A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Elite of Eden Falls Prep Book 4)

by Isabella Starling

  "What is this?" I ask, trying to hide the tremble in my voice.

  Alli shrugs. "I guess your dad is paying your mom."

  "Do you think he knows we're here?" I whisper.

  "Probably... I mean, surely he does."

  "But he told me she was dead," I manage brokenly. "And he's been in touch with her this whole time?"

  "I'm sorry, Pandora."

  I want to scream, but I manage to hold it in and pass Alli the check back. "Where did you find that?"

  "It was... in the foyer," she says, quickly averting her eyes. Something tells me she's lying, and I decide to press further.

  "She wouldn't just leave that lying around. Did you go through mother's stuff?"

  Alli's lips form a defensive line and she crosses her arms. "You deserve to know the truth, Pandora. Too many people have been hiding things from you."

  I can't deny that, and even though I want to tell her not to snoop again, I can't bring myself to do it.

  So, Father knows I'm here, and yet he's done nothing to bring me back to Eden Falls. I don't know whether I'm relieved or disappointed.

  "I'm glad you've decided to go back," Alli speaks up again. "That town, and especially the men in it, deserve to be brought to their knees. And you might just be the person to do it, Pandora Oakes."

  I look up at her and smile. The light falling through the bay window in the room illuminates Alli, making her even prettier. Fear grips me tightly, but I do my best to ignore it. Dex cares about me. He wouldn't just abandon me at the sight of some pretty girl... Would he?

  "And the best part," Alli goes on, taking my hand in hers and grinning wickedly. "Is that I'm going to help you every step of the way. I know just how to bring them all down. Here's what we're going to do..."

  4

  Dexter

  "Oakes."

  I look away from the wall, to the guard that's unlocking my cell. I must have a visitor—probably the shitty lawyer I've been appointed by the state. I pick myself up from the scratchy, hard bed and approach the bars, holding up my wrists so the officer can cuff me. I'm well-versed in this by now. I've been stuck in here for months, with no hope of getting out anytime soon.

  "No need for handcuffs today," the guard mutters, unlocking the door and showing me down the hallway. "You're free to leave, Dexter Booth."

  My heart catches in my throat. I've been waiting and waiting to hear those words and yet they never came.

  "What do you mean?" I ask, fearing he's just fucking with me, getting a kick out of my misery.

  "Your bail's been posted," the guard shrugs, yawning. He doesn't give a shit about this, he just wants to get rid of me as soon as possible. "You coming or not?"

  I follow him down the hallway, pondering who would've been crazy enough to pay the million-dollar bail.

  Not Emilian Oakes. He's hated me ever since his precious Lily Anna.

  Not Pandora—she has nothing, and she's gone, anyway.

  I don't have anyone else.

  All I know is, they finally found someone who remembered me from the dorm party I went to that night Lai died. It took fucking months, but finally, I have an alibi. And since they couldn't place me at the murder scene during the time of Lai's death, the authorities allowed for bail to be posted in my case. Still, I didn't see a way out of that prison cell—not when I had nobody on my side anymore.

  Worry and disbelief course through my veins as I change back into my own clothes—the ones I was brought into the precinct in months ago. It feels strange to be in anything other than the fucking unflattering orange uniform I've been wearing for too long.

  I'm guided out of the facility and down a long corridor underground. Finally, I appear in front of the gates leading into the prison. I don't have a clue how the hell I'm going to get back home from here. I don't have a penny to my name, so I'm guessing I'll have to fucking hitchhike. Me, Dexter motherfucking Booth. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

  But when the gates open, I realize I won't be needing a ride after all.

  Because right there, next to a shiny white Escalade, are the friends I thought I lost. Easton, Caspian and Julian raise their eyes as they see me exiting the prison. I brace myself for the impact of the first blow, but it never comes.

  I approach them warily. None of them make a move, they're all just staring me down.

  Finally, Julian speaks up.

  "Been a long time, Booth."

