Never Ever (East Raven Academy Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Author's Note

  Thursday, September 7

  Friday, September 8

  Saturday, September 9

  Sunday, September 10

  Monday, September 11

  Tuesday, September 12

  Wednesday, September 13

  Thursday, September 14

  Friday, September 15

  Saturday, September 16

  Sunday, September 17

  Monday, September 18

  Tuesday, September 19

  Wednesday, September 20

  Thursday, September 21

  Friday, September 22

  Saturday, September 23

  Sunday, September 24

  Monday, September 25

  Author's Note

  More Books by Scarlett

  Find Scarlett Online

  Never Ever

  East Raven Academy, Book 2

  Scarlett Haven

  Copyright © 2018 Scarlett Haven

  http://scarletthaven.wordpress.com

  All rights reserved.

  Cover by Scarlett Haven

  Edited by Janet at Dragonfly Editing

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  This is book two in the East Raven Academy Series.

  If you have not read the first book, I highly recommend you pick it up before reading this book.

  Thursday, September 7

  Immensely jealous.

  There is a small part of me that wants to slap the smug smile off this guy’s face. The only thing stopping me is the fact that I know this guy could most likely snap me like a twig. And, of course, there’s Estaine, who happens to be holding my hand like a good boyfriend.

  Estaine is a good boyfriend. A really good one. And I don’t want to scare him off by losing my temper in front of him. But, I swear, I’m about five seconds away from not caring anymore.

  Sander Soto is, literally, my worst nightmare come true. A miniature Uncle Matty and Jake, rolled into one package. Only worse. So much worse.

  Worse, because he’s my age, or close to it, though I don’t actually know this for sure. Worse, because he’s always going to be watching me. I get no breaks from him. And definitely worse, because he might be the hottest guy I’ve ever met in my life. Those blue eyes, blond hair, and killer smile are going to have all the girls swooning.

  Except me.

  No swooning.

  Definitely not.

  Eye rolls? Yes. Annoyed to death? Possibly. But fascinated by how his eyes look like the Pacific Ocean? Nope. Nuh-uh. Not happening.

  “Does he have to enroll at the school?” I ask, now looking at Jake. If anybody in this room is going to crack, it would be him. I can talk him into letting me have my way. I know I can. “Can’t he just stay here with you guys?”

  “No can do, Sweetheart,” the boy says.

  I now turn my attention back to him and try to ignore the fact that he’s so attractive I can barely form a coherent sentence when I look at him. If this were any other situation, I might swoon.

  “Call me sweetheart again, and I swear...”

  Estaine squeezes my hand.

  Oh, right.

  He’s still in the room.

  “You’ll what?” Sander asks, giving me a look that says he knows he’s won. But he doesn’t know me yet. I don’t give up easily. And I swear I will fight this until I can’t anymore.

  “Jake, please,” I say, now looking away from the cute boy. “He’s awful.”

  “Sorry, Sweetheart,” Jake says, in a teasing tone. “You’re stuck with him.”

  I roll my eyes. “Look at him. He looks like some kind of boy band wanna be. You can’t possibly think anybody would believe I would hang out with him.”

  “A boy band wanna be?” Sander asks. “I can’t figure out if that’s supposed to be a compliment or an insult.”

  “Shut it, pretty boy,” I say.

  “Excellent,” I hear Uncle Matty say, walking back into the room. “I knew you two would get along fantastically. Which is good, because Sander is your best friend from back home.”

  “Best friend?” I ask, choking on air.

  Not only do I have to have him follow me around, but now I have to pretend to be friends with the guy?

  “That’s his cover story and also will explain why he hangs out with you so much,” Uncle Matty says.

  “Right. So, he’s my best friend I just happened to have never talked about—the entire time I’ve been here—and have literally never texted or called. Makes total sense,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I don’t have friends back home. None. Won’t it be weird if I, a loner girl, show up with a best friend who looks like that, yet I have never talked about him before?”

  “Looks like what?” Sander says, one side of his lip lifting into a smirk.

  I roll my eyes. Again.

  “Phoenix is right,” Estaine says, coming to my rescue. “Nobody will believe she was ever friends with him.”

  “I suppose he could be your ex-boyfriend who decided to come here and win you back,” Uncle Matty says.

  I snort. “No. Everybody knows that Estaine is my first boyfriend. So, that won’t work.”

  “Didn’t you date that Brooks kid from West Raven?” Jake asks.

  Which causes Sander to smile even bigger. “You know what... I think I’m going to like this job.”

  “Why should it matter if everybody knows he’s my bodyguard?” I ask. “I figure everybody will know by now that I’m really Phoenix Black.”

  “Actually, East and West Raven have been censored from the news,” Sander says.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means there are no news articles there. If they Google Phoenix Black, nothing will show up,” Sander says.

  “How did you do that?” I ask.

  He smiles. “I’m Sander Soto. I can do everything.”

  “Are you secret service, too?” I ask.

  “No,” Sander says.

