I don’t bother looking back.
I keep my head high, shoulders squared, ignoring how drenched I am and the murmurs that flow in the crowd around me. but most of all, I ignore the way I can still his gaze burning into my back.
It’s almost funny how shocked they look, as if they actually expected me to just stand there and take it, like I was supposed to bow my head, smile through the humiliation, maybe even kiss Briella’s feet while I was at it.
Idiots.
“Pathetic,” I hear a Yara yell behind me. “Even for you three, it’s so embarrassing.”
I don’t turn back, but a small smile spread on my lips at her sticking up for me even though we just met few hours ago.
The moment I step into my room, I start peeling off my soaked dress, only to jolt when the door slams open again. Yara storms in, snatching my towel with so much force you’d think she was trying to strangle someone.
“Thanks,” I smile taking the towel from her. A chuckle escapes my lips as I watch her furrowed brows and the way she keeps cursing. “You know from the way you’re acting someone would think you’re in my shoes.”
She sighs dramatically flopping on my bed. “I’m extremely passionate when it comes to hating bullies. It’s just so…ugh it’s disgusting and messed up.”
II nod, toweling my hair dry before settling beside her. “I can’t say I didn’t expect it, though. They did drive me out of school, dump me in the middle of a lonely road, and leave me under the rain.”
She bolts upright, her eyes wide. She blinks once. Twice. Then she stands. “Okay. New plan. We kill them.”
I laugh trying to sound fine but it just comes out empty.
Yara turns and pauses before sitting down beside me. “You okay?”
I sigh. “Well for one I’m glad I stood up for myself, didn’t give them what they wanted…” another bitter laugh. “But then…no one likes to be treated like shit, so…”
She pulls me into a hug, resting a hand on my head. “Screw them. They act like royalty, but in reality? They’re just a bunch of insecure losers with daddy issues.”
I laugh, genuinely this time. For once since I came here, I don’t feel so alone.
“Come on,” she pulls me to the bed. “You don’t have to talk but I’m not leaving you.”
I nod grateful she noticed.
We lie there for a while, the sound of our breathing mixing with the muffled bass of the music downstairs.
Then a soft snore breaks the silence. I smirk, glancing at Yara. She’s out cold.
But my mind doesn’t stay on her for long.
I gently untangle myself from Yara and walk to the mirror, pushing my hair away revealing the hickey on my neck.
I groan frustrated as I remember.
My eyes fly open snaping back to reality and anger frustration and disgust swirls through my chest.
I’m angry at him for touching me.
I’m angrier at myself for letting him. but more than anything, I’m disgusted with my body for reacting the way it did.
Through the mirror my gaze drops to the tattoo on my chest. I got it last summer in Miami, a few weeks after the…’incident’ and mum and I left.
Slap!
My cheeks burn, my palm now imprinted on it but I don’t flinch, because I deserve it.
I don’t have time for games like this. Who the hell knows what is written in the letter Grayson has, the sender always had a way of reminding me of the incident in a poetic but painfully clear..
So, no matter what’s in it, the moment Grayson reads the letter every single thing, every single lie would be uncovered and it’d be my fault…again.
***
The moment my alarm rings, my eyes fly open. I turn to my side to see Yara is already gone, but when I sit up, I spot something written across my mirror in red lipstick.
"Last night was wild, call me. ;) P.S. F*ck those clowns."
Her number is scribbled underneath.
I grin, shaking my head at her ridiculousness.
The doorbell rings, and I practically sprint downstairs. Just as I expected, the mailman stands at the entrance, an envelope in his hand.
My heart hammers as I take it from him.
Another letter. At least this time I got it before Grayson did.
By the time I’m done preparing for school I head downstairs and knock-on Grayson’s door.
No answer.
I knock again, this time harder and more impatient. Still no answer.
Frowning, I pull out my phone and call him.
It rings twice before he answers. “What? Miss me already.” His voice is flat. I roll my eyes, but freeze when I hear what sounds like a car honk. “Wait, where are you?”
I hear another sound, like a door locking. “School.” He says right before he hangs up.
