FOUR
♛
Faye
I RAN MY FINGERS THROUGH MY HAIR and when it landed on a muffin-sized knot, I wrapped it up on top my head then presented myself. The kitchen was all stainless steel and fancy. Kris and Morgan was around the counter whilst their chef, Maria sorted out breakfast. By the smell, it was bacon, eggs and pancakes.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Kris said sliding a mug of black coffee over to me.
I heard a scoff then Morgan said, "You mean the Beast. We don't allow pets in the Kitchen, Faye. Go ask the stable boy if he caught your breakfast yet."
"Kiss my ass, Morgan."
"I'd rather not. I don't want you shedding in my mouth." I hurled a bagel at his head but he ducked and it landed in a fern.
"Hey, hey, no fighting in the kitchen please." Kris gave us both a stern look but her eyes were alight in amusement. "And Morgan you should be nicer to your sister. What will you do if she's gone?"
"Throw a party?" Morgan grinned when Kris gave him the stink eye. I rolled my eyes and thanked Maria for a plate. I went around the counter and plopped down beside Morgan.
Kris took a sip from her coffee then took me in over the rim of her mug. "Faye, why aren't you ready? You're going to be late."
"Late? For what?"
Morgan rolled his eyes. "School, you dumbass." Then I took in his appearance. Morgan was wearing his own uniform; white shirt, khakis pants and a blue blazer with Eastdale Middle School crest on his right breast. I almost choked on a strip of bacon. I flew up and ran back upstairs. "Cole said he's leaving in ten minutes and if you're not ready, you're walking!"
I showered and shimmied into my uniform. I didn't bother with makeup I was running out of time. I grabbed my backpack and my leather jacket, running my hands through my damp hair on the way to the front door.
"See you later, Kris! Morgan, love you!"
"Eww!"
I love brother-sister relationships. It's so beautiful.
Outside, Cole was leaning against his Range Rover typing vigorously on his phone, he hadn't noticed me yet. He wore Eastdale's white shirt, navy and gold plaided tie and navy blazer. His hair was styled in his usual I-just-woke-up-looking-this-sexy type of way he liked that fucked with the girls' focus in class.
My eyes scanned the driveway and I was a little surprise to see Thea Valentine standing in the middle of it. She'd disappeared last year. Everyone assumed she was shipped off to some boarding school off the coast. That's what the other rich parents do when their kids are acting out. Her missing a year of school was strange as it is, her returning again out of the blue, there's gonna be an uproar of gossip at school, I could bet that.
She noticed me then too. Her jaw dropped. "Wait-wait, everybody shut the fuck up!"
No one had said a word.
Cole looked up. He took his time looking me over before he gave Thea a what-the-fuck look.
"Faye? Your new roommate is fucking Faye Archer!" She laughed at him. "Karma is seriously kicking you in the nutsack with this one. I love it!"
Cole flipped her off then slid into the driver seat without a word.
I used to think Thea and Colton were a couple back in freshman year. You would never see one without the other. I learned the shocking truth during a Football game when I found her making out with Cleo Simmons under the bleachers.
Thea is the only female in their inner circle and by far the nicest. I mean she wasn't a ray of sunshine but compared to the rest of them she might as well be.
Unlike the rest of her friends, she doesn't treat everyone else like it was a blessing to be in their presence.
She cocked her head to the side, eyeing me. "I don't think we've properly met. I'm Thea."
I nodded. "Faye."
"So how's it?"
"How is what?"
"Living in a house with that asshole," She pointed at said 'asshole' who was still on his phone.
"Well, I haven't killed him yet. So I'd say pretty well." Thea laughed. I tied my hair up in a ponytail. "You usually ride with Cole?"
Thea shook her head. "I totalled my car in a-" she stopped herself short and tried cleared her throat. "I hit a tree."
Cole honked his horn and stuck his head out of the car. "If you're considering fucking in my driveway, I suggest you do it when I don't have shit to do. Get in or you're walking."
Thea rolled her eyes and strutted to the car. "Stop acting like you wouldn't love to watch me go down on a girl."
"You? No. I'd rather fuck a chainsaw in the ass. Megan Fox however..." Cole said.
Thew rolled her eyes. "We'll see about that." Thea threw a flirtatious look at me over her shoulder. "Faye, I'm down if you're down."
