“Fucking sucks, bro.”
“That it does.”
We order sandwiches and coffee to go and then make our way back to school, but before I make it through the gates, a name flashes up on my phone that I haven’t heard from in a while.
“Everything all right, Gray?” Ashton asks as I pause on the sidewalk.
“Yeah, it’s my uncle. Head inside. I’m going to take this.”
“Later.” Ashton salutes as I turn my back and answer.
“Graham, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard from you.”
“Sorry about that, little Bishop. Now tell me, are the rumors true? Is your father finally getting what’s coming to him?”
My smile turns wicked as the darker part of my personality comes out to play. “First sign of blood and the sharks come swimming.”
My uncle’s laughter drifts down the line. “How much blood, Gray?”
“It’s not gushing yet… but give me time.”
“Fucking brilliant.” Graham chuckles. “Listen, Grayson, I’m going to jump on the next flight out, see if I can ruffle a few feathers. Where are you staying these days?”
“At the penthouse,” I answer vaguely, wondering if my uncle’s idea of ruffling feathers will make the situation worse or better.
“My brother still there?”
“No, I’m living with Summer now,” I answer.
“The wife he’s divorcing. Classic. I bet he hates that.” My uncle’s attraction to drama never fails to amuse me; he’s the wild cannon to my father’s devious lies. It’s why I like him so much and felt the need to avenge him after what Rose’s father stole from him.
“I’ve got to get to class, Graham. Ring me when your get into the city and I’ll fill you in on the details.”
“Confirm one thing before you go. Did my big brother really fuck his stepson’s girlfriend?”
“Yup. I’ve got the footage if you don’t believe me.”
“Fuck me.” His laugher is dark. “See you soon, little Bishop. We’re going to raise hell.”
As the line goes dead, a trickle of anxiety worms its way into my head. Not so long ago, my uncle’s brand of fun never failed to excite me, but I like to do my plotting with a little more finesse, where my uncle likes to bite as hard and as bloody as possible. My plans are already under way, and I’m not sure I need or want Graham flying into the city and raining anarchy down on my newly found peace.
But I guess it’s a little too late now.
Chapter 28
Rose
The first half of my day was spent purposely ignoring Declan, despite him trying numerous times to catch my eye. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit a part of me was concerned I was taking the wrong route. After all, in not so many hours, I was expected to show up to Declan’s home, the perfect image of an obedient young lady, and play nice with his mother and him. But with Ashton’s reminder a burning beacon in my mind, I stuck to my guns and watched the boy squirm.
Clearly Declan needed to win me over as much I needed to win him over. Explaining to his mother that we’d fallen out because of his incessant need to force himself on me clearly wasn’t an option for him. Though I expected him to make up some other lie and tarnish my image in some way.
Maybe he still will, but before then, I want to see him kneel.
“Tell us, Rose, what’s Declan done?” Camilla asks the second we’re alone in the girls’ toilets. The others gather around, eager expressions waiting to lap up the gossip.
I screw up my face, overexaggerating my expressions for their benefit. “The drunk fool tried to force himself on me last night. If he thinks he’s getting into my pants with the stench of sweat and stale beer on his breath, the boy is clearly delusional.”
“What an asshole,” Camilla replies, as the others make similar responses, each coming to hug me in sympathy.
“He’s dead to us,” Autumn pipes up, air-kissing my cheeks.
“Unfortunately,” I answer, rolling my eyes with a sigh, “my mother and I have been summoned to dine with Elizabeth Moor this evening. Mother’s taken over the masquerade ball planning after a last-minute mishap with the original designer.”
Porsha’s smile turns gleeful. “I heard about that. He was sleeping with Elizabeth’s staff, wasn’t he?”
I wave the gossip away; I’ve not the energy or the interest in that useless bit of information. “Something like that. Anyway, it’s left me in a difficult position. I need Declan on my side; otherwise tonight is going to be a tad awkward, and my mother is unbearable as it is.”
“He probably needs to put on a show as much as you,” Penelope points out.
“Yes.” I smile. “Which is why I made him sweat this morning. Let’s get to the courtyard, see how far he’s willing to bend.”
Camilla’s eyes light up. “Yes, make him work for it.”
Checking my reflection in the mirror, I smooth my hair down, before applying a fresh coat of gloss to my lips. The other girls do similar tasks, and then we leave the toilets and head for lunch. I hope my plan to ignore him works, because something tells me, I actually need Declan more than he needs me.
Bloody Mother, I curse silently as I stroll through Albany’s halls, acting far superior to how I feel inside. But fortunately for me, being queen is all about image, and as long as the façade I display is flawless, Albany Nightingale’s student body will never know the imperfections and cracks that lie inside.
As we enter the courtyard, Declan jumps to his feet, a hopeful smile tugging up his lips.
“Rose,” he says as I approach our table. “I bought you lunch.”
The paper bag he places on the table has the name of a popular café not so far from the school on it—he must have either skipped out at the end of class to buy it and return in time or run very fast.
The smile on my face is calculated, my expression fake. Don’t push him too far, my insecurities warn.