The bastard left me. Groaning, I hurry out, rushing to catch the bus.
….
Someone should have told me straight up that this day is cursed.
I stand stiffly in front of my homeroom teacher, Mr. Noble, my best please-don’t-give-me-a-long-lecture smile plastered on my face.
“Are you even serious with your life, Miss. Blackwell?”
Oh wow.
My smile drops and I have to pinch myself hard so I don’t roll my eyes at him.
“You have missed school for three days,” Jeez louis I have reasons. “And as if that isn't bad enough,” he points at the documents on his desk and my stomach churns.
My results from my old school.
They’re mostly C’s. but one, one stands out like a slap to my face.
A big fat F.
Chemistry. My mortal enemy.
“Your result is so…poor.” He says the poor like he’s just trying not to be more insulting, “You’d be assigned to a student tutor.”
Normally, I’d say no but with the way he’s looking at me I just nod eager to get out of here. A knock comes on the door and Mr. Noble, nods.
“Come in.”
The door opens and Mr. Noble grins like he just saw a unicorn or something.
The door swings open. A shadow falls across the room.
“You called, sir?”
My stomach clenches.
I know that voice.
I turn my head around my brows furrowed. The moment our eyes meet we both let out a groan at the same time. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Raelynn“Pack your bags we’re moving.” My mother’s words echo in my mind as I shove my clothes angrily into my box.This week has been hell, scratch that, way worse than hell. Yesterday, I walked in on the one person I called my best friend, Chloe, and my boyfriend Peter making out.Peter and I were to hang out at his place but he couldn’t because he suddenly caught the flu, being the sweet and naive girlfriend I was, I decided to go over and check on him. Bring him some soup and tissues.I Didn’t need to knock because I know his passcode...one two three four five six, yes, he’s an id*ot.Turns out I should have just minded my business and stayed at home then maybe I wouldn’t have had to walk on both of them right there on his couch, her black hair tangled in his fingers.Worst thing they didn’t even feel bad about it, Chloe just smirked and peter’s excuse? “You’ve been depressed lately, we needed to rely on each other.”I throw another shirt into my suitcase. Depressed? I was only dep
RaelynnMy heart hammers in my chest both from the proximity ad the irritation crawling up my chest.Who does he think he is?The moment I feel his grip relax, I twist sharply and hove him hard in the chest. He staggers back slightly, his expression unreadable.I open my mouth curses ready to fly, but the second I lock eyes with him, all the words get stuck in my throat.Damn it.He’s gorgeous.Brown hair that falls effortlessly, like he’s just run his fingers through it, frames his chiseled features. His jaw is sharp enough to cut glass, and those dark blue eyes...piercing, cold...narrow at me with very obvious disdain.I snap myself out of it.“You must be Grayson.” I force out as calmly as I can.He smirks but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “And you must be the charity case.”The insult lands like a slap, sharp and cold but I refuse to flinch squaring my shoulders.“Says the overprivileged brat.”His smirk widens and somehow that makes him look even more dangerous. He stalks closer to
GraysonThe party is already in full swing when we arrive, loud music, sweaty people and cheap perfumes.Isa disappears muttering something about finding her friends.I walk over to the VIP room wanting some sort of quietness, once I'm seated on the empty couch, I bring out the v*pe from my pocket and take a hit.The familiar burn spreads through my chest, sharp and soothing all at once. I hold it in, letting it settle before exhaling slowly through my nose.The tension in my shoulders eases as the smoke curls around me, blending into the dimly lit room. This is what I needed.This is what I needed. V*ping always happened to cool me off no matter what was on my mind, which is why no matter how much Edward whines about it I don’t give a sh*it.If he hadn't done what he did, then I wouldn’t need a v*pe in the first place.Edward hates this habit, always going on about how I’m “damaging myself” or “setting a bad example.” Like he’s ever given a damn about my well-being. If he hadn’t done
