Tormented Royal by Lily Wildhart
Chapter Fourteen
I’m woken by my phone pinging like crazy on the nightstand. Groaning as I roll over, I look at the messages.
Indi: I need you.
Indi: I was carjacked.
Indi: I don’t know what to do.
Indi: Help.
I blink down at the screen in horror.
What the actual fuck? I dial her immediately, my heart racing at all of the possibilities of what could have happened to her. My panic flips to anger as I wait for the line to connect. I swear to God, if she’s hurt…
She answers on the first ring and her sobs echo across the line. “Where are you?”
“V… I…” she stammers like she can’t get her words out around her panic. “I’m just past the railroad tracks on the other side of town. I’m hiding down an alley right now. But, V, they took my car, they hit me…” her words taper off as her sobs pick up again.
“I’ll be there in a few, okay. Just stay on the line.”
I rack my brain, trying to think of how the hell I can get to her when my car is still in the shop. I run down the stairs and head for the security room where Smithy keeps the keys for my dad's cars that are locked in the garage. I haven’t touched anything in the garage since I got back to Echoes Cove. My dad's things were his, but right now, I need one of his cars. I grab the closest keys to me and run to the garage. When I push the button, the lights on the black SUV flash.
I don’t hesitate, I just climb in and start the engine. The tires screech as I pull down the drive, smashing the gate clicker so it opens. “I’m on my way. I’m in the black Range Rover.”
“Okay.” I push the button on the dash so my phone connects to the bluetooth, keeping the connection to her open, her sniffles filling the car.
“Did you call the police?” I ask, but I’m pretty sure I already know the answer.
“No,” she hiccups. “I panicked. I ran. I just texted you. I don’t know what to do. They hurt me, and I’m so fucking scared they’re going to come back.” Her sobs start up again, and I grip the steering wheel tighter as I fly through the city toward the less savory part of Echoes Cove. I can’t help but wonder why she was over there in the first place. That’s a question for later.
I scan the roads as quickly as I can. Once I cross the tracks, I slow the car. “I’m nearly there, can you come out to the street side so I can see you?”
“Okay.” Her voice is so small, and I hate that someone did this to her. She’s possibly the nicest person that I’ve ever met. She didn’t deserve this.
I see her appear on the right. I jerk the wheel in her direction, screeching to a stop before jumping from the car. A bruise is already forming on her cheekbone, and she’s bleeding from a cut above her eyebrow.
“Oh, Indi,” I sigh and wrap her in my arms. Her knees give way and I take her weight, lowering us to the ground, holding her while she sobs. Her entire body shakes as she buries her face into my neck, clinging to me for dear life like I can save her, and my anger blazes again that someone would do this to her.
We’re in the middle of some residential buildings, and it doesn’t look like there are even any businesses here where she could’ve gone for help. This entire place looks sketchy as hell. “We should get you to the hospital to get checked out and then call the police.”
She shudders in my arms before pulling away and wiping at her tears, wincing as she touches her cheek. “My mom is going to be so mad.”
“Your mom will be happy you’re okay, I promise.”
I usher her into the car before taking her to the hospital, calling her mom on the way. It doesn’t take long to reach the hospital, and thankfully we don’t wait long before someone comes to tend to her since it’s so early in the day, but I’m instructed to stay in the waiting room. Her mom breezes through the waiting room and heads straight for me, looking fucking terrified. “She’s okay, she’s just in with the nurses.”
“Thank you, Octavia.” she says, taking a deep breath before she heads into the room. I can’t imagine how she feels; that’s her daughter in there. Though her helplessness and rage are written all over her face. And after everything I’ve been through the last few months, I get it.
I move to actually sit in the waiting room and stare up at the tiled ceiling, searching for some answers. I drop a message to Smithy to let him know I’m going to miss school today, and he confirms he’ll let the school know. It isn’t like Thursdays are a typical skip day, and while I might be worried about my grades and getting behind, I’m more worried about my friend.
My phone buzzes again, and my heart stops when I see the message.
Unknown: We told you nobody you loved was safe. When will you listen?
This is my fault.
Holy shit.
I can’t breathe.
