She tenses before me, and I already know what her answer is going to be. I don’t want to fucking be here dressed up like an idiot, yet I am.
For her.
“Please, Princess. Everything ends tonight, and it’ll be just you and me again.”
“It should be you and me now, Ace.”
“I just need you to trust me.”
“And I just need you to stop repeating yourself,” she quips.
Reaching out, I take her hand and pull her into my body. “One dance, Princess. I need you.”
She shudders against me and I know I’ve got her. “One dance. And keep your hands where everyone can see them.”
I move us as one out to the dance floor, my entire body relaxing at just having her beside me. “Do you have to ruin all my fun, Princess?”
Lifting her arms so they rest over my shoulders, I wrap my own around her waist, ensuring there’s no space between us. “That dress looks incredible on you,” I whisper in her ear. I knew it would the second I saw it. I may have had some instructions from Hadley, but I didn’t really need them. It was like the dress had Remi’s name written all over it.
“Thank you, it’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as the girl wearing it.”
“Ace,” she warns. ‘Your smooth lines aren’t going to work.”
“That wasn’t a line, Princess. It was just the truth.”
We move together while others dance around us, but I pay them no attention. Nor the music which has a much higher tempo to the imaginary one Remi and I are dancing to. I’m too focused on having my girl back in my arms.
“I’ve missed you,” I whisper, holding her a little tighter.
“Then you shouldn’t have shut me out.”
She might be holding on to me, but she’s far from being relaxed.
“I had to. You’ll understand why soon.”
I’m so lost to the feeling of her pressed up against me that I don’t notice someone approaching.
“Um… Ace, what is this?” I bristle as the high pitch of Michaela’s voice flows through me.
I glance over to find her wearing the smallest dress I think I’ve ever seen and with her hand on her cocked hip.
“We’re dancing. How about you go and find someone to do the same with. Most of the team are free. I know how you feel about them.” I wink, remembering her words from the other night.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. And with her,” she spits, looking over at Remi as if she’s nothing but a bit of shit on her shoe.
“Fuck you, Michaela. I’m dancing with my boyfriend.” I can’t help but smile that she still calls me that. She might be angry, but I know I’ve not lost her. I’m also pretty confident that she’ll forgive me once the truth is revealed. “Go and sniff at someone who isn’t already taken.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Michaela says patronizingly. “Ace is taken. He’s with me now. Poor, delusional little Remi,” she mutters, slipping her hand through my arm and trying to pull me away.
I can’t help but laugh, because if anyone is delusional here it’s not Remi.
A crackle comes over the sound system, stopping Michaela from trying to peel me from Remi. She looks toward the stage where Principal Vager stands with a microphone in his hand.
“In a few short minutes, we’re going to crown your Homecoming king and queen. In the meantime, we’ve got a short video clip to show you.”
I keep my face blank of emotion despite the fact that my insides are having a party with what’s about to happen.
“I hope you’re ready for some Sterling Prep school spirit.” I couldn’t have written a better script for Vager if I’d tried.
He nods his head at the IT nerd who’s in the control room, the exact one who’s been paid a hefty sum to switch the tapes at the last minute.
The room falls silent as the projector lights up the wall. It’s fucking huge, and the feeling of sweet, sweet victory fills my veins.
The screen crackles to life like an old home movie before our one and only cheer bitch fills the wall before us. A collective gasp sounds out as they get a look at their queen in all her naked glory.
“Oh my God,” Michaela screeches. “What the hell is this? Turn it off,” she cries. “Turn it the fuck off now.” She runs for the stage as Remi turns her eyes on me. They narrow in accusation but she already knows that I’m behind this. She doesn’t need me to confirm it.
Laughter starts up around the room and the guys start to hoot and holler as they take in Michaela, naked and tied to the chair in my bedroom. Only no one can see where she is, because behind her is just a cream wall. I was quick to make sure there would be nothing to tie this to me.
“What do I think of the football team?” Her voice comes through the speakers, repeating the question I’d just asked her. The room falls silent and tension begins to mount as everyone waits for her answer. She scoffs and rolls her eyes before giving her honest reply. “They’re a bunch of cockless douchebags. They all think they’re God’s gift to football, going straight to the NFL. Most of them can’t catch a cold, let alone a fucking football.”
The movie crackles again, cutting to another scene. She’s still bound, but I’ve zoomed in, just to ensure everyone gets a good view.
“The cheerleaders are hairbrained idiots as well. I only hang around them because they make me look good. It would be nice to have a fucking intelligent conversation for once but no, hair this, make-up that. Ugh, it’s exhausting.”
The tension in the room is palpable as Michaela continues to bash those who are meant to be her friends.
“Turn it off,” she screams, racing toward the control room. She’ll be shit out of luck, because those tech guys have locked themselves in, as per my instructions.
“Okay, okay. Everyone settle down. The show is over,” Vager booms over the sound system. Unfortunately for him, he comes to stand right in front of Michaela’s crotch just as I zoom in again.