  I nod. I feel sick. The group doesn't feel the same without Lai, and for the first time since he died, I feel the loss of my best friend like a punch to the stomach. I groan, running a hand through my dark, unruly hair.

  "He's really gone, isn't he," I mutter. "He's never coming back."

  The weight of the truth hits me like a ton of bricks and I lean against Caspian's car, feeling sicker than ever. The boys make room for me, and we stand there, with me still wondering whether they're here to finish me once and for all. I wouldn't blame them. I don't know whether I even deserve a place on earth anymore. Not after everything that's fucking happened. But I still have a purpose—a driving force that's pushing me forward.

  I need to find Pandora, and I need to fucking kill Lily Anna for what she's done. And I won't rest until both of those things are fucking over and done with.

  A heavy hand lands on my shoulder, and I look up into Easton's eyes.

  I don't know whether he'll comfort me or hit me. But I see the pain in his eyes—the pain of losing one of us. Lai is truly gone and our group will never be the same, not without him.

  "I know you didn't do it," Easton speaks up, his words making a gigantic weight fall off my chest. "But you need to start fucking talking, Booth. You need to tell us the truth."

  I nod and motion to the car. "Can we go to my place?"

  We all get in the car, with Caspian in the driver's seat. The drive to my house is thirty minutes, and we spend them sitting there in silence. I can't speak yet. I need to wrap my mind around what happened first.

  Finally, the familiar sight of Booth Manor shows up in front of us, and I'm shocked when someone opens the gate for us. We park in the driveway and I see a figure I know all too well standing in front of the house.

  Anders.

  We exit the car and my butler and I face off. He looks tired, but determined. Anders was never one for showing affection physically, but when he pats my back, I feel as if he's letting me know everything's going to be okay.

  "What are you doing here?" I mutter. "I can't pay you anymore, Anders. Haven't you heard? I'm fucking broke."

  "I don't care," he shakes his head. "I'm here to help, Master Booth. I don't want payment."

  Emotions threaten to break through my stone-cold facade, but just like always, I push them back down and give Anders a curt nod. The group of guys files into the house. If they're surprised by the state of it, they don't comment on it.

  We all settle in the living room. Anders makes us some drinks, and I lean back against the couch, appreciating the comfort I haven't felt in months.

  "You'd better start talking, Booth," Caspian says. "We need an explanation. We know you're not guilty, but we need to know who is."

  I nod. The secret I've been keeping for many, many years weighs heavily on my mind and heart.

  "It was Lily Anna," I get out through gritted teeth. The guys exchange glances, probably thinking I've fucking lost it, but I know I have Anders for backup. He knows she's alive—after all, he helped me take care of the girl. And he'll back up everything I'm saying.

  Slowly, I regale the guys with the story of Lily Anna. Of wanting to escape Emilian Oakes, of her slow decline, of her breaking point. I don't hold back. I tell them everything and I don't skimp on the details. I walk them through the story up to my imprisonment, and the guys stare at me with shocked expressions.

  "Why didn't you tell us?" Easton finally asks. "Why didn't you tell us she was still alive?"

  "Be glad I didn't," I mutter. "Lai is the only one who knew, and look what happened to
him."

  We all sit there in silence, quietly mourning the loss of our friend.

  "She needs to pay for this," Julian finally states. "Lily Anna can't get away with what she's done."

  "I know," I mutter. "And I think she's going to go after Pandora next—if she hasn't already."

  "Fuck," Easton mutters. "Do you remember... years ago. Before she disappeared. Do you remember what happened with Lily Anna and me?"

  My hands form fists and I can barely contain the snarl on my face. "You mean when you forced yourself on her? You fucked her. She told me everything."

  "And you actually believed her," Easton mutters, shaking his head. "You believed her this whole time."

  "Are you denying it?" I hiss. This isn't a small matter—it's the reason I fucking hate Easton's guts.

  "Yes," he replies with the same outraged expression. "For fuck's sake, Booth, don't tell me you still trust a word out of that girl's mouth. She's a goddamn liar, and you should know better by now. She hated me, she hated Lai."

