Tormented Royal by Lily Wildhart
Chapter Three
Indi meets me at the door after I finish my AP French class, and we head to the locker rooms for Gym. We’re the last ones to arrive, and I groan internally at all of the bitchiness I can already sense swirling around in here. It’s just a fucking gym class, not the Olympics, of course we all look like shit. I tune everyone but Indi out as we get changed, and since we were the last ones in, we’re the last ones to head to the gym. I’m so glad this is the last period of the day. It feels like I’ve been here for twelve hours.
As I push the door open to the gym, I hear, “Is that you, V?”
No fucking way.
I look up and find Easton Saint grinning at me. His startling gray eyes light up as he watches me. I take in a grown up East, raking my eyes over his mouth-watering… everything. Tall, broad, and ripped as fuck. His once long and floppy dark hair is now short on the sides, and longer on top, and I can tell from looking at it that he's been running his fingers through it all day. He has that mussed, just woke up, I don’t give a fuck, look going on.
I head straight for him and practically jump on him. He catches me and spins me around before putting my feet firmly back on the ground. “East, what the fuck are you doing in this hell hole?”
He belts out a laugh before taking a step back. That’s when I notice the whispers, the phones pointed in our direction… and what he’s wearing. “Picked up a job till Linc is out of here. Just something temporary, and the school board was desperate after Coach White quit suddenly just before the semester started.”
“You’re my freaking Gym teacher?” I groan, and he nods, the glint in his eye dimming a bit. “So, I guess wrapping myself around you like that is going to really help with these assholes all calling me a whore.”
He leans in, glaring over my shoulder before whispering. “Fuck them, V. You know who you are, and you always have.” He pulls back, his megawatt grin firmly back in place. “Now line up, it’s track day.”
The round of groans around me makes me smile real hard. I don’t know if he did it for me, or if it was already his plan, but I’ve always loved running. It’s never been a secret among my friends. I follow everyone outside and line up on the track. East winks at me, and I get the feeling we probably weren’t meant to be out here, but fuck yes.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Indi moans, and I nod.
“Hell yes, there is nothing quite like running on a clear track.”
She rolls her eyes at me, and I laugh softly. “This is the peppiest I’ve seen you all day, so I’m not going to rain on your parade. Move up front, Running Barbie. Leave my slow ‘I don’t wanna’ ass back here. Might as well get some joy out of the day.”
“You’re officially my favorite person.” I beam at her and move through the crowd to the front, where some of Blair’s bitch squad are simping over East. Damn, these girls need to pick one guy and stick to him. They call me a whore, and yet they’re drooling fucking everywhere they go.
“Ready!” East shouts before he blows his whistle, and I shoot off, ignoring the entire fucking world except the track beneath my feet. I run, not paying any attention to one damn thing until the whistle sounds again. It’s not until I stop that I realize the cheer team, which includes Blair and the rest of her bitch squad, and the football team are all out here too. Who knew cheer was a replacement for Gym?
By the time I make it back to where East is standing, pretty much everyone else has already headed back to the locker room. “I see you still like to run.”
The look on his face is a total contradiction to his cheery, laid-back tone. He sounds light and breezy, but he looks at me like he’s haunted. “Running soothes my soul. Usually it’s music, but I haven’t been able to play since…” I trail off, and I hate the pity I see in his eyes. But I can’t play right now, I’ve tried picking up my guitar a dozen times over, and I just can’t do it. Even in Music today I just mumbled my way through. Music has always been the thing I did with my dad.
“I guess that explains a lot. You did good today, though I didn’t realize you were back. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d ever come back here.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice. I’m only here for the year,” I tell him, trying not to focus on just how much even hinting about my dad hurts. It’s like a stab straight through the heart—the sting of a thousand cuts. It’s fucking unbearable, and I can barely breathe.
“Yeah, I heard about your dad. I’m sorry, V. That sucks. Where are you staying?”
“With Blair.” I sigh, rolling my eyes. “I’m in the pool house at least. Their McMansion is just weird. It’s like a fucking museum.”
“Yeah, that place has always been creepy,” he laughs, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, you better head to the showers, otherwise you’ll be late. We should catch up sometime, though.”
“I’d like that.” I smile at him. “Drop me a text, and we’ll sort something out.”
I give him my number before heading to the locker rooms. Indi is the only one hanging around, clearly waiting for me, so I haul ass in the shower. I leave my hair up because I can’t make myself care enough to wash it just to go home.
“You want to grab milkshakes before heading home?” Indi asks when I reappear in nothing but my underwear. I’ve never been particularly shy about my body, especially since growing up on a tour bus meant that privacy wasn’t exactly something there was an abundance of.
