by LJ Byrne
My defiant group waits for the Royals. When they file in, it’s like Village of the Damned, which is this old horror movie I watched with Mom. In the movie, the women of a village are impregnated by some alien species, and the result are these pale children with white-blond hair and overly blue eyes that have freaky mind powers. When the kids get old enough, they walk in mated pairs wherever they go. Anyhow, that’s how the Royals enter. Ryder is in front with Ingrid Whitman at his right. After them is Xander Morrison paired with Judy Lee. Then Nate Jacobs walks in with Victoria Little, whose newly red hair does not look natural. Behind them, the Court follows. I see Daniel Jameson and shudder.
At first, only Ingrid sees me as they climb up to sit in their exclusive cluster in the back. I expect any moment for Ingrid’s eyes to glow red when I meet her glare. Then Ryder stumbles when he realizes who Ingrid is looking at. He hesitates, and for a moment I fear he’s going to walk over. But he doesn’t. His thoughts and emotions hide behind a wall of arrogant entitlement.
Our principal gives a rousing speech on a new year, and a chance to right the wrongs and become a better person. She’s clearly referencing the Discord situation, glowering at the Royals in the back a few times. When my hands clench, Liam puts his arm around me in a very boyfriend-like move. I try not to giggle. My only thought is that Ingrid won’t know what hits her next.
I’m not content to let bygones be bygones, and I’m done avoiding people. As seniors, we get the option of living in a quad or having a single. I’m in a single because I need privacy this year if I’m going to destroy the Royals. Correction. When I destroy the Royals.
Liam arranged his classes to be in line with mine, but he’s only enrolled in three classes instead of six because he’s not really a student. His enrollment here causes all sorts of questions to run through my mind. Will he do his homework? Does the administration know he’s not a real student? If not, is this really a good use of our taxpayer dollars?
I curse my luck at having Ryder in three of my classes: math, science, and English. Ugh, and so is Judy. Fortunately, these are the same classes Liam’s taking, and our “relationship” takes center stage.
Liam hovers and flirts, but he’s careful about getting handsy. I may have privately threatened him a few times. Even without looking, I know Ryder watches us. Judy watches us too with her beady eyes, and I have no doubt she’s reporting to the leader of her coven about what she sees.
When lunch rolls around, I hide my smile when Connor and Celeste follow me and Liam outside to one of the open tables. It’ll be cold and dreary soon enough – enjoying the sun is a luxury we can’t afford to waste. I take a moment to feel happy about Connor and Celeste. At least one good thing evolved from my terrible last year.
“You look well despite everything,” Connor says with a shamefaced look. “I just… I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “You weren’t part of it.”
Celeste covers his hand sympathetically when he says, “In a way, I am. I’m an entitled prick, too, you know.” He hesitates. “Ryder’s barely spoken to me all summer.”
I turn away when Celeste hisses at Connor. I guess Ryder is the person who shall not be named.
While Connor feeds Celeste some fries, Liam whispers in my ear, “I need to connect the names to faces. I have a list we need to vet thoroughly.” Anyone who’s watching will think we’re being affectionate rather than giving each other information. “We can clear the low hanging fruit first.”
A shadow falls across the table; Ryder looms like a grim reaper. “Mira. I need to speak to you.”
Not this again. I take my first real look at Ryder Cabot. If anything, he’s handsomer. He’s grown a little more, his shoulders are broader, and the lines of his face are more mature. But his dark blue eyes are the same: cold, hard to read.
Liam stands, rolling his shoulders. Maybe he saw that move in a movie because I’ve never seen him do that before. I remind myself to tell him that movie boyfriends aren’t always the best ones to mimic. “Exactly why do you need to speak to my girlfriend?”
Ryder’s eyes dart from me to Liam. His jaw tightens, and I’m surprised I don’t hear teeth cracking. “Girlfriend.” Ryder snaps the word like he can’t believe it. “I wasn’t aware I needed permission to talk to Mira.”