I put my head between my knees as I try to stave off the panic attack that threatens. My heart thumps in my chest and my hands shake; my temperature rises as everything around me becomes overwhelming. The noises in here sound like I’m underwater as I struggle to focus on my breathing.
This can’t be my fault. It has to be a coincidence. They wouldn’t do that.
Right?
* * *
Friday morning at school is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. The hype for tonight’s game is out of this world. School spirit’s at an all time high, and it’s like everything else that happened this week is long forgotten. It feels like I’m not here, as if everyone’s forgotten to make my life a living hell, and I'm so fucking here for it.
Indi’s excitement is palpable. The cut on her head was small enough to not need stitches, and makeup covers the bruising on her cheek. I showed her the message I got when the nurses finally let me in her room, but she refused to put any of the blame on me. She said the guys that stole her car were older, so that it was likely someone heard about what happened and was trying to use it against me.
I hate to hope that it's true, but she’s been adamant about it, and despite everything, she’s still my sunshine friend. When she appeared at my gates this morning in her Wrangler, I was beyond shocked. Apparently it was found not an hour after we reported it stolen, without a single scratch on it.
That alone makes me think she’s wrong about it being a coincidence. She won’t hear any of it, so I keep my thoughts about it to myself.
As I walk through the halls with Indi, I can’t help but be amazed once more about the complete change in the whole mood and demeanor of the entire fucking student body. “This is weird, right? It’s just a high school football game.”
Indi looks at me with wide eyes full of fear, which is sobering but makes me want to laugh at the same time. “Please, sweet baby Jesus, do not let anyone hear you saying those words. Football is basically a religion here. Why do you think that Raleigh and the guys are basically untouchable? Even Lincoln and his merry band of assholes don’t tend to fuck with the team. Religion.”
“It’s still weird,” I say with a shrug as we reach my locker. I open it and put my bag inside, grabbing my phone and sliding it into my pocket before locking it up.
“Oh, it’s absolutely fucking nuts, but is that even a surprise about this place at this point? Everything about Echoes Cove is fucking weird. The sheer amount of money that gets funneled into the team is staggering. If there isn’t some shady shit going on with that, I’d be amazed.” She pops her bubblegum when she finishes speaking, and I consider her words. She’s not wrong. Echoes Cove is a web of lies and secrets. There’s no way there’s this many rich people in such a small place without there being something shady going down.
I’m just glad I’ve managed to keep out of that shit.
She shoves her stuff in her locker and we head to the cafeteria in time for a mass exodus. The cheers and chanting leave me at a loss as the loudspeaker sounds with the principal’s voice. “Today’s pep rally will start in thirty minutes. Please start making your way to the gym.”
Indi groans beside me, rolling her eyes. “I totally forgot they wipe the whole fucking afternoon for this bullshit.”
My stomach growls at her words. “Okay, well, if I have to deal with this much school spirit and not kill people, I need food.”
“Same, girl. Same,” she says as she heads into the near empty cafeteria. I follow her, stoked to see that the one advantage of the insane pep rally is that there’s no one in line for food. Some of the tables still hold kids, the ones who are obviously choosing to study instead of going to the pep rally.
Maybe they have the right idea.
I grab a couple slices of pepperoni pizza and a bag of chips before heading to a table with Indi, who carries her own pizza and a brownie. “Maybe we should skip and study? We never had our study date.”
She pauses, her slice of pizza halfway to her mouth before shaking her head. “If I wasn’t a football fiend, I would usually say yes… Except for the fact that Jackson asked if I’d be there, and I already told him yes.”
“Ooh, how’s that whole thing going?” I ask, wagging my eyebrows, and she blushes.
“It’s going.” She takes a bite of her pizza and groans. I won’t push her for details if she isn’t comfortable giving them. I get it. “I also heard that you have a date after the game tonight.”
“I totally would’ve said something, but well…”
She interrupts me by putting up her hand and shaking her head. “You’ve had shit going on, and I’m not worked up about it. I was a little shocked since he doesn’t seem like your type.”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “I have a type?”
She shrugs as the bell rings again, letting us know the pep rally is about to begin. I grab my pizza and chips, ditching my tray. There’s no way I’m leaving my food behind. Indi follows suit and we start heading to the gym. “I mean, I’ve never seen you date anyone, but a typical high maintenance, golden boy quarterback doesn’t really seem to scream Octavia Royal’s type. But I mean, what do I know?”
