Ever After (East Raven Academy Book 1) Read online

“Blend in, not get yourself killed,” Jake says.

  “I thought I was safe here.”

  “You are,” Uncle Matty says. “But what happens if your location gets compromised, and you’re not safe anymore? We wouldn’t even know where to find you.”

  “How about this... I’ll text you guys every time I go to the docks, that way you’ll know where I am,” I say.

  “Fine,” Jake says, but clearly neither one of them are happy about it.

  Too bad.

  I’ve already given up everything to come here. I’m not giving up anything else.

  An hour later, on the way back to my dorm, I smile when I read the text from Brooks.

  BROOKS: Already booked our flight.

  BROOKS: BTW, pretty sure I’m going to fail every single class, because I can’t concentrate. I keep thinking about this brunette that I met last night...

  Yeah, okay.

  Pretty sure now I won’t be able to concentrate, either.

  8am.

  Got it bad.

  “What are you smiling about?” Ian asks, as I take a seat the table in the dining hall.

  Right now, there is just Ian and Estaine at the table. I guess everybody else is getting a late start.

  Crap.

  Why am I smiling?

  I can’t just tell them I’m smiling over Brooks. Especially considering I told Estaine I would stay away from him.

  “Food,” I say. “Duh.”

  The food does look pretty awesome. Plus, there is a coffee shop right here on campus and I needed a double shot after today’s training.

  “You’re weird, Phoenix,” Ian says.

  “Thanks,” I say, grinning. Being weird isn’t such a bad thing. Really.

  “I happen to like your level of weirdness,” Estaine says.

  “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Ian asks.

  Estaine and I both laugh.

  “It was supposed to be, but it came out wrong,” Estaine says. “What I mean to say is I think you’re a pretty cool chick.”

  “Last time somebody told me I was pretty cool, they asked me to hack their girlfriend’s phone records to see if she was cheating on him,” I say. “Do you need me to hack something? If you do, all you have to do it ask. I don’t need flattery.”

  Another tray joins the table.

  “You can do that?” Bryce asks, as he sits down. “You can hack somebody’s phone records?”

  “Yep,” I answer.

  He looks worried.

  “Don’t worry,” I tell him. “Pretty sure Emma doesn’t even care that you’re cheating on her.”

  At least he has the audacity to look guilty. Maybe he has a conscience after all.

  Still, if he’s not interested in truly dating Emma, he should just break up with her. Sure, it would suck for Emma. And me, because she’d probably be crying in my dorm room. But she would get over it and move on. Maybe she’d even get a new boyfriend, one who wouldn’t treat her like dirt.

  “I never cheat on Emma,” Bryce says. “I always break up with her before it gets that far.”

  “Right. So, sending girls flirty text messages doesn’t count as cheating,” I say, the sarcasm heavy in my voice. “Got it. So, you wouldn’t care if Emma was texting other guys?”

  Bryce casts his gaze downward. He just answered my question without speaking. Of course he wouldn’t be okay with it.

  My phone vibrates and I know without looking that it’s Brooks. I wait until the guys start talking about football, to read the text, careful to keep my phone hidden underneath the table. I so do not want anybody finding out that I’m texting him.

  BROOKS: My friends keep asking me why I'm smiling... I told them it's because I was texting you. They laughed at me, called me a girl, until I showed them your picture. Now, they're all jealous.

  ME: Now I know you're delusional...

  BROOKS: Tell me about the last guy you dated.

  ME: Isn't it a little early to be having the ex talk? Which, by the way, would be a very short talk. I have had one boyfriend. In the sixth grade. I broke up with him after a week because he took another girl to see my favorite boy band. I'm clearly still heartbroken.

  BROOKS: Please tell me you're joking. Because if you're not, guys on the West Coast are seriously idiots.

  “I don't think I've ever seen her use her phone so much.”

  “Earth to Phoenix.”

  I look up and see that Teagan and Emma have now joined the table.

  “Sorry,” I say, locking my phone. “It was... my cousin.”

  Another lie.

  I'm already lying about who I am. I get it. It's for my safety. But now I'm lying about Brooks. I hate liars. How did I become one?

