Cruel Kings by Skye Knight

32

Camilla

“Hey, kid! Can I speak to you for a minute?” Jacob, my manager at the café, called me as soon as I entered through the doors.

I gave a nod and hurried toward him.

Pulling a foldable part of the countertop, I entered the staff area.

“What’s up?” I asked.

He gestured me toward the door that led inside the kitchen.

I followed him, entering the clean, steamy interiors of the kitchen where the food was prepped. Maria and Lyle, the two chefs who worked there, stared at me. They even stopped in the middle of folding pastry to watch me.

“Are you okay?” Jacob asked in a low voice. He wiped the smooth, dark skin of his forehead with a towel and fixed his deep brown eyes on me.

I squirmed under his gaze. He’d been my boss and sort of a friend for over three years now.

“I’m fine,” I lied through my teeth.

“You’re lying to my face now?” He thrust his phone in my hand. “Even I got this shit forwarded to me.”

The screen of his phone was frozen with a thumbnail of me dripping with crimson goo. A header title declaring me as “Carrie Bitch” was slapped over it.

My stomach churned. I handed the phone back to him.

“Everyone’s been talking about you,” he said. “Until this morning, no one even knew your name. Is it true your mom married this guy’s dad?”

“Yeah,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“She’s okay with the way the way the man’s sons are treating you?”

“She doesn’t know.”

Jacob’s thick eyebrows rose high on his forehead. “She doesn’t know? So, you’ve been silently suffering their abuse? Didn’t peg you for a masochist, kid.”

I didn’t think that about myself. Of late, though, there were a lot of things I was forced to face about myself. “Things are...complicated,” I said in a quiet voice.

“Guessed as much.” Jacob’s expression stayed grim. “I’ll cover your shift this evening. If you want to go home, you can.”

His offer was extremely tempting. I’d like nothing better than to go home and bury myself under the blankets.

But, no. Even if I did that, it would solve nothing. I’d still be coming back to school tomorrow and the same things would repeat once more. There was no running away from it. I could only grit my teeth and face whatever else they threw at me.

“I’m fine, really,” I said. “Working hard will take my mind off things. Besides, it’s kind of late now. Mostly faculty and Ph.D. students would be coming in. I doubt they’d bother me.”

Jacob exhaled a long breath. “I hate it when kids act all mature.” Getting to his feet, he clapped a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to miss you when you’re all done with school.”

He sounded grumpy but his words made me feel slightly better. A small smile lifted the corners of my lips. “You never know. I might not get a job and end up stuck here for the rest of my life.”

“Nah,” he said, walking away. “You’re one of those kids who’ll be going places.”

I went into the room in the back that functioned as the staff lounge. Stuffing my bag into a locker, I took off my jacket and donned my apron.

Walking out, I went to the dining area and took my place behind the counter with two other servers.

There seemed more people than usual this evening. To make matters worse, there was a whole table filled with jocks and their cheerleader girlfriends. They’d even put together three tables to make enough room for their party.

“Table 10!” Kelly, my younger co-worker, shouted as she slid a large tray on the counter before me. She looked frazzled already and hadn’t even looked at me.

I bit my lip. The jock team was at table 10.

Suddenly, I wished I hadn’t rejected Jacob’s offer to take a break. There was no way they’d pass out on teasing me.

I looked toward Ahmad, a foreign post-grad, who worked with us. He was busy piling up sandwiches on a tray.

I glanced at the steaming cups of coffee before me. There was no way I could delay and risk them getting cold.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up the tray and walked out.

“Oh, my gerd! Look who it is!” A high nasal voice shouted out.

“It’s Carrie,” said one of the guys, flashing me a broad grin while the rest of his friends burst out laughing. “Didn’t know you worked here.”

I doubted whether he even knew I existed before today. Deciding to stay quiet and get this over with, I quickly handed out their drinks.

“Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you, bitch,” the guy who called me Carrie snarled. With a sudden move, he slapped the tray hard.

I barely had the opportunity to balance the tray.

The tray tilted, making the saucers slide one after the other, and crash over my forearms. Hot, steaming coffee splashed on me, soaking my sleeves.

“Oww!” I gasped, feeling the hot liquid burning my skin.

“Clumsy bitch,” someone mumbled.

A few cups fell out of the tray and shattered on the floor.

The noise and swearing quickly attracted everyone else’s attention to me.

Mortified, I didn’t even know what to do first. Should I run and do something about the burn or should I be quick and clean up the mess? Or did these assholes expect an apology first?

Before I could decide, strong, unrelenting fingers clutched onto my wrist. I stared down at a cruel, mocking face. “I like how you look when you’re in pain,” said the young man, his gaze darkening as they raked all over me. “Why don’t you come with me after your shift’s done.”

I recognized that look in his eyes immediately.

My whole body stiffened as I tried to jerk my wrist out of his hold.