  No?

  That's all I'm getting?

  “What are you, then?” I ask.

  “I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you,” he says, smirking at me. But oddly enough, I don't think he's joking.

  I look from him to Estaine.

  Estaine is a good boyfriend. When Uncle Matty and Jake came and got me from the party last night, and took me to a safe house away from campus, he came with us. He’s had to skip school, too. Most people would run when they heard the kind of danger that I am in, but not him. I wouldn’t blame him if he changed his mind. I’m not sure I’d be as supportive if our roles were reversed.

  “Whatever,” I say, turning back to look at my new bodyguard. “Can we just go to campus? I was supposed to be taking an English test today. I’m pretty sure I’m failing that class as it is.”

  I’ve never failed a class before. I’m not a straight-A student or anything like that, but I do mostly make A’s and B’s. I am a good student. But since coming to East Raven Academy, my grades have slipped. Probably because I have missed so much class. Though, in my defense, English is the only class that I have below a B.

  “Need a tutor?” Sander asks.

  “No. I need a new English teacher,” I say.

  Since I missed today, there is no way that Mr. Anderson will let me retake the test. He didn’t even let me retake the test when I went to my cousin’s funeral. Not that I actually went to a funeral. Nope. That was just the cover. I was really spend
ing three days in hiding on campus, watching Smallville with Estaine.

  “Your other boyfriend keeps calling you,” Uncle Matty says, handing me my phone.

  Yeah, they confiscated my phone last night. And maybe they only did it because I threatened to call Charlie, but in my defense, I was feeling really homesick. I miss my stepbrother.

  I hit the ignore button on my phone.

  I’ll deal with Brooks later.

  “You’re not going to try to call Charlie, right?” Jake asks. “Because not only would that potentially put you in danger, but it could put him in danger, too. And it would be really stupid.”

  I sigh. “No. I won’t call him. I’m sorry that I tried. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Good,” he asks.

  “Can I call my dad, though?” I ask.

  “Your dad has a secure line,” Uncle Matty answers. “You can call him any time.”

  “Okay,” I say.

  I definitely want to call him. I miss him and Nora. I miss all my family. Being here isn’t so bad, really. I just wish I could talk to them... better yet, I wish they were here. Especially Charlie.

  “So, I will take these two back to campus,” Sander says.

  “Good luck,” Jake says.

  “You’re not coming?” I ask.

  “I am going home for a few days to see my wife and daughter. I’ll be back Wednesday, so don’t you worry,” Jake says.

  “Oh, good,” I say. “Have fun.”

  “Of course,” he says.

  I’m glad he gets to see his family. Still, I am immensely jealous.

  I'm the mess.

  We are hanging out in Estaine’s dorm this afternoon while everybody is in class. We got back on campus too late to go to our last class, and there is still about forty minutes before anybody gets out for the day.

  I wanted to be outside. I feel like I’ve been forced to be indoors a lot lately. But Sander said he’d feel better if we stayed inside for the time being. A huge part of me wants to be defiant and refuse to do what he says, but that’s just stupid. This isn’t a punishment. This is entirely for my safety. Just because I don’t like that Sander is here doesn’t mean I have to treat him badly. It’s not his fault. He’s just doing his job.

  “Are you okay?” Estaine asks me.

  Nobody said a word on the way back to campus—except Sander. I think that guy has a sarcastic response for literally everything. Really, I should be impressed by his quick wit.

  I shrug my shoulders. “I mean, I guess. All of this is a lot. And I don’t want another bodyguard. Especially not one who is literally on campus. I mean, the guy is in the hallway outside your room right now. I’m surprised he’s not in here with us.”

  “He’s not in here, but if he had to be for your safety, I would understand,” Estaine says. “And honestly, I feel a lot safer with him here. It seems like he knows what he’s doing.”

  “He does,” I say, completing agreeing with him. “I mean, I feel like he’s some kind of super spy.”

  Estaine laughs. “Me, too. I was thinking that when I met him. But he seems kind of cool. And I don’t think he’s that much older than us.”

  “Can you imagine? I mean, he looks eighteen or nineteen. And I keep picturing some secret, underground school where they train teenagers to become spies,” I say.

  “That would be awesome,” he says. “How do I sign up?”

  “Are you kidding? If that were real, it would be totally secret,” I say. “Like, only an elite group of people can get in. But, of course, if it were real, I don’t think something like that could stay a secret, you know? Not with today’s technology.”

  “I don’t know,” Estaine said. “I mean, you heard what he did. If people at our school Google Phoenix Black they will get absolutely nothing. That’s not something the average teenager knows how to do.”

  “He can’t do that,” I say, pulling out my phone. I’m going to prove him wrong. But when I type in Phoenix Black, the web page literally won’t load. It just stays there, like it’s going to load, but just never does. Then I look at top headlines. And there is no articles mentioning my name.

  What the heck?

  This guy is good.

  As I am on my phone, I get another call from Brooks, but I send him straight to voicemail.