“Sure, as long as there are burgers. I’m fucking starving.”
“After leaving us all in your dust out there, I’m not surprised. Though why Coach Saint let you just keep running rather than doing sprints like the rest of us was unusual.” Her observation isn’t much of a surprise. My hello with East wasn’t exactly discreet, but then, I didn’t realize he was our Gym teacher. I have to admit that hearing him called Coach Saint is pretty fucking hilarious.
“East and I go way back, actually. Let me finish getting dressed, and I’ll explain everything over food.” I grin widely as I shimmy back into this ridiculous uniform. She just nods and swings her car keys around on her finger.
“Sounds good, you need a ride?”
“No, I have my rental, but if you want to follow me home, we can ride there together. I don’t have my own car yet. It’s just another thing on my never ending to do list.”
“Then that sounds like a perfect way to spend our weekend,” she says with her infectious smile. She nods on a pause, like she’s confirming a car shopping trip on her mental to-do list. After a moment of what I’m guessing is unusual quiet for her, she says, “But yes, that absolutely sounds like a plan. No need to take both cars.”
I nod along as I stuff my gym gear into my bag, pulling my blazer on as I turn to face her. “I am so here for that. But first, let’s eat!”
I pull my phone from my bag as an afterthought and groan at the ton of messages flashing at me from unknown numbers. Oh awesome, I guess this is going to be a thing now. I flick through a couple of them—the vitriol reflecting back at me isn’t anything I haven’t already seen on social media—and just delete all of them before looking back up at Indi and smiling. A few hateful remarks are not about to ruin my day.
We head out to the parking lot, and she heads to the pale blue, old-school Jeep Wrangler sitting in the lot. “This is yours?”
“Look, my obsession with Stiles is real, and if you tell me you don’t know who that is, I’m going to have to rethink this entire friendship,” she deadpans, and I start laughing so hard.
“Girl, he is a beautiful man. I watch everything he’s in. Of course I know who Stiles is. Teen Wolf is an obsession of mine too.”
She grins at me as she unlocks the doors. “Good, then we won’t have any issues here.”
* * *
We pull up at Penny’s in Indi’s Wrangler after dropping off my rental, and I’m not even surprised that it’s absolutely packed. Penny’s has always been the spot to hang since the food is to die for. It might just be burgers and shakes, but when I tell you they’re the best burgers and shakes you’ll experience in your life, I’m not messing around.
“Hey, Octavia.” I look up and see Raleigh sitting with a few guys from the football team at one of the booths. I wave as we pass by him and weave through the masses to a booth in the back, sliding in opposite each other. I pick up a menu and grin. This place hasn’t changed at all. I mean, sure, it’s been updated inside a little, but it still looks like a sixties diner, all bright pink and white with splashes of orange. It absolutely shouldn’t fit in here in Echoes Cove, but it somehow does.
“You know what you want?” Indi asks as a server heads in our direction on skates. Man, I really do love this place. I nod at her, and she drops her menu just as the server comes to a stop by the booth.
“What can I get you girls today?” the blonde woman asks with the warmest smile I think I’ve ever seen in Echoes Cove.
“I’ll have the double bacon cheeseburger with a chocolate shake and extra fries, please,” I say, grinning at her while Indi snickers at the look on the poor woman’s face. I may be reasonably small, but I like to eat.
“I’ll have the same.”
The server nods before skating away, and Indi looks at me like an evil genius, wagging her eyebrows at me. “So… you and Coach Saint?”
“And here I was thinking that I’d at least get a bite in before the inquisition commenced.”
“Oh, I am definitely not a sit around and wait for something to happen for me kind of girl.” She grins. “Now spill the freaking tea.”
I roll my eyes and let out a deep breath. “Okay, so I already told you I lived here when I was a kid. Back in the day, Lincoln, Maverick, Finley, and East were a fearsome foursome. They were tight as tight could be, and nobody fucked with them. Back then, when my mom was still around, I lived in the house next door to East and Lincoln, so we were pretty friendly, I just wasn’t one of them. But then one of the bigger kids at school thought it would be fun to push me off the swing set when I was like five, I think? East, who didn’t take shit even back then, basically made the kid eat dirt and took me under his wing. The other three accepted me into their circle, and we became inseparable.
“I don’t think I’d have gotten through my mom disappearing the next year if it wasn’t for those guys. I remember feeling so lost, but between the four of them, I was literally never alone. I remember Lincoln sneaking over and climbing the tree next to my window. He’d sneak in my bedroom and stay with me overnight just so I didn’t have to be alone.”
She just leans back in the booth, staring at me with wide eyes. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same people? Because I’m not going to lie, that doesn't sound like the guys I’ve seen jackassing around here at all.”