RaelynnI’m late for my first day at Kings and Queens High...and it’s all Grayson and Isabella’s fault.First, my alarm mysteriously turned off, which makes me suspect Grayson snuck into my room again after he left. The thought of him standing in the dark, whispering threats, sends a chill down my spine. I shake it off. He can't actually do anything.I really need to start locking my door.Then, my preordered uniform somehow disappeared. While I was tearing my room apart looking for it, the devil twins waltzed out of the house, leaving me behind.With no other choice, I had to take the bus because our driver had already taken my mom and Edward to work, and apparently, the other driver is exclusively for the royal brats.And now, I find out my mom will have to mail the rest of my clothes because KAQ is a boarding school.Just perfect.I step up to the front desk, trying not to look as frazzled as I feel.“I’d like to enroll for a dorm room, please,” I say quickly, glancing at my schedu
RaelynnGrayson stares at me from the driver’s seat, his window rolled down just enough for the rain to drip onto his arm. He is completely relaxed, like he did not just scare the life out of me. His gaze drags over my trembling frame, lingering on my soaked clothes, on my white tank top, now practically see-through.Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I cross my arms over my chest instinctively.A lazy smirk tugs at his lips. He looks frustratingly entertained.“You look like sh*t,” he drawls.“Screw you,” I snap, my voice hoarse from the cold and the panic clawing at my throat.He tilts his head, feigning a pout. “You’re the one standing in the middle of a storm, looking like a half-drowned stray kitty.”My fists clench at my sides.I hate him. so much I can strangle him.“But if you want me to leave…” He starts the car, fingers drumming against the wheel.I know he will. He will not hesitate.“Wait,” I blurt before I can stop myself.Grayson pauses but does not turn off the engine. He w
GraysonI flick my wrist, sending the puck sailing toward the net. It should go in. It always does. But today, it doesn’t.The clang of rubber against metal echoes through the rink as it smacks against the post, bouncing away uselessly.I mutter a curse under my breath and push forward, but my passes are sloppy, my movements off. Every time I try to focus, my mind drags me back to last night—to that damn letter.The look of fear in Raelynn’s eyes when I was just about to read the later.She was scared.Eyes wide, chest rapidly rising and falling.It was the first time I’d ever seen her that vulnerable.It only made me want to dig deeper.I was just about it, then the doorbell rang.Her relief was instant. That subtle sag of her shoulders, the way her lips had parted in a light exhale.I should’ve opened the damn letter right then and there. But the doorbell kept ringing.Which is exactly why I didn’t give her back the letter, and kept it with me.A sharp whistle from Coach snaps me ba
RaelynnYou have got to me kidding me.It’s ten p.m. on a school night and there’s a damn full-blown part happening right under my nose. The worse part of it all, is that I actually saw Grayson earlier but rather than telling me he’s turning our place into a club he decided I wasn’t worth the trouble.A8shole.I clutch the novel in my hand tighter as the terrible choice of music echoes through the walls.The door snaps open and a drunk girl starts to come in gagging like she’s about to puke.“Not the bathroom!” I practically fly out of my bed and rush her out slamming the door shut, leaning my back against it.Frustration bubbles in my chest, but my mind drifts back to the letter.Grayson had almost read it, and if he did all hell would be loosed by now. Thankfully he didn’t because Briella showed up but the jerk had refused to give it back.I have to get it back.Just then a plan comes to my mind.Grayson’s at the party probably drinking or getting sucked off in some corner by a poor
GraysonI should be pissed. Actually, I am pissed.She shouldn’t be here, in my room, in my f*cking space.I don’t like people in my space. I f*cking hate it. it’s personal. It’s mine.At first a form of curiosity bubbled in me when I saw Raelynn sneak into my room like a rat, but as my eyes drop to the picture in her hand, a cold rage swallows every form of amusement I had.My mother. She’s a forbidden topic, buried six feet into the ground along with her and it’s all because of—Raelynn turns around quickly her eyes go wide but rather than fear in them she glares at me.Fuck! That’s it. Something inside me snaps.I grab her wrist and shove her against the cupboard, the photo slipping from her hand and landing between us. My hand wraps around her throat, not too tight to cut her flow of air, but tight enough to let her know I could if I wanted to.Her breath hitches.“Did I invite you in, sunshine?” my voice is low with a dangerous edge to it.Her stormy grey eyes shine with defiance
