by LJ Byrne
“When I heard Ethan has a cousin, I couldn’t believe it,” she says in this friendly way. Her brown hair is stylishly short and there’s a darling little curl that comes down her forehead. “So, do we have a future Royal here, Ethan? Pray tell.”
There’s a strange tenseness in Ethan’s face, and I notice that Darcy’s eyes faintly widen. “Hard to say, Erin. I think next year’s Royals are pretty set in stone.”
Nate starts talking to Ethan about soccer and Connor falls back to where I am with Celeste. It’s clear that Celeste knows Connor well: I learn that he’s on the swim team and soccer team. He’s boyishly cute, with brown-black hair and these unusual gray eyes that have a hint of blue in them.
“I’m sure with Ethan on the team, you’ll be coming to our games,” Connor tells me. “Darcy’s a swimmer like me, though. So, maybe I’ll see you twice as much.”
I dip my head in uncertainty. “I don’t know. I guess. Maybe.”
“You’re not like Ethan at all,” Connor teases, but not in a mean way. “He’s all confidence and swagger, and you’re actually shy.”
“Stop hitting on my cousin, Connor,” Ethan warns ahead of us, frowning.
Connor pretends to zip his lips. My cheeks turn hot, but Brittany laughs out loud as we enter the cafeteria. That’s when her demeanor changes and there’s a strange tension as we head to a long table already occupied by four other students.
A boy with silky black hair and dark blue eyes stands as we approach. There’s something vaguely familiar about him, but what astonishes me is the way the boy’s jaw tenses and his eyes widen when he sees me. It lasts just for a second, but it makes me wonder if something’s wrong with me. When the boy introduces himself to me as Ryder, I see the family resemblance to Connor. After the introduction, his face settles into this mask of cold indifference. Where Connor has that boyish charm about him, Ryder’s looks are more chiseled, more refined. There’s an arrogance about him in the way he seems to look down his nose. He’s devastating. It doesn’t surprise me that the pretty blond girl clinging to his arm is Ingrid Whitman. They could literally be the world’s most glamorous teen couple.
I meet Judy Lee and Xander Morrison, who is distantly related to the British monarchy. Judy’s family hails from China – her parents own several Chinese manufacturing firms – and her eyes sharply focus on me with disdain.
My mom never told me who my dad was, but she mentioned he was Asian. I strongly suspect Korean or Chinese. I don’t really look Asian – my hair is dark brown and there’s a slant to my eyes – but I’m definitely not a blond, blue-eyed creature either. I shift uncomfortably so that Ethan is in front of me.
“This is the Royals’ table, Ethan,” Ryder says, his voice impeccably precise. “Royals and acceptable Court are the only ones allowed.”
Brittany tenses beside me and her usually cheerful face loses its brightness. Ethan’s shoulders straighten. “We’ve been through this before, Ryder. You know that Darcy and I are together. Brittany is her best friend.”
“Darcy can stay,” Ingrid says like she’s being the most gracious person in the world. “But not Brittany. And most certainly not your pathetic cousin.”
Darcy crosses her arms. “Fuck you, Ingrid. Brittany’s family is wealthy, and Mira is Ethan’s cousin. They both should be considered Court.”
Ingrid gives this laugh. She has this Minnie Mouse voice that is vaguely annoying. “A penniless Court member. How laughable.”
A girl I later learn is Victoria Little laughs with Ingrid.
“Maybe she’ll find ways to earn her way,” a boy with red-blond hair says with a leer, coming next to Ingrid. The boy next to him snickers.
“Arthur, Cage, behave,” Erin scolds, speaking finally. “We should allow Brittany and Mira to stay.”
Judy snorts. “My understanding is that Mira has no money. She can’t be Court.” Her eyes take on a beady glint. “She’s an orphan and charity case.”
Ethan lets Darcy go and slams his hand on the table. I jump, and Connor pats my back reassuringly, causing Ryder to scowl in disapproval. “My cousin is off-limits, Judy. You take your ugliness out of here, or I will make you regret crossing me.” This Ethan is harsh and mean – I don’t recognize him as my fun cousin. His lips thin and his muscles tense.
Erin raises a hand. “Ethan and I agree that Brittany and Mira get to stay.”