I shook my head. "I wouldn't want to give Cole anything else to jerk off to tonight."
He scoffed, "Don't flatter yourself, Pip-squeak. You're about as attractive to me as Donald Trump in lingerie."
"You-"
"Jesus Christ," Thea cut me off. "Why don't you two just fuck each other and get it over with. We haven't even got into the car yet."
Cole rolled his eyes.
I started to get in the backseat but Thea shoved me aside and pointed to the passenger seat. I shrugged and settled in. I pushed my cellphone between my bare thighs and found Cole staring at them a little before he dragged his gaze away and started the car.
Not attracted to me, my ass.
The drive was fairly quiet. Safe for Thea humming to herself in the backseat.
After fifteen minutes we pulled into Eastdale Prep campus. Huge buildings stood proudly on the wide expanse of land, all red bricks and glass looking like a modern-day glass castle. Cole pulled into a spot and turned off the engine without sparing me a glance as he climbed out the car with Thea.
Cole's name could be heard from either side of me but he ignored it as he made his way to Arsen and Psych, waiting beside a Bugatti Veyron. I climbed out from his car and instantly the campus got quiet.
Shit.
Then a hurricane of whispering and staring and even some flashing of cameras came my way. I ducked my head and headed straight inside.
How could I be so stupid?
He's the fucking king of the Academy and I was the notorious troublemaker. A nobody if anybody had anything to say about it. I shouldn't be existing enough to even look Cole Knightley in the eye. Much less catch a ride from him.
I was bound to get attention.
They probably think something happened over summer.
Shit.
What if they think we hooked up or something?
That would be a shit storm of problems for me. Especially from his fan base. Those bitches are vicious. I could already smell their Chanel perfume.
I shuddered and made my way to my locker.
Eyes seem to be glued to my back as I jerked open my locker and grab my calculus book for my first period. Someone tapped me on my shoulder and I sighed as I slammed my locker shut. Here it goes...
I was ready for it to be Reyna or one of her minions ready to make a scene, not her sister- Jordon, and my other best friend, Hayley. They were both glaring at me. Please tell me they didn't hear about me and Cole.
"Hey, what's up, guys?" I said nonchalantly.
That only seemed to piss them off.
Hayley's left eye actually twitched. "Don't 'Hey, guys' me, bitch. We don't hear from you all summer, we come back from Hawaii and hear that you're fucking Cole Knightley!"
News travels fast.
"It's not what you think," I said quickly.
Jordon cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, so you didn't hook up with my future husband over the summer."
I rolled my eyes. "No, of course not. I wouldn't go near that moving STD with a ten-foot pole."
"Then why is he suddenly handing out rides? To you of all people?" Hayley asked not entirely convinced. If I didn't know what she meant that would've hurt. But she's talking about the fact that Cole hates my guts and wouldn't hand me a glass of water even if I was dying of thirst.
We were gaining more eyes on us now.
I grabbed them by the arm and yanked them into the girls' bathroom.
I peeked under all the stalls. They were empty. I scratched the back of my neck. Something I do when I'm nervous. "Dad left for a meeting with Mr Knightley and arranged for Morgan and me to be babysat by Mama Knightley," I rushed out.
Hayley's jaw fell open and Jordon frowned.
"You're kidding, right?" I shook my head. "And you didn't have sex, yet?"
I gave her a dry look. "What part of no touchy do you not understand?"
Hayley snorted. "You're sleeping next to the hottest guy in Eastdale and you're telling me you two haven't done it yet."
"Yes. That is exactly what I am saying." I pressed my hand to her forehead to feel for a temperature. "Are you okay? I think you're coming down with something. You're starting to sound a bit delirious."
She swatted my hand away. "Jordon, what do you think?"
"I think Faye should avoid sleeping with him at all costs."
Hayley rolled her eyes. "You're only saying that because you have a gigantic crush on him."
"Duh."
A high pitched annoyance echoed around the school just then, signalling first period. "Don't tell anyone about my sleeping arrangements, please. That'll only make it worst. That means, Hayley, keep it out of your blog."
Hayley pursed her lips and pocketed her phone. "Fine."
"See you guys at lunch." Then I headed for my first class.
Calculus. Joy.