Liam has the body of a surfer, and he’s not your stereotypical hacker with bad hygiene. His blond hair is longer than most boys, but it adds to his charm. He may not be as gorgeous as Ryder, but he’s sexy in a lithe sort of way. (I do a mental check – am I analyzing these two guys based on looks? Boy, am I shallow or what?)
Celeste listens to the drama with huge eyes. She’s avoided the Royals and the Court the past few months except for Connor. While we haven’t had a chance to talk about the events right before summer, her resentment against the Royals is clear. A glance at Connor tells me that he’s torn between his feelings for Celeste, his residual anger at Ryder, and the fact that his cousin is his best friend.
“It only applies to you,” Liam says, resting a hand on my shoulder.
I half expect Liam to pat me on the head.
Ryder’s nose flares slightly. “Worried she’ll be tempted? She was mine last year.”
Okay, I’ve had enough. “I was never yours, Ryder. We dated. If you can even call it that.” A flash of hurt flickers in Ryder’s eyes, and I hesitate. I’m turning into a major bitch, aren’t I? “Don’t worry, Liam, my time with him wasn’t very memorable.” Now that’s a complete lie. And yes, that was super bitchy and immature.
Liam has no qualms about twisting the metaphorical knife. “I’m not worried about temptation.” He gets in Ryder’s face. “I know how to treat a woman right.”
The insinuations from that statement! And apparently, I’m a woman now. Does that make me cooler? I don’t know.
A muscle moves in Ryder’s jaw as he stares at me. And then, with a visible swallow, he says, “I’ll be here when you’re willing to talk, Mira.”
Liam sneers, “You’ll never get close to her again.”
Ryder fists his hands, and I wonder if a fight’s about to erupt. But then his shoulders slump, and he nods at Connor, not meeting my eyes, before he… walks away.
Connor breaks the silence. “Ryder… struggled this summer.”
Before I can respond, Celeste slams her hand on the table. “You know what he did to Mira! How can you defend him?”
Connor lifts his hands pleadingly, his blue-gray eyes sincere. “I’m not. It’s just – there are things that you don’t know.”
I huff. “Stop. I’m a big girl. You can defend or villainize Ryder all you want.” I shrug listlessly. “It’s irrelevant to me now.”
Only Liam knows the truth, and his green eyes observe the twitch of my fingers and the set of my mouth. He squeezes my hand before returning to semi-boyfriend mode. By the end of the day, Liam has dropped a whole series of hints about our relationship. With his West Coast looks, the girls at school ogle him wherever we go.
“You should know that you’ve snagged the girl everyone wanted to hook up with last year,” a boy named Emmett, a new Court member, tells Liam during dinner. I try not to wince.
Liam takes it all in stride. “It doesn’t surprise me. She’s the hottest girl here. She’s an angel.”
I wince internally. Even though I’m tempted to puke, I manage a cross between a smile and a grimace. This is going to be a long year.
011000
While Liam taps into the school’s systems, I focus on homework. When needed, I help him narrow the list of “suspects” – I start to feel like Nancy Drew in a computer sort of way. First, I eliminate Connor and Celeste. I know they’re clean, but it’s nice to check the boxes anyway. I bite the bullet and screen the Royal boys, clearing Ryder, Nate, and Xander. Liam takes over the Royal girls, promising to keep me posted. Since he’s so secretive about some of his conversations with RReagan, I don’t press him. My participation is supposed to be peripheral, and I want to keep it that w
ay.
To the school, Liam and I are perfectly lovey-dovey with him hanging out in my room or vice-versa. In private, our relationship is strictly platonic. We talk; we don’t touch or kiss. I give him some advice on how not to sound too cheesy in public. He runs programs and ignores me. I explain that Fifty Shades of Gray isn’t a good example of a healthy relationship.
The atmosphere at RBA has changed. Thanks to Ethan, some details of the Discord site were leaked: the bets, the ringleaders, the victims. Needless to say, fewer students hold the Royals in awe. Although the Royals are trying to maintain a sense of unity, the tension is palpable, and last year’s antics are fresh in the mind of the Court as well – some of whom were excluded from the “bets”.
Ryder doesn’t approach me again, but Liam catches him staring more often than not. “That guy still wants you,” Liam observes, tapping on his laptop with his pen thoughtfully.
