Page 29 of I Was Always Yours (RCA: Royal Crown Academy)

She knew Astor had died, she knew Phoenix hated me, she knew it destroyed me. That was enough.

I shake my head at her. “Silly kid’s stuff.”

“That didn’t look like silly kid’s stuff, babe.” She says, lifting a dubious eyebrow at me. “But you don’t need to tell me. You just need to let me know what I can do to help.”

She grabbed my hand and together we went to class.

By the end of the week, I’d learned he’d tried to convince Headmaster Thornton to revoke my admission, using his family’s influence to try to make that happen.

In a fight between the two of us, there was no coming out on top for me. But in a game of our families?

Unfortunately for him, mine won every time.

Thornton wouldn’t budge.

By the end of the month, he’d attempted to frame me for vandalism of school property, hoping I’d get expelled.

By the end of the year, he'd made my life hell. Insulting me, sabotaging me, ostracizing me. He seemed dead set on making sure I couldn’t be happy here, no matter how much effort or energy it took for him to personally do so.

That included making sure no guys ever approached me or, god forbid, asked me out.

Max is the first guy who’s overtly taken an interest in me. He flirts during lab time and gives me cheeky smiles when he sees me in the hall. He’s new to RCA so maybe he hasn’t been told that he’s risking his life every time he talks to me.

Selfishly, I’m enjoying the attention so I haven’t warned him off.

Who knows how early I’d have bloomed had it not been for Phoenix’s interference. But he did interfere, forcing me to become such a late bloomer that sometimes I feel like I might have missed spring altogether.

Like life is going to be just one long winter for me, devoid of any male attention or affection, when all I want is to roast in the sun.

And I think about roasting in the suna lot.

Metaphor aside, it feels good to be wanted. To have someone look at you with eyes that let you know they want you.

It’s not the specific pair of eyes that I wish looked at me lustfully, but I’m a masochist for even thinking about him romantically at this point. I think Phoenix would rather stab me to death than ever touch me.

I need to focus on me, on opening myself up to Max and seeing if I have any interest in him. Like I said, he’s cute and there’s nothing wrong with him.

There’s nothing right with him either.

I tell myself to shut up and zone back into what Max is saying, catching only the end of his sentence. “...with me?”

“I’m sorry,” I say, putting an apologetic hand on his forearm, “What did you ask me?”

He rubs his neck again and takes a step towards me, crowding me. My heart rate picks up but it’s more out of surprise and a hint of panic at having him so close suddenly than anything else.

“I was telling you that I liked you,” He says, taking another step closer until we’re standing almost chest to chest, “That I wanted to get to know you better,” He leans in and I freeze as I watch his face get closer to mine, “And I asked if you wanted to come to the dance with me?”

He closes the gap between us and brings his lips down on mine. Shock keeps me rooted in place for a second before my eyes widen and I put my hand on his shoulder to push him away.

I don’t want to be kissing him. Maybe one day, once we’ve spent time getting to know each other, but not now.

He goes flying backwards before I can shove him, a loud groan expelling from his chest when his back hits the concrete.

My mouth gapes as I look up into Phoenix’s furious face. The blank mask he usually wears at all times is gone; in its place, raw fury is splashed across his features as he looks at me like he wants to murder me.

If looks could kill then his dices me up with a thousand cuts, letting me bleed out slowly and painfully in front of him. There are so many emotions in his gaze, although they’re all dwarfed by the pain I make out in them.

His eyes bore into me with loathing. They’re so black that they shine, making them look made of glass in their hardness, especially as he glares at me like I just betrayed him.

---