Cruel King: A Dark New Adult Romance (Royal Elite)

You picked the wrong subject, your majesty.

“Slut.”

“Whore.”

“Entitled bitch.”

My face remains a blank board even with all the insults thrown my way. I think someone even called me a harlot. Who the hell uses that outdated historical term anymore?

Since last week, when Levi cornered me in front of the classroom and broadcasted that I ‘begged’ him for it, the entire school has been out for my blood.

During lunch, I received two offers from guys who assured me they won’t have me beg for it.

That’s why I’m eating in a secluded corner in the school’s garden. I never liked the pretentious air of the cafeteria, anyway. Levi turning the entire school against me is more proof of why I’ll never belong in this circle.

And by a circle, I mean the entire football team who are always following him about like they’re the subjects in his royal court.

There’s this aura about those he keeps close. They’re called the four horsemen by RES and they carry all the destructive energy that Levi needs.

All of them are ruthless in their own way — even the silent ones.

Since my invisible days, I waited for any rebellion against the entitled arseholes.

Didn’t happen so far.

Everyone ends up dropping to one knee like willing peasants.

Even Dan belongs to their circle, so I can’t be the type of bitch who badmouths shitty, entitled athletes in front of him.

I can do it in my mind just fine, though.

Sitting cross-legged on the bench, I take a bite of my hamburger and sketch with my free hand. My shrink and physical therapist told me to take it easy, but I’m not good at listening to orders.

Besides, things have been changing with weird dreams — or nightmares — I’ve been having lately.

I can’t even recall what I saw when I wake up. I just wake up drenched in sweat and feeling claustrophobic.

Dr Edmonds, my shrink, said I might be witnessing flashbacks from the accident.

I came up with a theory.

My inability to sketch properly might have to do with what happened during the accident. Maybe I can remember what happened if I push myself to sketch something — anything — from that night.

Every time, like now, Levi’s infuriating face comes to mind.

I scratch whatever I’ve been sketching and huff around the mouthful of hamburger.

Muse-killing arsehole.

“Hey, bugger. What are you doing over here hiding?”

“Avoiding entitled football players. No offence, bug.” What? I didn’t say I wouldn’t say anything.

“It’s taken, damn you.” He chuckles around the words.

That’s Dan and I. It’s a friendship made in heaven. Or in a pool.

The thing is, when I first moved in with Dad, he had Nicole take me to a party so I’d meet friends.

As if I would ever be interested in Nicole’s friends.

So, anyway, I didn’t want to go, but I’m glad I did.

Of course, Nicole abandoned me as soon as we arrived. Feelings were mutual, thank you very much.

So, I was there, in a secluded area by the pool minding my own business and drinking diluted tequila. And okay, I might have been staring at my Sun-Moon-Star tattoo and crying about my mum.

Then someone comes shouting. “Holy shit. Is that a bug?”

That was Dan and he mistook my star tattoo for a bug. I punched him for saying that about Mum’s last tattoo. He was drunk so he kind of fell into the pool and didn’t surface, and I thought I killed him or something.

So here I was pulling him out, crying and telling him I didn’t want to be a murderer. He opened his eyes laughing.

I talked to him about Mum and he told me about his grandma that he also lost recently.

Since then, we became inseparable. Best beginning of a friendship ever.

That’s why I know that Dan and I are tight even when I make fun of his team.

But hey, he once saw an impressionist painting and told me it looked like cockroaches walked on it.

It’s mutual and totally fair.

I peek up at him as he slides beside me with a stupid grin on his face.

“What?” I can’t help but grin back.

“I have huge news.”

Still cross-legged, I face him, his happiness rubbing on me. “Well? Are you going to have me beg you to say it?”

“That’ll work, too.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Like you begged Captain.”

“Oh, please. Not you, too, bug.”

“What? I’m wounded I had to hear about it like everyone else. I’m the best friend and should get inside scoop.” He shakes his head in mock sadness. “I’m telling you, our friendship is on a rocky path.”

I roll my eyes.

“You can fix it by telling me how you begged for it.” His eyes spark. “On your knees? On your back? Sixty-Nine? Or maybe— ”

I throw a small rock at his chest, shutting him up. “I told you it didn’t go that far. It was the drugs.”

He’s silent for a second. “I don’t think the drugs make you want someone you never wanted before.”

“How would you know that?”

He lifts a shoulder. “Just saying.”

“Whatever that means. Are you going to tell me your huge news?”

“Two words, baby.” He lifts his index and middle fingers. “Starting. Lineup.”

“What?”

“Coach chose me for the upcoming game’s starting lineup!”

“Wow, that’s great, Dan.” I can’t fake my enthusiasm no matter how much I try to.

He laughs before it all disappears and he gives me his poker face. “Your disinterest is showing, bugger.”

“Sorry, but I thought you didn’t care for the football team anymore?”

“Hell no! I said they don’t care for me.” He rubs his hands together with mischievousness and achievement written all over his face. “I knew my time would come! No more benching.”

