There’s no response, not that I figured I’d get one, and I let the door close behind me as I follow Silverstone to his room.
Only a few guys are around, surrounding the TV, none of them being my friends. They better hope to God they aren’t the ones that told Silverstone where I was.
Silverstone closes the door behind me and pulls his phone out.
“Oh wow, your daddy bought you the newest phone. You’re so cool and rich.” I roll my eyes. “Can I fucking go now?”
“Shut the fuck up and look,” he says, shoving the phone in my face.
A conversation between two people. Him and…I glance at the top of the conversation to find the name. Heath Goldsworthy.
I flit my eyes back down and read the messages.
Kane: You don’t have a treasurer anymore do you? I can help with that. What do you say, friend?
Heath: The position is yours. The day after the party I’ll announce it.
Kane: You’re making the right choice, Heath.
“The fuck did you have on him?” I yell, shoving his phone into his chest.
He chuckles. “It doesn’t really matter anymore does it? Anyway, I want my position.”
“Absolutely fucking not. I don’t need to be in the company of a Silverstone.”
“Goldsworthy, I’m not asking, I’m telling. Unless you want everyone in this school to know your brother’s secrets.”
“Keep that fucking mouth of your shut.” I prod him straight in his chest to his black fucking heart. “Keep Heath’s name out of your mouth. I’ll give you the fucking position. You screw up, you’re out. Oh and one other thing.” I deliver a right hook straight to his jaw. “Touch my sister again, and I’ll kill you.”
He rubs his jaw and nods slightly. “Fine, I’ll leave her alone for now.” A devious smile forms on his face. One that makes me want to punch him again. “I’m much more interested in a certain princess right now.”
That same red I saw when I saw those guys hands on her flashes in my head once again. “If you touch her–”
“You’ll…what?” he snorts. “Kill me in your brother’s honor. Let’s be a little more honest with ourselves, Callan. For some fucked up reason, you’re interested in your brother’s girlfriend. And yet you think I’m the messed up one?”
I clench my jaw. I don’t need to explain anything to him. “Get out of my way.” I don’t want to hear another fucking word.
He holds his hands up. “Yes, el presidente.”
After throwing the door open, I stomp out and rush down the hallway and go down to the basement. I know she’s gone.
The door is still unlocked and I take the stairs two at a time. When I reach the couch, I lean down and sniff it. Her scent is still there.
In my head, I see a flash of her open mouth as a moan escapes it. My cock comes alive once more inside my pants, and instead of suppressing it, I tug it out. I pull my hand off my dick and sniff it to find my hand still smells like her unique scent. I shouldn’t like how she smells, but I do. It’s intoxicating.
Fuck. I fist my cock, tugging it hard over and over as I imagine it sliding inside her. I remember feeling how tight she was around my fingers. Just imagining the tightness of her pussy around my dick makes my blood run wild.
Spurt after spurt of cum erupts out. Gritting my teeth, I glare down at the mess I’ve made. I can’t do this again. I need to follow through with my last threat. I need to be done with her. I’ll just have to lock her down here, chain her up, and fuck her until she stops lying.
Chapter Nine
Mera
Since my very first total fail at the first party day of the year, I’ve avoided every other party. And we’ve had a bunch. I’ve ignored the siren call of the loud music blaring outside the walls of my room. The laughter and excited voices that carry down the halls. The smell of the booze.
I refuse to ignore it tonight. It’s Halloween. One of my favorite nights of the year. Every single year in high school I had a party at the palace. It would’ve been epic this year if I was still at home. My parents wouldn’t have been able to stop me from opening the bar since I’m finally eighteen.
Oh well. I can still have fun tonight, I just can’t get blackout drunk again to the point where I completely forget everything.
“Almost ready, Mera?” Brandie pipes up from behind me.
“Yeah, I just need to get this wig on.”
“Here, let me do it for you,” she says, coming up from behind me.