“I’m an Elite too, you know,” he whispered softly while his friends laughed and jeered, calling me whatever imaginative names they could think of.

The look on the young man’s face sent a cold shiver through me. “Let go,” I said.

“Take a break,” I heard Jacob’s familiar voice beside me.

At once, my wrist came free from the jock’s hold.

“Go on,” said Jacob. “We’ll take care of it.”

Ahmad stood beside him and gave me a firm nod.

This time, I didn’t bother being brave. Jacob gave me an exit and I was taking it.

I hurried away from the dining area.

Reaching the lounge room, I untied my apron, shoved it into the locker, and grabbed my backpack. I donned my jacket, pulling the hood low over my face.

I exited the café without glancing at anyone.

A weird gasp escaped me as my lungs expanded to their full capacity, drawing in the cold, fresh air. My heart hammered in my chest as if I’d run at top speed.

I came to a halt beside an empty bench on the beautiful campus avenue and collapsed on it. The darkness helped hide the tears running down my cheeks.

I’d never felt such helplessness in my life. There were people who could help me but I was choosing not to say anything. “All for you, Mom,” I whispered through a choked throat.

My phone buzzed in the pocket of my jeans, distracting me momentarily.

Taking my phone out, I stared at the unknown number. Part of me wanted to ignore it. What if it was someone who got hold of my number and decided to torment me further?

Cautiously, I swiped the screen and held the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” An elderly male voice spoke on the phone.

I didn’t reply, waiting to see what the man would say next.

“Hello? Camilla? Miss Brown? Can you hear me? Hello?”

The mention of my name made me speak up. “You’ve reached me. Who is this?”

“I’m Jeremiah Jenkins,” said the man. “We met at Mr. Amhurst’s home office yesterday.”

Had it only been a day since that horrible party?

“I remember,” I said. “How can I help you?”

“I need some more signatures urgently, Miss Brown. Please, let me have ten minutes of your time tonight.”

“Does it have to be tonight?” I asked.

“I’ll meet you at your home,” said the elderly lawyer. “Actually, I’m on my way right now. Please wait for me in Mr. Amhurst’s study. I’ll be there soon.”

“But—”

“These are quite urgent, Miss Brown,” he said. “It’ll take only five minutes. I promise.”

“It’s not that—”

“Well, I shall see you soon.” The call switched.

Fuck, I cursed silently, staring at my phone angrily. Why was the universe hating me so much lately?

As if the day wasn’t bad enough, I’d now have to spend a fortune on cab fare to go to Brian’s home. I could only hope Noah, Corey, and Caleb weren’t around.

Muttering curses, I booked a cab and waited on the bench.

My stomach growled from having missed lunch. I was also starting to feel the burning pain on my wrist from getting scalded by hot coffee earlier. In my hurry, I’d forgotten to even run some cold water over the injured area.

Thankfully, the cab arrived within fifteen minutes.

Entering the car, I gave the address to the driver and plugged headphones onto my ears. Drowning myself in music was my last resort to calm my nerves before meeting Mr. Jenkins.

After a long hour, the cab dropped me at my destination.

“You work in this house?” the young man asked me as I was climbing from the car.

Brian’s gorgeous manor shimmered like a jewel against the night sky. It wasn’t his fault for being mesmerized by the sight.

“I work as a maid,” I lied.

“Must be nice, huh?”

“Sure.” I slapped the door closed and walked forward.

A valet waited for me at the entrance of the manor. The security at the estate’s gates must have informed them of my arrival already.

“Good evening, Miss Camilla,” he said politely. “May I take your bag?”

The man’s poker face didn’t give me a clue to what he was thinking. There was no way he worked here and didn’t see or hear about the incident from last night’s party.

“It’s fine,” I said, brushing past him.

Knowing my way to Brian’s study, I headed there directly. Other than a few maids, I didn’t come across anyone.

The room was empty.

Taking my phone out, I called Mr. Jenkins.

“Where are you?” I asked as soon as he picked up my call.“Almost there, Miss Brown,” he said while loud traffic noises sounded from the background. “The traffic is terrible tonight.”

A heavy sigh escaped me. “Fine. I’m waiting for you.”

“I’m extremely sorry for my tardiness.”

I rolled my eyes at his excessive politeness. “It’s okay, Mr. Jenkins. Please, just hurry.”

I placed my phone on the coffee table and sat down on one of the couches. The room was quiet and warm. I inhaled deeply, liking the scent of scotch and coffee that permeated the room.

I took off my jacket and got comfortable. It didn’t sound like Noah and the others were around tonight.

The burn on my arm stung badly but it was nothing compared to the verbal abuse I faced the whole day. Moving the sleeve, I stared at the red, angry blisters forming on my skin.

A long breath exhaled out of me as I leaned against the couch and closed my eyes. This had to be the longest day of my life.