Celeste grabs my hand and gives it a friendly squeeze as Ethan gives Ryder a triumphant glare. “We’ve spoken.”
Ingrid pushes her chest out as she leans forward, licking her lower lip. “Fine. But next year you won’t be King of Royal Bridge Academy.” She eyes me. “You can’t protect her forever.”
I’m wedged between Ethan and Celeste during the meal, but Connor sits across from me to provide a friendly person to look at. It doesn’t escape my notice, or Ethan’s notice, that Ryder and Xander stare at me during the entire meal. When Elaine Beckett joins us – the last of the Royals – she ignores me right away. I check her off as harmless.
Leaving RBA as soon as possible sounds more and more appealing.
000011
Ne0Ranger21: Did you see the bug bounty that came out today?
Arch4ngel101: The one from Escara Corporation? Yes. I sense a bet. If so, you’re on.
Ne0Ranger21: You ok?
Arch4ngel101: Just a lot of change. People being mean.
Ne0Ranger21: Do they even know who you are? Btw, RReagan reached out again.
Arch4ngel101: I didn’t get anything.
Ne0Ranger21: I’ll let you know if anything legit. You know how RReagan can be.
Arch4ngel101: k. busy during week so ping me weekend.
Ne0Ranger21: Someday, I’ll find out if you’re really female or a Russian, no-neck dude living with Mom.
Arch4ngel101: Good luck with that. Lovingly yours, No-Neck Gunther. Byeeeee.
Ne0Ranger21: lulz
I close my laptop – a gift from Uncle Robert – and tuck my knees beneath my chin. I’m still getting into the flow of boarding school life. Nights are the worst because I think about Mom. I think about my life with Mom as I’m tucked into sheets I did not pick, staring at a blank ceiling with no texture, no character, no sense of individuality.
Someone taps at my open door – it’s not uncommon for us to leave our doors open when we’re in – and my smile is real when I see Connor. “Since we have Chem together, wanted to know if you wanted a homework buddy tonight. I was going to head to the library.”
I bite my lip. Come on, Mira, it’s better than doing it alone. “Okay. Maybe we should grab Celeste, too.”
Connor nods. “Good idea. Grab your stuff and I’ll let her know.”
The night has a bite to it, and I regret my casual t-shirt and jeans. Connor notices my shiver and pulls off his jacket, slipping it over my shoulder. Celeste’s eyes grow huge, but Connor does it so casually and naturally that I shrug it off.
Unfortunately, Ryder doesn’t agree. He’s in the library with Ingrid and Xander when we walk in, his eyes narrowing on the jacket of my shoulder. For some reason, I feel ashamed walking in here with a boy’s jacket on my shoulders. There’s a cold perusal from Ingrid as she leans over to whisper something to Ryder, causing his glare to intensify.
Ryder walks over with murder in his eyes. “Connor. What’s the meaning of this?” He doesn’t even address me properly, just flicking his hand my way.
I hastily remove the jacket, practically tossing it at Connor’s head. Connor lifts his chin. “Chill out, Ryder. She was cold. I gave her my jacket.”
“I-I’m not cold,” I stammer out, shrinking in my chair.
Ryder leans over to glare at me. “Look, Orphan Annie, I’ll tolerate you while Ethan’s still here as long as you keep your grubby hands off my cousin. His trust fund is not your ticket out of whatever hole you crawled from. If you’re smart, you’ll disappear next year. When I rule this school, trash like you won’t be tolerated.”
My eyes fill with tears a
s both Connor and Celeste rise to their feet. “Do you have to be such an asshole?” Connor demands in a hushed whisper as our confrontation gains an audience.
“Boo hoo hoo.” Ryder coldly mocks me. Ingrid sashays closer, her face filled with malicious glee.
“Oh, no,” Ingrid derides me, “I think she’s going to cry.”
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. I clench my hands beneath the table, head lowered. Why does he have to be so mean?
“Just know you two are lowering yourselves.” Ingrid straightens. “When Erin is gone, Celeste, I can remove you from the Court like that.” She snaps her fingers to emphasize her point. “Just remember, Ryder and I will completely restore the Royals and reshape the school. Properly.” She then stamps her fancy shoe on the floor for emphasis.
