Savage Royals

by Callie Rose

  “Horror movies?” Leah piped up.

  I wrinkled my nose. “What is it with you and your horror obsession?”

  “It’s so good!” She laughed. “What do you guys wanna watch?”

  “Sci-fi,” Dan suggested at the same time I said, “Comedy.”

  “Oh, I could do comedy.” He tugged at the sleeve of his blazer, which he clearly hated. “There’s a new buddy cop movie that looks… well, terrible.”

  “That sounds fun.”

  Maggie and Leah groaned. “You two are nerds,” Leah sighed.

  “Proudly.”

  We trudged across campus and all went our separate ways once we reached the U-shaped cluster of buildings. I’d gotten used to everyone else on campus giving me the cold shoulder. In fact, it had become familiar.

  Cole and Elijah were leaning against the wall of Craydon Hall near the entry doors as I walked up, and their heads turned in sync to watch me pass. Elijah’s expression was neutral, but a familiar grim anger flashed in Cole’s face.

  I ignored them and pushed into the building. Ever since the locker room, Cole seemed to hate me more than anyone—except maybe Mason.

  Probably because he thinks I’m just some giant whore who’ll fuck anything that moves. Not that he gave me a chance to explain myself. And not that it’d be any of his business even if I was. Who I sleep with, or don’t, is my business.

  Finn hadn’t come back to the dance studio since that day either. He never mentioned it, and I never mentioned it. I wasn’t even sure if the rest of the Princes knew about it like Cole did. It was as if it’d never happened, as if it were a dream I’d made up to give myself a break from the relentless, crushing bullshit.

  Shaking off the bad mood the sight of them had put me in, I headed to my locker to stash the textbooks I wouldn’t need until later. Adena and Sable had their heads together a little way down the hall, leaning against Sable’s locker as they laughed quietly about something.

  Me, probably.

  Fucking bitches.

  I pulled my locker open—but as soon as the door swung wide, something shot out and slammed into my chest. I grunted and fell backward, landing hard on my tailbone as my books scattered.

  Laughter echoed around me, but I could hardly hear it. Whatever had hit me had knocked the wind out of me, and I clawed at my chest, trying to drag air back into my lungs.

  My skin stung, and when I glanced down, I saw that my hand and shirt were stained deep red.

  Blood.

  I panicked, yanking on my tie and pulling open the front of my shirt wildly as the laughter grew louder.

  “Woah, she really is a slut,” someone said loudly. “Free show, anyone?”

  Still gasping for air, I struggled to my feet and peered into the small mirror in my locker. Then I lifted a shaky hand to my nose and sniffed.

  Not blood.

  Paint.

  They’d rigged something in my locker that had shot a paintball directly into my chest at practically point-blank range.

  As the shock and panic wore off, I realized I was still standing in the hall with my shirt half-unbuttoned. I grabbed the pieces in both hands, tugging them closed quickly and spinning around to survey my tormentors.

  Adena and Sable were laughing their fucking heads off, and I was sure that’s what their snickers before had been about too. They’d either done this or—more likely—found someone more capable than they were to do it for them.

  The Princes were all there too, standing shoulder to shoulder the way they had that first day in the dining hall. Finn had a small line between his eyebrows, but Mason’s face was carefully neutral as always. Elijah tilted his chin up, as if daring me to accuse them of orchestrating this, and Cole looked more furious than he had earlier.

  Jesus. If he accuses me of being a slut for this, I’ll fucking kill him.

  I picked up my books, painting them blood red in the process, and slammed my locker. Then I turned and marched down the hallway. That’s it. I’ve had enough of this shit.

  The Princes took up the middle of the hallway, blocking my path with lazy arrogance. Rage simmered in my veins, and I elbowed past them, smearing Mason’s white shirt with a red handprint in the process. I’d probably pay for defying them like that in front of everyone, but at the moment, I didn’t care. Leaving the sound of laughter behind, I headed for the admin offices in Johnson Hall.