“I knew you could do it.” I clasp his shoulder in a bro hug. “I’m proud of you, mate.”

“Hell yeah, baby. I’m proud of me!” He slaps his hand in the air as if he’s swatting an imaginary arse. “Can you imagine the number of girls who’ll be throwing themselves at me after the game?”

“You’re seriously a pig. Is that all you want to play football for?”

“It’s a primary reason. My to-do list will expand with this shit.” He snatches my half-eaten Hamburger and finishes it in two, huge bites. “There’s also all that glorious cheering and adrenaline. You’ll love it.”

“No, bug. Football and I aren’t friends, remember?”

“You promised,” he says over a mouthful of hamburger.

“No, I didn’t.”

“First year.” He switches to a calm, posh accent like some old BBC news anchor and fakes holding a mic. “When Daniel and Astrid first became friends, Astrid told him she hates football and Daniel told her he hates art. So they agreed to never fake interest for each other. However, Daniel promised to attend Astrid’s exhibition if she has one. In return, Astrid promised to attend Daniel’s games if he becomes a starter.”

“Ugh. I did.”

“Yes, you did, bugger.” He waggles an eyebrow, doing a mic drop motion. “You’re keeping that promise. Saturday night. Home game. We’re kicking some arse this season.”

There goes my plan to drag Dan with me to a museum.

“This is the captain’s last year and he’s so going to nail it.”

I hit his shoulder again. “Hey, bug, I might be attending your game, but save me the idolisation of Levi when he’s actively ruining my life.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t push against him. He’s King.”

“I’m hiding at the back garden for lunch, do I seem like I’m pushing?” I sound as incredulous as I feel.

The only reason why I’m not challenging Levi back is because I don’t want Dad to be called in by the school, or worse, to learn I haven’t been keeping away from the King surname as he ordered me to.

Besides, invisibility is hard when I have the school’s literal king breathing down my back.

However, I’m keeping my case with the police very much alive. If anything, I asked the deputy commissioner, Dad’s friend, to tell me if any other evidence showed up.

Screw Levi if he thinks he can take away my right to know the truth.

“He can be harsh, but he’s a cool captain.” Dan’s voice is filled with awe and the sad part is, I think it’s subconscious. “He vouched for me with Coach, you know.”

“Wait.” I look up from my ruined sketch. “Levi vouched for you?”

“Yeah, how cool is that?”

“Not at all. Don’t you find it weird that he vouched for you now of all times?”

“Nope.” He stands, flinging his backpack over his shoulder.

“Dan. The guy probably didn’t notice you for two years and now that he wants to destroy my life, he makes you a starter? Come on, this has set up written all over it.”

“Football, Captain, and Coach don’t work like that. A starter was removed and I took his place because I pushed myself to be better.”

“Dan…” I clutch his arm. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I think you’re a bad player, it’s just that the timing is weird, that’s all. I don’t want you to be hurt when things don’t turn out the way you’re hoping.”

“I’ll be fine.” His voice softens as he drapes an arm around my shoulder. “Just stay out of trouble, bugger.”

“Yes, mate.” I smile, glad the small fight between us is over.

He’s the only person who can make senior year tolerable.

Dan and I part ways once we walk back into the school. He has practice and I have a few hours to kill in the art studio before we head back together.

I sure as shit don’t want to go back home a minute sooner than needed and have to deal with Victoria’s honeyed snark, Nicole’s venom, and Dad’s cold shoulder.

Someone bumps into me, almost knocking me back on my arse. I brace myself at the last second and come face to face with none other than Nicole.

“Watch where you’re going, bitch,” she hisses under her breath and her two friends snicker like it’s the funniest joke they heard today.

I jab a finger at her shoulder and push her back. “You watch it.” I lean over to whisper so only she can hear, “Or does the entire school need to know that you and your mother are gold-diggers who stole my father from his family?”

Her eyes widen and I push past her, feeling a little better than I did this entire day.

“Do you think your opinion has any importance around here, slut?” She shoots behind my back, but I ignore her and slip into the art studio.

There are two junior students already sitting at their canvas, but they don’t bother returning my greeting.

Not only is my new found visibility a pain in the arse, but it’s also the wrong type of visibility.

I hoped all this would blow over, but it doesn’t look that way.

I sigh as I head to my locker for my apron. This place is my sanctuary, I won’t let anyone ruin it for me.

Even if the art teacher dismissed all the black canvas like they never happened. I had the vague idea that the entire school bowed to King, but I never thought he also had the teachers eating at the palm of his hands.

Naive old me.

The moment I pull my apron, my temper flares.

‘Slut’ and ‘Whore’ are written in red paint all over the white apron.

The junior kids jab each other, suppressing laughter and probably taking pictures.

My fists clench in the cloth as a hot, scalding wave rolls over me.

I don’t care if Levi did it or if someone else did it on his behalf, but I’m done shrinking back.

He pulled me out of my invisibility cave and he’ll regret every second of it.

If he wants a battle, I’m going to give him a bloody war.