“I’ve never dated a sports type, but Raleigh’s nice. Plus, it’s only one date, even if I’m not all that confident about it. Who knows what will happen? I have bigger worries before my date tonight,” I quip and she looks at me, eyebrows raised in question. “What the fuck happens at a pep rally? It can’t be like what I’ve seen on TV, right?”
She bursts out laughing at me, her shoulders fully shaking, and she pauses walking as she pulls herself together. “Oh man, I’m not even going to explain. This is too good.”
I mean that doesn’t exactly fill me with joy, but I follow the swarm of people to the gym with her. We take a seat toward the back of the bleachers, and I already know that I’m going to hate whatever this is. The hype in the room is enough to choke a girl, and while I might like that sort of thing, this is totally not the place for it.
The principal walks up to the podium in front of the bleachers and lifts his arms. A roar of shouts and applause echoes around the room as the entire fucking school loses their shit.
This is fucking insane.
He lowers his arms, and the room goes quiet. “Are we ready for tonight, Raiders?”
The response is almost fucking deafening as people stomp their feet and shout. Indi leans over, grinning at the look of horror on my face. “Oh girl, this is only the beginning. Just wait for the dancing, the glitter, and the streamer rockets.”
My eyes widen at the very thought of it. I barely have time to question it as the dance team struts onto the hardwood floor in shiny shorts and bandeaus made of sequins. Fucking sequins.
Music blares through the PA, and everyone goes crazy again. I glance around and even the three boys who have made my life hell seem to be enjoying themselves. I think I’m more shocked to see them actually smiling. I hate that despite everything else that’s happened, I still seek them out in a crowd. Not that they’re hard to miss. There's a ring of empty seats around them, as if everyone else is afraid to get too close. The girls who would usually, are all on the dance or cheer teams who are going crazy on the floor below us.
This level of hype should be reserved for concerts, not high school football games.
“Do you think anyone would notice if I escaped to the Music rooms?” I ask Indi, having to lean into her to be heard over the chaos. I have to give props to the dance team because they’re fucking slaying their routine to AWOLNATION’s “Sail”, but still… This amount of pep is kind of gross.
Indi points as the football team breaks through a banner and runs into the room, joining the dance team as the crowd screams and cheers. “Pretty sure your boy would notice.”
Fuck my life.
Someone please fucking save me.
* * *
Tonight’s game has been bad.
I don’t know much about football, but the triple threat of players from the Allstars—according to Indi—is fucking lethal. I literally only know the names Xavier, Hunter, and Tobias because she’s cussed them out so hard all night. I’m assuming they’re the other team since I don’t recognize the names, but who knows at this point?
All of the student body’s pep and cheer from earlier in the day is officially dead. The score is 35-14 to the Allstars, and apparently there’s no coming back from that with the amount of time left on the clock. I have zero idea what’s happening on the field, except for the fact that these guys spend more time taking breaks than they do running plays.
The mood’s grim as the game ends, which doesn’t exactly leave me hopeful for tonight. I accepted the date without really thinking it through, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Indi was right, I’m not the one to date a sports type… I’m also not looking to date. Having Raleigh as a friend is one thing, but anything else… I’m just hesitant. Dating was not on my radar this year, and I don’t want the tentative friendship we’ve built to be ruined by him thinking this could be more.
Blair and her bitch squad look so salty about the loss that I almost want to throw them a bottle of tequila.
Almost.
The team heads for the fieldhouse after the clock runs out, and the stands start to empty. Indi drops into her seat and folds her arms across her chest, looking equally as pissed off as the cheer team. “Well, that was a fucking shit show. I know the Allstars are good, but fucking hell. Our defense was fucking useless tonight.” I sit down beside her, feeling bad for her and our friends, but I don’t really get the whole ‘football is a religion’ thing. “Those Allstars fucking annihilated us.”
“I’m sorry?” I say, unsure if there’s anything else I can say.
She shakes her head, shrugging. “It’s just a bad start to the season. If we have too many losses, the chances of a championship slip away.”
“Dude, you’re totally a football nerd, aren’t you?” I tease her, and she blushes a little. I never would have pegged her for a secret football lover but here we are.
