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Chapter Seven: The Bastard
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Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Eight: The Bastard
My alarm blared, and the intro to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" jolted me awake with a start. Naturally, my fist slammed on the snooze button and sent the blaring noise to a stop, and caused a couple of pieces to break off the clock. Those fucking reflexes. Now I needed a new clock. I groaned and wiped my face before I checked the time; 4:45. Fuck. I heavy sighed and threw my covers off of my body, exposing myself to the early-morning chill. Double fuck. I reached over to grab my blanket, desperate for its warmth, but apparently, I had thrown it on the floor, keeping it out of reach. "I fucking hate mornings," I grumbled to myself, my groggy morning voice a little deeper than usual, as I forced my body to a sitting position and threw my legs off the side of my bed. My feet hit the floor and I sat up to stretch to loosen my muscles. A yawn rose from my lungs as I reluctantly pushed myself up and off my bed. I rubbed my eyes as I ambled over to my dresser to pull out some clothes fo
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Nine: Beauty
A yawn forced its way out of my lungs as I rolled my suitcase through the student-packed gym to the name tag table. I scanned the array of name tags, searching down the alphabetical-ordered list of students' names until I found Roschèr. I had downed at least three cups of coffee this morning to try to wake myself up, but sadly, it seemed to have had no effect on me. My eyelids still had dumbells tied to them on a string, weighing them down and making them nearly impossible to keep open. Once I found my name, I peeled the sticker off of its paper and smoothed it onto the front side of my suitcase. "You all set, Leys?" My dad asked as he smiled at me through my phone screen. "Do you need anything before I head out?" Dad had always insisted we do a FaceTime call whenever I would go on a trip. I guess he just wanted to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything and that I would get to my transportation safely. I nodded and gave him what was supposed to be a smile. "Yeah, I'm all good. I d
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Ten: Beauty
My entire body stiffened, my muscles tensing at the feeling of his presence, at the feeling of his breath literally cascading down my neck. Fuck. His morning voice was... No, stop it, Leia! I took a deep breath and tried to get my shit together because this guy was not even a foot away from me. So close that his chest was practically brushing up against my back. And I was not going to let him see the effects that he had on my body, despite my conscious wanting to strangle him until the body stopped shaking. Although I was almost fairly certain that he had the idea, based off of the goosebumps that prickled my skin, the hairs that stood on end all along my arms and across the back of my neck, and the way my body shivered from the hot breath he breathed across my neck. And I didn't know if the burning heat in my face was visible, but I prayed to God that it wasn't. It felt like I was wearing three ski jackets and a pair of snow pants in a sauna set to 100° Fahrenheit. I cleare
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Eleven: The Bastard
The nerve of that asshole, I swear to fucking God. Jacob mother-fucking Broder needed to mind his own fucking business and shove his nose back in his ass before I did it for him. Prince Charming, knight in shining armor, and bodyguard. Those seemed to be his only roles in his relationship with Leia. He was always treating her like she was some delicate, fragile, breakable artifact or something when she was anything but that. Leia was a strong-minded, independent, and intelligent woman. She never failed to speak her mind or confront others when they were treating others like shit. Unless it was me, of course. That was when she avoided my presence as much as she possibly could. And as annoying as it was, she was also incredibly passionate about what she loved and cherished the most, always excited to share whatever brought her joy. Let it be her ridiculous obsession with books, her love for history, or her dreams to be a photographer that she'd had ever since she was a little girl..