The entire school erupts with laughter as he looks around for support. It’s fucking chaos as the cheer squad moves toward their captain, their faces furious, while Michaela rattles at the door, attempting to stop her very public social suicide. The entire crowd seems to surge forward to get a better look at the scene unfolding before them.
And I stand there, feeling better than I have in a long fucking time.
“Okay, let’s announce our king and queen, shall we?” Vager tries to maintain order, despite the naked cheer captain behind his head.
Hardly anyone is paying him any attention as he reaches into the envelope in his hand. “And your Homecoming king is…” he booms, trying to get everyone’s attention. I see Bexley step forward out of the corner of my eye, and a smirk curls at his lips. He seems to care more about a fucking crown than the words that just fell from Michaela’s lips, but then, I guess they were mostly true. He is a cockless douchebag.
“Hayden Lincoln.”
The look on Bexley’s face is fucking priceless. He’s already halfway to the stage, ready to accept what he thinks is his God-given right. Once he realizes he shouldn’t be moving, he very quickly disappears into the crowd as a very shocked looking Hayden emerges, cheered on by the rest of the team. None of which pay Bexley any attention.
Hayden climbs up on stage and accepts his crown before Vager takes to the mic once again.
Scanning the room, I find that Michaela is still surrounded by her squad, but it seems that the IT geeks have lost their nerve because the still shot of her that played out at the end of the video has gone. I kinda hoped it would stay up longer, but I guess it did its job. Everyone at Sterling Prep now knows what a vile bitch Michaela really is.
“Lylah Donovan,” sounds around the room. The cheer squad erupts as she emerges from helping to rip their captain a new one. She’s shocked, but not as shocked as Hayden. She soon covers it as she laps up everyone’s attention. I could think of much nicer girls who deserve that crown, but at least she’s better than the likes of Michaela.
“So how about that, then.” I turn to Remi with a shit-eating grin on my face. It falls immediately when I realize that she’s no longer beside me. “Remi?” I call, although it’s pointless with the amount of noise in here.
Looking around, I see no sign of her, although I do catch a glimpse of Michaela running toward the exit. “Fucking hell,” I mutter, heading off in search of my girl.
I thought she’d be delighted to watch her archenemy crash and burn before her eyes, but her disappearance says otherwise.
Part of me knew she’d be angry. I may not have touched Michaela, but I stared at her naked body when I should have been focusing on my girlfriend’s. I just hoped that the outcome would make her forget that little fact.
I stumble across Conner and Hadley, who are still dancing despite the fact that there’s now no music playing. “Have you seen Remi?”
“No, last I saw she was dancing with you. Did you fucking see that, bro?” Conner laughs, pointing to the wall where the video played out.
“She had it coming.”
“Waaait…” His eyes widen. “That was—”
“So you haven’t seen her?” I ask again before he drops me in it.
“No.”
“She probably just went to the bathroom. Want me to go and check?” Hadley adds.
“No, it’s okay. I’m probably just overreacting.”
“Because that’s so unlike you,” Conner mutters.
Turning my back on him, I continue looking for her. Pulling my cell from my pocket, I hit call on her number, but it just rings off. I see no sign of her, and after returning to Hadley to take her up on her offer of checking the bathroom, we discover she’s not in there either.
“She’s gone,” I state.
“Well, go and fucking get her,” Hadley sasses with her hand on her hip.
“Jesus fucking Christ. Women are hard work,” I mutter.
“I heard that.”
“You were meant to.” I look up at my brother. “Careful she doesn’t dig her claws in too deep.”
“This one?” Conner says, looking at Hadley with a little too much interest twinkling in his eyes. “Puh-lease.”
Turning my back on them, I head for the exit. Wherever she is, I’m determined to find her and tell her everything. I did all of that for her so she no longer has to deal with that bitch. I need her to understand that.
I slam the doors back on themselves as I walk out, leaving the drama behind me. I’ve no doubt that people are going to be talking about this night for a long ass time. A smile creeps onto my lips, knowing that I was the one who dethroned the queen.
I really can’t believe no one did it sooner. The way she treats people is deplorable.
It’s dark out with just the light of the moon guiding the way as I head toward the parking lot. I’d put money on her going home to lock herself in her room once again, but I’m fed up of playing these games. I’m done with pretending to be anything but one hundred percent hers.
I’m almost at my bike when I hear raised voices. A shiver races down my spine before I take off in the direction it came from. I round the building as silently as I can—if something is going on, I don’t want to announce my arrival too early.
I tell myself that I’m acting crazy. I’m not in the Heights now. People don’t get dragged off into dark corners like it’s a normal thing here. But it seems you can take the boy out of the Heights but you can’t take the Heights out of the boy, because as I get closer, pressing up against the wall in the hope of remaining hidden, my hand moves to the switchblade in my waistband.
“How many times do I have to tell you, Bexley. I. Don’t Fucking. Care.” I freeze at the sound of Remi’s voice.
At the sound of her shouting again, I jerk into action, racing around the corner.
What I find before me makes me see red as I take off in her direction.