She nods and tucks a strand of her freshly colored purple hair behind her ear. “I totally am. It’s all Dad’s fault. He’s a fucking football freakazoid. He didn’t have a son to share his love for the NFL with, so he shared it with me, and now I’m somehow hooked.”
I smile, thinking of all the things my dad shared with me. There really isn’t anything quite like the bond between daddy and daughter. “Hey, no shame. I get it. My dad shared music with me.”
“Am I ever going to hear you play, by the way?” she asks, and I shrug. The thought of playing in front of people still makes me want to be sick.
We wait in comfortable silence until the stands are empty and head toward the back of the fieldhouse. With a loss like this, apparently the coach will be bitching them out for a while, so I prepare myself for Raleigh to cancel on me. I wish that made me more upset, but it doesn’t, which isn’t a great omen. I’m almost sad about not being sad.
“What are your plans for the rest of the night?” I ask her while we wait, and she blushes.
She fidgets a bit as she looks down at her feet. “I’m heading to a party over at ECH with Jackson.”
I grin at her and nudge her with my shoulder. “Look at you go. Are you excited?”
“A little,” she nods. “I’m more nervous than anything, though. He’s a football god, and I’m… well, me.” Her self-deprecation is not okay with me. Not even a little.
I grab her by the shoulders and force her to look at me. “Indi, you are a fucking amazing human, and he’s the lucky one here. Football gods come and go, but you are literally the nicest human I’ve ever met in my life. Your sunshine sparkle mixed with your sassy as fuck snark gives me life. If Jackson can’t appreciate that, then fuck him. You are a goddamn goddess.”
She blushes in response to my words and starts to laugh softly. “Dude, you are so freaking fierce. I know you hate that you had to come back here, but I’m so glad you did.”
I hug her tight. I know she’s deflecting, but I totally understand. Compliments are hard to handle when they’re not something you’re used to. I let her go as the doors behind us open and the team filters out. The unwavering pep from earlier is noticeably absent. I guess the party at ECH is going to end up being a commiseration rather than a celebration. “Be careful tonight. If any shit goes down, call me, and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
“Awh, look! You do warm and fuzzy too,” she teases, and I roll my eyes. “But yeah, I’ll be careful. I know the rivalry is real, but things are usually pretty okay at parties. Everyone just wants to get fucked up.” She looks over my shoulder, and her smile widens. I glance over my shoulder and see Jackson heading toward us.
“Have fun,” I whisper in the moment right before Jackson reaches us and slings his arm over her shoulders.
“You ready?” he asks her, and she nods. “Awesome. We’ll see you later, V.”
I salute him as he leads her toward the parking lot before turning back to the locker room door. Most of the team has already left, but there’s no way in hell I’m heading in there. Especially with the bellowing voice from the football coach filtering under the door. Not on your life.
I sit on the grassy mound behind the fieldhouse and play a game on my phone while I wait, ignoring the world around me.
“Sorry that I took so long.” I look up and find Raleigh standing above me.
I smile and climb to my feet, dusting off my ass as I do. I’m only in denim cutoffs and a tank with a shirt over my shoulders. I wish I felt more excited, but maybe that will come later. “You’re good. Are you ready?”
He nods and takes my hand. It feels a little weird, but I go with it and follow him to his car. “Where are we heading?”
“That’s a surprise,” he says with a wink as he opens the truck door for me. I slide into his pickup, and he closes the door before slipping around and climbing in the driver’s side.
I’m not really a fan of surprises, but I’m not about to tell him that and ruin whatever he has planned. Though if anyone actually jumps out at me and yells surprise, I won’t be held responsible for my actions.
He drives us through town and pulls up outside a Mexican place that I haven’t seen before. “Indi said you were a sucker for tacos, so I figured my family restaurant was the perfect place to eat.”
My eyes go wide, and I get a flutter of panic as my heart starts to race. His family restaurant means his family is in there, and that feels like way too much for a first date. Even if the food is some of my favorite. “Oh, uhm, yeah, I love Mexican food. I didn’t know your family had a restaurant.”
He puts his hand on the handle of the door before winking at me. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
* * *
The night ends, and I'm more than a little underwhelmed. I mean the food was fucking amazing. I’ve never had Mexican food that good, and I’m definitely not mentioning that to Smithy, but I’m never going to be able to eat there again.