  "She hated all of us," Caspian adds.

  "She did," Julian nods. "She hated that we were friends. Remember how jealous she used to get? She didn't want us around you. She just wanted you to herself. That's why she fed you all those lies."

  "What lies?" I mutter.

  "I didn't force myself on her, for one," Brantley gets out through gritted teeth. "It was the other way around. She fucking spiked my drink with something. When I came to, she was on top of me. Fucking riding me. She was delusional, Dex. She was fucking herself with my dick, at the same time telling me what a goddamn monster I was. That she was going to tell you what I did to her. And I didn't do a fucking thing."

  My hands form fists at my sides. It does sound like her—not like the Lily Anna I once loved, but the monster I now know she was all along.

  "We need to find her," I finish my thought. "We need to find her and bring her to justice before she kills more people."

  "How the fuck are we going to do that?" Caspian hisses. "This whole town thinks you're guilty. Even if we tell people about Lily Anna... who's going to care enough to bring her to justice?"

  Anders sets down our second round of drinks and we all drink in silence. The butler lingers in the room, and I snap my eyes to him.

  "Do you have any ideas?" I ask him.

  "As a matter of fact, I do." His wrinkled face lights up. "There's only one person besides you, Master Booth, that cares as much as you do about that insolent little girl."

  I know what he's about to say before the words even leave his mouth, and I groan, running a hand through my hair again. "Don't say it, Anders. I can't put up with that prick."

  "I'm afraid it might be your only choice," he mutters. "You know what you have to do."

  He leaves the room. The rest of the guys are staring at me, waiting for an explanation. I'm already dreading what I know we'll have to do.

  "He's talking about Emilian Oakes," I mutter. "He's the only one that can help us now. The only one with the resources, the money, and the fucking determination to find that little bitch."

  "We should go see him," Caspian replies. "The sooner, the fucking better."

  I know he's right, but I'm still fucking dreading seeing the guy who's made my life a living hell.

  But then I think about her.

  Not the conniving little bitch who killed my best friend, ruined my life, and is still trying to get back at me.

  No, instead I think about Pandora Oakes.

  My Pandora. My fucking toy.

  Even though she's cut ties with me, even though she ran off, even though she wants nothing to do with me... I can't let her go.

  And despite knowing the reason I can't give her up, I'm not ready to admit it to myself.

  "Let's go." I pick myself up and motion for the guys to follow me. "We need to go to Oakes Manor right now. We need to make things right. We need to find Pandora, and bring Lily Anna to justice."

  "But, Dex..." Julian hesitates. "You know Oakes was obsessed with her. Aren't you worried about him getting his claws into her? Aren't you worried what he might do now that he knows they aren't related?"

  I think about all the bad shit Oakes has done to people I care about. Minnie. Pandora. Me.

  "I fucking hope he does," I finally mutter. "The bitch had it coming. And you know what? I hope he's rough with her. I hope he makes her pay for everything she's done."

  The guys seem to understand and agree with me. I don't need to remind them Lily Anna is a monster—the monster who put a wedge between us all, the monster who killed one of us.

  "Let's go," Easton mutters, throwing Julian his car keys. "Better fucking hurry."

  5

  Pandora

  I watch Alli with newfound interest, muttering, "I never thought about it that way."

  She giggles. "You really should read that Eden Falls manual you gave me."

  "I should," I grin. "But now I have you."

  She reaches over for my hand, gently squeezing it. "You also have two people to worry about now. Yourself and the baby."

  "You're right," I mutter. "I can't be selfish now. And the baby will be the highest ranking person in Eden Falls once it's born."

  "That's right," she nods enthusiastically. "And like I said, you're the one in charge until he or she turns eighteen. I read all of this in the manual. Trust me. I've been studying it since we got here, I know my stuff."

  "Thank you so much for doing all this research." I squeeze her palm. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You've been saving me since you came along. I think I'd fall apart if it weren't for you."

  "Everyone needs a friend," Alli mutters, skimming through the manual again. "I'll keep reading it. Maybe we can find something else to make things easier for you."

