Page 13 of Tangled Rose

Chapter 9

Carissa and Mike let me know late this afternoon that they’re going to be away for a day or so on business.

I watch from the dining room where I’m eating an after-dinner snack as Jameson pulls the car up out front. Edging away from the window after the car takes off down the driveway, I decide to steer clear of everyone else in the house. It’s not like it’s unusual for me; I’m used to spending time alone. Sometimes my mother would be gone for days at a time. I’d had to figure out how to feed myself from the age of eight.

Upstairs in my room, I spend the evening on my phone reading through the obnoxious number of emails I’ve gotten from Rosehaven Academy this week. At least this gives me a chance to familiarize myself with everything and get up to speed. I have several from the counselor, Mrs. Purcell, and a couple from my teachers explaining how they’re going to transfer the grades from the coursework at my old high school over to the academy. I guess they want to make sure everything transfers neatly.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the bass of a song starts pounding through the wall, practically shaking my room.

Oh, right. The party.It’s loud, pulsing, and from the sounds of voices starting to drift up to my room from downstairs, I sincerely doubt it’s stopping anytime soon. A glance through my window confirms that people have begun to arrive and are now spilling from the house out to the back patio.

It still blows my mind that Carissa and Mike are okay with this. I’ve seen enough photos and videos on Instagram to know that there is a party somewhere pretty much every weekend. And now that I’ve had a chance to see this house in person, I think a good majority of those parties I’d seen in photos happened right here.

Before long, the party is raging, both downstairs and outside. Fuck. That music is loud. I grumble to myself, wondering if it would be worth it to go check it out or if I should stay up here and mind my own business.

Twenty minutes later, I’m still cranky about it when a knock on the door startles me. Shit. I was hoping people wouldn’t venture upstairs during a party. Wouldn’t they make it off-limits or something? Hell, maybe not. I chuckle, admitting to myself that was a dumb thought. I’m not stupid, nor am I a prude. I know exactly what happens at parties like this. There will be plenty of horny teens roaming the house, looking for places to hook up. Well, they aren’t fucking doing it in here. No way in hell.

I frown for a second when the knocking continues, then snap, “Who is it?”

To my surprise, a female voice sounds on the other side of the door. “My name is Aria. Can I come in?”

Trying to decide how wise this is, I get up off my bed and open the door a crack. A pretty blonde with long hair and flashing brown eyes peers curiously at me.

We study each other for several seconds. Now I kind of wish I’d put on actual clothes instead of leggings and an oversize T-shirt, because she’s checking out my clothing with mild distaste. And, damn, this girl obviously has money. Everything about her screams it, from her trendy clothes to her artfully applied makeup to the light scent of what I assume is a very expensive perfume.

“Can I come in?” She quirks a perfectly groomed brow and waits.

I suck my unpainted lips into my mouth for a beat before I back up and push the door wide. “Are you sure you have the right room?” I can’t imagine what she wants from me or why she’s here.

She saunters in, hips swinging, and looks around. “Sweet. They gave you a really nice room.”

Frowning a bit, I nod. “I’m sorry, who are you?” I walk back over to my bed to sit down as she continues to peruse the room.

“Aria. I told you that.” She says it as if I’m supposed to know who she is. At my perplexed look, she gives an exaggerated eye roll. “Don’t tell me Beau, Micah, and Griff haven’t filled you in on the whole hierarchy of people you’re going to meet on Tuesday?” She presses her lips together, eyeing me carefully.

“No. To be fair, I haven’t let them. I’ve been avoiding all of it. I’m not sure what to think of all this.” I point out the window. “And I’m here to do gymnastics. That’s it. I have no interest in whatever social scene exists at Rosehaven.”

She squints at me, like I’m some strange oddity. “You’re interesting. I knew there was a reason I had to meet the chick who will be living side by side with Beau, Griffin, and Micah. Don’t put up with any shit from them. They’re decent guys, but they can do asshole stuff.”

I laugh at her candor. “Great. Thanks for the warning.” A large whoop and a splash distracts us for a second. I sneak a glance out the window. “This party is insane.”

“Yeah. Just a bit. And now that Micah’s parents have kicked him out, we’ll pretty much be here every weekend. I wonder if the Danbrooks realize that yet.”

“Wait, what? He got kicked out?”

“Sort of. But it wasn’t really his fault. They’re too involved in their own crap to worry about him anyway. I probably shouldn’t have said kicked out. They threatened to do it and he left instead. Kinda beat them to the punch. I bet that royally pissed them off.” She throws her head back and laughs. Once she stops, she winks at me. “Anyway, we should go downstairs so you can check out some stereotypical Rose behavior.”

“Say what?”

“Roses. Thorns. The whole hierarchy I mentioned. If you’re a Rose, you have money. If you’re a Thorn, you don’t. You’re … regular. Probably with a scholarship or something like that.” She points her finger, tipped with a glossy pink nail, in my direction. “That’d be you.” She shrugs, walking over to the window to look out over the party. “Pretty important stuff to be aware of before you walk directly into it on Tuesday. You should witness what these people are like for yourself. Anyone at this party is probably a Rose and has the social standing to be here.”

Well, shit.I guess I fucked up by not investigating more thoroughly. I’d been so fixated on studying the people in this house, I didn’t think to expand and look at the rest of the school. “What do you mean by that?”

Aria’s lips curve into a confident smile. “Most of these people are from families with money. Like, stupid amounts of it. Some have one or more parents who attended Rosehaven—legacy students. And the elite tier are from the founding families. The true royalty.”

I feel my eyes go a little big at that last bit, but I get myself under control. It’s fucking ridiculous, if you ask me. I narrow my eyes at her, sensing that she could be a fairly important ally to have if she’s willing to talk. “All right. Tell me more. Where do you fall in all this?”

She gives me a saucy grin. “Me? I’m the queen.” She shrugs. “Whatever that means.”

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