His mom and older sister were there, and they fawned over us like he was literally their little golden prince and I his prize. That was turn off number one. I wasn’t even that pampered out on tour with my dad. It was kind of sickening.
Then there was how he totally changed once we were out. He was so controlling, and like, not in a good way. At first, I thought he was being a gentleman. Opening doors, pulling out my chair… until he commented on my clothes and how he thought I should’ve dressed better for him. Then he ordered for me without even handing me a menu, talked down to me about the amount of food on my plate, even about ordering a soda. All massive red flags to me. Some girls like the controlling thing, but I am not one of them. Not like that.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s the nicest guy usually, but as anything more than friends… It’s never going to work with us. Of that much, I’m already pretty sure. He pulls up to the front gates, and turns off the engine.
This doesn’t feel weird for me or anything. No, not at all. Fuck my life. I grasp the door handle quickly, wanting to escape before this gets any more awkward. I’m preparing myself to say goodnight before I close the door, but he gets out of the car too.
He stalks round to my side, golden boy grin on his face, with his hands shoved in his pockets. “Tonight was fun.”
“It was, your family's restaurant was great, and the food—”
His grin widens, and he nods, interrupting me. “Yeah, my mom knows how to cook.”
I twiddle with my thumbs, wishing I was better at this. He’s been nothing but nice since the day I met him, which is why I don’t want to lead him on. I don’t want to crush his feelings either, though after tonight, I’m not entirely sure that’ll be an issue.
The sound of metal cogs whirring fills the silence as the gate to the Saint household opens, and I spot Finley's pearly white Lamborghini rolling through it. He and Maverick look over in our direction as the car rolls forward, windows down, and Raleigh moves closer to me.
He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against him. My hands press on his chest; but before I can say another word, his lips are on mine. Shock has me paralyzed for a moment before I pull away. He looks over his shoulder, grinning at Finley and Maverick, who glare in our direction. Maverick says something to Finley that I can’t hear despite how close they are, and Finley shakes his head once, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel before the car speeds away from us.
Did he actually just try to claim me in front of them? With the world's most underwhelming, no fireworks kiss at that? That’s not exactly how I pictured my first kiss with him going, though I hadn’t pictured kissing him at all. That should probably have been my first warning sign. I pull myself out of his grasp, and he frowns as I quickly dash through the gate and close it.
“We should do this again,” he calls out, and I try not to grimace.
How the fuck am I going to do this right? “Yeah, maybe. I’m tired, so I’m going to head to bed.”
“Yeah okay.” He grins at me like he can’t tell how grossed out I am by him right now.
I turn to head up the driveway, calling out a ‘night’ when I realize he’s still standing there, watching me.
“Night,” he shouts back, and I hear the slam of his door before the engine starts and he drives off into the night.
I run a hand down my face and pull my phone from my pocket, clicking on the message thread with Indi.
Me: I’m home, alive and well… Just wanted to check in with you. Hope you’re having a good night with J.
Indi: I will require all of the details, but yes, having an awesome night.
I smile at her message, glad that one of us is having a successful night, and repocket my phone before entering the house. I need a shower to wash the night off of me.
If this is how actual dating works, I’m not sure I’m a fan.
* * *
I groan as I roll over in bed and stare up at the ceiling. Last night was… Well, it wasn't great.
I tossed and turned most of the night trying to decide what to do, but I’m convinced that Raleigh’s going to go strictly into the friend zone. The more I think about that kiss, the more disappointed I am.
There were no fireworks, it was underwhelming, and the whole claiming thing skeeved me out.
It was a weird fucking night. I was extra glad that the press wasn’t camped out at the house again. I guess Smithy’s legal threats finally hit home with people. At least that’s one less thing to worry about now.
My phone buzzes on the bedside table, so I grab it and groan when I see Raleigh’s name on my screen.
Raleigh: Morning beautiful. Last night was great, we should do it again. You have anything planned for the weekend?
Apparently the eager beaver thought last night went much better than I did. Now I have to work out how to walk us back to being friends because this isn’t going to work for me. I should have trusted my instincts and cancelled the date.
Me: Hey, I’ve got some shit to do this weekend, but I’ll see you at school on Monday?
