Craven Cove Royalty (Craven Cove)

“We’re not done,” Apollo says as he steps in front of me.

“We’re more than done.” I fight back the tears.

I push past him to make my escape, and my mom grabs my hand. Rory looks as though he’s going to do the same as he and Apollo step in front of us, but Mom turns her glare on him, and he backs away.

“This isn't over,” he tells her, running his hand through his hair. I glance back at the two of them, and at this moment they look so much alike.

“You’re right,” my mom says, her voice dripping with anger. “I’m taking your car, and you can pick it up tomorrow. Then it will be over.” She says it dismissively, but I swear I see some other emotion cross her face before she hides it. The only reason I even caught it is because I know her better than anyone else.

“Celeste, can you just wait a fucking second?” Apollo says, sounding panicked now. He probably wants to talk about the morning-after pill or something. I hadn't lied. I’m on birth control, but I’m not going to stand here and defend myself.

Mom is already pulling me along, and I glance back over my shoulder to see Rory keeping Apollo from chasing after me. What’s the point? So he can hurl more insults my way? I don’t think I could bear it. Each one was a punch to my heart. Had he not felt what we had? How can he question this? I swipe away the tears as I get into the car.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Mom says as we pull down the long driveway.

“It doesn't matter. I got to see his true colors,” I sniffle.

She reaches over and takes my hand again, reminding me that it’s always her and me against the world.

I should have known better. I could never be a part of Apollo’s world. At least now I don’t want to be.

* * *

Prom Queen

by Alexa Riley

Celeste has gotten her heart broken by the man she loves…but can she truly let him go? Maybe there’s room for forgiveness as long as all his secrets are revealed.

Apollo is ready to do anything to win her back, including sacrificing all that he’s worked for. He’ll wait for as long as it takes, but he’s not going anywhere.

Warning: Does teenage angst always turn into a happily ever after? In Craven Cove it does!

Chapter One

Celeste

I stand at the back of the ferry watching the sun rise over the mainland. As we get farther and farther away from it, I try not to think about the cool wind biting at my cheeks. We’re on our way back to the island, and my stomach tightens. It was only last week that I wanted Craven Cove to be somewhere I could settle down and start a new journey in life. Now I’m dreading being back there. I will myself not to cry because I’ve done enough of it at this point. I will not shed any more tears over Apollo. I let his cruel words play on repeat to remind myself he’s not worth crying over. Too bad my heart doesn't agree with my head.

After my mom and I left both of the Crew men behind, we went home. Mom got the bright idea for us to get away for a few days, so we’d hurriedly packed and caught the next ferry off the island. We stayed at a fancy hotel for the entire week, ordering room service and binge-watching movies.

I learned quickly that it didn’t matter how much space I put between Apollo and myself, the heartache I felt didn’t lessen. I couldn't stop thinking about him, and it didn’t help that every time I shifted, I could still feel what we'd done between my legs. Even in my dreams he wouldn’t leave. There’s no escaping him.

“I got an email that your new phone will be delivered sometime today.” Mom comes to stand beside me, offering me a coffee. I take it from her hand and down almost half of it in one big gulp. I’m not a morning person, and today we got up at six so I could make it back to school on time. I’ve already missed too much, and it’s too early in the year to miss any more.

“I’m sorry I broke mine.” I really hope it didn’t cost too much for her to replace.

“It’s fine. You were due for an upgrade anyway.” She shrugs.

It totally slipped my mind that my phone was in my pocket when I’d gone tumbling into the pool on Friday night. After the past few days, I think that might have actually been a good thing. I would have been obsessively checking to see if Apollo tried to reach out to me or not. I think it’s better not to know either way.