Page 25 of Reign of the Queen
“Well, it doesn't feel great, but there is nothing I can do to change it now. They only seem to respect fear. I tried with kindness, and not a single one of them other than you stood with me. Now they will learn that a queen does not bend so easily. She’s also not so forgiving.” We walk back into the school building and continue with our day.
Mia 3, Kings 0.
Picking my ass up off the floor, and untangling myself from Melinda and her needy, clinging grasp, I swivel around, watching the back of Mia and Raegan as they disappear down the hallway.Did that just happen, like for real?
I turn my gaze to Theo; he’s just standing there looking like she just blew up our world, because man, that cunt just did. “Theo…” He shifts his eyes toward me. I have no idea what to say at this point, and everyone else is watching like we’re the best shit streaming, so I’m not saying jack shit here. I move my gaze over to Mateo and Finn, both of whom are rigid and strumming with anger. Finn’s so angry that his neck is turning red, and his jaw is visibly ticking. If I weren’t so pissed, I would call him out for looking likeMark Ruffaloabout to turn into theHulk.
“Let’s go.” I motion toward the front doors with my head. Walking in that direction, my shoulders tight and head held high, the mask I usually wear that doesn’t let anyone know what I’m thinking or feeling is set firmly in place. I’m untouchable, a king, or at least I was until a few moments ago.Fuck.
“What, wait, she can’t just do that! You can’t let her get away with talking and treating us like that!” Melinda’s screeching, high-pitched voice rips through the silence. I look back, and Maria is just standing there, quietly sobbing. She looks like she’s about to collapse. I know the feeling; if I don’t get out of here, my legs may go under too. I can hear her phone going off over and over in her purse.
“Shut the fuck up, Meli.” Finn walks by her and pushes her out of the way with his heavy forearm. Mateo approaches Maria, bending down till he’s at her height, and whispers in her ear. She looks up at him, her eyes filling with more tears from what he’s saying to her, but she finally nods and walks away down the other hall. By the time she’s made it down to the end of the hall, I can see she’s finally answered her phone and is visibly shaking.
I don’t stop moving till I’m out the door and heading for Theo’s car. Fuck, if ever there were a day I wish I had driven my own damn ass, it would be today. Of course, I would have to have a license that is currently not suspended, but I digress…semantics.
Theo is moving too slow; I need out of here right now. I reach the car first and wait for him to unlock it. I’m not even sure he’s ok to drive at this point, that any of us are. We are a hundred percent shook. I hear the click of the car doors unlocking, and by the time my ass is in the seat with the belt on, the other three doors are opening and closing as they get in.
“Where we going, Carter?” Theo turns to look at me. He’s clenching his jaw hard, and his forehead is a mess with an ugly vein throbbing on it. This guy is about to snap, and there won’t be any going back from that. I do not want to be in a confined space with him when he blows.
“My house, pretty sure dad’s still out of town, and the housekeeper was going shopping today.” I turn and look at the other two in the back seat. Neither one will look at me. Finn’s looking straight ahead at the back of the seat in front of him; Mateo’s gaze is out his passenger side window. I can see that he’s clenching and unclenching his tattooed hands in his lap and breathing hard, hell I hope he’s not about to have one of his panic attacks.
Theo starts the car, and we peel out of the parking lot of the school and off the grounds. His hands are clenched on the wheel so tight that they look stark white compared to his golden tan forearms. All the veins in his arms are visible. We’re definitely not doing the speed limit at this point, and I’m hoping that a Casbury cop pulling us over isn’t added bullshit to this already messed up day.
Ten minutes later, we pull up to my house, an overbearing ostentatious mess of lots of stone, windows, and grand posturing that, unfortunately, I call home. I don’t see the housekeeper’s car or my dad’s Mercedes in the driveway. Thank goodness for small mercies. We park, all get out and walk in through the garage entry, straight down the hall, and into the den.
“Water, beer?” I look around at the guys.
“Fuck the water; this morning calls for Jack.” Mateo’s already heading to my dad’s built-in liquor cabinet.
“It’s not even ten in the morning, dick,” Finn points out and then plops his ass into one of the oversized black wing chairs. His head leans back, as he looks back up at the ceiling. That’s Finn for you, always the responsible one, the moral compass of our little band of wealthy privileged delinquents.
“Like that matters fucker.” Mateo reaches the cabinet and proceeds to look inside. I know he ain’t going to find any JD in there; no way my dad would have something as basic as JD in the den, only the overpriced ostentatious shit for Mack Pemberton. Nothing less will do.
Mateo looks at me while pulling out a bottle of Hennessy Richard, that’s four thousand dollars a pop. “Your dad got nothing but pretentious bottles in here?”
“Have you met his dad, dick?” Finn answers Mateo before I even get the chance to open my mouth.
“ENOUGH!” Theo yells while slamming the door to the den closed. “Can one of you explain to me what just happened?” His nostrils flare and his forehead creases.
I sit my heavy, weary ass down opposite Finn, rubbing my hands together. We all stare at each other and then back at Theo.Is he losing it?“You were there, same as us. You watched her annihilate what we threw at her and not even break a sweat.”
“How? I want to know how one measly girl can just come in here and try to take us down?” Theo rolls his shoulders and leans heavily against the solid wood door to the room.
“Same as us dick, money and power.” Mateo brings the bottle of Hennessy right to his mouth, not even bothering with a glass, classy as ever.Fucker.
“We have to get control of this situation. We cannot let that twat get away with disrespecting us in our own school!” I’m hunched over, forearms on my knees, bracing for the meltdown that Theo’s about to unleash.
“You’re right, I know man. Fuck, how did this happen?” Finn pinches the bridge of his nose and takes deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. “I thought we had this on lockdown. I was sure she was gonna tuck tail and give in to us! Hell, I was counting on her giving in to us, not ripping us all new assholes, you feel me.”
“Well, she didn’t, now did she? She gave us a spanking in our own house while the world watched,” I huff out picking at my nail and making it bleed.
“Hahaha.” Lifting my gaze to Mateo, he’s laughing hard enough that tears are starting to slide down his face.
“What’s funny, dick?” Finn turns to Mateo with a raised eyebrow.How much is the fucker over there drinking on the down low? Bro has lost his damn mind already. We have to be careful with how much he drinks unchecked, he tends to drown his anxiety with alcohol. Not that I’m one to talk, I do much worse.
“Check this, the hottest girl to ever walk through Casbury Prep not only plays us at our own game but also plays it maybe better than we do. To top it off, she just gave us the spanking of all spankings… karma is totally playing with us. Yo, I would still fuck her brains out given even the slightest chance.”
The idiot is smirking at the three of us, clenching that bottle as if his life depends on it. I get up, walk over to him, take the bottle from his hand, and down a large swallow. The burn feels so good after the morning we’ve had. I’m waiting to see if Theo is going to blow up on Mateo, but he’s silent, pensive even.