She picks the wig up from the vanity and slowly positions it accordingly in the mirror. “Wigs are fun aren’t they? You’re a gorgeous Snow White. You’re so much better at makeup than me. Thanks for doing my face too!”
It’s what I’m good at. After watching Cate be woken up early for events to have her face done, I decided to learn myself so I wouldn’t have to be bothered.
The short raven waves and the red lipstick make my blue eyes stand out more than usual. Maybe I should dye my hair.
I move off the vanity chair and straighten my dress, making sure there isn’t a wrinkle in sight.
Brandie is adjusting the angle of her witch hat on her head.
“Can you believe we actually have to go through an inspection? Her Highness is so ridiculous.” She covers her mouth. “Oh sorry, I don’t mean to make you feel inferior.”
I shake my head. “No, the truth is, my being a princess doesn’t matter one bit here. In this situation she’s the queen and we’re all her lackeys.”
And to make sure she doesn’t get embarrassed by any of us, we have to line up for inspection. She’s already cleared all of the juniors and seniors costumes.
“Let’s get this over with then,” I say, marching out of the room with Brandie at my heels. We get down to the foyer and join the crowd of girls waiting. At the other edge of the crowd near the kitchen area, I spot a bloody Jamie in a Carrie dress. She nods to her roommate, Kori, dressed in a cat costume, who narrows her eyes at me as her mouth turns to a frown. What’s her fucking deal?
Jamie skirts around the crowd until she reaches our side. “You guys look great. I’m guessing Mera did your makeup, Brandie?”
“Of course. You know I’m not that skilled.”
Jamie smiles. “I would’ve had to steal her away if my costume involved makeup. I’m so glad all I needed is the fake blood.”
The crowd around us suddenly quiets down. Behind us, the stairs creak as feet step quickly down them. The last footsteps are light as a feather.
As if we’re synchronized, we all step back, as close to the stairs as possible and form a tight line.
The four of them step in front of us, with Collette being in the forefront. She looks particularly excited tonight, but the weirdest thing is, she isn’t wearing a costume. Her outfit is a more beautiful version of the tutus she wears along with a pair of glittery tights and ballet shoes. Brandie’s known her for years and when she told me I honestly didn’t believe her. She doesn’t like to dress up in anything but, and she’ll always make fun of anyone wearing a ballerina costume too.
I guess she wasn’t lying when she said a soul wouldn’t dare come down dressed in a ballerina costume and incur her wrath.
She starts at the end of the line closest to the hallway instead of the front door. As Collette makes her judgements, I look away and focus on her three officers in front of me.
She still hasn’t chosen her fourth and last one.
Gemma spots me looking and discreetly waves with her arm glued to her side. She’s wearing a hot pirate girl costume with heavy eyeliner and dark red lipstick. To her left, is Luella who notices Gemma’s gaze and smiles at me. Her face is the most made up as she has white face paint and a black painted nose for her deer costume.
Ashlynn only glances my way for a moment before flitting back to her nails. She’s a traditional fairy with glittery wings and a short goofy dress with glittery eyeshadow and a blue flower wreath around the front of her hair.
Collette’s Ju
dy voice edges ever closer.
“You need more eyeliner,” she murmurs to one girl.
“Different color lipstick.”
“Your lips are too glossy.”
“Your whole face needs to be fixed.”
“Too much eyeshadow.”
A few of the girls make small noises of frustration that Collette seems to ignore. Finally, she stops in front of me. Her eyes move over my face several times and. Her gaze drops to my costume and back up.
What can she say? I know I did my makeup perfectly and this costume wasn’t cheap either.
A crooked smile forms on her face. “More blush on those cheeks, Mera.”
What a bitch. I know my cheeks are red enough. Her mocking eyes leave mine, going to Jamie next to me. “Wasn’t Carrie soaked in blood? You only have a few splatters on you.” She takes another step. “Awesome makeup, Brandie, but where’s your broomstick?”
