“Besides these amazing new friends, something else occurred. The online harassment went offline. The first time was at a party, where one of our class
mates attempted to assault me in the hallway. Luckily, a guardian angel had my back.”
I turned and blew Anderson a kiss. He caught it in his hand and the audience laughed nervously.
“More recently, this same person admitted to me he was behind the Fakestagram account. That he’d been watching and following me. He bragged about hacking the school-issued laptops to watch me when I was unaware.”
That revelation brought a round of gasps and murmurs from the crowd. My mother held her hand over her mouth.
“This person has blackmailed me. Harassed me. Bullied me and,” I pointed to my messy hair and ripped dress, “tried to violate me. He wanted to destroy me, my family, and my friends. He almost succeeded, but what he didn’t realize was that the relationship I have with these guys and with my other friends is stronger than rumor and gossip. He tried to strip that from me. He failed, and I’ll never allow someone to try to take what’s important away from me again. And the rest of you,” I added, giving Justin a nod, “don’t hide who you are either. Don’t let someone shame you into a box. Be with the people you love. Be comfortable in your skin. Because that’s the diversity that makes the world so amazing.”
I made eye contact with my mother and saw the sadness and shame on her face. She didn’t trust me. She didn’t support me. Like everyone else, she’d believed the rumors and lies. Hopefully that would change today.
“Enough of this bullshit,” I said, waving the boys to move closer. “It’s a party, and as your Princess, I demand you celebrate. We’ve got one rat bastard off the streets, and if anyone else messes with the Allendale Five, you’ll meet your day of reckoning. No doubt about that.”
I didn’t know what to expect from my spontaneous speech, but it’s not the roaring round of applause and cheers from the audience. The whole gym went crazy; Amber shouting and pumping a fist in the air. Justin wrapped his arms around Eric, and Eric? He fell into him, like he was coming home.
The band started playing; fast, upbeat music. I felt the arms of my boys surrounding me. I loved the weight, the support and just having them near me. I leaned my head on Jackson’s shoulder and looked each guy in the eye. “No more hiding, got it?”
Each rewarded me with a smile. A perfect smile just for me, and I knew nothing would come between us again.
Chapter 29
Hayden leaned into my giant dress, his hands getting lost under the layers of netting. "Fuck, I think I know why women used to wear these. I can't get to the good stuff. Instant cock blocker."
I laughed at his frustration as he crawled over the dress and gave me a kiss. His mouth was needy and demanding. I couldn’t stop licking his lips. “You taste like sugar,” I told him.
“You too.” We both laugh again, feeling the weight off our shoulders. “That’s what happens when you eat a stack of waffles after the dance.”
“That and my dress is too tight.” I groaned and leaned into the passenger seat. We’d gorged ourselves on waffles after the dance. The boys ate so much I thought they’d explode. After we piled into cars, Hayden offered to drive me back to Oliver’s, where we’re all spending the night.
“That’s why I was trying to take it off.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s why?”
“One of the reasons,” he replied. I tucked his hair behind his ear and he stared at me with intense gray eyes. “I was worried about you, babe. If Spencer had done something to you…”
I placed my fingers over his mouth, not wanting to hear the name. “He didn’t. He’s done. We’ll go down to the police station tomorrow and confirm our statements.”
He nodded and straightened my tiara, stealing one more kiss before hopping out of the car. Hayden jogged around the front and opened the passenger door for me.
“Such a gentleman.”
“I just hope you think the same thing about me later,” he smirked and pulled me into his arms. His comment rattled me; the thought of being taken by Hayden, with his raw strength and masculinity, sent a thrill through my body. He lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me so hard it took my breath away. His fingers dug into my back and I relished the feeling.
“When?” I asked, wobbly-kneed.
His eyes darkened in understanding, but headlights flashing down the drive interrupted his thoughts. Instead he said, “Tonight is about all of us. Four princes and our princess.”
Oliver’s Mustang pulled up and all three guys jumped out. It was a relief to see them, to be back together like this, without stalkers and judgments and everything else.
“You sure your mom is okay with you coming over?” Jackson asked.
“I told her we’d talk tomorrow and she agreed to let me have my space tonight.” There’d been a change in her after my speech. Hopefully in the whole school. I knew I’d walked into that dance as one person and left as another.
I frowned, noticing the boys all staring at me. I looked down, fussing with my dress, wondering if I spilled butter down the front. Nope. Nothing. “What?”
“With all the insanity tonight, I don’t know if we properly told you how absolutely beautiful you look tonight,” Jackson said.