Prom King (Craven Cove 1)

“Come on, Emerson. I’m not here to cause trouble.”

Emerson pauses and cocks his head to the side. “Tell it to the judge. Now if you don’t get off of my car, I’m going to call the cops.”

Shy holds his hands up and backs away, but a smile still tugs at his lips. “No offense, I just need a moment with the lady.”

Emerson looks hesitant and like he’s weighing his options. I see the same thing. If he lets me talk to him, this will be over quickly. If he puts up a fight, it could escalate beyond what he wants to deal with. After a second, he sighs and backs away.

“I’ll be right here when you’re ready to go,” Emerson says and narrows his eyes on Shy.

“Walk with me,” he says as he steps between Emerson and me. He doesn’t look up as he keeps on walking toward the courtyard near the school.

I decide to get whatever this is over with. “What can I do for you, Shy?” No need to play dumb. I’m not one to beat around the bush.

“Direct. I like that.” He smirks as he comes to a stop and faces me. “I can see why Crew likes it too.”

“What do you want?” I say, more sternly this time, crossing my arms over my chest. It’s a mistake because Shy’s eyes zero in on my cleavage.

“I’m here to offer a friendly warning,” he says, his voice calm and cool.

“All right then, let’s have it.” For some reason I feel like I’ve called on my mom's no-bullshit attitude because I’m much more nervous than I’m letting on.

“Watch your back with the Crews. You have no idea what kind of family you’re getting mixed up in.” The only thing I feel is confused as he looks around and then back to me. “You don’t know them, and you don’t know the whole story.”

“I think I know enough to decide for myself.” I start to take a step back, and he reaches for my forearm.

“Wait,” he says, his voice firm, and my feet root to the ground. I look at where his hand is holding on to me, and he drops it. “Your friend over there can say whatever he wants about me, but I know the truth about Craven Cove’s royal family.”

“Which is?” I press my lips together, hating that this guy is giving me any reason to distrust Apollo.

Shy leans back and gives me a casual smile like he hasn’t just dropped a bomb between us. “You’re an outsider just like me, Celeste. The best thing you can do is keep your head down and stay away from the Crews. Graduate from this place and get the hell off this island.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that,” I say before turning around and going to Emerson’s car.

“Oh, and Celeste,” Shy calls, and I stop to look over my shoulder. “I’ll see you around.”

Chapter Twelve

Apollo

It’s a lot later than I’d planned on leaving the match, thanks to my dad. He kept introducing me to people and donors to the school. Every time I tried to make my escape, his hand would come up to my shoulder and squeeze. Then the next thing I knew someone new was there to say hello.

Sometimes I feel like his fucking show pony, and I’m so done with it. I know that my dad cares about me and that he has his reasons for keeping up these appearances, but I’ve only got a few more months under his thumb and then I’m out of here. My scholarship is because of my hard work and not out of his wallet. I’ve got my own money that was left to me by my grandfather, so it’s not like I’m dependent on him. Maybe my dad is seeing this in the future and he’s doing what he can to keep his hold on me.

“Yo, Crew, you’re late.” Jackson sees me in the driveway of his house and comes out to meet me.

The place is packed, and Jackson is out front, making sure people aren’t hanging around and getting the cops called on us. Not that they’d do anything if they came. It would just be a pain in the ass discussion with my dad about responsibility, and I’m not in the mood.

“I know, sorry I’m late. Where’s my girl?”

“She’s by the pool with Emerson.” He holds out a bottle of water for me, knowing I’m not drinking. “Hey, is everything okay with your dad?” Jackson and I have been friends since pre-K, and he knows just how my dad can be.

“Yeah, just making sure I smile pretty for the cameras.”

“Only nine months to go.” He holds his beer out, and I tap my bottle of water to it.

“See ya,” I call over my shoulder as I head up the steps.

“Hang on,” Jackson says, and I pause. “Just a heads up, I saw Shy talking to Celeste today.”