  I’d never been the type of person who tattled, never been the type who needed backup—but right now, I was ready to scream for help from the rooftops. My chest ached, and I could feel a large welt forming. What if I’d been bent over when I opened my locker? I could have lost an eye.

  Not that any of them cared about that. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t care if I died.

  “Can I help you?”

  Dean Levy’s secretary, Ms. Wallace, peered at me above her glasses. She looked me over, am expression of distaste and alarm crossing her features.

  Yeah, I know I’m covered in paint, lady.

  “Is Dean Levy in?” I asked.

  “He’s in a meeting. You can sit down and wait for him there.” She pointed to an empty bench outside his office door. “He should be out in a little while.” She paused, then added, “Are you all right, sweetheart?”

  “Yeah.” I swallowed, reaching up to make sure my shirt was all the way buttoned. “I’m fine.”

  Avoiding her assessing gaze, I shuffled over and sank down onto the bench. I don’t even know why I’m here. I doubted anything would change just because I whined to the dean, but I didn’t know what else to do.

  As I waited, I twined my red fingers together and tried not to rub at the bruise on my chest. I could already feel it throbbing and aching, and I knew it was going to be an ugly one.

  Finally, the door to Dean Levy’s office opened, and he stepped out alongside another man. They continued whatever conversation they’d been having in the dean’s office, and I leaned forward slightly, my brows drawing together as I stared at the visitor.

  His face was disturbingly familiar—hazel eyes, brown-bronze hair with a few strands of gray mixed in, a neat haircut, and an expensive looking suit. But it was the way he wore the suit that made me sure. Like he’d been born in it. Like he’d never worn anything else in his life.

  Elijah’s father.

  I stood up and slowly walked over. Dean Levy spotted me and waved me closer.

  “Mr. Prescott. This is Jacqueline Hildebrand’s granddaughter, Talia. Talia, this is Elijah’s father, Charles. I’m sure you and Elijah have met by now.”

  I swallowed thickly. “We have, sir. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Elijah’s dad narrowed his eyes, taking in my paint-covered hands and shirt. His smile was stiffer than his collar as he dipped his chin in a single nod. “Likewise.”

  “Mr. Prescott is one of the biggest donors here at Oak Park,” Dean Levy continued, barely looking at me. His head was so far up this guy’s ass I was surprised he could still breathe. “The renovations on the football stadium were thanks to him.”

  “That’s… awesome.” I took a step back, hating the way Mr. Prescott was staring at me. Guess I know where Elijah gets that look from too. “Sounds like a great cause.”

  “What did you need, Talia?” Dean Levy asked.

  “Hmm?” I glanced at him before my unwilling gaze moved back to Elijah’s dad. “Oh, um, I just had a question… but then I realized I knew the answer already. Sorry to waste your time.”

  The dean peered at me curiously, his broad face falling into a frown as he finally took in my appearance. “Are you sure? Are you all right? What’s going on with the paint?”

  I touched my shirt and laughed lightly. “Oh—just a dumb prank from one of my friends. Sorry. I was going to ask if it was okay to skip my next class and go to the dorm to change. I don’t want to walk around with paint on me all day.”

  Levy nodded. “Just try to be back in class by next period. I’ll have your teacher alerted. And be more careful
with your uniform, please. Next time I won’t be so lenient,” he added, with a worried glance toward Mr. Prescott.

  “I will. Thanks.”

  Biting back my anger at having to apologize for something that wasn’t my fucking fault, I waved vaguely before turning and grabbing my backpack.

  As soon as I was away from the admin office, I ran.

  It didn’t matter who I told. The Princes and their families owned Oak Park. Literally. The whole semester, I’d refused to go to the dean, holding onto my trump card in case I ever needed to play it. But the truth was, I didn’t have one. There was nothing I could do to stop their torture of me.

  I’m alone. Completely alone.

  Chapter 14

  Finals didn’t kick my ass. I kicked their asses. Hard.

  It turned out being a social pariah was really good for my productivity.

  After the paintball incident, I sort of shut down for a while. I didn’t hang out with Leah, Maggie, or Dan much, spending the next two weeks doing what I’d always told myself I wouldn’t—hiding like a damn coward.