Ryder directs his next words to his cousin. “You’re here under my supervision. I’d hate to tell your mother that you’re hanging around with a commoner.”
The two cousins stare each other down. I tap Connor’s hand with a finger. “It’s okay, Connor. Just let it go.” I bite my lip when Ryder’s eyes swing my way.
Celeste puts an arm around me defensively. “We’re here to do homework, Ryder. Unless you’d like to join us, do you mind?” Her words are pointed but polite.
Ryder sneers, but he heads back to Ingrid and Xander without speaking again.
I pull out my chemistry assignment and hunker down. Celeste nudges me with a shoulder, brown eyes warm and kind. “It’ll be okay,” she whispers. “Ryder’s just throwing his weight around.”
Connor doesn’t address the situation directly, but his eyes are mutinous when he regards his cousin. Then he looks at me with a wink and a smile.
To say that school life includes more drama than I care to deal with is an understatement, but the classes are relatively easy – at least to me. I see a lot of students stressing about the homework, but the only thing that slows me is the amount of time it takes to write everything.
I only have Connor and Celeste in Chemistry, and the only times I deal with Ryder is in math class (Calculus) and English. In general, he seems to ignore me, for which I’m grateful. To whom I’m grateful remains unknown.
There are parties on weekends, but no matter how much Ethan pesters me, I refuse to go. Ethan doesn’t pressure me thanks to Darcy, but Celeste begs me constantly. I can’t tell them I’m too busy online.
It takes three whole weekends, but Ne0Ranger21 and I complete a penetration test. As usual, we get paid via bitcoins, but we’re both eyeing the bounty from Escara Corporation. It occurs to me that I can pay my own way to Royal Bridge Academy – or choose to leave. It would probably mean telling Uncle Robert what I do on the side. At sixteen, I have a serious reputation online, but this might launch me into the public eye.
I do, however, agree to attend one of the swim meets after I collect my payment. When I arrive, most of the Royals and their Court are there. Other than Ethan, they aren’t there for Darcy. The Royals are here for Connor – and more indirectly, for Ryder.
Ethan escorts me to where the Royals sit with their sycophants. I wish Brittany were here – I’m basically the only non-Royal, non-Court, non-whatever. When Ingrid sniffs in her posh high heels, my jeans and shirt feel lackluster.
“Got a deal at Goodwill?” Victoria jeers, eliciting a bark of humor from Judy.
It’s ironic since the denim I’m wearing is designer – or that’s what Aunt Erika told me.
Ethan bristles, but Erin intervenes, laying a warning hand on Victoria. “That’s enough. It isn’t right for the Royals and their Court to bicker publicly. Ethan’s cousin is a guest.”
Ryder’s hard eyes linger on me as Ethan positions me between him and Celeste. Ingrid leans over to whisper something in Ryder’s ear. When Ryder cocks a brow at Ingrid, Erin glances briefly at me before giving Ryder a nod. Whatever they’re discussing, I feel uneasy because it seems to be about me.
When the swim competition begins, Connor’s face brightens when he spots me in the crowd. Ethan elbows me in good-natured fun, explaining the different categories Connor and Darcy will be competing in. I’m on my feet with Ethan when Darcy swims her way to second place in the individual 200-meter, while Connor places first in several qualification rounds.
Celeste makes an effort to keep me engaged, talking about how Connor expects a swimming scholarship when he graduates. But I’m distracted by the times I catch Ryder looking at me. I imagine I stick out like an unfashionable sore thumb.
While it’s nice having a place to sit for lunch, I remain an interloper. I don’t belong with these people. I miss life when it was me and Mom. Life was predictable.
After Darcy and Connor shower and change after the meet, Connor jogs over to us. “I’m starved!” he announces to good-natured laughter.
“You’re always hungry,” Darcy remarks, walking up to Ethan directly. After a public kiss, she grins at me. “Let’s go to the diner.”
Connor’s eyes twinkle at me. “If you sit next to me, I’ll treat.”
Ryder’s head snaps up at his cousin’s words. “By all means, give money to the poor,” he snarks.
Any desire to eat with them disappears. I turn to Celeste. “Would you take me home? I feel unwell.”
Celeste flounders as Ethan bristles. “Sure.”
“Mira,” Darcy begins in concern, but she stops when I shake my head.