I make a face. “Don’t. Ryder Cabot is never getting close to me. I’m still taking them all down.” My chest feels tight every time Ryder enters a room. If I’m over him, why does he still bother me?
Ingrid flaunts her status as Queen whenever possible, clinging to Ryder’s arm when they’re together. I don’t know if they’re officially dating, but it sure looks like it. It rankles me that he simply moved on.
Liam cocks his head, and a lock of blond hair falls across his cheek. “I know he hurt you. But I also know you.”
He’s not wrong. Once I got past my weepy stage, Liam and I talked a lot. He probably knows more about me than Celeste. “I was naïve last year.”
“You’re still you. Inside, you want something real, something full of passion.” Liam picks at his nails. “The only guy worthy of you is one who will walk through fire for you. I think you thought it would be Ryder. Maybe you still do.”
That won’t be Ryder. He may be sorry, but I can’t forget the cruelty in which he agreed to the bet. Maybe he wants me back because of his damaged pride, but I won’t forgive someone just because he looks good in a uniform. My phone buzzes with an incoming text from Celeste.
“Ingrid is hosting a party this weekend. Celeste says we’re specifically invited.” I roll my eyes.
But Liam stops me from declining. “You know Ernest Whitman? We’ve flagged him.”
I thought the girls had been cleared. Apparently, I’m wrong.
“We’re pretty sure he has a shell company that’s laundering money for him, too.” Liam leans back on his bed, hands behind his head. “I say we go.”
I narrow my eyes. “What do you have planned?”
“Oh, no. Not trading secrets with you.” His green eyes turn wicked. “I do have a dress for you to wear, though.”
I grit my teeth. “I think half the dress is missing.”
The silvery dress Liam gives me skims my body and leaves little to the imagination. The halter top leaves my back bare all the way to my waist, making it rather obvious that I’m not wearing a bra. Because the skirt is short, I’m afraid to bend over. Maybe I should offer to wear a bikini instead.
Liam gives me a thumbs up when I scowl. “It’s supposed to be distracting. I want people looking at you and not me.” With an apologetic look, he adds, “Yes, it’s sexist. Make the girl look hot to distract everyone, but it works. And you look hot. I mean that in a non-pervy way, of course.”
“I will kill you one day.” My smile is deliberately unpleasant. “Fine. What do you need me to do?”
Straightening his suit, he does a mental checklist. “Just look amazing and act like you can’t keep your hands off my hotness.” When I roll my eyes, he laughs. “I need to do a few things,” he says obtusely. “And I need to clone Ingrid Whitman’s phone. If her father’s involved, she might be as well.”
“My rootkit is probably still on her computers,” I recall. “I can hand the access over to you.”
Liam brightens. “Perfect. At the party, I may need a distraction, but we’ll have to play it by ear.”
I remember that Daniel Jameson indicated he had pictures of certain girls. If so, Ingrid may also have access to those files. I regret that I never bothered to hack her phone.
When we arrive at Ingrid’s mansion, I’m appalled by the deliberate opulence. While not as huge as Ryder’s, it’s like they took designing tips from Donald Trump and dipped everything in gold.
“I wonder why she invited us,” I muse out loud.
Liam snorts. “You’re adorable when you’re clueless. She wants to see what happens between you and Ryder. If she’s digging her claws into him, she’ll want proof that you’re not a threat. Have you ever looked at them when they’re together? Ingrid’s into the whole thing, but Ryder is ready to walk the plank. Ingrid wants to confirm either a lack of interest from you or loyalty from Ryder.” He pauses right before we enter the place. “Look, I might get a little touchy tonight. I’m not saying this because I want a reason to grope you. It would be all sorts of wrong to, you know, cross a line.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever.” Liam’s such a dork. It’s not like I’m fourteen.
“Just don’t hit me.”
Wait, what? We step inside, and for a few seconds, I can only stand there and blink. The only word that comes to mind is shiny. Everything is very shiny.
“Mira Bell?”
