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six.
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2024-11-12 14:58:10
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Hated By The Bully King seven.
CoraWhile in the middle of splitting my brain open during the murderous pre-calculus homework, my phone rings. I pluck it off the desk like it's my life savior and scan the screen, nearly crying out in glee when I see it's my best friend, Elissa."Bestie!" I yell."Bestie!" she yells back."Why aren't we on video chat? I'm dying to see your pretty face.""Same, hun, but my phone's broken.""Again," we both say and laugh. She drops the thing so many times, I'm surprised her parents replace them. "Don't freak if the call drops. I think this one has only moments to live."There's a large pang in my chest. I've missed her so much, and it's only been two days. Hearing her voice is like a bright light in a cold, dark tunnel. It uplifts my mood that's been shitty since first period."Your face is still plastered all over the news," she says. "Your interview has so many hits, you're more famous than the queen of England.""Ha.""I'm serious. People love hearing how you saved the handsome fut
Last Updated : 2024-11-12Hated By The Bully King eight.
CoraTwo weeks have gone by. Two weeks of me burying my head in my textbooks and staying on top of my grades. I guess now that I have no friends, it’s easy to immerse myself in nothing but schoolwork. The results have been amazing.As for the bullying? Nothing major. Alessandro hasn’t said a single word to me since that first day in pre-calculus, though he throws me dirty looks any chance he can. The other students have been picking on me with minor things, like trying to trip me in the halls, calling me Peasant Girl, sliding things into my locker and under my door. Notes like drawings of a poor girl working the farm or saying how I need to take a shower because I reek. The first time, I actually thought I did reek. I feel lonely, really lonely.Dad loves his job. Mr. Beckham has even made it his personal mission to make sure my dad is happy and that he has everything he needs. Some people at his job even walk on eggshells around him. Maybe I should save the lives of rich offspring mo
Last Updated : 2024-11-12Hated By The Bully King nine.
Cora“We’ve missed you so much, sweetie.” Mom dislodges me from Dad’s arms and takes me all for herself, yanking me so close to her body we practically meld into one. She once again showers me with kisses, then she pulls back and gapes at my face. “Oh, honey. Marcus, doesn’t she look beautiful. My baby is all grown up.” I’m, yet again, in her arms, my faced smashed to her chest.When she finally lets my dad gift me with another massive hug, we rotate slightly and Alessandro comes in my view. He stands there staring at us with his fists clenched at his sides, that famous, perpetual scowl proud on his face. I notice his eyes. They’re hard, sure, but there’s something in them, something so subtle it’s easy to miss. Longing, maybe? But like all the other times I see a light emotion, it’s gone within seconds.Footsteps on the stairs. My parents and I whirl around to face Mr. Asher Beckham making his way down the exquisite wooden steps. He’s wearing a black suit as well, pressed and crisp,
Last Updated : 2024-11-12Hated By The Bully King ten.
Cora“Cora?”I turn and find the camera guy motioning for me to join my parents on the sofa. Alessandro and his dad stand behind it. I squeeze in between my parents, and Mom slides her hand in mine. I don’t have to look at her to know her face radiates with a large smile. It makes my own smile form on my face, though it vanishes when hostility pricks my skin from behind.The cameraman instructs us where to face, where to place our hands. “Smile wide,” he says.This whole process takes about twenty minutes and by the time we’re done, my jaw throbs from all the smiling.Mr. Beckham thanks the crew before they leave the room, the man hauling his equipment with him.Despite my commanding them not to, my eyes shoot to Alessandro. He stands there with his hands in his pockets, gaze on the man and woman’s retreating forms.His dad sweeps his hand toward the doorway. “Marcus, Lori, Cora. Please follow me to the dining room for dinner.”Dad and Mom trail him, with me and Alessandro lingering b
Last Updated : 2024-11-12Hated By The Bully King eleven.
CoraThe first thing I do when I wake up the next morning is check the news. Sure enough, there’s an article posted online about the Beckhams. Apparently, Asher started a new business venture a few months ago that’s doing very well. The spotlight is mostly on him, but then the focus shifts to his son, who was “miraculously saved by Georgia native Cora Williams, bottom center.”I have to admit, the photo’s pretty good. Mom, Dad, Mr. Beckham and I are all smiles, giving the impression that our families have become the best of friends. Alessandro, though? He looks like he wants to hurl a tomahawk at the photographer. But I don’t think he ruins the photo, because that’s his usual expression.Then there’s a short paragraph mentioning my attending the prestigious Royal Elite Academy, and how Alessandro and I have become close friends. Ha. They didn’t even interview me, which shows how bogus this article is.I send the link to my parents and Elissa before rolling out of bed and slipping into
Last Updated : 2024-11-13Hated By The Bully King twelve.