“We were all crazy close until Dad hit it big and took me on tour with him just before my twelfth birthday. It wasn’t as easy to stay in touch then, cell phones were a thing, but not like they are now, and my dad wasn’t a fan of me having one. He was weird, and more than a little paranoid about technology. We lost touch, and by the time I had a cell, we hadn’t spoken in so long that it didn’t feel right getting back in touch with them. I have no idea what happened while I was gone, but the icy reception I got when I came back isn’t exactly what I expected. But I can’t hold it against them, not really.”
“Hell yes you can. You left with your dad—it’s not like you had a choice. They have zero reason to be the giant bags of dicks they were today.”
“I mean, they didn’t really do anything…” I trail off just as our shakes are brought over. I take a sip, groaning at how good it tastes when my taste buds come alive. So thick and chocolatey. I would happily go into a food coma after having this.
“No, but they didn’t stop Blair from being a catty bitch either. You and I both know, even if you have been away, that they could have stopped her if they wanted to.” She’s not wrong, and now that I think about it, I realize they could also be behind the wave of messages coming through to my phone. I can’t prove any of it, so I just shrug.
“I can handle Blair and her bitch squad. They can give me their worst, and it still won’t top some of the shit I’ve been through before.”
She scowls over my shoulder as I finish my mini-rant, so I turn, just in time to see the guys, Blair, and her bitch squad walking in. Awesome.
They don’t immediately spot us in the corner as they take up one of the bigger booths on the other side of the diner. As if hearing my thoughts, though, Lincoln glances in our direction, his frown deepening when he sees me. I really wish I knew what I did to piss those three off, especially since East was so chill with me.
“Well, at least Coach still seems to be on Team V,” Indi says, pulling my attention away from the guys and bringing my focus back to her.
“East was always the most laid-back of them all, the glue that held them all together. Lincoln was the protector, Finley was the quiet one and Maverick was the one with the short fuse. ”
“Not much has changed there then,” Indi laughs, and I join in.
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
Our food arrives, and I grin at the size of the portions. Seriously, salads are for the birds. “Oh man, this is going to be so worth the extra laps I’ll have to do in the pool tonight.”
“You’re going to swim even after all the running? Girl, you’re crazy. I work out as much as they force me to, and that’s it. I’m not going to feel even a little bit of guilt over it either. I’m going to spend my night in a food coma, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll pick up my sketch book at some point. I’m not going to stress if I don’t, though.”
I grin at her and take a bite of the burger, and I swear I come a little in my panties. “Goddamn, this just became my new favorite thing in the world.”
She nods, agreeing as she sinks her teeth into her own.
“So come on, it’s your turn. Catch me up on the hierarchy around here. Obviously the boys are at the top of the food chain still, but how the fuck did Blair attach herself to them?”
She swallows her mouthful and takes a slurp of her shake before she starts to speak. “I have no idea how she attached herself to them. By the time I got here last year, it was like this already. I had the unfortunate pleasure of being Blair’s target last year, so as much as I hate that it’s on you now, thank you.” I laugh at her, and she shrugs, chomping down a few fries before continuing, “After the bitch squad, you have the jocks and the cheer team. Though Blair and some of her squad are on the cheer team, so maybe that’s how that works. Then it’s the rest of us, though being the new kid and outcast definitely put me at the bottom of the pile.”
“That’s so shit.”
“It is what it is, and I’m pretty chill about it. I’m good with being left alone.” She shrugs like she doesn’t care, but I can see that she does really. No one in high school wants to be the kid with no friends. No matter how okay you are on your own.
“So Lincoln and the guys, Blair and the bitch squad, then Raleigh and the team. Who are the party people these days?”
She snorts a laugh. “Oh that’s easy. Raleigh’s best friend, also the wide receiver on the team, Jackson Jones—there’s a back to school thing at his place this weekend. He started here the year before I did and from what I’ve seen, he’s a freaking NFL guy, which in football speak basically means he’s something of a superstar.” She blushes a little talking about him, so I nudge her foot with mine.
“You like the superstar?” I ask, a little shocked after her saying she doesn’t usually like the sports types. I get it though, sometimes you just can’t help yourself. I’ve been burned more than once that way.
“He’s a jock, and I’m, well… me. Pretty sure he doesn’t even know I exist.” She dips one of her fries in her shake, looking down at the table like she’s embarrassed by what she admitted to me. I might have only just met this girl, but there is something about her that calls out to my goddamn soul. If she wants an intro to the superstar, I’m going to figure out how to make it happen. Even if I hate the idea of partying with these people.
I glance over at the jock table and catch Raleigh looking over at me, so I smile at him. “Maybe we should get ourselves invited to that party.”
