That’s actually really good advice,” Estaine says.

  “It works for them,” I say.

  “That’s good,” he says. “My parents are going to go public with their divorce announcement soon.”

  “I’m sorry,” I tell him, not knowing what else to say. I was too young to remember my parents’ divorce, but I imagine it would suck. I can’t remember a time when my parents were in love. In fact, imagining them together at all is kind of strange.

  “Soon, the whole world will know that my family is completely screwed up,” he says.

  “It must be hard to have a dad who is a politician,” I say.

  “Your dad is a politician,” Estaine says.

  “Oh. Right. I almost forgot,” I say. “My dad didn’t ask a lot from me. I just helped him campaign in the summer and on the weekends. But I wanted to. After he was elected, it didn’t really affect me... I mean, until I was nearly kidnapped. But, I’m proud of my dad for his position. I know he loves it.”

  “Do you think he will want to run again?”

  “I doubt it,” I answer. “After what’s happened with me, I figure Dad will finish his term and then step away. I would say that I want him to stay in office, but I want my future baby brother or sister to be safe. And I want Charlie to be safe. And all my family.”

  “Politics aren’t always so messy,” he says. “Nobody has ever tried to kidnap me.”

  If every politician went through what my dad has gone through, there wouldn’t be anybody left who would want to take office.

  “Do you think the guys who kidnapped me are democrats?” I ask, in a completely joking tone.

  Estaine laughs.

  “Maybe they just kidnapped you because you’re cute,” he says.

  I feel my face grow warm and I’m pretty sure it’s bright red. “My mom used to tell me when I was little that if somebody kidnapped me, they would end up bringing me back home because I would drive them crazy.”