Hateful Lies: A dark high school bully romance (Stonehaven Academy Book 1) Read online

  “I’m not here on a scholarship,” I reply.

  “Pierce.” The blond pushes his hair behind his ear. “Leave the help alone. You know you’re not supposed to fraternize with them.”

  Pierce shrugs. “The help? Didn’t you hear? I’m having a conversation with our new student. How can I welcome her to the halls of higher learning if I don’t ask her name?” He smirks at me again, waiting for an answer. But I say nothing.

  Encouraged by my silence, he steps closer until he looms over me.

  “I am Pierce Vanderbilt of Rhode Island. Yes, my family donated the STEM research building.” He nods to the long-haired boy. “And this is Justin Leister of Connecticut. His family supports the symphony program.” Pierce continues to name the accomplishments of the other onlookers as I sit quietly out of place in my Stonehaven blazer and stiff skirt.

  “Well,” laughs Pierce, “I’ve introduced all the people that matters.”

  “Careful, Pierce.” The girl with the sign laughs, but Pierce motions her to be silent.

  “Which leaves you.” Pierce turns back to me. “So if you’re not the help, then who are you?”

  I glare, thinking if he was in the ring, I’d knock out his shiny white teeth.

  “I’m Astrid Bowen of Weymouth. I’m not lost. I’m not on a scholarship. My family is paying just like yours.”

  “I’ll bet they are,” he mutters under his breath.

  “Pierce, don’t act like that.” Wyatt stands at the end of the table, and his arms are folded over his chest. If I hadn’t seen his face the night before, I’d never believe it was the same guy. He looks good in his uniform, but he also seems so normal.

  “I’m the welcoming committee,” Pierce replies as he puts his hand on the nape of my neck, not bothering to hide his eyes stripping me naked with every gaze. “And I believe you deserve a personal welcome.”

  I meet his gaze with white-hot fury, and lift my chin even though my hands are shaking—from nerves or anger, I can’t even tell.

  “Astrid!” Gary walks out to the kitchen and barrels toward me. “Why aren’t you in the kitchen? You’re late for work. Where is your uniform? You can’t wear that.”

  “I don’t work here!” I scream back like a maniac.

  Pierce smirks smugly and adds, “Anymore.”

  I stare at the worker with the pickax depicted in the stained glass window and wish he’d send a bolt of lightning down from heaven to dissolve all our sorry asses. I wanted nothing more than to straighten out Gary, explain to him that I’m in school, and that I’m not going back to working in the kitchen.

  “New students have to pay their dues, Astrid.” He leans closer until the only thing I see is his smug perfect face. “And I expect you to pay me yours very soon.”

  “Or you’ll what?”

  A look of surprise passes over his face briefly before his expression hardens. I don’t think he’s ever had anyone talk back to him like that.

  “Know your place, and mind your mouth.” He whispers—voice dangerously low. “Unless you’re ready to put it to work.”

  And then suddenly, he lets go of me and walks away with the other boys.

  I look around, and realize that everyone is watching. The air suddenly feels a lot colder than it was just a few minutes ago.

  I want to have the last word, but my gut tells me that it’s better to keep my mouth shut. Pierce and the boys walk away, and I feel someone else staring—someone who is taking pleasure in my humiliation. My gaze scans the hall and lands on a blonde at the opposite corner, glaring daggers at me before she turns her face away.

  No more words needed to be said, but I got the message:

  Welcome to Stonehaven, bitch.

  Welcome to hell.

  Chapter 5

  Astrid

  This is fucked. How would anyone know if I was here at Stonehaven or not? Who would know if I was living in the apartment or not? Mom is heading to rehab. I’m probably still enrolled in my old school. Fuck this overentitled bullshit factory. My bike is the only one chained to the rack, and it’s also in the worst condition, but it will get me home.

  “Astrid Bowen?” A woman stands in the path with her hand extended out. Her smile is frozen but trustworthy. She’s not waiting her turn to humiliate me.

  “Astrid,” she repeats my name. “I’m Dr. Marianne Rawlins, the head administrator of Stonehaven.”

  What is this shit? Can anyone say their name without mentioning where they’re from?

  “Yes, I am Astrid Bowen of Weymouth.”

  She lifts a brow but skips over my comment. “How are you settling in?”

  I swallow hard, cursing my timing. “Okay, so listen, I forgot some stuff at home, so I’m going to come back tomorrow.”

  She screws her face up. “Oh no. We can’t allow that, not without parental permission. And the school has a 10 p.m. curfew until 6 a.m. You have to stay on campus overnight.”

  “Says who?” I glare.

  “Says your father who signed your paperwork as your guardian,” she replies frostily.

  I swallow hard. How can I ask her his name? How can I say I don’t know who he is? I can’t. Dr. Rawlins places a hand on my shoulder as if to reassure me or keep me from bolting. I wonder if I can get a refund on the tuition and then take off.

  “The school can send a car to your home to pick up your things.”

  “No.” I squeal like I need grease. “I’ll call an Uber.”

  She nods. “When you return, come to my office, and I’ll walk you over to your dorm.”

