Page 17 of Charming Cruel Boys

Besides, I’m not going to hurt Duke like that, no matter what happened between us. I’m not that kind of person. And Knight is nothing but a bully to me, so he can keep his impeccable kissing skills to himself. I’m not here to get dragged into some war between the twins.

Duke pulls the chair out beside me, but before he can sit, Knight plops down into it. “Thanks, bro. Always such a gentleman,” Knight tells him cheerily while Duke scowls. With a huff of annoyance, Duke takes the seat on the other side of Knight.

My father finally joins us, sitting across from Knight and kissing Rose on the cheek. “Thank you guys for waiting. I had a few phone calls that couldn’t be put off.”

“What kind of calls does a principal have to make at six o’clock on a Saturday night?” Knight questions casually.

I suck in a shocked breath and, without thinking, grab Knight’s thigh under the table, giving him a warning squeeze.Shut up, shut up, shut up,I think as hard as I can, hoping he gets the message. You don’t ask my father questions like that, you don’t get into his business. I’ve learned that the hard way. Bruises and welts on my butt growing up taught me that lesson pretty quickly.

The room falls silent as my dad and Knight stare at one another. The air crackles between them, and I’m seconds away from bolting to safety when my dad laughs.“If I told you, it would ruin the surprise, son. It was wedding stuff for my darling Rose. You don’t need to know any more than that.”

Rose blushes, and she and my father get lost in hushed conversation, paying us no mind. I look at Knight when he clears his throat quietly. He nods down to his lap, and I realize my hand is still on him. I pull it away like he’s carrying a flesh-eating disease, earning a devilish grin from him.

“No touching, Remi. Now that I’ve had a taste, I can move on to somethingmuchbetter,“ Knight whispers.

My heart stutters a little because intimacy is kind of a big deal to me, but then I remind myself that it means literally nothing to Knight. He probably kisses a new girl every week. “I was just proving a point. Don’t get yourself all worked up, thinking it was something that it most certainly wasn’t,” I fire back, gaining Duke’s attention.

“You okay?” he mouths to me, peering over Knight’s shoulder.

“Fucking peachy, thanks,”I deadpan.

“Remi,” my dad barks, making me jump. “Watch your mouth. We’re having a civilized dinner like adults. If you can’t behave, you can go to your room without eating.”

“Sorry, sir,” I mumble, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I’m used to the way he speaks to me, but having an audience to witness it is horrifying. It makes me feel tiny and fragile and worthless. I don’t want to be any of those things anymore.

Knight reaches for my hand in my lap, interlacing our fingers and squeezing. It shocks me out of my shame, and I look at him with wide eyes. His face is a blank mask, but his eyes hold a simmering anger that, for once, isn’t directed at me.

I give him a nod, silently telling him I’m fine, and he pulls his hand from mine. Knight is so confusing. Spitting insults at me one second and offering me a comforting touch the next.I’m going to lose my mind around him. Especially if he does shit like that.

Thankfully, he keeps his hands and eyes to himself the rest of the night. We all eat dinner in silence, apart from the polite conversation being tossed around every few minutes. I’m almost finished when my father clears his throat.

“So Knight, how is football going this year? I noticed you managed to pull your grades up enough last year to remain on the team. Straight C’s, if I’m not mistaken,”my dad says condescendingly, crossing his fingers under his chin with hard eyes. He looks the part of strict, asshole principal.Oh, wait. That’s exactly who he is.

Knight tenses beside me, his fork halfway to his mouth. Putting it down slowly, he looks at my dad and flashes a vicious smile, looking like a lion who’s going in for the kill. “I did. Most of my teachers were kind enough to offer me extra credit last year. And those that didn’t” — he shrugs — “I just started applying myself a bit more.”

My dad hums, nodding slowly. “Good. Very good... Don’t forget, I can always help. I’m the principal, and we’re family now. My office is always open if you need me for anything.”

“I’ll be fine,” Knight says, visibly gritting his teeth and holding his shoulders so stiff that I’m worried he’ll never relax again.

My father stares him down for another moment before shifting his focus back to Rose. I meet her eyes across the table just before she looks at my dad, but I don’t miss the tension and stress that was written all over her face.

That entire conversation is playing on a loop in my mind, and I’m growing more confused every time I go over it again. Just this morning, my dad was telling me how bad Knight was, warning me to keep away from him. Now he’s sitting at the table, offering his help and acting like he actually cares about Knight’s grades and his spot on the football team.

What the hell is going on?My father is not a nice man. He’s not helpful and he sure as shit doesn’t care about his students.

I look at Knight again, but he won’t meet my gaze. He stands from the table and excuses himself, leaving the room in a hurry. Duke meets my eyes in the empty space his brother left between us. He smiles at meagain. That stupid, disarming, flirtatious smile that drew me into him in the first place. That smile can do some serious damage to my heart if I let it.Being this close to Duke is stirring old feelings that I’ve never completely gotten over.

But I won’t let that happen again.

Getting up, I pat my mouth with my napkin and then tell everyone good night, avoiding Duke’s blue depths that I feel searing into the side of my face. Then I turn on my heels and go to my room, where I can have some space from the boys who are forcing themselves under my skin without my permission.

12

Remi

ThefirstweekendwithDuke and Knight in my house went by quickly. I spent all of Sunday locked in my room, doing a ridiculous amount of homework. Honestly, we’ve only been back to school for a week. The teachers must all have some sick sense of humor and decided to gang up and give all the seniors double the usual amount of work. But whatever. I got it all done without any distractions.

I don’t know what I was expecting really, but after that kiss with Knight and Duke trying to talk to me about our breakup, I figured either of them would knock on my door at some point. Except they didn’t. And I felt the strangest sense of... disappointment?

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