Opening the bag, I peer inside, finding a beetroot and feta salad, and bottle of green juice. If he knew me better, he’d know I’d much rather eat a burger and fries, but Declan doesn’t know me at all.
Arching a brow, I study him. Penelope, Camilla, Autumn, Bree, and Porsha are at my back, no one making a move to take their seats until I’ve delivered my verdict. “You’ve forgotten dessert. How is a girl to survive without a little chocolate in her life?” I pout.
His shoulders slump before his eye light up. “I’ll be right back.”
Chuckling as he races away, I take my seat and pull the salad container free; it does in fact look delicious and one bite is enough to confirm I’d find nothing as nice in the school cafeteria.
“Well, that was quite entertaining,” Penelope murmurs as she takes her seat next to me. “Though you had an audience.”
Following her line of sight, I turn to see Ashton and Grayson exiting the courtyard together.
“I used to think Sophia had those two wrapped around her little finger, but I see now it was more the other way around. You though… how have you managed to get two of the sexiest guys in this school to fawn all over you?”
“They don’t fawn over me,” I scoff, returning my attention to my food.
She lowers her voice, whispering. “Are they both as good in bed as they appear they’d be?”
There’s laughter in Penelope’s gaze when I meet her eyes. “I’ve only slept with, Gray,” I answer truthfully. There’s no point lying; she’s the smartest and most insightful out of all the girls. “I don’t think what happened between Ashton and I can be classed as sex. It kinda stopped before anything really happened.”
“Shame.” She leans on her hand.
Yup, it totally is.
“Kissing him was pretty nice though,” I add with a giggle.
“So why are you bothering with Declan if you could take your pick of Grayson or Ashton?”
“For starters, Grayson’s the one-night-of-sin type of guy, and my mother’s pressuring me to go for Dec; sometimes it’s
not about who you like but who will be of the most benefit.”
“Parents suck,” Penelope agrees. “My mother seems to think I should be looking for marriage prospects now, because apparently, that’s the only way I’m going to keep myself in this life.” She rolls her eyes. “Maybe I don’t want to be a kept woman. Maybe I have brains.”
Declan appears, interrupting what was turning out to be the first real conversation I’d had with Penelope.
“Chocolate for milady,” he says, sweeping into a bow, making several girls giggle stupidly.
Suppressing my annoyance, I smile but shoo him away. “I’ll see you tonight, Dec. Thanks for lunch.”
Freezing, he stares as if expecting more from me, but when I turn away back to my food, I catch him scurrying off out the corner of my eye and let out a sigh of relief. Acting the sweet, attentive, proper lady this evening isn’t going to be easy.
“Well, that wasn’t too difficult,” Penelope observes.
I shrug; she wasn’t the one having to act the part.
“And you got a free meal,” Camilla adds. “Declan is pretty dreamy.”
He’s all yours, Cam.
I don’t see what she sees. Declan has done nothing but cause my skin to shudder and turned my insides upside down, and not in a good way. Whether that’s because my dreams are filled with another boy or because Camilla is blind, is yet to be seen. All I know is, I’m losing patience for this life. I’m losing the thrill for the game.
***
“Will you stop fidgeting,” my mother hisses, slapping my hand away as I pull at the neck of my dress.
“I would, but this monstrosity of a dress is strangling me.” When I’d arrived home after school, it was to find my mother’s instructions laid out on my bed, along with a dress. Apparently, she’s turned into a prude because the thing hugs my neck so tight, I can hardly breathe, and the lace sleeves are itching something chronic. At least the hemline isn’t to the floor; I do at least have a bit of skin on show.
“You needed to look presentable. Can’t have Mrs. Moor thinking my daughter likes to dress suggestively.”
I roll my eyes. “For all you know, she’s as much a slut as her son,” I reply tightly.
“Be quiet,” she scolds, glaring at me as we pause to knock on the door of their brownstone home.
A staff member opens the door for us and shows us inside. I take in the elegant interior as we walk through the entrance hall and are shown into the front room.
“Mrs. Moor will be with you shortly.”
“Thank you,” my mother replies as I force a polite smile.
As soon as she leaves, I pull at the neck of my dress again. “Mother, I’m burning this dress when we get home. It is bloody awful.”
“Rose,” Declan purrs, entering the room. “You’re here, and this must be your mother?”
“Declan,” I return, again forcing a smile; my cheeks are going to permanently ache at this rate. “Yes, this is my mother, Violet.”
“Pleasure.” He nods toward the door he just entered through, catching my gaze. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
And as much as I can’t stand Declan, the prospect of staying with my mother is much worse, but before I can make it out of the door, Elizabeth arrives. “Where are you going, Declan?” she asks curtly.
“Just showing Rose around,” he answers.
Elizabeth takes me in, her scrutiny worse than my mother’s. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Moor,” I say.
She smiles and turns her gaze to my mother. “What a beauty, Violet. Go ahead then, Declan, but don’t be long.”
Declan grabs my hand and more or less drags me from the room. “Come on,” he whispers. “The last thing we want is to be trapped in there with those two.”
For once, I agree with him. I allow him to keep my hand as he guides me through the home and up two flights of stairs and then into what I presume is his bedroom.
Pulling my hand free, I take in my surroundings, feeling his gaze on me.