“Good luck with that,” she snorts, and I grin wider.
“Oh, Indi, I know you’ve been here a while, but you’ve only just met me. They might be treating me like the new kid, but I can guarantee that I can get us invites to that party.” I sound conceited as fuck, but I don’t care because the grin on her face makes it worth it.
“Then hell yes, let’s get us an invite to that party.”
I turn back around and wave Raleigh over. A puppyish smile crosses his face as he jumps up from his booth and saunters toward us before slipping into the booth next to me. “Hey, how was your first day?”
“It was like being chum in a fucking shark tank outside of meeting my girl Indi here and my run-in with you. Indi tells me there’s a party this weekend?” I smile at him as his arm goes over the back of the booth. He doesn’t quite have it wrapped around me, but it’s pretty damn close. This QB is smooth, I’ll give him that. He also seems like a genuinely nice guy, so I’m not opposed to the closeness.
“There is, and my boy Jackson is throwing it. He’s only like three houses down from you, so you could just walk down the beach if you guys want to come.” He gives me that megawatt smile of his, and I smile back at him before glancing over at Indi.
“We could probably do that,” I say, and Indi nods in agreement. “Are you going to be there?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it. Especially if you guys are coming. You probably know a lot of people here already, but I’m sure I can introduce you to some of the half-decent humans at Echoes Cove Prep.” I can’t help but laugh. It seems I was right. He actually is a nice guy.
“You weren’t here before I left the Cove, right?”
He shakes his head, the smile of his still in place as he gets comfortable beside me. “Nope, I came here freshman year. I’ve been dominating the field since. It’s been my only focus because man, some of the people here fucking suck.”
“Yes, yes they fucking do,” Indi snorts. I offer my plate to Raleigh, who takes a handful of fries as I take a bite of my burger. I sit and listen while he and Indi talk up a storm about people I don’t know, but I’m glad that she seems so chill with him too. Maybe it won’t be so bad making some friends before I ditch this place at the end of the year.
“I better get back to the guys, but I’ll catch you both tomorrow.”
“See ya.” I grin as he drags himself out of our booth and makes his way back to his friends. I wait until he’s gone to say, “See, easy as pie.”
My skin prickles and I look up, feeling someone’s eyes on me. I find Lincoln glaring at me from his booth. His jaw clenches as he looks from me and over to the table where Raleigh is sitting before saying something to Maverick. He turns his dark-eyed glare in my direction too.
Fuck both of them.
If they don’t want to be my friend these days, that’s fine. But they don’t get to pick who I am friends with either. I turn back to Indi who looks happier than I’ve seen her all day, even with her evil genius smile on.
“You, Octavia Royal, are my new favorite person in the entire world.” I cackle at her words and take a sip of my milkshake.
“Right back at you.”
We sit, chatting about the other politics of Echoes Cove. It’s the standard bullshit that’s probably worth knowing before attempting day two at prep, considering just how bad day one went. Our phones buzz in sync on the table, pulling our attention away from our conversation.
Indi grabs hers, swiping on the notification, and all of the blood drains from her face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, picking up my phone. The notification is from the ReachMe app. I swipe across on it, and the app opens to a picture of me wrapped around East from gym class today with the caption ‘School slut screws the Coach.’
It's been up for less than a minute and already has over fifty comments. I scroll through them, and the hatred and degradation is beyond disgusting. These people don’t even know me.
Blair laughs across the diner, and I clench my hands around the edge of the table.
“I’m sorry. This is so shit. I’ve reported the picture already, which means it will be taken down—” Indi starts, but I shake my head, cutting her off.
“The damage is already done.” I sigh, shaking my head again. I almost feel bad for East because this isn’t going to be good for him either. He could lose his job. My skin crawls as people’s eyes rake over me all around the diner. “Can we go?”
Indi shoves the last of the burger in her mouth as she stands up. “Sure.”
I grab my bag, and hightail it across the space. Leers and catcalls follow me as I go, along with laughter and calls of ‘whore.’
Just as we reach the door, Lincoln's voice reaches me, almost cutting me deeper than everything else. “Don’t be stupid, no one will believe this. East would never stoop so low as to fuck a disease-ridden whore. You all saw how she grew up; she’s probably ridden more dicks than we have at the school. East thinks way too much of himself to slum it with her.”
“You’re right,” Blair’s shrill voice follows his demeaning vitriol. “We’re going to have to burn her sheets rather than just wash them. Nothing else will get out the smell of cheap perfume and desperation.”
Maverick’s laughter booms around me, like the last nail in today's coffin, and Finley looks at me, his lip curled up in disgust. I thought I could come back and live a quiet life for a year before escaping.
How fucking wrong was I?