  "Pandora?"

  We exchange tired glances when my mother calls out my name.

  "God, what is it now," I groan. Mother has gotten into the habit of dressing me up like a doll. She's spent so much money on clothes for me, I could probably wear a new outfit every day for a year. I feel bad for Alli, whom she mostly ignores. But I've shared my new things with my best friend, letting her wear anything she wants from my collection. "I better go see what she wants."

  She nods and wishes me luck before shifting her attention back to the manual in her hands. I smile to myself as I leave the room and descend the marble staircase. Alli is so dedicated to helping me. I really lucked out by getting her in my corner.

  I arrive in the salon where my mother spends most of the time and knit my brows together when I see the scene laid out in front of me.

  It's a tea party.

  There are scones, cakes, cucumber sandwiches, and pots of tea, one of which mother is holding in her hands, daintily pouring the acid-green liquid into a golden cup.

  "What's all this?" I wonder out loud.

  "Oh, there you are." She puts the tea down and some of the vibrant liquid sloshes onto the lacy white tablecloth. She rushes toward me, fussing over my appearance without really paying attention to me at all. "I thought we could have a little tea party tonight."

  "Oh," I manage lamely. "Should I call Alli to come down? I don't think she's busy-"

  "No, no," she rushes to say. "This party is just for you, my darling. Now come! Sit down at the table, let your Mother pour you some tea."

  I feel bad for Alli. She always excludes her, as if my friend doesn't matter at all. I make a mental promise to take up some food later, so Alli can join in too.

  Mother has been trying desperately to force this bond on me. But she doesn't act like a real mother most of the time. Yes, the periods of time where she's enthusiastic and caring are wonderful, but they are few and far between, not to mention fleeting. Most of the time, she just floats around, high on one of her medicines and barely noticing Alli and I are in the house as well.

  "Sit," she says again, fussing around me as she points me to the table. When I don't comply right away, she takes ahold of my shoulders. Her long, scar
let nails dig into my skin as she forces me to sit down on a chair. "Sit, sit."

  "Don't be so rough," I mutter, protectively palming my stomach. "You could hurt the baby."

  "Don't be silly," she smiles, waving my concern off. "It's nothing. Now eat. Drink."

  I reach out for a French macaron with pistachio filling and put a slice of black forest gateau on my plate. She watches eagerly as I start to dig into the food before pushing the golden cup toward me, saying, "Have some tea too."

  I eye the acid green liquid. "It's a weird color. What is it?"

  "An old family recipe." She laughs out loud. "Don't be so picky, darling. It's good for you. Drink, drink!"

  She pushes the cup toward me again. She's filled it to the brim and the liquid sloshes over the rim as I raise it to my lips. It smells gross. Green and putrid. But I don't want to start an argument when she's gone to all this trouble, so I manage an unsure smile and take the smallest sip of tea I can.

  God, it tastes even worse than it looks. I struggle not to spit it right back out in the cup. "What did you say this was?"

  "A family recipe," she repeats. "Come on, drink up. The recipe has been in the family for generations. You'll love it."

  I strongly disagree, but I force myself to take another sip, forcing the disgusting, warm liquid down my throat. But I choke on it, sputtering as I cover my mouth and shake my head.

  "I'm sorry, I can't. It's just awful!"

  "But it's so good for you." She pouts. "Please, have one cup at least."

  I hesitate and her expression changes in an instant. This isn't the first time it's happened—my mother is used to getting her own way, and the moment people don't blindly do what she says, she fucking loses her composure. I find myself longing for the predictable cruelty of Father. Yes, he was a prick, but at least I knew his moods wouldn't shift in an instant. With Mother, she'll adore me one second and accuse me of ruining her life the next. You just never know what's coming, and it's stressful as hell.

  I force another few gulps of the gross tea into my stomach. It burns as it goes down. Whatever's in that stuff is fucking awful. But Mother's watching me, silently encouraging me to drink more and more. After I've emptied the cup, I push it back, feeling relieved that it's over with.