Innocent Princess (Modern Princess Collection Book 2)

by Lauren Helms

  Innocent Princess

  Modern Princess Collection, 2

  Lauren Helms

  Innocent Princess

  Copyright © 2020 Lauren Helms

  ASIN: B086N48QYL

  Print ISBN: 9798633008975

  This book is meant for personal enjoyment only. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it from a proper retailer, won in a verified contest, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please delete or return to your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Published by Lauren Helms (www.authorlaurenhelms.com)

  Developmental Edit by Dr. Plot Twist

  Proofread by Dr. Book Nerd

  Cover Design by Touch Creations

  Contents

  Play List

  1. Zella

  2. Ryker

  3. Zella

  4. Ryker

  5. Zella

  6. Ryker

  7. Zella

  8. Ryker

  9. Zella

  10. Ryker

  11. Ryker

  12. Zella

  13. Zella

  14. Ryker

  15. Zella

  16. Ryker

  17. Zella

  18. Ryker

  19. Zella

  Epilogue

  Modern Princess Collection

  Afterword

  Also by Lauren Helms

  About the Author

  Play List

  Shake It Off - Taylor Swift

  Everything at Once - Lenka

  Stone Cold Classic - AKA George

  Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Weezer

  Starving - Hailee Steinfeld, Grey, Zedd

  Falling Faster - Andrew Ripp

  Your Song - Rita Ora

  Knock Me Out - Fancy Reagan

  Lo/Hi - The Black Keys

  Wildfire - Seafret

  home ft. WALK THE MOON - Morgxn

  Someone To You - BANNERS

  To listen to the full playlist, check it out on Spotify and on YouTube!

  Dedication

  To all the girls out there who dream of adventures, princes, and happily ever after.

  Believe in yourself, love yourself, and be YOURSELF always.

  1

  Zella

  Standing in the middle of the small room, I shake what the man upstairs gave me to the right, then a little to the left. My feet ground me as my eyes close, and I move to the catchy beat.

  Catchy pop songs are my kryptonite. Take Taylor Swift, for example. I love her older music – her newer stuff is a little too angry for my taste. I'm a happy person by nature, so I'm drawn to a happy melody and fun lyrics. Thank God for all my Spotify playlists. I have one for every day of the week. Music has always been important to me; it makes my unbelievably boring life feel so much livelier. I'll never admit this to a soul, but I'll hear a song and imagine where in my made-up life it would fit in.

  Take Shake It Off by our beloved Ms. Swift, for example. I would fit it into the soundtrack that I would lovingly label "Zella Goes to High School". I could imagine being the cheer captain with a loving basketball star boyfriend. Only, he wouldn't be so loving. I'd find out he was going behind my back flirting with the star volleyball player. Cue the song. I'd embrace my inner Taylor and stand up on a lunchroom table, shake it off, and move on.

  I know it sounds messed up, but if I had actually attended high school, then maybe I would aspire for less dramatic experiences. Perhaps if I actually lived some of those dramatic events, my imagination would be tamer. The keyword here is experience. Being homeschooled my whole life, living with my mother, who was as strict as a nun, meant I didn't have friends. I didn't play sports, and I sure as heck never got a chance to stand on a lunch table and tell everyone I was going to be all right.

  It's a dumb little game I've played for far too many years. Though, I don't play it very often anymore now that I'm out on my own. Well, I'm not truly on my own. I'm away at college, and I live on campus. I'm just out from under my mother's thumb, finally. It only took twenty years.

  Somehow, in my third year of college, I've found myself at Camelot University in Society Hill, Florida. Currently, I'm sitting on a stone window sill, in an old guard tower, watching CamU students milling around the grounds. There is a small group of guys playing Frisbee, and I can't help feeling like a creeper now that half of them have removed their shirts. I'm really far up, so it's not like I can see any abs or defined muscles. Plus, it's not like they can see me anyway. Still, I feel the warmth in my cheeks when I think about what it would be like if I were down there with them, standing face to face with a shirtless man.

  Oh, man.

  I fan my dewy skin to cool down, but also in an attempt to banish the thought from my mind. Pulling my eyes away from the show below, I scan the circular space around me. This particular tower is one of four in the main building, which is an old castle turned university. Since no one is ever up here, the vines are overgrown and crawling up the walls, making it look uninhabitable. I've claimed it as my hideaway.

  Since I transferred at the start of a new year, I was able to move in the week before school started, much like all the new incoming freshmen.