  But I got a shitload of studying done, so… win?

  My last final was on a Friday, and even though my grades hadn’t been posted yet, I was pretty confident I’d aced them all.

  The only problem was, once they were done, a gaping hole opened up in my life that I wasn’t quite sure how to fill. What now?

  My phone vibrated on the mattress next to me as the screen lit up.

  LEAH: Bitch, are you gonna stop ignoring me now? Finally?

  I chuckled as I rolled over on my bed, typing out a return message.

  ME: New phone, who dis?

  LEAH: Ugh. Seriously, are we even friends anymore?

  ME: Duh. How were finals?

  LEAH: Kill me.

  ME: That good huh?

  LEAH: I don’t wanna talk about it. What I do wanna do is drink my face off. Will you come with me? Pleeeeeease?

  I dropped the phone on the mattress, biting my bottom lip. Fuck. This was probably a really bad idea. The last party I’d gone to hadn’t ended well. But despite my claims that I was perfectly fine spending all my time in an eight by eight room, I’d been getting stir crazy. I hated that the Princes were ruining my entire high school experience.

  I wanted to fucking live a little.

  ME: Where?

  LEAH: Are you serious? Is that a yes?

  ME: Where?

  LEAH: Petra’s house.

  ME: Is that the same place as the Halloween party?

  LEAH: …yes.

  LEAH: But I promise this will be more fun! Maggie and Dan are coming too! Practically the whole school will be there. Pleeeease!

  Fuck. “Practically the whole school” definitely meant the Princes.

  But hell, maybe this would be a chance for me to give them a little of their own medicine. I’d seen Finn moping in the halls earlier; I was guessing he hadn’t aced all his exams. Maybe I could rub his rich, beautiful face in it.

  Not that he probably needs good grades. Who needs those when you can play football like a god?

  ME: Okay.

  LEAH: Who are you and what’ve you done to Talia? But seriously, meet me at the student lot at 9? We’re all gonna drive over together.

  ME: K. See you then.

  Tossing the phone aside, I hopped off the bed and opened my closet. Leah had dragged me on a few more “retail therapy” shopping sprees over the past few months, but I’d barely gotten a chance to wear any of the clothes I’d bought. I wore my uniform to school every day, and I didn’t go many other places.

  I picked my outfit carefully, refusing to think about why I cared so much. After tugging on a pair of slim-fitting dark wash jeans, I tried on a few tops until I settled on a light teal green tank that hung low over my hips and showed just a hint of my cream-colored bra straps. It was casual but flattering, highlighting all my best features. I slipped on a pair of black heels and threw my ID, credit card, and keys in my pocket, then headed out to meet up with Leah and the others.

  Dan and Maggie caught up to me on the way over—I was starting to think there was a little thing developing between them, which was cute—and all three of us met up with Leah by her car.

  “Damn, girl! You clean up okay.” She wolf-whistled at me, and I shoved her shoulder lightly before we all piled into her Mercedes.

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” I said, rolling down the front passenger window.

  “Excuse you? I look fine as hell!”

  It took us forty-five minutes to get to Petra’s house. Leah, Maggie, and Dan chatted happily about their plans for the break as we drove. A feeling of palpable relief and pent up energy permeated the car—even those who didn’t think they’d done great on finals were still happy they were over, and we were all ready to relax and blow off a little steam.

  The view as we climbed the winding road into the hills was just as gorgeous as it’d been the last time, and I remember sad, tipsy Talia’s words to Leah then. This place would be paradise if it weren’t for all the fucking people.

  But it didn’t have to be that way. I was with three fun, easygoing people right now. I could hang out with them, have a few drinks, and try to ignore whatever other drama went on around us.

  The party was in full swing when we arrived, and we muscled our way into the kitchen to grab drinks. Maggie and Leah opted for beer from the keg—Leah because she actually liked it, and Maggie because she was trying to impress Dan. But while Dan filled first their cups, then his, I zeroed in on a table with a bunch of bottles of expensive looking booze and a few mixers.