  Chapter 6

  Astrid

  When I walk into the dorm room, a girl is hanging out on the twin bed opposite an empty one. Her side of the room is decorated with spider plants, some photos pinned to a corkboard, and a huge chair that looks like it’s made of pink teddy bears. It didn’t occur to me to bring anything but my suitcase. She’s lying on her stomach, reading a textbook, but she stops to check me out. I feel that sharp look in my gut, and it makes me wince. Not more of this judgy shit. I give my suitcase a kick, and it wheels itself into the corner as I stand by my unmade bed, frowning.

  The girl keeps staring at me, so I decide to tell her who I am. “I’m Astrid Bowen of Weymouth, and my dad paid my way.”

  The girl’s lips quirk into a smirk. “Excuse me?” She shakes her head dismissively. “You don’t look like one of them. I’m Veronica Star Griffin, formerly of New Jersey. Never call me Veronica because it’s Roni, and I’m here under duress.” She sits up cross-legged on her bed and smoothes down her school polo. She’s opted out of the khakis and has on black baggy jeans. Her dark roots are showing, and her shoulder-length blonde hair can’t decide on frizz or waves, but it works on her. Roni pushes her wire frames higher up her nose as she eyes me grimly.

  “I didn’t know I needed sheets.” I shrug my shoulders, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

  “You can call housekeeping,” she replies, “and they’ll make your bed. There’s a house phone in the lounge with a direct line.”

  “Thanks,” I mumble. If she keeps looking at me, I might have to get nasty. At my school, staring was an invite to fight, but I’m at Stonehaven now. I need someone to give me a clue, but they’re not handing them out for nothing.

  “Look, we have to lay down some ground rules,” she says as if she’s read my mind. “The first one is no overnight guests, and I mean boys. In fact, I don’t want them in my room at all.”

  “Fine,” I sneer, “I don’t want them in here either. Plus I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  She tilts her chin up and gives me a surprised look. “You seem cool. Not what I was expecting.”

  “So do you,” I reply without a tone, “what were you expecting?”

  Her pouty lips soften into a crooked grin. “Never mind.”

  I run my hands through my short hair, knowing it’s going to stick up if I keep touching it. “Okay, so, I’d like to know what I just landed in.”

  She sighs then n
ods. “There’s a rumor going around that you’re friendly with the boys.”

  Looking up at the ceiling, I scoff, “I’m guessing the word friendly is loaded?”

  Roni laughs. “It’s how you supposedly earned your tuition. Did you piss off that guy Pierce? I saw him hassling you in the dining hall.”

  The heat rises to my cheeks, but I go with the truth. Better to tell it fast and straightforward and just get it over with. “I worked in the dining hall over the summer. My father is rich, but he’s not married to my mother.”

  She nods her head as if she knows me.

  “But I’m not on a scholarship,” I continue, then pause, thinking, what if she is? I can’t blow this. I need a friend here. “That’s not bad. I’m just not on one. My father paid my tuition.” Not the way I envisioned this conversation going. “I’m not a slut.” Sighing, I cut my rambling off.

  Roni throws her arms open wide with a big smile to match. “Neither am I,” she says, “Hurray for us.”

  We laugh the awkwardness off, and soon we’re talking about home and our friends. I don’t dare mention the Pit, but Roni looks like the kind of girl who would walk into the place and own it. I can see her running circles around the regulars as she tells them they’re doing it all wrong.

  “Don’t sweat these kids, Astrid. They live in a bubble of entitlement. Throw them out of the gates, and they wouldn’t know what to do without googling it first.” She smiles as I laugh at her sarcasm. “BTW, I’m new money as opposed to their old. My ancestors didn’t discover gold or build railroads back in the day. My dad’s in plastics. He figured out a way to hang a hook on a wall without screwing up the paint. And poof, one day I’m rich.”

  “Sort of like me,” I reply and then wish I hadn’t said anything.

  “What do you mean?” asks Roni.

  I take in a big gulp of air as I figure how to answer without saying too much. “Let’s just say my rich dad wasn’t around, and then one day he showed up.”

  Roni nods her head as if she’s heard that story before. “There’s a reason why daddies come looking, Astrid. Watch your back, girl. Rich people don’t give something for nothing.”

  I nod, then frown, knowing Roni is right but not knowing anything else, not even who he is. “Outside of the gates, I can take care of myself, but in here…” My words drift off as I look out the window that frames the setting sun. The sunlight makes shadows in the old oaks on the walkway, and it really is beautiful here, but I’d rather be home. My first day is ending, and I’m waiting for graduation day to hurry up.

  Roni gets up and places a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Come on, Astrid. I’ll show you where the house phone is. And when you call housekeeping, tell them you want your linen. If you say sheets, they’ll show up with paper.”

  We walk to the end of the hallway to a lounge that is decorated like a page in a catalog. Big stuffed sofas in hip teal print and wood study tables are scattered throughout the room with scenic windows that look out onto the campus. It looks like a painting of Stonehaven, but it’s real, and slowly it’s starting to sink in that this is my life.