My phone buzzes again almost as soon as the message is sent.
Raleigh: Well that sucks, but it’s cool. Yeah, I’ll see you Monday. Have a good weekend.
The sulkiness that comes through with his message is unreal, and I groan again as I run a hand down my face. This was a mistake, a huge one. I hope he takes the ‘let’s be just friends’ talk okay.
I take a deep breath and decide to start the day off with a run. It’s been too long, and I swear my blood feels itchy under my skin with the need to pound pavement and escape the world. I pull up my thread to Indi and smile at the picture of her and Jackson down at the beach that she sent me last night.
They’re so stinking cute together.
Me: You look like you had a good night.
Indi: You could say that **laugh emoji**
Me: I feel like I need details. Want to come on my run with me?
Indi: You and your run can fuck right off.
I burst out laughing at her response. Coming back to Echoes Cove has fucking sucked, but I can’t be too mad about it since it gave me her.
Me: **pouty face** but running is good for the soul.
Indi: Running is the devil’s work. Burgers… now they’re the work of the gods. We can grab lunch if you want to?
Me: Grease sounds perfect
Indi: I’ll swing by and grab you, just let me know when you’re back from your run.
Me: Will do
I jump up and get dressed, pulling my hair into a high ponytail and sliding on my arm strap. I absolutely need this run today, even if only to process how I’m going to talk to Raleigh. I bounce downstairs and find Smithy waiting for me in the kitchen. “Miss Octavia, good morning.”
“Morning, Smithy. You have a good night?” I ask as I head to the fridge and pour myself a glass of juice. I grab a bottle of water for my run when I put the juice back.
He smiles at me as he motions for me to sit down. “It was fine, thank you. The repairs to the house were finally completed yesterday, so it was nice to not have to think about that anymore. I’m glad all of that nonsense is done with. Now then, I was wondering if you have anything planned for Labor Day weekend?”
“Nothing at all yet, why’s that?” I ask as he slides a plate of Eggs Benedict in front of me.
“My sister informed me that she’s hosting something of a family get together back east, so I'm thinking about going, but if you’re going to be home…” he trails off, and I shake my head.
“Go. Absolutely go!” I tell him, excited for him. I didn’t even know he had a sister! “I’ll find a way to keep myself busy and alive. You deserve a weekend off.”
“Well, I don’t know about that,” he utters as he sits opposite me with a plate of french toast. Gross. Syrup on eggy bread is just a no from me.
“You have to go. I’ll be so sad if you miss out on seeing your family because of me.” I have to practically beg him to go before he agrees to it. Silly man. I have no blood relatives left—I’m not counting my runaway mother—and I’d do a lot to have some time with my dad again.
Suddenly the itch to run is replaced with an urge to play, and I haven’t felt like this since Dad died. I can’t help but smile. I’ve missed music so fucking much.
I finish my breakfast with a smile on my face as we discuss his plans to go away, and I confirm he managed to secure my birthday present for Indi. Happy that everything’s in order, I put my dishes in the sink. “I’m having lunch with Indi today, so you don’t need to worry about me. I’m going to go and chill in the music room for the rest of the day.”
He motions to my outfit and frowns at me. “I thought you were running.”
“I don’t feel like I need to run right now. There’s a song burning under my skin. I might not have played much since I got back, but there’s no way to ignore a song like that. Plus now that the repairs are done, I want to play. I might reschedule with Indi too…” He nods at me, and I grin before I practically skip upstairs and then head to the music room in the basement that sits in a soundproofed space, along with a small recording studio.
This is my happy place.
I changed a few things with the repairs to make it more my own space now. The chairs are comfier and the colors a little warmer. I’m glad they managed to erase all evidence of what happened here. If I didn’t have this space, I’m not sure how I’d stay sane.
I drop a quick message to Indi to reschedule until tomorrow, because God only knows how long I’ll be in here, and her relief is real at not having to get out of bed. I laugh softly at her insanity before locking myself in the music room.
I sit at the baby grand piano and close my eyes, feeling the music inside of me before placing my fingers on the keys. I can hear it before I even press a single note.
This is what I needed. So I start to play, and nothing can take this from me.
And if anyone tries… well… there will be blood.