“It’s alright. I promised to call an old friend from home.” The lie is bitter, but it is better than being stuck with people who don’t want me.
“Um, I’ll drop her off and meet you guys there,” Celeste says, taking my arm kindly.
As we leave, Connor rounds on his cousin. “You’re such an ass, Ryder.”
000100
Ne0Ranger21: Check your message from RReagan.
Arch4ngel101: Saw it. What you think?
Ne0Ranger21: Don’t know. Couple of hacked accounts in an area.
Arch4ngel101: Keep me posted. Ciao from No-Neck Gunther.
Ne0Ranger21: You kill me.
Blue uniforms everywhere. And not the law enforcement kind. We’re just a monotonous array of students walking to class. Mom hated uniforms. I wonder if she hated them because she grew up wearing them.
“Hey, you coming to the soccer game tomorrow?” Connor asks, jogging up to me.
I’m heading to the cafeteria, which is always a source of great anxiety. “Um, I don’t know. I’ve been busy,” I hedge. I am such a bad liar.
Connor’s blue-gray eyes dim a bit, and I feel awful. As we head to the table, I notice that Ryder’s in the corner having an animated discussion with Ingrid. He runs his hand over his face in exasperation, his lips flat. Ingrid says something and Ryder averts his gaze, meeting mine. He stiffens before scowling at me. They both return to the table, but Ethan barks something at them as I approach. I slide in between Ethan and Celeste.
“Where’s Brittany?” I ask Celeste quietly. She points over at another table where Brittany is talking to a cute boy.
“Enrique Lopez,” Celeste whispers back to me. “Basketball player.”
Ingrid saunters over, draping a possessive hand on Ryder’s shoulder. Her red lips are positively cruel when she says, “Now we just need to get rid of Orphan Annie.”
I pale.
Cage Bennett leers at me. “I don’t know, Ingrid. Lonely girls can get desperate. I like desperate girls.”
I flinch, and Cage snaps his mouth shut the moment Ethan pounds the table with a fist. “Ingrid! This is the last time I will warn you.” He points to Cage. “I will beat the crap out of anyone who harasses Mira! This stops now!”
I pick at my sandwich, my appetite gone. As the table settles and everyone starts talking about the weekend game and party, I doubt anyone notices that the only thing I manage to swallow is water. Over at the other table, I’m glad to see Brittany having a lively conversation with Enrique, and the possibility of sitting elsewhere cheers me up a little.
I leave for English c
lass early, doing my best to avoid Ryder. When he arrives in class, he doesn’t look at me as he passes by my desk, but he does stop for a second. He places a muffin and a bottle of orange juice in front of me. “You didn’t eat,” he says before moving to take his seat.
My jaw drops. Ryder ignores me for the entire period.
I find the swim uniforms amusing. We’re all dressed in blue one-piece swimsuits with the Royal Bridge Academy logo. Ingrid gripes about how hideous they are, but I don’t mind them. This is gym class, not a fashion show.
As I head to the pool, Ingrid stops me and pushes me into the lockers hard, bruising my shoulder. “Stay away from Ryder Cabot!” she hisses in that squeaky voice of hers. “You don’t belong at this school. You’re nothing but a wannabe and gold-digger!” I stare at Ingrid’s face twisted with hate and rage.
I open my mouth to protest, but she slaps me hard. With my head ringing, it takes me a moment to realize that Judy Lee is there, too. Judy holds me against the locker. She’s so close that I can see the pores in her face. “You’re nothing at this school. Ethan can’t protect you all the time,” she tells me in her low voice. “If you step out of line, we’ll show you where you belong.”
“Remember your place, Orphan Annie,” Ingrid adds with a cruel smile. “If you ever need to be reminded again, I’ll be happy to educate you.”
Judy lets me go and the two girls walk out as if nothing’s happened. By the time I leave the locker room, Celeste is looking for me. She sees my cheek, but I shake my head. I don’t want to cause a fuss right now.
Celeste and I usually stick together in gym class, but the teacher assigns us to different lanes. I know she’s worried about me, but since I’m not that great of a swimmer, I’m put in the slow lane with the bad swimmers. I try to tell her with a look that I’m okay. Ingrid is talking to Victoria Little in her lane and I don’t see Judy anywhere.
