"I know that you are not on good terms with Zane but--,"
"No."
"Will you please let me--,"
"No."
"What is your problem?!" Angelica yelled out frustrated, causing the whole room to glare at us. Small sweat drops formed on her forehead even though the room was fully air conditioned.
"My problem is that I have to stay longer than one week in the city that I absolutely despise." I hissed, motioning to our audience to go back to whatever they were doing.
"That is not your problem," Angelica stated casually, flipping her long shiny hair over her shoulders. "You don't hate New York."
She clicked her tongue, placed her elbows on the table, and rested her head on her hands. "Try again."
"You know the reason why I do not want to be longer than a week in New York." I cried out as I also placed my elbows on the table and rested my head in my hands. "I will tell Yasmin that I cannot make it until the actual day of the wedding."
"You will really disappoint her and Milan," Angelica said, a hint of sadness visible in the tone of her voice. She took a deep breath and continued, "It has been five years, why can't you get over it or should I say over him?"
"He chose her over me," I answered bitterly as I clenched and unclenched my fists. "And I also told him that once he broke it off with me, he does not exist to me anymore."
"That's really harsh considering that he still cares for you."
"He does not care about me."
"Really? If he didn't he would not break up with Savannah the next day."
"It was one day too late. The damage has been done."
I don't care if I was harsh on him, he should have chosen his words wisely.
"He still asks me about you."
"I know... You have told me this numerous times. And I already told you what to say, I hope you listened to me."
Angelica bit her bottom lip nervously and I groaned louder. I was so close to losing my shit. "Oh god, you still did it, didn't you?"
"I didn't want to lie to him. It's so unfair." she protested as she looked at me from under her thick and unbelievably long eyelashes.
"It's not unfair." I cried out as I facepalmed myself. "What did you exactly told him?"
"I told him exactly what you told me to say."
"Liar."
"Fine." She sighed as she fiddled with the ends of her dress. "I just told him that you were doing great and that you work a lot and-,"
"Oh god." I wanted to slap myself. Angelica basically told him everything I told her not to tell him. "I will call Yasmin tonight and tell her that she should find another bridesmaid."
"No!" Angelica yelled, making a couple of customers glanced towards us...again. It will not be a surprise if we will get kicked out of this place. "Don't... You will crush her heart. Please, Amari, don't act so childish anymore. The past is the past."
"Zane does not exist for me anymore, remember?"
"You can pretend he is someone else."
"Who?!" My love life is everything except interesting. I have only dated a couple of nerds in university, but it never lasted longer than one month.
So who the hell am I going to pretend he is? David Beckham? But he's already married and plus Milan knows him personally, so that will make it even more awkward for me since he will most likely be invited to the wedding too.
"I don't know why you are still holding a grudge against him. Was there more than just a friendship? Something I don't know about?" Angelica raised her eyebrows up at me.
"No, we were just friends. You know my parents, they were so strict. If Zane would make a move on me, I don't think his manhood would still be attached to his body."
Angelica chuckled. "It's always great to think about the good old days. Well, that is, until you decided to change schools. Stuyvesant was not the same without you. Anyways, just go with the flow. It has been five years, Amari. You should learn to let things go."
"Do you really want to know the reason why I don't want to go back?" I asked her quietly, knowing that I don't have any other choice.
"Enlighten me."
"Because after that night he didn't reach out to me. He never did. It's like he waited for it to happen. When I changed schools he didn't even bother to ask me why. He did not even care anymore. And that's why I don't want to see him ever again. I realized that he did not care one bit about me."
Angelica sighed deeply, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "But this is not about him. This is about Yasmin and Milan. Do you want to disappoint them because of some petty drama that happened five years ago?"
"Of course not, but I don't want to walk with Zane down the aisle." The thought of it only makes me want to vomit.
"Maybe you could ask Yasmin to change partners. I don't think she will have a problem with that."
"I'll see what I can do. Are you coming too?"