  Roni leads me to a cubby where there’s only a phone on the wall. It’s old-fashioned with a cord attached. But there’s no button. I pick it up, and immediately it rings.

  “Housekeeping,” a voice answers. I blank, holding the phone like a clueless simpleton, not knowing why I even picked it up. The person on the other end repeats themselves. “Housekeeping.”

  Roni tugs the phone out of my hands and speaks loudly into the receiver. “Good evening. This is Astrid Bowen.” She winks at me. “My bed needs linen. Straight away.” Roni hangs up and then hangs off my back, giggling like a maniac.

  “You get off on that, don’t you,” I smirk at her giddiness,

  “They crave it,” she whispers, “Even when they scowl.”

  Humming and strutting, Roni heads out of the lounge toward our room, but I stop in my tracks. From across the room, a blonde girl with waist-length hair is staring daggers into me. She’s sitting huddled in a group of three other girls, including the blonde from this morning. The girls are giving me the usual stink eye of disdain, but not the blonde with the hair. Her hateful gaze digs into me as if she’s searching for my soul to steal it away. I’ve had girls check me out before, summing up the competition, but this is different. I don’t know her, but this girl is making it clear that I don’t belong at her school.

  I get my shit together in my head and flounce out of the room, switching my ass just like these bitches would do to me. Fuck her.

  ***

  The rest of the first day wasn’t so bad as we head over to the dining hall for dinner. It’s sunset, and it sort of feels weird being out when the sunlight is fading behind the tall oak trees. Right now I would have been home in bed, taking a nap before getting up at ten to fight. So, this is how other people spend their time.

  I hung with Roni most of the day as she showed me off to her friends. I was her greatest discovery. Some were impressed. Others weren’t.

  She notices someone in the distance and grabs my arm, pulling me forward. We stop in front of a guy that looks like the ultimate geek. He’s tall and lanky with curved shoulders but no glasses and buzzed hair. His backpack is stuffed, and it’s only the first day. Plus, we’re allowed to use our tablets instead of notebooks, but he shoves a black spiral into his bag, the kind sold at art shops. When he looks up at me, I almost laugh. His gaze moves slowly up my legs, and his eyebrows almost leave his forehead when they reach my face.

  “Terri, this is Astrid Bowen, and she’s from around here. Plus she’s cool.”

  Smiling like I’m the toy surprise, he holds out his hand, and we shake. His big hand is a little sweaty, but I don’t wipe my hand on my skirt.

  Roni continues the introductions. “Terrence Hamilton the third. He can trace his family back to the American Revolution, and his parents practically rule academia. He makes the smartest person I know sound like a preschooler.”

  “My friends call me Terri, and now that we’ve officially been introduced, we can consider ourselves friends.”

  “Terri has a golden tongue,” whispers Roni loudly.

  Terri turns a shade of red that matches his tie. After being bullied for a day, I’m not going to pick on him. I notice that he isn’t wearing the school slacks. “So, why are some people allowed to wear whatever they want?”

  “You’re not,” he answered, “And if you do, you pay a fine. The teachers will overlook the bottom half if the top half is correct.”

  “And what if I wear jeans?” I ask.

  “They discourage outside clothing,” he replies sternly, “or they’ll confiscate the offending item.”

  “You’re shitting me,” I reply.

  Terri tilts his chin up with authority. “I shit you not.”

  Roni collapses into peals of laughter and points her index finger at the two of us. “I’m loving this. You should see the two of you standing together. It’s like fucking Professor Higgins with Audrey Hepburn.”

  “You mean Eliza Doolittle,” corrects Terri, “Hepburn played the role of Eliza Doolittle in the musical version of Pygmalion renamed My Fair Lady. The original play was not a musical but a social satire.”

  Roni shakes her head mournfully. “And that’s why you won’t get laid until you’re in college, probably junior year. I’ve talked to you about this.” Roni starts walking toward the dining hall. “I’m hungry, and I want to get served while the food is still hot. I can tell when they heat it in the microwave.”

  I shrug at Terri, who is staring like an owl with wide eyes after his secret desires have been called out. The boy needs to learn how to put on a game face. I’ll teach him before we graduate.

  Roni reaches the dining hall and saunters in, but when I step inside, I collide with hard muscle that blindsides me. I start to take a tumble but catch myself. Christ, what is wrong with me? I never get caught by a sucker move. I look up, and Roni is gone, unaware
that we’re no longer behind her. Pierce slowly turns around to see what ran into him and scowls, grabbing my elbow.

  He nudges the boy standing next to him, the one they call Bryce. Fuck. Ignoring them, Terri moves around us, tugging on my sleeve. He mutters something that sounds like excuse us, but Pierce isn’t letting me out of his trap. He separates Terri’s hand from my sleeve and then gives Terri a shove. The kid’s backpack is massive, and it pulls him straight down to the stone floor. Terri lands on his kneecaps, and his face crumples in severe pain.

  I suck in air because watching it hurt. I step toward Terri, but Pierce grabs my forearm, pulling me back. That’s when I see Wyatt watching, his lips tightly pressed into a scowl, and the long-haired guy is standing next to him, looking like he wants a closer look.