  Oh, right. Because I was kidnapped by terrorists and given a new identity by the government for my safety.

  “Sam, Penny, and Zoey want to have a girl’s hangout night tonight,” Teagan tells me. “You in?”

  “Obviously,” I say.

  “They really like you,” she says.

  Why?

  Seriously, I don’t feel like I’m a very likable person. I’m really not, because if I was, maybe I would’ve had more friends in Malibu. Instead, I just tagged along with Charlie and all of his friends.

  “They tried to talk me into joining the dance team,” I tell her.

  “The dance team looks fun, but it interferes with our soccer schedule. Obviously. They dance at the games,” Emma says.

  “You should join the dance team,” I tell Emma. “That way you can go to the football games and the soccer games.”

  “But there is also field hockey, basketball, baseball, swim team, and a ton of other sports,” Emma says. “The dance and cheer team are always super busy. I mean, it looks like they have a blast, but...”

  Bryce.

  It’s her unfinished word.

  Being busy isn’t bad. I like being busy. And I have a feeling it would be good for Emma.

  If only I could talk her into it.

  “You should do it,” I tell her, then look at Bryce. “Right, Bryce?”

  He looks at me, stunned, then looks at Emma. “Absolutely, babe.”

  “He’d even come watch you dance,” I say.

  He nods his head.

  Ha.

  I love that he’s scared I’m going to hack his phone records.

  I equally hate that he’s scared of it because he knows Emma would dump him if I did. Which means he definitely has something to hide.

  “Maybe,” Emma says, grinning genuinely for the first time... ever. At least, since I met her.

  Emma is kind of gorgeous. Honestly, I think she might be the prettiest girl in this school. Her skin is pale, but more in a porcelain beauty kind of way. She’s got big brown eyes and long blonde hair. I could definitely see her hair up in a ponytail, swishing back and forth as she dances.

  I finish up eating and walk towards my first class. On the way there, I text Brooks back.

  ME: I’m not joking. I even went to homecoming with my brother’s best friend because nobody asked me. I was kind of a loser.

  I hit send, then realize my mistake.

  Crap.

  It’s hard not to talk about Charlie to everybody, because Charlie is important to me. We did everything together when I was in Malibu. And now that I’m here, I miss him like crazy.

  BROOKS: Maybe your brother ran all the boys off. I have a younger sister. She’s a freshman. I definitely warned all the guys to stay away from her.

  ME: That’s awful! And Charlie wouldn’t do that. We are the same age. Well, he’s 3 months older. But he would’ve totally been okay with me having a boyfriend.

  BROOKS: How is your brother 3 months older?

  ME: Charlie is my stepbrother.

  BROOKS: Oh. I thought your parents died when you were a baby.

  Well, I’ve really done it now.

  I’ve got to be better at this whole lying thing.

  ME: They did.

  ME: It’s a long s
tory. One that is better told in person.

  That way I have time to think of a lie.

  BROOKS: Is that your not-so-subtle way of telling me that you want to see me again?

  ME: Absolutely.

  I enjoy flirting with Brooks way too much.

  Seriously, I need to tell my friends about him. I’m lying about so much already.

  But then I think about how both Estaine and Jason warned me to stay away from Brooks. Really, what is so bad about him? Is it just because he goes to our rival school? I’d ask, but then they’d know I was still talking to him.

  As I’m walking into class, my phone vibrates again.

  BROOKS: Soon.

  And the thought of seeing him again, soon, makes me way too happy.

  I’ve got it bad.

  7pm.

  He’s into you.

  My first day of school is officially over.

  It wasn’t so bad.

  Except my first class of the day.

  English with Mr. Anderson.

  Okay, usually I’m not bad at English. But for some reason, my English class is a freaking poetry class. Poetry. I have never, ever understood poetry. And we have to interpret these poems. And you’d think, hey, you can’t get that wrong. Everybody interprets things differently, right? Wrong. We have to have a specific answer. And I hate it.

  Also, Mr. Anderson is awful. He called me out in class twice. I mean, come on! It’s the first day! Stop making me answer things. I’m pretty sure he already hates me.

  But now, I am hanging out with Zoey, Penelope, Samantha, Teagan and a girl named Layla.