"Yes of course. Alex and I are also invited. The whole billionaire boys club is. Oh, did I already tell you who the new president is?"
I shook my head. "Who?"
"Really? It's almost six months that he had been chosen, president. It's Zane bytheway."
"Z-Zane? He's the president of the club?" I stuttered out, my eyes bulging out of my socket. "Out of all the guys, they chose him?"
"Yeah, I mean there is no reason to not choose him," Angelica said and eyed me suspiciously. "Or is there?"
"No," I answered honestly. "It is just hard to believe. Alex would have made a pretty good president too."
Angelica grinned, her eyes twinkling when I mentioned her boyfriend. "Alex is good, but Zane is better." She glanced at her watch and cursed loudly. "I need to go."
"We haven't even ordered yet." I wailed as I watch her pack her stuff. I didn't drove all the way here to not eat. Plus, I was actually starving. "Come on, we haven't seen each other in forever and now you are leaving?"
She gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry baby, duty calls. If you had arrived on time, we could have ordered."
"Angel! Come on. One meal, it is on me." I offered desperately. I watch her stiffen as she slowly looked up at me.
"You're desperate aren't you?"
I nodded my head. What was the point of hiding it anyways? "Yes, now please tell me you're staying."
"Make it two meals." She said as she put her bag down on the table. "Free food makes the lecture I currently need to attend worth skipping." She tapped with her fingernails on the table, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Two meals or I'm out."
"I'll make it three." I offered generously.
A big smile made its way to her face. "I know there was a reason why I'm still friends with you!"
I opened the door to my apartment and threw the keys in the bowl on the table next to the door. I switched on the lights and immediately stripped out of my clothes. It was my habit to do so since I have been living alone for so long. Coming home to an empty and quiet apartment was a bliss feeling after being surrounded by people the entire day.The peaceful silence that met me when I entered my apartment soon got interrupted by the blaring of my phone. I groaned internally as I picked up my bag and rummaged through the content. In the process of doing that my hand caught something sticky and when I pulled out it was chewed gum that I forgot to throw away. I look disgusted at it as I immediately wiped my hand on a tissue paper. When I finally found my phone I slide my finger across the screen and tapped on loud speaker. The caller id showed that it was mommy dearest.Mom - AmariAmari?! Finally, after twenty-five missed calls. Vasilios, your daughter finally picked up her phone! Where
"No! Angelica put it back." I hissed as I walked past her, but she grabbed my hands just in time for me not to slip away. She gave me a pointed look as she shoved the red laced thong panty in my face. I scrunch my face in disgust as she did that. "Look at it! It's beautiful! You should totally buy this!""Give me one reason to buy it." I pushed the thong out of my face as I glared at the black-haired beauty in front of me. Her pink dress was waving in all directions as she impatiently tapped with her sandals on the tiled floor. "It's not like I will get laid in New York," I said, pushing a strand of hair out of my face."Of course you will not get laid if you keep on wearing that granny underwear of yours!" Angelica shouted, grabbing the attention of basically everyone in the store. I groaned inwardly as I leaned in and whispered icily in her ear: "Really Angel? The whole store has to know?"She snickered and threw the red thong at me. A big smile plastered on her face."Buy it! Tru
"You're finally home!" The moment I stepped foot in the mansion I got immediately attacked by my mom. She swung her arms around me as she squeezed the living daylight out of my small figure. Her familiar scent immediately made me feel at home."Mom." I hugged her back as I softly tried to push her away from me so I could finally catch my breath. "How have you been?"She loosened me out of her grip and gave me a warm smile. "I'm doing very well. You look so different from the last time I saw you. When was it again?"I bit my bottom lip as I tried to avert my gaze from her. It has been a long time since I last came here. "Last christmas?""It has been that long?!" Mom shrieked, her eyes widening at me. "You haven't been in New York since last christmas? That explains why you have change so much. I haven't realized that so much time had pass by.""Yeah, I didn't either. I'm so consumed with work and such." "What's all this--," My dad came out of the kitchen wearing a blue apron. I had
Candles in all shapes and sizes. Dangling in the entire venue were twinkling lights and in swoops from the ceiling. Drapes of silk-covered up household items and the tables were sprinkled in sequins and glitter. Glasses were filled with feathers and beads and the color scheme of this ball was gold and red.Everything screamed mystery and secrecy. The people around me were all dressed in beautiful designer gowns or suits and exquisite masks. I didn't expect anything less since this was the billionaire boys club. Only the elites who were a member of this club were allowed to exclusive parties like these. And everyone wanted to outshine the other. "There you are!" A high-pitched voice said behind me, making my heart jump a little. I turned around to see my brother next to a beautiful blonde-haired beauty whose face was covered in a black and gold glitter mask. "Yasmin!" I greeted the blonde in front of me. She placed two kisses on both my cheeks and clasped her hands together as she