Nate Jacobs is not looking at my face. I turn red with embarrassment as Nate, who was the politest on that Discord site, stares at me. Or my legs. Or my cleavage. “Wow. I mean, sorry.” He blushes under his dark skin. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“Wipe the drool, man,” Liam says with good-natured heat. He places his hand on the small of my back as we walk past.
“If you grab my ass, I’m going to castrate you,” I hum to him quietly. “No, I’ll just destroy your cyber life. Ruin your credit score. Create evidence that you’re wanted in five countries…”
Liam laughs, but the glance he sends me is apologetic. “It’s disturbing how violent you’ve become. Where’s my angel?”
Sometimes I cringe at how stupid I was last year. I don’t smile when I reply, “She got wiser.” Liam sobers in memory. He witnessed the fallout: my tears, my cold rage. When I wasn’t mourning, I was programming. On that level, Liam and I fully understand each other.
Celeste and Connor are dancing when they spot us. Connor’s eyes grow huge, and when he glances over his shoulder, I learn where Ryder is. Of course, Ingrid presses herself to Ryder’s side as if to say mine. Celeste gives me an approving thumbs-up, mouthing hot.
Ingrid wears a red dress as tiny as mine, but hers is so tight that you can see the outline of certain parts of her anatomy that shouldn’t be outlined. It’s very Kim Kardashian. Ingrid grabs Ryder’s arm possessively, her mouth tightening when Ryder stiffens at her touch. His face, even when he notices me, is carefully blank. The light hits my dress. I sparkle, and as Liam expected, people look our way when Liam takes me out to dance. The cousin to the former King with the mysterious new boy.
“Let’s make them ogle a bit,” he murmurs in my ear, using his blond hair to hide that we’re talking. He’s careful about the way his hand caresses my back, but I’m glad he warned me about being handsy because I nearly jump at the touch.
With deliberate movements, we do a slow kizomba dance. It’s something Liam taught me over the summer, although this is the first time Liam holds me like we’re lovers. As we move, it causes my dress to flutter around my thighs, and it isn’t long before we have more than one set of eyes on us. When Liam guides me with a sensuously moving hand, I note that Ryder looks downright pissed. In fact, he’s seething with jealousy. Standing with Ingrid, he’s so tense that I’m surprised he doesn’t pull a muscle. Xander comes to stand by Ryder, his mouth open.
“Right now, every guy wishes he were me,” Liam says with a faint laugh. “Ryder Cabot is about to pop a blood vessel. Just as I predicted. I’m going to dip you and then kiss you. If I’m right, your boy is going to storm over and hit me. And by the way, sorry about th
is.”
Even though he warns me, and I manage to get dipped without looking like an idiot, the moment he kisses me is still shocking. Without the warning, I would have misread his action because he wraps my hair in his right hand possessively before pressing his lips to mine. This could seriously be in a movie. All in all, it’s not bad. Liam doesn’t stir the same reaction I had with Ryder, but the heat is slow and tempting as he parts my lips. I remember that it’s a show, but honestly, the PDA is rather extreme because his tongue is in my mouth. I feel trashy because I’m letting a guy I’ve never kissed before do this in public. To everyone, we seem ready to make out on the floor. Then I feel Liam’s hand on my bottom.
I don’t get a chance to punch Liam. He’s yanked back roughly, and the next thing I see is Ryder slamming his fist into Liam’s face. “Holy shit!” I gasp, my lip gloss smeared.
“Don’t touch her!” Ryder yells as he looms over Liam on the floor.
Liam’s mouth bleeds, but rather than getting angry, he chuckles, touching his lip with the back of his hand. He stands and the two guys face off. “Have a problem with me kissing my girlfriend, Cabot?”
I stand idiotically, not rushing to Liam as a concerned girlfriend should. Oops. Maybe I should go over and say something. I try to stamp concern into my features. “Are you okay?” I’m about to bend over when I remember the damn short dress. Not bending over in this thing!
Ingrid sneers, grabbing Ryder’s arm, but he rips her hands off and pushes her away. “Get away from me!” he shouts into her astonished face, and then he lunges at Liam again. This time Xander and Nate grab him before he reaches Liam, but they struggle to hold him back.