  I was unpacking my few belongings from my best friend's car when I ran into a guy named Warrick Wells. Tall, athletic build, blonde hair almost white. He looked like he could be a football player. He’s handsome, with his large, blue eyes. He's a student as well but works on campus part-time with campus security. He offered to help me move in, and we've been friends since. It was that very week that Wells showed me this unused space and told me that no one would care or even know if I needed to escape the craziness of campus life. As long as I wasn't doing anything illegal or breaking campus policy, it wouldn't be an issue.

  My little hideaway is a godsend. I love this fresh start and campus life, but for someone without any experience in large groups of people, it's nice to escape.

  The space is pretty bare and rather drab, but it works. There's an old wooden table to one side of the room and a desk chair that showed up a few days after I started doing homework here last week. When I asked Wells about it, he winked at me. It was sweet that he cared so much.

  Wells and Cameron are both so good to me. I can't complain at all. Not that I would ever, but for the first time in my life, I'm making friends. Even though Cameron has been my friend since childhood, Wells was the first new friend I've made in forever. It's nice to find a place I finally belong.

  Mailani, my suitemate, on the other hand, is so kind and reserved, but we hit it off instantly. We're completely different in nearly every aspect of our lives. She's shy, and I'm outgoing, but honestly, I don't think I could ask for a better roommate. A smile overcomes my face when I think of all the things I've gained in my life since transferring here three short weeks ago. At home, my boring life consisted of schoolwork, drawing, cooking, and a lot of reading. I love all of those things, but I very rarely had the freedom to really do what I wanted. Here, at Cam U, it's all so new.

  Maybe I went a lit
tle overboard with my newfound freedom. I joined two different art clubs, so I spend a lot of time in Keane Hall, the art building. I also joined a book club and signed up for a self-defense class. There's so much to do, and I want to do it all.

  After sliding off the sill, I walk over to the desk and grab my phone. I have a nice little break between my last two classes of the day. So I grab lunch and spend the afternoon here in my tower. I have to set alarms on my phone since I’ve unfortunately become addicted to social media. It’s another thing my mom wasn't keen on, so I didn't sign up for any accounts until the day I arrived on the Cam U campus. While my friend list is nothing to write home about, my Instagram account is where it's at. I love taking pictures around campus. It's a fun, visual way for me to track all my new experiences.

  Nestling back into my cozy, warm-with-the-sun window spot, I slide open my phone. As I scroll through Instastories, my phone rings.

  Gah. It's my mother.

  Biting my lip, I debate whether to answer. I've talked to her once, and that was on move-in day. The call lasted just enough time for me to tell her I made it and was settled in. I've tried to keep my communications with her to a minimum and only via text.

  Hovering my thumb over the screen, I decide not to swipe. I let it ring until voicemail takes over. I know she will leave a message, so I stare out the window and watch the frisbee boys until my phone buzzes with a new message.

  I may be mad at my mother, but I'm not strong enough to ignore her completely. She's kept so much control over me that much-needed space would do us both some good.

  Bringing the phone up to my ear, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for whatever she had to say.

  "Zella, darling, it's your mother."

  I roll my eyes. Of course I know who it is, but really, can she really call herself that?

  "I know you are on this power trip right now, demanding your space and all." I picture her rolling her eyes as she speaks. "This is getting utterly ridiculous. You need to come home. This is where you belong. You belong with me."

  I huff at her words. She doesn't get it.

  "There is still time to transfer back here. You've proved your point, I'll give you more space. Just stop this madness this minute, Zella. You are too old for these rash, childish games."

  Unable to listen to another word, I hang up, slamming the phone down on the windowsill.

  Why can't she understand? It's not space I want, it's freedom.

  I'm not childish, nor was my decision to transfer a rash decision. Cameron had been pestering me for two years about transferring, and it's not like the transfer process is a quick one. I had plenty of time to talk myself out of this scary-as-hell, life-changing-decision, and I didn't. Mostly, because I wanted it so badly.

  I love it here in Society Hill. Florida is wonderful, and I'm almost one hundred percent sure I'm never going back to Solitude, Mississippi. The only thing back there for me is the home I’m attached to—not by choice—and a woman I've only ever known as my mother. Who turns out, is a liar.

  My life has never really been mine.

  Growing up didn't stop me from finding happiness in what I had or what I was given, but I never stopped daydreaming and pretending my life was so much more.

  My mother always told me no. I don't remember a time she ever said yes.

  Actually, I do. At the age of seven, I asked her if I could go say hi to the boy, who looked my age and whose family had moved in next door. She hesitated, just briefly, before allowing it. That day, I found my very first friend.

  Cameron has been stuck with me since, and I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.

  I stare down at my pink-tipped toes and wiggle them. I've got a pedicure scheduled tomorrow morning with a friend from some of my art classes. I had admired her nails one day last week, and when she found out I'd never had a mani or pedi, she insisted we rectify it at once.