Raelynn.I don’t bother looking back.I keep my head high, shoulders squared, ignoring how drenched I am and the murmurs that flow in the crowd around me. but most of all, I ignore the way I can still his gaze burning into my back.It’s almost funny how shocked they look, as if they actually expected me to just stand there and take it, like I was supposed to bow my head, smile through the humiliation, maybe even kiss Briella’s feet while I was at it.Idiots.“Pathetic,” I hear a Yara yell behind me. “Even for you three, it’s so embarrassing.”I don’t turn back, but a small smile spread on my lips at her sticking up for me even though we just met few hours ago.The moment I step into my room, I start peeling off my soaked dress, only to jolt when the door slams open again. Yara storms in, snatching my towel with so much force you’d think she was trying to strangle someone.“Thanks,” I smile taking the towel from her. A chuckle escapes my lips as I watch her furrowed brows and the way s
GraysonI should be pissed. Actually, I am pissed.She shouldn’t be here, in my room, in my f*cking space.I don’t like people in my space. I f*cking hate it. it’s personal. It’s mine.At first a form of curiosity bubbled in me when I saw Raelynn sneak into my room like a rat, but as my eyes drop to the picture in her hand, a cold rage swallows every form of amusement I had.My mother. She’s a forbidden topic, buried six feet into the ground along with her and it’s all because of—Raelynn turns around quickly her eyes go wide but rather than fear in them she glares at me.Fuck! That’s it. Something inside me snaps.I grab her wrist and shove her against the cupboard, the photo slipping from her hand and landing between us. My hand wraps around her throat, not too tight to cut her flow of air, but tight enough to let her know I could if I wanted to.Her breath hitches.“Did I invite you in, sunshine?” my voice is low with a dangerous edge to it.Her stormy grey eyes shine with defiance
RaelynnYou have got to me kidding me.It’s ten p.m. on a school night and there’s a damn full-blown part happening right under my nose. The worse part of it all, is that I actually saw Grayson earlier but rather than telling me he’s turning our place into a club he decided I wasn’t worth the trouble.A8shole.I clutch the novel in my hand tighter as the terrible choice of music echoes through the walls.The door snaps open and a drunk girl starts to come in gagging like she’s about to puke.“Not the bathroom!” I practically fly out of my bed and rush her out slamming the door shut, leaning my back against it.Frustration bubbles in my chest, but my mind drifts back to the letter.Grayson had almost read it, and if he did all hell would be loosed by now. Thankfully he didn’t because Briella showed up but the jerk had refused to give it back.I have to get it back.Just then a plan comes to my mind.Grayson’s at the party probably drinking or getting sucked off in some corner by a poor
GraysonI flick my wrist, sending the puck sailing toward the net. It should go in. It always does. But today, it doesn’t.The clang of rubber against metal echoes through the rink as it smacks against the post, bouncing away uselessly.I mutter a curse under my breath and push forward, but my passes are sloppy, my movements off. Every time I try to focus, my mind drags me back to last night—to that damn letter.The look of fear in Raelynn’s eyes when I was just about to read the later.She was scared.Eyes wide, chest rapidly rising and falling.It was the first time I’d ever seen her that vulnerable.It only made me want to dig deeper.I was just about it, then the doorbell rang.Her relief was instant. That subtle sag of her shoulders, the way her lips had parted in a light exhale.I should’ve opened the damn letter right then and there. But the doorbell kept ringing.Which is exactly why I didn’t give her back the letter, and kept it with me.A sharp whistle from Coach snaps me ba
