A Rose to Keep (The Society 1)

“Give us a chance. Give the selection a chance.”

“Hell, no. I don’t know you guys. I don’t want to get to know you guys. This is all … it’s wrong. If you had any sense, you’d leave me alone and find a girl who wants all your attention.”

“What’s going on?” Gideon asked, joining us.

We were all covered in sweat. “Nothing.”

“Do I need to give you guys detention?” Coach asked, yelling across the field.

“She won’t come to the party with us,” William said.

“I never go to any party.” I glanced over Gideon’s shoulder and saw the glare from Coach. I quickly jogged past them, doing the laps.

We did the laps three more times before Coach got us all to stop. To cool our bodies down, he told us all to do stretches.

I was about to head to Heather when someone banded their arm around my waist and pulled me back.

“Not happening,” William said.

“Damn it. Just let me go.”

“Nope. You need to cool your body off, and I know just the trick.”

I didn’t like the way his palm rested against my stomach as if he had a right to touch me. He didn’t. None of them did.

One look at Heather, and I saw Dante had intercepted her as well.

Gritting my teeth, I had no choice but to stretch with him. When everyone lay down, William took me to the ground, grabbing my foot and lifting it up. “This is supposed to feel good here.”

He placed his palm beneath my thigh, a little too high up.

I glared at him, tense.

We swapped legs, and then we were told to change partners.

“You can be on top any time you want to, princess.”

I grabbed his leg and pushed a little too harshly. He moaned. “That’s right, baby, make it hurt.”

The urge to kick him in the balls was strong. I showed restraint.

Once the cool-down stretches were done, Coach let us all know the first couple of weeks were going to be obstacle course training. It was designed to help the football team with reaction times. Everything we did was for the football team.

The lesson was done, and I felt so much relief to be getting back into the changing room. I didn’t swap my clothes, instead grabbing my bag. Heather did the same.

“I don’t want to eat in the cafeteria for dinner. How about I take us out to pizza? Your place. You can have your fake pizza.”

I burst out laughing. “There is nothing fake about it. It’s so good.”

“I don’t know how you can eat that stuff.”

I rolled my eyes. Vegan pizza was the best. I loved it.

We left the changing room, entering the main school quad, and left each other to go to our own separate dorms.

The one thing I didn’t have in my dorm room was a shower. I had no choice but to gather my shower bag, towel, and a change of clothes, and head to the communal one the whole dorm shared.

Cleaners came in regularly to clean up the mess, so sharing a room with nearly a hundred girls wasn’t so bad.

I went to the shower at the end of the hall. I put my bag down, then took out my soap and shampoos. I loved to use a vanilla-scented shampoo. I waited for the water to turn warm before stepping beneath the spray and closing my eyes. There were some luxuries I missed from home, like a nice hot bath. Showers were going to have to do until Thanksgiving unless I didn’t go home this year.

My parents were trying to be the more loving and responsible type. I thought they were making up for the times when I was a kid. They hated how much my characteristics resembled the nanny rather than them.

After washing my body then my hair, I stayed beneath the spray for a good five minutes, just allowing the week to roll right off me. It felt good to have completed one week. Not too many to go, and then I could start the next stage of my journey.

After turning off the shower, I grabbed the towel and as I wrapped it around my body, the lights suddenly went out. I was thrown into total darkness, and my heart started to race. I had a fear of the dark, and I immediately closed my eyes, knowing without a doubt someone was in the room.

“This isn’t funny. Whoever it is, turn the lights back on.” I hated how my voice quivered.

This was a childish fear. One I found so utterly humiliating.

“Turn the damn light back on now.”

My name was whispered in the air.

With no other choice, I had to open my eyes. There was no way I could get changed.

Damn it.

Why had my life begun to suck so bad? I hadn’t done anything to anyone else.

“Whoever it is, you’re going to get reported to the principal and then your ass will be kicked out of here.”