"So wait...let me get this straight. You met this handsome man, you had a conversation with him, he called you beautiful, but you don't know his name?" Angelica asked for the hundredth time this morning. She placed her breakfast tray on the table next to my bed and turned around to face me."Yes, that's what I have been saying for the past ten minutes!" I let out a loud sigh as I closed the door of my walk-in closet which was pretty much empty except for the very few clothes and shoes I left behind from the last time I had visited this place.I really did miss this room though. It was the most beautiful and luxurious room with rick purple tapestries on every surface, a perfectly polished marble floor, and lots and lots of gold leaf. There was also a lot of furniture from different parts of the world. Dad always wanted for me to have the best."Why--how can you forget to ask his name? How is he going to find you? Did he even recognize you?!" Angelica continued asking, staring at me dej
I grumbled impatiently as I tapped with my Valentino heels on the concrete floor in the hallway. Students were heading towards their classes, bumping and shoving each other along the way. I looked at my watch and a scowl appeared on my face. Where the hell is he?I have seen all my friends early in the morning. They had all wished me a happy birthday and I made sure to remind them about the party tonight at my house. The hallway was slowly becoming deserted with only a few students here and there running to their classes.Zane was the last one who entered through the big door, walking leisurely as if he wasn't already late. A big smile appeared on his face as he saw me leaning against his locker. "Happy sweet sixteen, sugarplum."He swung his hand over my shoulder and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Cute. New shoes?""Yes, a gift from Milan. Why are you late? You know that Mrs. Nguyen doesn't like tardiness." I said, giving him a scowl."Pff, I know." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. "
"I promise you, Zane is not going to be there. I overheard Yasmin saying that Milan and Zane are going to Pennsylvania."I narrow my eyes at Angelica and tried to detect if she was making it up or telling the truth. "You aren't making something up just so I accompany you to brunch right?"It has been three days since I saw Zane for the last time outside the restaurant. I had promised myself that I would keep my distance from him. I would only make conversation with him when it was highly necessary. But if my friends keep inviting me to places where I know he will be present, it would be impossible to keep this promise. Angelica bit her bottom lip as she avoided eye contact with me. I knew it. After a minute of silence she spoke up again; "Well I didn't exactly heard that they are going to Pennsylvania. But I heard snippets that they would not be there during brunch."I sighed deeply and stood up from my bed. "I don't see why my brother would go out of town as it's his wedding soon
"I can't believe you accepted the invitation." I groaned out annoyed as I snatch the red envelope out of her hands. "I promised myself I would keep my distance from him.""Why would you make such a promise to yourself?" Angelica asked quietly as she fiddled with my bedsheets. "You're hurting yourself.""If I could live without him for five years, I can do it for the rest of my life," I told her confidently."No, you can't. Because if you could you would have already been engaged to Thomas Griffen." She stated in a matter-of-fact tone.Thomas Griffen was a friend of mine in my last year of college. We always hung out and studied together.Everyone labeled us as the 'power couple.'Most people even went as far as saying that we had this chemistry between us that was so hard to find nowadays.He had asked me to become his official girlfriend on graduation day.Any girl would have said yes to that.He would make the perfect boyfriend, fiancee, and husband. He was a smart guy with good man
“Well, it sounds like you’re about to find out,” he says ominously.I remember my father defending his decision to kidnap me if Emmett hadn’t stepped in. He claimed he just needed to ‘remove me from the game.’ Like I was just some kind of gambling chip in his mind, one that was swinging the odds out of his favor. At the time, I didn’t know if I was better off with Emmett or my dad. Now it seems I’m getting both, whether I like it or not.We’ve come so far since then. When everything about Emmett and my dad came out, I couldn’t imagine ever trusting Emmett again after everything he had put me through. I certainly never thought we’d be where we are today. But I can’t help but feel like the lingering presence of my father threatens what we have. I don’t know how, but I know it’s not good.“Do you think he still keeps tabs on my mom and me?” I ask Emmett nervously. “You remember what he said after everything happened with your father. About my mother belonging to him before anybody else.