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Twelve: Beauty
Haylie and I stood among the rest of our small group as we waited to receive our seating arrangements for the bus. I shuffled on my feet, the feeling of two deep blue eyes burning into my back crawling through my skin and giving me shivers. "You okay?" Haylie asked, her brows furrowing as she studied my face. "Yeah," I lied. If I told Haylie about what had happened while had been putting our bags away, she would freak out. And I really didn't want to start the trip off with a bad start when we weren't even boarding the busses yet. She gave me a suspicious look but left it alone. "Okay." I forced a smile, but she was still unconvinced. I mean, of course she would know when I was lying about something. We had been best friends for the past five years. To Haylie Murrah, I was a completely open book with zero secrets. Nothing got passed her. But she left certain things alone. For a certain amount of time. Our group leader, Ms. Spencer cleared her throat to grab the attenti
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Thirteen: The Bastard
I could barely contain my laughter as I walked away from Leia and Haylie. Their faces had just been too comical. If I was going to be completely honest, I wish I had played the nice character a little bit earlier. Of course, Leia was too smart to believe that I had been sincere about it. But then again, I hadn't even tried to make her think that I had been. I walked over to Marcus, and the tension rose, thickening to a point where it was nearly unbearable and completely impossible for either of us to ignore. "Hey." He looked over at me and gave me a tight, closed-mouthed smile. "Hey." The awkward silence that followed the small word exchange was so palpable that I felt like it could've choked the life out of the both of us. And there was really only one way to ease the tension. "Look, man, I'm sorry," I said, turning to look at Marcus. "I shouldn't have blown up like that." He looked at me and gave me one of those awkward half-smiles. "No, it's alright." He looked back
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Fourteen: Beauty
*I ran through the woods, panting and gasping for air as beads of sweat formed along my forehead. I pushed my legs as hard as I could, running from something I couldn't name or see.**As I was running, my foot caught on a loose root, and I fell forward. I screamed and braced myself for the impact of my body on the ground, but it never came. I forced myself to open my eyes, confused, and saw the ground just inches below my face. When I looked up, I saw Jake holding me up by my shirt.**"Jake?" I asked, my brows plunging to the center of my forehead. My voice sounded like an echo, like I was in some sort of cave and not in the middle of the woods from the Exorcist.**His face held an expression of deep relief as he pulled me up and wrapped me in his arms. "Leia!" He whispered into my hair. "I've been looking for you everywhere. I've been so worried." His heavy breathing told me he'd been running as well. And his voice was laced with panic.**I matched his embrace, hugging him tightly. B
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Fifteen: Beauty
This drive was supposed to take over 24 hours. So obviously, we had to stay the night somewhere. Haylie had told me that we were supposed to stop at the Hilton Inn for the night, and then we would drive the last ten hours to the hotel where we were going to stay for the rest of the trip. But we had made up enough time to the point where we could just drive the whole way to the D.C hotel. The TSO had booked one hotel room for every two students. I really hoped I would be roomed with Haylie or Jake. If I was not, I was going to be throwing hands with someone. We still had around thirty minutes left until we got to the hotel, and it couldn't have been any longer. I needed to get off of the bus and as far away from Zach as possible, or else I was literally going to fucking strangle him. He had spent at least fifteen minutes whistling a random tune that he had made up, making the pitches alternate between long and slow and short and fast. It had annoyed the fucking shit out of me. And
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Beauty and the Bastard Author's Note
If you made it this far into Zach and Leia's story, then it is safe to say you have reached the end. I have had so much fun writing this book, and being able to share it with all of you has been such an honor. I am so happy that we finished this together, and I'm so thankful for all of you who got to go with Zach, Leia, and the rest of the BATB family. I would like to add some dedications, as well. To my best friends, Josie and Natalie, you guys supported me through this book and I am forever greatful. I love you both so, so much. My parents, who supported my dreams to work on and finish this book. You two are such important figures in my life, and I am forever thankful for you. And to all of my readers, who kept me going. I love you all so much
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Twenty-One: The Bastard
I could only stand there as Leia stormed away, in absolute shock as I tried to process what had just happened. Shock that soon developed into frustration. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. I looked down at what she had slammed into my chest. A helmet. I traced the design with my finger, creating an invisible outline along the lightning bolt on the side. Shit. This had to have cost a fortune for her. I looked up to where Leia had disappeared, and something snapped within me. Before I knew what I was doing, I threw the helmet onto the couch without a second glance before running out the door and into the freezing cold weather. "Leia!" I called out to her retreating form. All she was wearing was a thin long-sleeve top and a skirt with nothing else to cover her bare legs and arms. She had to be freezing to the bone by now.She turned at the sound of her name, but her expression turned colder than the snow beneath my feet once she saw who had called it. She turned back around and continu
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Twenty: Beauty
It was now December 18th. It had been one month and twenty days since I had broken up with Jacob. Seven weeks and one day since I'd found out he was cheating on me. Fifty days since Zach had beat him up until he was bloody and bruised. Fourteen weekends since my heart had been ripped out of my chest. For a month I had sat in my room, on my bed. It was where I had stayed most of the time. I'd skipped caroling, the baking tradition I shared with my mom, and even most of my family's Christmas shopping and gift-wrapping, my two favorite things about the holidays. I hadn't spoken to Zach since that night. I'd been too mad. Too hurt. No, not hurt. "Hurt" was too small of a word, almost cute sounding. "Aw, did that hurt?" No. It obliterated, demolished, destroyed me. Demoralized, maybe. But no, it didn't hurt me. It didn't "hurt" me at all. Zach had pretended nothing happened. He never talked about it. In fact, he hadn't talked to me at all. Not a single taunt or tease. No pulling my hai