  I'm nearly always barefoot, so it would do me good to treat my feet to some TLC. I'm excited about the adventure and looking forward to when I can set up my next one.

  Let this be the year of adventures.

  The year Zella Raps’s life truly begins.

  2

  Ryker

  The room I am sitting in is quiet and dark. Normally, I do my best work in the darkness of my room. So, it's not the lack of light bothering me right now, it's the quiet. I've got a kickass pair of Beats headphones I use when I'm working. I have a few dedicated mixes—all rock and major roll. When I'm struggling, I listen to some music to get me hyped.

  But that's not happening now. No, at the moment, I suffer in silence. I need to be able to hear if anyone approaches the classroom. If I'm caught, then I can kiss my days at Camelot University goodbye.

  I haven't gotten caught yet, and I don't plan on starting today.

  The blinds in the room are open, and soft sunlight streams in, but it's late in the afternoon and slightly overcast. I've kept the lights off to not draw attention into the room. There aren't any more scheduled classes in here today, so it shouldn't be an issue.

  I've got my computer open on the nearby desk, and I stand next to the window, surveying the area outside. I'm on the third floor of the Raven building on campus. It provides me a nearly perfect view of The Castle’s third-floor administration offices.

  Yes, a real fucking castle.

  With my handy Zeiss monocular, I get a near-perfect look into Mr. Keith Cannons' office. Cannon is a financial aid manager who can never remember the network password that changes every thirty days. So he writes it down on a sticky note and sticks it to his computer monitor. The monitor in question happens to face the very window I'm searching for.

  I lean over to make sure of Cannon's calendar for the day. Hacking into his email and gaining access to his daily agenda was easy, as his password hasn't changed in over a year. Shame on him.

  Hacking into Cannon's personal information, along with so many other's on this campus, is way too easy. Every time I steal this kind of shit, I think about how it would be nice to sit these idiots down and tell them to start using their brains. If you don't want to be hacked, start by changing your fucking password once in a while. For the love of all things, don't use words and dates that are important to you.

  People like Cannon make what I do so easy. I itch for jobs a little more challenging.

  Scanning his agenda, I see he's due for a management meeting in the conference room on the other side of his floor. He will be in the meeting for a while, but what I need will only take a few moments.

  Looking out the window, I scan the area. I might not be worried about being caught, but I don't want to get lazy. Always be alert when you're about to steal and spy.

  Ha! Great thief motto right there.

  My inner joke is cut short when I hear a commotion out in the hall. I lean forward and snap my laptop shut, then stand unmoving. There's a lot of talking outside the room. It sounds like a group of people, and I hope like hell they are about to walk away and not open that door.

  Sure enough, the muted voices move their way down the hall.

  Phew.

  I need to hurry up. I pull out my monocular and slide it between two slats of the blinds. Focusing in on Cannon's office window, I find him still standing in his office. He's leaning over his desk, typing something on his computer.

  I peak at my watch and check the time.

  You're going to be late.

  I focus back on him; he straightens and walks around his desk and out of the office.

  About time.

  I locate the blue sticky note, and sure enough, the ten-digit code is written in legible scribble.

  Bingo.

  I pull my phone out of my back pocket with my free hand and slide open the camera app. Bringing the phone up to the monocular, I steady my hand and have the perfect shot of the code.

  Voices right outside the door cause me to pause.

  Looking over my shoulder at the door, I see the door handle move, and the door
opens slightly.

  Shiiit!

  I snap the picture, hoping it's not blurry and shove my phone back into my pocket. I take two steps to the desk and shove the monocular into my bag.

  The door opens wider, and the voices filter in.

  "Dude, I get it. You really don't want to see Mel, but the library is huge. I feel confident we can study there and not run into her."

  "I don't want to risk it. She's clingy— too clingy—and I really need to study. I'm pretty sure she knows my schedule by heart. She's probably stalking the library, waiting for me."

  The first dude laughs, and I bite back my own. Poor schmuck has himself a stalker.

  "Let's just study in here." Schmuck proceeds to push the door all the way open, and I suck in a breath. Honestly, it doesn't look like I'm up to something, but the fact that the lights are off could set off suspicion. Then again, it's just two dudes hiding from a chick, so it's probably not a big deal.

  "Yo! What are you two up to?" a third voice asks.

  Shit, I know that voice. Unfortunately, it belongs to my roommate, Warrick Wells., who I lovingly refer to as Wells; he isn't my biggest fan.

  Wells and I used to be pretty tight, but we've gone down separate paths since freshman year. Wells got himself a part-time job with on-campus security. Me? I honed my computer technology skills and engaged in slightly illegal projects in my spare time.