I snort and she glances in my direction. “Something funny?”
Shaking my head quickly, I struggle to hold in the laughter. I guess she can say what she really thinks to anyone but me. I’ll humor her by going back up to put more blush on, but I’m not actually going to. My makeup is perfect. She even said so herself, just not to my face.
Once she’s judged the last person, she walks back to the front in front of her three friends. “Let the party begin. Don’t have too much fun.” She walks away to the kitchen and all of the girls in line go separate ways. Gemma opens the door wide open and group after group of guys come in.
Two of those guys being Emerson and Brett who hug Jamie and Brandie, respectively. Brett is dressed as a police officer and Emerson as a cowboy. Emerson reaches behind Jamie to grab her ass and Brett pushes Brandie against the stair railing, kissing her hard.
All of a sudden, I feel like a fifth wheel. I bet they wouldn’t even know if I left.
Peyton and Scarlett are getting food in the dining hall before coming here to meet me in an hour.
I’ll just get a few drinks and then leave for a little while.
When I get to the kitchen it’s mostly empty as a lot of people are outside in the back. I grab a bottle of whiskey and pour myself a few shots.
Ah, I missed that burn.
I pour myself a few shots of vodka and then some tequila.
Yes. This is what I missed. My face is feeling warm and everything seems so much better now. I’ll just have a few more shots of tequila and be on my way.
Once I’m done, I slam my shot glass down and glance around at all of the people yelling and laughing as the music roars from outside.
I stumble out the hallway and back to the foyer to find my friends haven’t moved.
“I’m going to walk around campus. See you guys later,” I say in a loud voice.
Jamie’s the only one who acknowledges me, giving me a little wave and goes back to cuddling in the arms of her boyfriend.
I wonder if I’ll ever have someone like that. Someone who’s so wrapped up in me that they completely block out everyone else.
Someday.
I mean, I’m a fucking princess. My Prince Charming has to come at some point.
Gemma’s alone on the porch when I walk through the doorway and she looks bored out of her mind, looking down the road. “Hey, I’m going to wander around for a bit. Want to come with?”
“I would, but Collette doesn’t want me to leave.” She moves her hands over her outfit. “I think I actually sort of look nice. I don’t want to stay cooped up, but I don’t really have a choice. See you whenever you get back.”
There’s a sour note in her voice that makes me wonder how long it’s going to take before she can’t stand Collette’s bossiness anymore.
I start down the road, eventually reaching the end of Sorority Row. Tons of people are running around in their costumes with bottles of alcohol in hand.
A few large groups start whispering as they see me walking past. As I turn the corner, I spot a group of guys in devil masks and all black. So far everyone else has worn their own unique costume.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as they actively walk around everyone in their path and follow me. Their steps aren’t too fast as if they want to get around me or too slow as if they’re walking casually. No, they’re keeping up with me. I walk past the library and start toward the administration building. Unlike everywhere else, there’s no one around. Shit, maybe it was a mistake coming this way.
I walk a little faster, stumbling over a few cracks in the concrete and almost falling on my face a few times. Shit. Eventually I’m passing the administration building to the spot I met Heath at two months ago. And then I hear it. My heart jumps in my throat as I hear the sound of feet hitting the pavement fast.
I glance behind me to find them hastening to catch up. Wait. Something glinted in one of their hands. Was that a knife? My heart thunders in my chest as I break into a run. Into the tree covered area with benches on each side. Ugh, these flats aren’t helping me at all.
Why are they chasing me? This can’t be a misunderstanding, can it?
Off in the distance, I hear the sounds of laughter and yelling, but around here there’s no one.
This is my very own horror movie. Just what I fucking needed.
Except, I have a phone. I yank it out of my pocket and start to dial 911 when a rough hand grabs my shoulder and yanks me backwards, causing me to drop my phone to the ground.
The brightness of my phone illuminates the darkness of the area.
“What do you want?” I ask, eyes widening and heart in my throat.