CoraMy room looks like a hurricane tore through, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. My hair probably looks like it, too. Where the hell are all my assignments? And why can’t I find my laptop charger? All my assignments are saved on it and it’s dead.I have three papers due, plus the revised answers for a test we took last week. True I only got two wrong, but my teacher promised we’d get the points back if we looked over the test and made the corrections. I need every point I can get if I want to stay on top of my grades.I turn my desk over again, throwing all the papers aside. I fall back on my knees with a huff, blowing some dirty blonde hair out of my face. It’s like they evaporated into thin air.A glance at the time shows first period will start in five minutes. My uniform looks like I slept in it for a week and my hair probably makes me look like a witch. In fact, I probably could pass off for a witch because of the stupid zit that sprouted on my chin this morning. Th
Last Updated : 2024-11-13Hated By The Bully King thirteen.
CoraI get permission to leave campus after school to buy a new laptop charger. I don’t have a lot of money to spend on a cab, but I don’t have time to take a bus all the way to town. Royal Elite Academy is pretty isolated out here near the woods, but it’s only twenty minutes by car. When I return to campus, I reprint my assignments and email the ones that were due today to my teachers, even though they stated they wouldn’t accepted. Still, I’m hopeful they’ll have a change of heart.Luckily, I don’t have any more problems the rest of the week, probably because I’ve become OCD about locking my door. I didn’t think these kids would actually break into my room, but then again, I didn’t think they’d make my life here a living nightmare, either.Speaking of which, when I walk down the hallway this morning, I discover all the kids staring at their phones and chuckling. Whatever the newest piece of gossip, I’m not privy to it.But then they raise their heads to me and snicker. Eyes go from
Last Updated : 2024-11-13Hated By The Bully King fourteen.
CoraWhat a crazy night Friday was. Campus security questioned me again, asking me detailed questions about the knife. By the time I was done with the questioning, I wondered if I imagined the whole thing.As I stroll down the hallway toward my locker Monday morning, I catch many kids throwing me murderous looks. I know they’re pissed at me for calling campus security on an illegal party, and I’m pretty sure I’m herby banned from any future secret party. But I don’t regret it. Things could have ended really badly.Those same looks are shot my way throughout the rest of the morning. When Mrs. Danby asks me to solve an equation on the board while she steps out for a minute, I’m assaulted once again by crumpled pieces of paper. And a few kids even launch spit balls at me. So gross. Looks like I’ve given them more ammunition to use against me. Did they forget that I also got in trouble for being at the party? I can’t leave campus for a whole week.After I solve the equation and walk back
Last Updated : 2024-11-13
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Hated By The Bully King 130
CoraFour years laterAlessandro, Ethan, Colt and I stare at the mansion that sits before us, our jaws practically hitting the ground.Colt whistles. "That's a little bigger than our last house."I throw him an incredulous look. "Major understatement of the year. This isn't a mansion—it's a palace."He throws an arm around me and grins. "A palace fit for the most beautiful queen in the world. Our queen." He brushes his lips across my cheek.I playfully swat him away. "You know I don't like when you guys call me your queen.""Too bad. Because you are our queen. Just get used to it, Cora. The guys and I want to spoil you rotten. You gotta learn to accept it."I smile and shake my head. "Never."Ethan slides his hand into mine. "Ready to see our new home?""I'm more than ready."The four of us march up the stairs, where staff members scurry around to help us with our bags and welcome us in. I'm still trying to get used to the whole staff thing. The guys insisted we have them at our old h
Hated By The Bully King 129
CoraBeckham watches his son for a very long time, the fury seeming to grow even more intense. Then he finally sits forward, placing his palms on his desk. "What a little boy you are," he hisses. "You think you're in a damn romance movie? This is real life, Alessandro. In real life, you don't get to live in fantasy worlds. You don't get to decide what happens. You do what it takes to jump over everyone else, or else they will be the ones on top and they will step on you. So stop with this childhood nonsense. You'll marry a girl whom I see fit, someone who will help you advance in your life and career."Alessandro folds his arms over his chest, his fury a match for his father's. "Someone like Heather Mclauren?""Yes. Heather Mclauren is the perfect match for you.""Match," Colt mutters under his breath. "Who the hell gets matched up these days?"Alessandro lowers his hands on the desk, leaning close to stare his dad down. "You sent her after me, didn't you?""Of course I did! Someone h
Hated By The Bully King 128
CoraThe limo stops before the Beckham Mansion. I stare up at it from the window, once again marveling at how stunning it is. I can't believe just four months ago, I came here for the first time working at Alessandro's party. I remember that day as though it happened yesterday: how there were so many people, but Alessandro was still alone. How I saved his life, which led me down the path that would become my dream future. It's funny how one small act can change your life forever."Cora?"Ethan is holding out his hand for me. Colt and Alessandro have already climbed out of the car, Alessandro looking a little anxious. He's not trying to hide his emotions anymore—none of the guys are. The three handsome young men who stand before me are the true souls I have come to love with every fiber of my being.I accept Ethan's hand and let him help me out of the car. Colt puts his hand on my shoulder while Alessandro slides his hand into mine and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "Whatever happens,
