Wicked Royals (Elites of Macedon High 1)

She’s stuck. And while it might not be the same kind of stuck as me, it makes me furious. “That’s just plain rotten.”

“That’s just the way it is.”

“But does it have to be that way?”

Her dark brown eyes widen slightly when a cloud passes over the sun. The way she smiles is such a contrast to her position in life, to the fact that her choices have been taken from her. “No, but we can always enjoy the little things in between.”

“Like…?”

“Like having the means to get away.” She nods to the boat. “And having someone offer that means to get away.”

Mirroring her grin makes me feel fuzzy. Seated next to her, I don’t feel sorry for myself. I don’t feel excruciating pain or crippling fear. I just feel like me. Just like how my father made me feel. The comfort of her presence levels me out and makes me forget about the things waiting for me once I step foot back in Thasos.

An hour passes before the two of us decide to return to the docks. Shortly after parking the boat and cutting the engine, I hop out to tie off the rope. I’m on my knees when Tabitha wanders up with her clique behind her, the two girls accompanying her seeming to hover like crows—or vultures.

“Didn’t realize the help was permitted to hang around here. Isn’t that right, Faye? Sharon?” Tabitha glances at the girls with her. “But when I noticed she was with you, Alex, well…” Her fierce eyes land on me. “I mean, that tracks.”

Faye and Sharon snicker.

I leer contemptuously up at Tabitha. “I thought leftovers rotted after being discarded.”

“Funny coming from someone who just loves eating up the things people throw away.” The jeer is directed at me, but she’s looking sharply at Evelyn. “It’s not like the help you’re carrying around was very good, anyway.”

Before I can defend her, Evelyn darts past me, racing toward the parking lot. The sight of her running away from a bully like Tabitha makes my blood boil. I turn to the vicious bitch next to me, clenching my fists at my side. “Watch your fucking mouth.”

“My mouth isn’t the one doing the fucking anymore, Alex.”

Sharon and Faye giggle with their leader, the three of them so occupied by laughter that they totally miss the fist sailing toward Tabitha’s smug face. A gross crunch echoes from the impact, causing Tabitha to fly backward and split the two girls apart like bowling pins. The thud of her body hitting the pier doesn’t quite reach my ears. I’m too blinded by a tunnel of swirling crimson that propels me forward, muscles burning with that familiar fight sensation.

The weight of Tabitha beneath me satisfies a deep need to lash out. Everything comes to the surface—the boys cornering me like a frightened animal, Amos violating my privacy, my mother reducing me to an object, and now Tabitha punching down at Evelyn. The help. The phrase repeats in my head with each punch I land on that conceited mug.

“Stop!”

“You’re hurting her!”

“She’s bleeding!”

Hands yank me from a screeching Tabitha, shoving me toward my boat. I teeter for a moment as my heart shudders violently in my chest. Just beyond the pier is a group of people watching, their expressions horrified. I spit at Tabitha.

“You—” Tabitha gasps while Sharon and Faye help her to her feet. “—just cost me my fucking nose! You’re fucking mental like Felipe.”

“Don’t you dare say my father’s name.”

She grimaces, revealing bloody teeth. “Fucking animal like that had to be taken down with twenty bullets.”

Every muscle in my body freezes. An ice pick slams through my chest, causing me to shiver uncontrollably. “How the fuck did you know that?”

Tabitha sniffles while holding her nose. “What?”

“The news never mentioned how many bullets were found in his body.”

Reddened cheeks pale instantly. “You’re crazy for trying to kill me with your bare hands.”

With her nose turned in the air, she stalks away with Sharon and Faye trailing after her, the two girls rushing to her aid. I shake my fist, drops of fluid spattering the pier. Someone told Tabitha how many bullets ripped through my late father.

And it was probably Parker.

All the more reason to make them hate each other, I think as I head for the parking lot. And the sooner, the better.