“You look…”
My lips lift. “Like my mother dressed me?” I supply for him.
His laughter follows. “Yeah, like that.”
I pull at the neck, flexing my shoulders. My God, why did I agree to wear this thing? Declan watches me, his expression unreadable. He’s different in some way, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Letting out a huff, I turn my back to him. “Please, for the love of God, unzip my dress a bit.”
Without replying, I sense him close the space between us and then his fingers are on the back of my dress, tugging down the zip. Letting out a moan of relief, I pull the neckline down and allow the dress to slip from my shoulders a little before facing him. “Thank you.”
His gaze heats. “You’re welcome.”
“You can wipe that look off your face. This is for my benefit, not yours.”
Chuckling, innocence fills his dark blue eyes. “What?”
“You know what. So, this is your room, huh?”
“This is where the magic happens.” He smirks.
Raising my brows, I look him up and down. “Magic? Right.”
“Ah, come on, Rose, you aren’t still mad with me, are you?” I give him a pointed look. “I’m sorry, okay. I’d had too much to drink, and the way you and Pen were dancing made me horny as hell.”
“Don’t try and blame your behavior on my actions, Dec.”
“I’m not, okay. Can we just forget last night and be friends again? It will make getting through this meal far easier.”
Friends…. Does he really think that’s what we were? Am I that good an actor?
“Okay,” I answer, not sure if I really am okay with it. “Is your father joining us for this meal too?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Divorced.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Don’t be, beats listening to them scream the house down every night.” He grins.
Wandering his room, I struggle for something to say. The conversations I’ve had with him so far have been fake and for my own gain. I really don’t know that much about him other than he plays football and has a tendency to push himself onto girls. The problem is, I don’t want to get to know him; he might have dropped his big boy act and apologized, but I still don’t particularly like him.
“So… how was your lunch?” he asks.
“I’ve had better.” I suppress a grin.
“You’re just being cruel now,” he responds.
Laughter bubbles out of my throat. “Sorry, couldn’t help it.”
There’s a knock at his door. “Declan, your presence is required.”
He rubs his hands on his jeans. “Showtime. Planning on zipping up that dress or are we giving our mother’s something to growl about?”
“As much as I get a kick out of winding my mother up, I’m not sure that would be the best move tonight.” I give him my back. “Zip me up.”
His fingers trail over my bare skin, causing my stomach to twist uncomfortably. “Dec,” I warn.
“Okay, okay, behaving.”
The zip goes up, strangling me once again. “Straitjacket’s on. Time to get this meal over with,” I announce.
Declan shows me to the dining room, and I take my seat next to my mother. We get through the first two courses with relative ease, Elizabeth and my mother doing most of the talking, but by dessert, Declan’s mother turns her unnerving gaze on me and I have to force myself to act the good girl.
“Are you looking forward to the masquerade, Rose?” she asks.
“Oh yes, very much so. My friends can’t stop talking about it.”
She smiles. “Yes, it is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Of course, this will be your first time.”
“It will be good to see it with my own two eyes,” I reply politely, before placing a tiny bite of tart into my mouth.
Elizabeth looks to Declan with a smile, then back to me. “I do look forward to seeing the two of you together in your attire.”
Declan chokes on his dessert and my eyes widen a second before I find my composure again.
“Sorry?” I search hers then Declan’s face.
“Erm… we…,” Declan mumbles, putting his dessert fork down and then mouthing, “Sorry,” my way.
“Nonsense,” Elizabeth says. “She’d be lucky to be on your arm. Wouldn’t you agree, Violet?”
My mother meets my gaze and as she does, I wish for the ground to swallow me whole. Tonight, isn’t the end of this charade. She’s going to make me drag it out until the ball and though Declan hasn’t been as much of an asshat tonight, I don’t expect that to last into the coming weeks.
Bloody brilliant.
“Of course,” my mother coos, delivering my fate.
“Well, that’s settled then,” Elizabeth announces. “You’ll attend the masquerade together.”
“I can’t wait.” I grin.
And while our mothers seem to buy my agreement, there’s a tilt to Declan’s head that says he sees my words for what they are—an act, a show… lies.
Chapter 29
Rose
“Are you really planning on not speaking to me for the rest of the night?” my mother rasps as we enter our apartment later that night.
Halting in my tracks, I turn to face her, my chest heaving with the anger trapped inside. I study the woman who is my mother and find nothing I like about her anymore. She sold me out for status, for her own selfish desires, and I hate her for it.
“I don’t plan on talking to you for the foreseeable future. One week you said. I gave you those things. I suppressed my revulsion and gave away my dignity so you could get what you want, and in return, you sat by while Elizabeth decided I was to attend that ball with her slimeball of a son.” I swipe at the angry tears rolling from my eyes and grit my teeth, forcing my emotion deep down inside. “There was a moment, Mother, not so long ago, that I thought even though our life fell apart and I lost my father, that it would okay because it seemed like I’d regained my mum.” Looking her up and down, I shake my head. “But you don’t know the meaning of the word.”
The Resurrection of Us: A High School Bully Romance (Albany Nightingale Duet Book 2) Page 15