Hated By The Bully King 127
CoraEthan's just as happy to see me at his door as Alessandro was. There's a change in his face, and as I make my way inside, I try to figure out what it is. He seems...happier, maybe? No, it's more than that. It's like—"What?" he asks with a laugh as he sits down at his desk and motions for me to come over."Sorry, was I staring?" I head over to him, where he pulls me onto his lap, my back pressed tightly to his chest, and his arms wrapped around my stomach. "I don't mean to. There's just something different about you.""There is?"I stretch my neck to scrutinize his mesmerizing emerald eyes. "You look alive.""Alive?" A soft chuckle reverberates through his chest. "Yeah, I think I'm breathing.""You're laughing, Ethan. A real one. I can't remember the last time I saw you like this."He tucks some hair behind my ear. "I'm happy, Cora. I think for the first time since my family died, I feel genuinely happy. It's like up until today, I was just trudging through life, going through th
Hated By The Bully King 126
CoraAlessandro's eyes fill with surprise when he opens the door. "Cora, hi.""Hi. Can I come in?""Sure." He widens the door.His desk is cluttered with papers—business documents. "Am I bothering you?""You never bother me," he says with a smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.I take his hand and lead him to the bed, where we sit side by side. "Sandro, what's going on?""What?""I know something's bothering you. And I have a feeling it's not the three boyfriends thing."His cheeks puff up. "You know me really well, don't you?" He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. I'm okay.""If we're going to be together, you need to be open and honest with me. You don't have to worry about protecting me. I want to be here for you. I want you to pour your heart out to me. I want to feel as close to you as I can.""I want that, too." He caresses my cheek, gazing at me with raw emotions. "I want that really badly."I press my lips to his palm. "Tell me what's going on."He turns away from me,
Hated By The Bully King 125
CoraThe four of us are quiet.Colt looks at Alessandro. "I'm sorry for being selfish. I guess I was a little jealous of how close you and Cora were getting. I've wanted something like that for a really long time. It was never my intention to steal her from you or anything. I want you to be happy, Sandro, really I do. But the more time I spent with you, Cora, the more I liked you. I didn't ask you to come to New York City for some romantic getaway. I wanted to escape my life for a few days, and I knew you would be the one to make me feel better. But it was never my intention to kiss you. It kind of just happened. I'm sorry for being so selfish, Sandro."Alessandro's quiet for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I'm the selfish one. A part of me suspected you and Ethan might like Cora, too. But I wanted her all to myself. We should have talked about it.""Like we're doing now?" Colt says with a wry smile. Then he faces me. "All I want is for the two of you to be happy. So if you an
Hated By The Bully King 124
CoraAnother week passes with Alessandro and Colt not speaking."That's it," I mutter Saturday morning. "It's time I take matters into my own hands."I'm sick of feeling confused and guilty. I'm sick of seeing three former best friends hardly saying a thing to each other.I send Ethan and Colt a text, telling them to meet me in the bowling alley in half an hour. Then I head over to Alessandro's room. I could send him a text, too, but I know he won't meet up with us. It's harder to refuse someone when they stand right in your face. Well, that's what I'm counting on, anyway.I knock a few times on his door, hoping he didn't go away for the weekend. A few seconds later, footsteps approach."Who is it?" his voice calls."Cora."I hold my breath. There's a good chance he'll ignore me.The air slowly leaves my mouth when I hear him turn the handle. He stands before me with an unreadable expression on his face. I look at him closely, making out the hint of emotion hiding behind his blank mas
Hated By The Bully King 123
CoraI try texting Ethan the rest of the night. He answers a few, usually one worded answers, assuring me he's okay, but that's about it. Colt and I text, too, talking about the silliest things in the world. I guess neither of us wants to broach the kiss, Alessandro, or even Ethan.Alessandro doesn't answer any of my texts. It's been a week already. Is he ever going to forgive me? Or at least talk to me?Somehow, I fall asleep. I wake up the next morning way too early, and the first thing to enter my mind is Ethan. I reach for my phone and send him a text.Me: Are you feeling better?He responds almost immediately.Ethan: A little.Me: I hate that you were alone yesterday.Ethan: I wouldn't have been the best company.Me: I don't care about that. I just didn't want you to feel so alone.He's quiet for a bit before he responds.Ethan: I am alone. The only one left in my family.That causes tears to prick my eyes.Me: Can I take you out today? I want to take your mind off things.Ethan:
Hated By The Bully King 122
CoraColt's talking to me, which is such a relief. Though he doesn't mention anything about New York or what happened right after. He, Ethan and I sit together during lunch, but Alessandro is nowhere to be found. I don't think he even eats lunch. And I can't voice my concerns with the guys because I don't want to cause any more drama.The fact that Alessandro and Colt are still not talking to each other is like a stab in the heart. I never meant to ruin their friendship. I don't think Alessandro talks to Ethan, either. He must feel so lonely.Friday morning, I'm woken up by a text from Alessandro. I'm so shocked and thrilled that I drop my phone. After quickly sweeping it off the floor, I read the text.Alessandro: Hard day for Ethan. You should make sure he's okay.My fingers fly across my phone screen.Me: What do you mean? Why is it a hard day?He looks at the text right away, but he doesn't respond.Me: Alessandro, why is today hard for Ethan?Finally, he responds.Alessandro: His