  My stomach flip-flopped a little at the sight of the vodka bottle, so I avoided that, choosing whiskey instead and adding a generous amount of Coke to the cup too. It tasted sweet with a pleasant burn, and it warmed my chest as I swallowed the first sip.

  We made our way outside, where music boomed so loud I couldn’t believe the neighbors hadn’t called the cops. Then again, I wasn’t sure where the closest neighbors even were. The houses up in the hills were all pretty spread out.

  I saw a lot of Oak Park kids, but there were a bunch of people I didn’t recognize—students from other schools, probably. It was perfect. Since the new kids didn’t know me, they didn’t know the standing order was to treat me like dirt. One guy even asked me to dance. He was tall and built, with a dark tee hugging his biceps, and before I could really consider my answer, Leah and Maggie were shoving me toward him and the corner of the massive yard that’d been designated the “dance floor”.

  He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to his body as we swayed to the music. I’d already downed most of my whiskey and Coke, and it felt good to move. He told me his name, which I promptly forgot, and when the first song ended, he kept holding me and we kept moving until another song started up.

  A sudden awareness made the back of my neck tingle, and I glanced over toward the far end of the yard, where another table with booze was set up. The Princes all stood in front of it—and all of them had their gazes fixed on me.

  Something was different about the image than usual though.

  A lot of the time, they seemed to function almost as a single entity, standing shoulder to shoulder like a wall of power. But right now, they looked distinctly separate. Each of them had a different expression on his face, although none of them looked happy. Mason was the closest, and I saw his hands curl into a fists by his sides.

  Jesus. Could they not let me have a moment of peace? One second of fun?

  Not wanting to risk some kind of fight when we’d only just gotten to the party, I pulled away from my dance partner after the song ended and made some excuse about needing another drink. I tracked the Princes out of the corner of my eye, but none of them followed me as I made my way across the lawn toward my friends.

  Determined not to let them ruin my good time, I threw myself into drinking with the same single-minded focus I’d used to study for my exams.

  I could be very good at so
mething when I set my mind to it.

  “Talia! Slow down, girl.” Two hours later, Leah laughed as I polished off my fourth whiskey and Coke, which had been a lot heavier on the whiskey than the Coke. “How are you not shit-faced?”

  I scoffed, pointing a slightly unsteady finger at her. “Joke’s on you. I am very shit-faced.” I giggled as I leaned my head on Dan’s shoulder.

  He rolled his eyes at Maggie. “She needs to be cut off before she hurts herself—or someone else, for that matter. That last round of dancing was pretty wild.”

  I waved a hand. “You guys wanted me to cut loose and have fun, right? I’m doing it. Leave me alone.”

  Maggie sided with Dan, quirking an eyebrow at Leah. “See what you did to her? You made her wild.”

  “I made her fun!” Leah crowed happily. Then she pointed across the yard. “Ooh, look! They’re getting in the pool. Fuck, I wanna. I don’t have a suit though.”

  My gaze tracked to where her finger was pointing, and a grin slowly tilted my lips.

  “Hey, you know the best way to make sure Adena doesn’t throw me in the pool like last time?” I asked, turning to Leah.

  “No. How?”

  “Beat her to it.”

  With a wicked grin, I stood, quickly kicking off my heels before unbuttoning my pants and shoving them down my legs. Dan yelped and covered his eyes, which only made me laugh harder. It wasn’t all that scandalous. I’d even left my tank on over my pale cream bra and panty set. Most of the kids jumping in the pool weren’t wearing suits, and some of them were wearing a lot less than I was.

  “Talia!” Leah gasped.

  “Oh my God,” Dan mumbled.

  Maggie stared, awestruck. But before any of them could say anything to stop me or make me think twice, I raced across the yard and jumped into the pool, plunging beneath the water. When I came up for air, I pushed my fingers through my hair and laughed.

  The pool was warm, and the smell of chlorine drifted up from it, sinking into my skin and hair. I smoothed the long brown strands down and had just begun to swim for the edge of the pool when Mason jumped into the water in front of me.