The other three surround me from the back. The person’s grip tightens as they pull me closer, and something hard and sharp hits my chin. I flit my eyes down, staying still to find it’s a chef’s knife. So I was right.
“If you’re going to use it, use it. And then my parents will hunt you down and kill you.”
The person throws the knife to the ground, making a clinking sound that sends chills down my spine.
“That’s better. Now go and fuck off.”
They shake their head and thrust their hand forward, putting their gloved fingers around my neck. Those long fingers tighten to the point that I’m gasping for air. I move my arms up, trying to peel their hand away, but it does nothing. I shouldn’t have drank so much.
Coughing hard, I start seeing stars behind my eyes. Desperately, I move my hands up, reaching for that ugly devil’s mask. My fingers glide over the edge, but they angle their head back so it’s still out of reach.
Is this what they meant by that note? These are the same people that killed Heath? How can I even hope to save myself if Heath couldn’t?
I can’t do anything anymore. My body goes limp as I sink to my knees and hit the ground. Suddenly, that pressure around my throat is gone. Blinking my eyes quickly, I intake a gulp of air sharply and touch my aching throat. God, that hurts.
The person straightens and folds their arms. “What happened to Heath Goldsworthy?” Those first words clue me in exactly to who it is.
“Callan?” I rasp, touching my throat.
The mask is slowly pulled down to reveal those cold eyes of his. His face is neutral, as if he didn’t almost make me pass out.
The other guys move from next to and behind me to Callan’s side. They pull off their masks to reveal that they’re his three friends. I should’ve fucking known. No one else but them would be so arrogant as to do something like this out in the open.
“You guys are fucked up!” I yell, eyeing each of them individually. They avoid my gaze, looking anywhere else but me. Callan is the only one looking me dead in the eye.
“Just tell me what happened to my brother.”
“For the last time, I don’t know. It’s been almost two months and I still can’t remember.”
Callan scowls, and hurls the mask to the ground. “Let’s go.”
The other guys pile their masks on top of his and follow him without so much as a word to me.
They�
�re either as twisted as he is or extremely loyal. The same loyalty that Collette inspires in her friends.
Whatever. I’m done thinking about him and allowing him to ruin my night. I pick up my phone and check to make sure the screen isn’t cracked. Thank God it isn’t.
Instead of going straight to the area where we did our third round of hazing, I turn left and follow a path through the trees. I just need to take a breather. The lake is somewhere around here, I think. I’ve never been to it but everyone says it’s peaceful.
After walking for a while, I discover it’s nowhere near as close as I thought it would be. Finally, I feel the coolness in the air and I spot the shimmering water with the moon reflected on it. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it’d be.
At the shore of the lake, I stop and sit down, probably completely ruining my costume. Oh well. It’s quiet enough where I can only hear the crickets, the birds, and my own breathing.
Wait. Is my mind playing tricks on me? I hold my breath and listen only to hear the slow intake of breath and then its release. That’s not me. Before I can even reach into my pocket to pull out my phone, my phone is wrenched out by a gloved hand and tossed away all over again.
Fucking hell it better not be cracked.
I don’t even have time to worry about it as someone grabs me around the waist, carrying me into the water.
Turning my head slightly, I see that same damn devil mask. “Why won’t you leave me alone? I already told you thirty minutes ago, I don’t know anything.”
At this point, the water’s up to my chin but he’s still well above it. “Let me go.”
He shakes his head and my head immediately meets the water.
It was so abrupt I didn’t even get a chance to hold my breath. The hand on my head is hard and unyielding, but he won’t hold me here for long. I just need to be strong. I’ll survive this. I always make it through Callan’s games. He won’t kill me. My lungs start to burn, crying out for air. It hurts.
Why is he torturing me again? I don’t know what happened to Heath. I don’t know! I want to scream it in his fucking face until he finally understands.
The Princess and the Bully (Goldsworthy University Book 1) Page 12