Emmett and I race through the cold to the warmth of his car after school. A fresh snow has just fallen, and the campus has been transformed. The blinding, pure white glow all around brings me hope that maybe when we return in January, the Elites won’t come at us with the force we’re expecting. But mostly, I try not to think about any of it at all.The weather in Massachusetts is beautiful, especially in Jameson. It’s a small enough town with a historic square in the middle that gets decorated with lights, greenery, and bright red bows every November, and stands through the holidays. It all looks so beautiful with the snow and the sparkling salt on the cobblestone sidewalks. It’s so scenic that horse-drawn carriages park in wait for people who want to pay to ride around.The orange and red autumn leaves have shriveled to dried, brown, crunchy dead things that are frozen and buried deep beneath the snow. In some places where the snow has turned to slush from cars or foot traffic, you ca
“I don’t know.” I smile lightly. “Did they? You’re free now. You don’t have to play their games anymore, or walk around with the weight of your father’s legacy on your shoulders. You can live your life however you want to now.”He grins. “I can finally take you to that concert, that band I was telling you about. There’s nothing to worry about anymore but normal stuff like school and college. And us.”“The concert…sure.” I laugh. “But also Ritzville. The Ferris wheel at Ritzville.”“What?” He smirks and wrinkles his brow.“It’s a thing for me.” I shrug. “Just promise me we’ll go.”“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” he says before pulling my lips to his.“I don’t know about where I want to go…but I know I need to go home.” I look at the time on my phone. “My parents are going to be worried sick…again.”He nods and looks at me intently. “I think it’s time to tell them everything, Ophelia.”I have always known that anyone outside of Jameson would never be able to understand the full
I can’t take it anymore. I can’t stand here while she tries to make Emmett feel bad after everything she’s done. “Well, if you’ve been up Liam’s ass this whole time anyway, just waiting for your chance to run the company,” I chime in, “why do you care what Emmett did? You said you were glad Thomas was gone.”She shrugs cavalierly. “It doesn’t change the way things work around here. You can’t just take out the crown of the hierarchy around here and expect not to suffer the consequences.”“You people are all seriously fucked up,” I blurt out.“I knew what you did, Emmett,” Bernadette grunts resentfully. “I came and told Liam. He was the one who let Mom know.”“I thought you were smarter than that, Emmett,” Liam scolds. “You know what happens to people who mess with the Elites. You know a thing or two about that yourself, don’t you, Ophelia? So now you’ll walk away with nothing.”“And if I were you…I’d get out of town,” Malcolm adds. “Now the Elites will rise back to where we belong. And
He plops into a chair in the corner as his leg starts bobbing up and down. He presses his palm to his mouth and looks anxiously around the room, fighting hard not to let my words affect him.“I can’t believe I let you,” I mused. “Something about the way you commanded me…I just couldn’t refuse. I guess you still have that power over me somehow.”“I wasn’t expecting to feel like that when I kissed you,” he responds with a surprising tenderness.His recollection of it makes sense. The way he seemed confused and tormented as he grabbed at my body with an almost punishing touch. He hated me for the feelings I stirred up inside of him. He was just doing what he was told, scoping me out and luring me to WJ Prep. He never meant to feel anything for me.“I still never expect to feel that way when I kiss you,” he added in a disappointed mutter.“But you do,” I offer optimistically, thinking maybe I’ve found my way into him. “And I do too. There’s something between us, Emmett. Enough that…surely
