Page 88 of Believe In Us

“You think it has anything to do with those two coming together?” I ask Scar, as we watch Stella and Drake walk off together. He’s obviously trying to calm her down, holding her close to hisbody as she turns back to where Kai and Carrington have now moved to stand. However, I don’t see Kinsley nor Liam beside them anymore.

“You fucking bastard!” Kinsley shouts, suddenly showing up at our table. She’s clearly enraged, her round blue eyes glaring murderously between Bass and me. “You are going to regret standing me up, I promise you that. We’ll see what daddy has to say when I tell him that you're here, with her.”

“Do it Kinsley,” Bass growls, stepping forward and making her cower down in fear. “I fucking dare you. While you’re at it tell him all about how you failed at securing his place at my father’s table. That’s all you were right, a pawn. A chess piece daddy used to try and manipulate me and my father into letting him have a piece of our fortune. I know your dirty little secret Kins, Liam actually helped me uncover it when he went to pick you up. Daddy Carlyle is fucking broke. He gambled away his entire fortune at my father’s casinos and now suddenly he wants to invest in opening another one, the house always wins right?”

I’m stunned by everything Bass is saying, while Kinsley stands there in disbelief never once denying any of it.

“That’s not true, I’m not broke, I can’t be broke. I’m a fucking Carlyle.” The crowd which formed around us begins to snicker, glaring disgustedly at Kinsley, just finding out she has not a dime to her name. It’s like they’ve just discovered she had some deadly contagious disease, the way everyone backs away slowly.

“Try that pathetic little stunt on someone else Kins, I’m not fucking stupid. Jade and I are together now, whether you, your father, or my father like it or not. I couldn’t care less what you and Thomas Carlyle think, and my father, well I’ll deal with him on my own. As for you, you're dead to us, I found my queen, and she is ten times the woman you will ever be.”

Kinsley storms off practically in tears, but no one follows after her. Not Carrington, nor Wynter, not even Drea, Alek’s sister, who watches silently from the back. Alek and Beckett show up just asKins runs off both of them looking back at her silently asking what the fuck just happened.

“What the hell was that about?” Alek asks.

“Kinsley is gone, she doesn’t belong to our group anymore,” Bass states matter-of-fact, all the while here I am standing beside him, wondering if I do.

Chapter

Forty-Two

JADE

“My feet are fucking killing me,” I groan, kicking my heels off my swollen feet and resting them on the empty chair beside me.

“Same, ugh what masochistic woman invented high heels, these things are fucking horrible,” Scar says, doing the same.

“A man Scarlett, there’s always a fucking man to blame.” We’ve been dancing for hours, grinding and dirty dancing along with the entire senior class. It’s exhausting. Ace and Bass are off somewhere secretly getting us non-alcoholic drinks, Ruby and Stella off getting fucking wasted with the guys, while Alek and Beckett remain on the dance floor with their date, as in shared date. “I can’t believe Alek and Beck showed up with the same chick? Who is she? She looks sort of familiar.”

“Remington,” Scar says, as Ace and Bass reappear with our diet cokes. “Remington Spencer. She’s one of the girls who worked at The Gallows, the one who helped me escape actually, her twin sister Lexington and her.”

“Oh right, that bitch. Why didn’t they each bring a twin instead of sharing one?” I ask, watching how Remi moves back and forth between the two of them, running her hands over their body, kissing Alek before turning and doing the same to Beck.

Bass chuckles as he and Ace give each other a knowing look. “Because the boys are known to share Jade,” he says, leaving it at that.

“And Lex is actually around here with a date of her own,” Bass says, pointing toward where a beautiful girl with long brown hair, identical to the girl dancing with Alek and Beck, stands beside Liam. “Liam only agreed to help with the whole Kinsley ordeal if I secured him a date with Lex. Apparently he met her at a party a few weeks ago and they hit it off but she left before he could get her number.”

“But Lex wouldn’t come unless Remi did,” Ace chimes in as if explaining why Remi is also here. “Those two do everything together.”

“Though Alek and Beck, who are both obsessed, couldn’t decide who would bring Remi, so they both did. Wouldn’t be the first time, they both dated the same girl our freshman year.”

“Wow, I never would have guessed.”

The lights suddenly dim as a spotlight gleams along the stage set up at the end of the room. Headmistress LeBlanc appears beside Professor Langley, each of them holding a crown in their hand. Oh god here we go, recreating the classic ending in the movie Mean Girls. They’re about to announce who will go home with the piece of cold, hard, plastic. “Ladies and Gentlemen if I can get your attention,” Headmistress LeBlanc calls out on the microphone, “Tonight is such an important night in your young lives, a day you will forever remember, not because of what beautiful gown you wore, nor who your date was, but because of the memories you made here tonight. Two of you will go home with the best memory of all, being crowned Prom King and Queen andreceiving one of the original diamond tiaras the Wyndham Masters family donates to our school every year.”

“You’re telling me that’s a real fucking diamond tiara?” Scar squeals, jumping to her feet. “Why didn’t you tell me we got a real tiara, I would have tried harder to be nominated,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

“If you want a tiara that bad baby, I’ll buy you a tiara,” Ace says.

“I don’t want a fucking tiara, you know how much I could sell that one for though,”

“Babe, you forget you are a Smoak, your father left you his inheritance, not to mention the one you received from Grandpa Smoak’s will. You can buy a hundred tiaras.” She rolls her eyes again, despising the mention of the money her family left her. Scar refuses to touch any of it, although with the baby coming, her and Ace could use all they can get.

“The crowned King and Queen will also each receive a ten thousand dollar check they can donate to the charity of their choosing on behalf of the Academy. Without further ado, it would be my honor to announce the Prom King of the Senior Graduating Class of 2020, Sebastian Silver.” An eruption of loud roars and hollering is heard throughout the whole room, loud clapping and shouting congratulating the reigning king. My king. Bass turns to me, lifting me up in his arms and spinning me around before bringing his lips down on mine. The roars ring louder as Sebastian kisses me for all to see.

“Go baby,” I whisper against his lips, “Go get your crown.” He nods, giving me another small peck before strutting down to the stage to accept his prize.

“Wow I can’t believe he won!” Scar exclaims, hugging me tightly.

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