Wicked Liars (Windsor Academy 1)

I tilt my head to the side. “But they’re dating?”

She shrugs. “Sort of, but it’s more about appearances than anything. They’re the reigning king and queen this year. People expect them to be together. They were a real couple but they had a big blowout during the middle of junior year and he dumped her. She somehow convinced him to take her back over the summer, but it hasn’t been the same. As far as I know, they pretend to be a couple in public and she turns her head to whatever he’s doing in private.”

My face scrunches. “What a pig. I can’t believe Peyton puts up with that.”

Ainsley takes a bite from her salad. “Don’t feel sorry for her. She knows exactly what she signed up for. Besides, she’s an untrustworthy cunt.”

I smirk. “Wow, tell me how you really feel.”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t agree.” She grins as she looks over my shoulder. “I’m pretty sure she’s not your biggest fan either. She hasn’t stopped glaring at you since we walked away.”

“Fuck her.” I can feel the heat of her stare, but I refuse to acknowledge it. “What’s the deal with the whole ‘reigning king and queen’ thing?”

“Every year, the graduating seniors pass the torch to three guys and three girls who pretty much rule the school. They’ve been groomed for it since freshman year, although if you ask me, not a single one of them needed help learning how to be an asshole. The other students treat them like royalty, hence the nicknames. Hell, even the teachers won’t do shit to them because of who their parents are. This year, that’s Kingston, Reed Prescott, and Bentley Fitzgerald for the guys and Peyton, Imogen Abernathy, and Whitney Alcott for the girls.”

Jesus. Even their names are pretentious.

“And let me guess... for the rest of us, our choices are to kiss their asses or pay the price?”

“Pretty much. Although anyone who’s chosen the latter usually doesn’t stick around for long.”

“Where do you fit in?”

“I guess you could say I’m next in line for the throne, although if they ever tried to promote me, I’d abdicate the shit out of it. I have no desire to be one of them. Everyone at Windsor knows who I am and nobody messes with me for the simple fact that I’m a Davenport, but I honestly wouldn’t call any of these people my friend.” She points to me. “I have a feeling you’re the exception to the rule, though. We’ve known each other less than a day, Jazz, but I can tell you’re different. What you see is what you get.”

“I have no reason to hide anything. I’m not ashamed of who I am or where I come from. If anyone has a problem with it, screw ‘em.”

She waves her hand dismissively. “Enough about those jerks. How’s your first official day been so far?”

I shrug. “Okay, I guess. I can already tell the coursework will be much harder than my old school but I’m following along easily enough.”

“I can’t believe we don’t have any classes together until last period.” Ainsley pouts as she reviews my schedule.

“Yeah, but it’s not like we can change it, right?” I shrug.

“True.” Her eyes widen. “Oh, shit.”

“What?” I motion for her to pass my phone back to me.

Ainsley winces. “I’m pretty sure my brother is in your next class.”

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I reopen the Windsor Academy app and pull up my schedule. “AP Lit with Henderson?”

She takes a long sip of sparkling water before answering. “Yep. It’s not like I have his schedule memorized, but I’m almost positive he’s in that one.”

Against my own volition, my eyes seek out said brother across the room. He’s been staring directly at me for at least the last ten minutes, but I’ve been making a studious effort to ignore him.

“Great.” I stretch the word out. I take another bite of my chicken.

“Damn, girl, keep that up and I might consider switching teams.”

I finish chewing before replying. “Huh?”

“You just moaned. Loudly.” She laughs as she glances over my shoulder again. “Bentley looks like he just creamed his pants.”

I look back, and sure enough, Bentley is watching me with undisguised hunger. My entire body flushes as my eyes roam to Kingston. It feels like there’s an invisible tether between us, crackling with electricity. I’ve never felt anything like it before. He looks like he wants to devour me, but he also looks extremely pissed off about that. As much as I hate to admit it, my body reacts. Ugh, I really need to get a handle on these hormones.