“I’m going as fast as I can,” I whine back, trying to hurry.He huffs over, slinging back the curtain and reaching in to turn the faucets off.“What are you doing!?” I cry, looking at him in shock. “I’m almost done. Just give me a minute.”“You’re out of time, princess,” he sneers, throwing a towel at me, but not until after he takes a good long slow look at my wet and naked body. I’m quick to cover up from his gaze, figuring if he can’t even have the decency to give me a full five minutes in the shower, he doesn’t get to see me naked.Anger sparks in his eyes as I cover up, robbing him of his eye candy. His hand grips my elbow tightly as he yanks me out, banging my arm harshly against the sink countertop.“Shit!” I shout, looking down to see fresh red blood pooling out into the beads of water still dripping across my skin. Just another reminder of who he really is, making me kick myself for every moment of weakness I had last night.“We don’t have time for all of this,” he moans impa
As soon as I have the thought of gratitude, his arms wrap around me tightly, one hand wriggling down to unbuckle my seatbelt before he drags me into his lap.“What the fuck are you doing!?” I shout, kicking and squirming to get away.“We’re gonna take a little drive,” he explains in a hauntingly snide tone. “And I want you close to me.”All I can think of is the last time these fuckers took me for a drive, and the time after that when Emmett tried again to lure me away in his car. My hands and arms flail frantically for escape, but he quickly grips onto me in every direction. He holds me down long enough to secure his stretched seat belt over the both of us. With one arm held firmly across my chest, holding my arms down, a black cloth falls over my eyes.“No!” I yell hopelessly, not wanting to be blindfolded. But the cloth ties tight across my vision, blocking out the outside world. “Emmett, please…don’t do that!”Vincent and Trey cackle. They love it when I’m struggling.I finally gi
“He hurts you?” Malcolm asks, his face slightly twisted.“They all do.”He shakes his head, turning briefly to the driver’s side window with his lips pursed before refocusing on the road. “That’s not like him. I know it’s going to be hard to convince you…but anything he’s doing is just out of fear. He didn’t ask to be born into that fucked up family of his. He’s just as much of a pawn as the rest of us.”I stare at him as he drives, searching for some sign of an ulterior motive. Doubt. Anything that tells me he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But he’s filled with resolve. Completely confident that Emmett is somehow different than his flock of abusers.My head flings back against my seat. I can’t handle this right now. The last thing I need is another gnawing voice in my ear trying to convince me that Emmett’s behavior is excusable.I’ve watched him dump trash on Lily’s head. He manhandled me in front of his asshole Elite friends. He’s verbally abused me. Humiliated me. Threatene
I feel completely helpless. And as tired as I am of going through this alone, the only time I feel safe is when I’m alone. And even then, I’m plagued with paranoia over what will happen next. Especially now with this tracking device in my arm. I feel broken. Like something is wrong with me. I don’t know how I can ever go back to living a normal life after this.Thankfully, I’m able to avoid my parents as I race to my bathroom. The spot on my shoulder where they sewed in the implant is still bleeding, and I have to bandage it up just to keep the blood off of my clothes.I decide to take a bath to soothe my aching muscles, filling the hot steaming water with every bath product I can find that might bring me some peace and comfort.I lay back into the bath water, my body still tingling and my legs feeling almost numb. The lavender scented steam rising up should comfort me. But nothing seems to be able to do that anymore.I think back on the life I had before coming to WJ Prep and this El