RaelynnGrayson stares at me from the driver’s seat, his window rolled down just enough for the rain to drip onto his arm. He is completely relaxed, like he did not just scare the life out of me. His gaze drags over my trembling frame, lingering on my soaked clothes, on my white tank top, now practically see-through.Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I cross my arms over my chest instinctively.A lazy smirk tugs at his lips. He looks frustratingly entertained.“You look like sh*t,” he drawls.“Screw you,” I snap, my voice hoarse from the cold and the panic clawing at my throat.He tilts his head, feigning a pout. “You’re the one standing in the middle of a storm, looking like a half-drowned stray kitty.”My fists clench at my sides.I hate him. so much I can strangle him.“But if you want me to leave…” He starts the car, fingers drumming against the wheel.I know he will. He will not hesitate.“Wait,” I blurt before I can stop myself.Grayson pauses but does not turn off the engine. He w
RaelynnI’m late for my first day at Kings and Queens High...and it’s all Grayson and Isabella’s fault.First, my alarm mysteriously turned off, which makes me suspect Grayson snuck into my room again after he left. The thought of him standing in the dark, whispering threats, sends a chill down my spine. I shake it off. He can't actually do anything.I really need to start locking my door.Then, my preordered uniform somehow disappeared. While I was tearing my room apart looking for it, the devil twins waltzed out of the house, leaving me behind.With no other choice, I had to take the bus because our driver had already taken my mom and Edward to work, and apparently, the other driver is exclusively for the royal brats.And now, I find out my mom will have to mail the rest of my clothes because KAQ is a boarding school.Just perfect.I step up to the front desk, trying not to look as frazzled as I feel.“I’d like to enroll for a dorm room, please,” I say quickly, glancing at my schedu
GraysonThe party is already in full swing when we arrive, loud music, sweaty people and cheap perfumes.Isa disappears muttering something about finding her friends.I walk over to the VIP room wanting some sort of quietness, once I'm seated on the empty couch, I bring out the v*pe from my pocket and take a hit.The familiar burn spreads through my chest, sharp and soothing all at once. I hold it in, letting it settle before exhaling slowly through my nose.The tension in my shoulders eases as the smoke curls around me, blending into the dimly lit room. This is what I needed.This is what I needed. V*ping always happened to cool me off no matter what was on my mind, which is why no matter how much Edward whines about it I don’t give a sh*it.If he hadn't done what he did, then I wouldn’t need a v*pe in the first place.Edward hates this habit, always going on about how I’m “damaging myself” or “setting a bad example.” Like he’s ever given a damn about my well-being. If he hadn’t done
RaelynnMy heart hammers in my chest both from the proximity ad the irritation crawling up my chest.Who does he think he is?The moment I feel his grip relax, I twist sharply and hove him hard in the chest. He staggers back slightly, his expression unreadable.I open my mouth curses ready to fly, but the second I lock eyes with him, all the words get stuck in my throat.Damn it.He’s gorgeous.Brown hair that falls effortlessly, like he’s just run his fingers through it, frames his chiseled features. His jaw is sharp enough to cut glass, and those dark blue eyes...piercing, cold...narrow at me with very obvious disdain.I snap myself out of it.“You must be Grayson.” I force out as calmly as I can.He smirks but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “And you must be the charity case.”The insult lands like a slap, sharp and cold but I refuse to flinch squaring my shoulders.“Says the overprivileged brat.”His smirk widens and somehow that makes him look even more dangerous. He stalks closer to
Raelynn“Pack your bags we’re moving.” My mother’s words echo in my mind as I shove my clothes angrily into my box.This week has been hell, scratch that, way worse than hell. Yesterday, I walked in on the one person I called my best friend, Chloe, and my boyfriend Peter making out.Peter and I were to hang out at his place but he couldn’t because he suddenly caught the flu, being the sweet and naive girlfriend I was, I decided to go over and check on him. Bring him some soup and tissues.I Didn’t need to knock because I know his passcode...one two three four five six, yes, he’s an id*ot.Turns out I should have just minded my business and stayed at home then maybe I wouldn’t have had to walk on both of them right there on his couch, her black hair tangled in his fingers.Worst thing they didn’t even feel bad about it, Chloe just smirked and peter’s excuse? “You’ve been depressed lately, we needed to rely on each other.”I throw another shirt into my suitcase. Depressed? I was only dep