  “Wow. Maybe he is good,” I say, locking my phone.

  “Yeah. He is,” Estaine says. “Which is why I don’t mind him being here. It’s a little inconvenient, but it’s worth it for you and this school to be safe.”

  “You’re right,” I say.

  “Are you ever going to talk to Brooks?” he asks, nodding his head towards my vibrating phone.

  I nod. “Yeah. He will be at our school tomorrow for the game against West Raven. I’ll talk to him then. I just... don’t have the strength to have a heavy conversation on the phone right now. Honestly, I just want to forget this all happened, and move on.”

  “Understandable,” Estaine says. “I am not the biggest fan of Brooks anyway.”

  “Do you... think that anybody else in the school heard the news about me before it was taken down?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, if they did, we’d probably know about it by now,” he says. “If the secret service isn’t worried about it, then you shouldn’t worry either.”

  “You’re right,” I say. “I just do worry. I mean, I know that none of this is my fault, but sometimes it feels like it is. I don’t want anything bad to happen because of it. Like, what if they find me? And what if they do something bad at this school? What if people die because of me?”

  “This is about something so much bigger than you,” Estaine says. “And it’s not even about you, or your dad for that matter. They are terrorists, Phoenix.”

  “I know. I know—in theory,” I say, frowning. “But...”

  “You’re a girl, therefore, you overthink things?” he finishes for me.

  I laugh. “Exactly.”

  He puts an arm around me and kisses my forehead.

  “Do you regret asking me to be your girlfriend, yet?” I ask. “Because, if you did, I wouldn’t blame you. All of this is a lot.”

  “I don’t regret it,” he says. “I promise.”

  “If you... change your mind... about us... I wouldn’t be mad at you,” I say.

  “Have you changed your mind?”

  “No,” I answer. “I really like you.”

  “Good. I was hoping you weren’t going to dump me for your pretty-boy bodyguard.”

  I laugh. “Never.”

  “Okay,” he says, then smiles.

  Estaine and I... were messy.

  Well, let’s be honest, I’m the mess.

  But we're gonna be okay.

  At least, I think so.

  Nightmare.

  “Hey, everybody,” I say, when I sit down at the dining table that afternoon. But they're not looking at me. They're looking at the boy sitting to the right of me.

  Sander Soto.

  My bodyguard.

  Here is the part where I have to lie to all of my friends and tell them that Sander is my best friend from back home—it’s where I have to convince them that we are inseparable and that we’ve known each other for years instead of just hours.

  “I’m Sander, Phoenix’s best friend from Malibu,” Sander says to them, giving his 1,000 watt smile. “I missed her so much that I convinced my parents to let me transfer here. I look forward to getting to know all of you.”

  “Best... friend...” Teagan repeats, then looks at me. “You have a best friend who looks like that, and I am just now hearing about it?”

  I just shrug my shoulders like it’s not a big deal. Like everything is right in the world. Like he’s not going to annoy the crap out of me. Like I can’t see that he’s the most beautiful boy I’ve ever met.

  “Estaine, you’re okay with this?” Jason asks.

  “Of course. I went with her to pick him up from the airport,” Estaine says, then waves a hand at Sander. “G
lad you’re here, man. You’re going to love East Raven Academy.”

  “Absolutely,” Sander says.

  “Uh... Phoenix? Can I talk to you? In the bathroom?” Teagan asks.

  “I guess,” I say.

  When I get up, both Teagan and Emma do the same.

  Oh, great. Now I am about to have to freaking lie and hope that they don’t catch me. I’ve been doing pretty well so far. Kind of. But also, kind of not. I have kept my real identity a secret from everybody but Estaine, so I don’t think I’m doing that badly.

  “What the heck, Phoenix? How could you never mention that your best friend is hotter than Thor?” Teagan asks.

  “I didn’t think it was important,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “I mean, he was in Malibu. And you guys don’t talk about your friends from home, either. Besides, I don’t think he’s hot.”

  Lie.

  Such a bold-faced lie.

  “Yeah, but none of our friends look like that,” Emma says. “He’s... hot.”

  “You both have boyfriends,” I say.

  “She does,” Emma says. “Ian and I have just been making out.”

  “You had a boyfriend up until a couple of days ago,” I say. “Besides, he’s just a friend. I didn’t feel like it was important to mention him.”

  “Is he single?” Teagan asks.

  Crap.

  I don’t know.

  For a split second, I consider telling them that he has a girlfriend. I highly doubt he’s going to want a bunch of high school girls hitting on him. But then I think maybe that is exactly what I need. If he’s getting hit on constantly by the girls in our school, maybe he will leave me alone.

  “No. He’s single,” I say, smiling at my own cleverness.

  “And you don’t have a thing for him?” Emma asks.

  I shake my head. “I have a boyfriend.”

  “You and Estaine have been dating barely half a week,” Teagan says. “And no offense, but this guy came a long way to supposedly be around a friend. It sounds like the two of you have a lot of history.”