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I clear the history of notifications, going to the most recent tag.“Royal really is just this pathetic. Who cries to the guy who hates her? Just how fucked up is she? Maybe she’s as fucked up as her dad. It takes a special kind of fucked up to off yourself the way he did.”I click on the attachment, and the sounds of my crying fill my ears.
No.
Someone recorded my breakdown on Finley. Someone took that moment of weakness and decided to use it against me. What the fuck is wrong with the people around here?
Tears prick my eyes, falling down my cheeks, and I wipe them away angrily.
How much longer can I do this? I don’t know if I’m strong enough to survive another month here, let alone a whole fucking year. I’ve tried to be strong, but there’s only so much a girl can fake. I thought I was doing so well hiding my shit. I thought if I put on a brave face, they’d get bored and back off but I’m getting the feeling that isn’t going to happen.
Echoes Cove Prep isn’t just where dreams go to die… it’s become my waking nightmare.
Chapter Eleven
After a sunshiney start to my day with Indi, literally bouncing our way into school with Midnight Blue blaring through the speakers, my day actually hasn’t been that bad.
The repercussions of the video haven’t been exactly fun, and people around the school have been anything but nice about it. Not that I expected them to be, the entire Cove is full of shrivel-hearted assholes. The fake love notes in my locker ‘from Finley’ have been the highlight for me. Declarations of love for a slut who throws herself at the guy who hates her.
It’s been awesome.
I should’ve ignored it, pushed it down with all of the other shit that’s been bothering me, but I couldn’t help torturing myself by watching it a few times over. Every time I watch it, I can’t help but focus on Finley. He seemed so sincere in the moment, and he even looks it in the video, but I know better than most how good those guys are at wearing a mask.
All things considered, today could have been significantly worse, that much I’m sure of. As much as I’d like to become a wallflower while the boys keep up the tirade of terror, encouraging everyone else to be giant assholes along with them… Well, I know that isn’t going to happen.
Everyone used to assume—and I guess they still do—that I wanted attention, being the daughter of ‘The King.’ I was blasted across the tabloids, and people think that life is all fun and games when you’re in the spotlight like that… Until you get your period without notice and have to hide from the world because you had a moment of actually beinghuman.
I’ve always preferred to fade into the background, which is why I want to open my own record label and just write music. I’d get to do what I love with music without having to be the face that everyone wants to see. I’m very aware of the chaos that comes with fame. Having had more than a little taste of it, I’m beyond over it.
So after a relatively quiet morning when I slide into what I’ve dubbed our table in the cafeteria, and Maverick drops into the seat opposite of me, I am overwhelmingly not prepared.
“Sitting alone, princess?” He reaches over to grab for the garlic bread on my plate, and I slap his hand, making him grin. “Maybe if you were a little nicer to people, you’d have more friends.”
“Maybe if you weren’t such a psychopath, you wouldn’t think that,” I bite back, making his grin widen. “You’re in Indi’s seat.”
At that exact moment, Indi sidles up to the table, eyes wide as Maverick leans over so that he is very much in my space. “We have unfinished business, V. You’ll be seeing me around.”
I roll my eyes. Of course I’m going to see him around. Echoes Cove isn’t big enough for me to avoid him, or I’d have already made that my number one mission.
“You don’t get to call me V,” I tell him as he stands, and an evil glint appears in his eyes, a malicious smile on his face.
He circles to my side of the table, standing behind me and caging me in as he leans over me to whisper into my ear, “You don’t get to tell me what to do. You have no power here, princess. You’d do well to remember that.”
I look up to find a wide-eyed Indi, who stands watching us, fidgeting like she doesn’t know what to say or do. I smile up at her to let her know it's fine, despite his proximity.
He pulls back and saunters away from me, all eyes on him as the whispers start again.
Indi slides into the chair he vacated and drops her tray onto the table. “Do I even want to ask?”
“Probably not.” I take a bite of my pasta, hoping the joy of carbs can take me back to the happy place I wasalmostin ten minutes ago. I make myself smile up at her because I’m not going to ruin her day too. “How’s your day been?”
“I can’t complain. I saw Blair trip and faceplant into her locker, so that was fun.” She grins wide, and I can’t help but laugh. “I just wish I’d been able to record it so we could bask in the bliss of it together.”
“I’d have paid good money to see that.”
“To see what?” Raleigh asks as he drops into the seat beside me.
“Blair faceplant into her locker,” Indi tells him, practically bouncing in her seat as she takes a bite from her burger. He bursts out laughing, which only makes my smile widen.
“Yup, I’d have paid good money to see that too.” Jackson and some of the other guys on the team join our table, and lunch break passes in the blink of an eye.
