Dirty Wicked Prince (Court Legacy 1)

Bru had even worked mousse into his chestnut-brown locks, trying to empress too, and the fact the headmaster and I knew each other clearly threw him for a loop.

I think the headmaster picked up on that after she introduced herself to him because after, she waved a hand in my direction.

“Met your sister last night,” she said, Bru’s eyes twitching wide. “She saved me from a thug. The guy tried to rob me blind.”

Bru’s brown eyes expanded. Not two seconds ago he’d gotten onto me for being the first to jump into battle, but at this, he smiled.

I supposed the circumstances had been different.

“She’s good for that,” he said, with a smile in my direction. He pocketed his hands. “She’s always taken care of me.”

And I had, but somewhere along the way, I think I had forgotten that he’d gotten older. That he probably could take care of himself.

If you let him.

“She is very brave,” Principal Mayberry said, then waved her secretary over. The headmaster’s digs were quite frankly ridiculous just like the rest of this place. The administration building was lined with dark oak in the interior, the building wide and all brick on the outside. A handsome garden led up to the whole thing, and we were only on the main point of the campus.

Bru and I watched as the secretary handed Principal Mayberry two packets. The headmaster gave us each one.

“Your welcome packets,” she informed, smiling. “They have your schedules, maps, and everything else you need. All that’s left now is, I suppose, the tour.” The woman angled around to her secretary, who had returned to her desk. “Diane, I’ll be back in an hour. I’m going to escort these students around campus, then to their first classes.”

Floored, I simply stared at here. “You’re giving us a tour?”

The woman was already putting her suit jacket on, the Windsor Prep crest on her chest. “Of course, I am,” she said, passing me a smile. “It’s the least I can do. You saved my life after all.”

She waved us out, and I exchanged a glance with Bru. It seemed maybe I was doing well at starting to get some of those brownie points back.

I guess that was a start.

Principal Mayberry had a golf cart set up outside the administration building for our tour with another staff member driving it.

That was how big this fucking campus was.

She directed the driver, and he took us where she wanted, which was as much of the campus as she could show us in an hour. She mentioned she had another meeting to attend after, but in the meantime, proceeded to show us all she could before class. Bru and I got to skip first period, which was apparently typically homeroom anyway.

With classes in session, we stayed on pathways usually filled with walking students but were currently clear for our tour. She pointed out the academy’s greenhouse, as well as the various sport pitches and buildings reserved for classes. Apparently, each year held classes in their own buildings, so the juniors, where Bru’s classes would be held, were separate from mine since I was a senior.

I wasn’t sure about how good I felt about being separated from him, but he was a big boy I guess and could take care of himself. I needed to start giving him a chance to start doing that, and I supposed the distance was good for both of us. We dropped him off at his building first, where he was to be handed off to another student. The student hadn’t arrived yet, but Principal Mayberry said he would be there soon. He’d be Bru’s guide for as long as he needed him, a junior like himself.

“His name is Wells Ambrose,” she said, smiling at Bru from the cart. “He’ll be around to help you with anything you need, but if you ever need anything else, please feel free to stop by my office anytime.”

Principal Mayberry was super accommodating, and I really was confident Bru would be okay. I left him via the cart with a wave, one he gave back as he waited for his guide.

He’ll be fine, and you will too.

I hoped we would. I wasn’t one of those people to say life constantly kicked me in the ass, but my brother and I held our fair share of traumas. I mean, we were orphans at seventeen and eighteen.

I supposed others had it worse, and I tried to remind myself of that as the tour concluded and Principal Mayberry dropped me off at the buildings reserved for senior classes. I thought she’d leave me to wait for my guide like Bru, but she physically escorted me inside to the first class.

Again, she said it was the least she could do.

I really appreciated that. This transition would be hard enough, and it’d be nice to have someone in my brother’s and my corner. I shook her hand outside of the class, and while I did, I noticed a set of eyes on us.

He passed us.

The blond guy from outside, the boss dog.