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Nineteen: The Bastard
My focus rotated between my phone and Leia as she paced the room while waiting for her asshole of a boyfriend to pick up the Goddamn phone. I had been this close to saying he had been talking to some chick at the party, just to make the situation worse for him. But, I knew that would've hurt Leia more than she needed to be hurt. The click of the line connecting seemed to echo throughout the room, followed by the disgusting sound of Jake's voice. "Hello?" Leia took a deep breath before speaking. "Hey, Jake," she said. Her tone held no warmth, but it wasn't ice cold either. "How are you?" I don't think Leia realized that her phone was on speaker. Unless she knew and wanted me to hear the exchange between the two of them. "I'm alright, just tired. How're you, baby?" I cringed internally. Baby? Give me a fucking break. He was already cringey enough with his sappy bullshit. The nicknames didn't need to be included in the package. "I'm fine." She kept her tone neutral. It wasn't
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Eighteen: Beauty
I woke up the next morning with the worst headache I had ever felt pounding in my temples like a drilling machine. I groaned and sat up, holding my hand to my head. The last thing I remembered was going to the party last night, Zach talking to me and walking away, and... that was it. No snippets of anything from last night, no fragments, nothing. I looked around my surroundings to make sure I wasn't in some other guy's room. Thankfully, I was in my own room. The one that I shared with... Zach. My eyes widened, and I quickly checked myself under the covers. I was still in my skirt and blouse from last night. The only things removed from my body were my shoes. Zach hadn't touched me. Zach Turploy, who had fucked nearly half of the girls at our school and flirted with the rest, had the perfect opportunity to take me. And he hadn't. I sat up slowly, not wanting my head to literally explode from the pressure of my headache, and swung my legs over the side of my bed. I walked over to m
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Seventeen: The Bastard
I shouldn't have snapped like that. It's not Leia's fault, and she didn't know anything. She didn't know my history with that scene in that fucking drawing. I sighed and rubbed my face as I walked down the hall, away from the door that I had walked out of after yelling at Leia. The sound of the slamming impact of the door echoed throughout my head as I made my way to the elevator, replaying not only the sound but the events that had happened before. The guilt made me feel like three tons of lead were sitting in my stomach, and it stuck with me as I pressed the button to send the elevator to the first floor and stepped out into the main lobby. I felt a buzz in my pocket and pulled my phone out to see the notification.Marcus: Yo, there's a party in the pool house rn. Get your ass over here. I heavily sighed as I read the text. I really didn't feel like going out. Especially not after what had just happened with Leia. But maybe I needed a distraction, some action, fun. And Marcus
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Sixteen: Beauty
Zach looked up from his dufflebag, pausing his sifting for just long enough to throw me that mother-fucking grin. "My, my," he mused, standing upright and crossing his arms over his chest. "It must be kismet, how we keep bumping into each other like this." I only stood there, dumbfounded and incredulous. "You fucking planned this!"Zach raised a brow. "Oh, you think I planned this? Why the fuck would I plan for us to be in the same room?" I threw my hands up in frustration. "I don't know! How am I supposed to know how your twisted brain works?" He rolled his neck and let out an exaggerated sigh, feigning mock disappointment at not being able to rile me up a bit more. He finally managed to pry his gaze away for a few moments, glancing around at the room as he did. "So, do the councelors always put two people of the opposite gender sharing a room, or should I start feeling flattered?" He asked, turning his gaze towards me, a raised eyebrow, and that fucking grin ghosting his lips. "
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Fifteen: Beauty
This drive was supposed to take over 24 hours. So obviously, we had to stay the night somewhere. Haylie had told me that we were supposed to stop at the Hilton Inn for the night, and then we would drive the last ten hours to the hotel where we were going to stay for the rest of the trip. But we had made up enough time to the point where we could just drive the whole way to the D.C hotel. The TSO had booked one hotel room for every two students. I really hoped I would be roomed with Haylie or Jake. If I was not, I was going to be throwing hands with someone. We still had around thirty minutes left until we got to the hotel, and it couldn't have been any longer. I needed to get off of the bus and as far away from Zach as possible, or else I was literally going to fucking strangle him. He had spent at least fifteen minutes whistling a random tune that he had made up, making the pitches alternate between long and slow and short and fast. It had annoyed the fucking shit out of me. And
Beauty and the Bastard Chapter Fourteen: Beauty
*I ran through the woods, panting and gasping for air as beads of sweat formed along my forehead. I pushed my legs as hard as I could, running from something I couldn't name or see.**As I was running, my foot caught on a loose root, and I fell forward. I screamed and braced myself for the impact of my body on the ground, but it never came. I forced myself to open my eyes, confused, and saw the ground just inches below my face. When I looked up, I saw Jake holding me up by my shirt.**"Jake?" I asked, my brows plunging to the center of my forehead. My voice sounded like an echo, like I was in some sort of cave and not in the middle of the woods from the Exorcist.**His face held an expression of deep relief as he pulled me up and wrapped me in his arms. "Leia!" He whispered into my hair. "I've been looking for you everywhere. I've been so worried." His heavy breathing told me he'd been running as well. And his voice was laced with panic.**I matched his embrace, hugging him tightly. B