  Layla is on the cheerleading squad, and I guess that the cheer and dance teams are rivals. But Layla is the sweetest girl ever, and I’m pretty sure she would get along with anybody.

  Emma was supposed to come, but I guess she’s hanging out with Bryce.

  “So, Emma signed up to try out for the dance team,” Samantha tells us.

  “Wow. That’s great,” I say.

  “I didn’t think she would actually follow through,” Teagan says.

  “If she makes the team, do you think she would flake on us half-way through the season?” Zoey asks.

  “Maybe,” Teagan answers. “But she needs this bad.”

  Everybody agrees.

  “I just don’t understand why Emma is with Bryce,” Layla says. “She’s such a sweet girl. And Bryce is... a scumbag. He’s talking to half the girls on the cheerleading squad. I just don’t understand what any of them see in him.”

  “Me, either,” Teagan says.

  Definitely not.

  I don’t get the fascination. Especially considering there are a lot of good looking guys at our school.

  “So, what’s the deal with the whole East Raven versus West Raven?” I ask, changing the subject.

  I’m tired of talking about Bryce.

  “Originally, it was just Raven Academy,” Penelope answers. “It was founded by Prescott and Lawrence Raven in 1902. The story is that the two brothers got into a huge fight and so they split up the school in 1912. It then became East Raven and West Raven. They split the property down the middle. Prescott ran the east side and Lawrence ran the west.”

  “Wait, so West Raven literally is attached to the East Raven property?” I ask.

  “Yeah. Well, a road now splits it up,” Zoey says. “But it’s right across the road.”

  “I guess I get the rivalry a little better now,” I say. “I just don’t like it. There are probably nice people at West Raven.”

  “I have friends at West Raven,” Layla says. “They’re not bad. We just pretend to hate each other at the games and stuff. It’s fun.”

  Estaine had said something similar.

  “Okay. So, if I was friends with somebody from there, it wouldn’t be a big deal?” I ask.

  “Of course not,” Teagan answers.

  Good.

  Because, seriously. The last thing I want is my friends to be mad at me because I’m friends with Brooks.

  The girls start gossiping about the first day, so I pull out my phone real quick to see if I have a text from Brooks.

  We’ve been texting all day. I have a few texts waiting for me.

  CHARLIE: Call me tonight. I miss you and need to hear your voice.

  Yeah, ditto.

  I miss my brother so much.

  ME TO CHARLIE: Absolutely. I’ll call around 10pm my time.

  I look at the other messages.

  ESTAINE: Want to hang out?

  BROOKS: What are you doing? Meaning, I hope you’re doing nothing because I want to video chat with you and see your beautiful face.

  OMG.

  He thinks I’m beautiful.

  Gah.

  ME TO BROOKS: It’s girls’ night. I’m hanging out with my friends. Maybe you know them? Teagan, Zoey, Penelope, Samantha and Layla. Anyway... raincheck? Because even though I think you’re delusional for telling me I have a beautiful face, I still want to video chat.

  ME TO ESTAINE: Can’t tonight. It’s girls’ night!

  Just as I hit send, my phone is yanked from my hands.

  “Hey!” I protest.

  “Estaine,” Teagan says, grinning at me as she passes my phone back. “You’re smiling really big.”

  Oh, thank God.

  They think I’m this happy because I’m texting Estaine.

  I’m not quite ready to tell them about Brooks yet.

  “We’re just friends,” I say.

  It’s the truth.

  Estaine is very attractive. And he’s a nice guy. But he’s not Brooks.

  “So, you can tell me you’re not at least a little attracted to the guy?” Teagan asks.

  “Of course I’m attracted to him. The guy is a walking Abercrombie ad,” I say.

  “I knew it!” she says, pumping her fist up.

  “Aw, you two will make a cute couple,” Penelope says.

  “I know, right?” Teagan says. “I so knew Estaine was crushing on you.”

  “You think?” I ask, genuinely curious.

  I’m not very good at knowing if a guy is into me. Unless the guy is very direct about it, like Brooks is. And even with Brooks I’m unsure if he really does like me.

  “Absolutely,” Teagan answers. “Besides, why else would he want to hang out?”

  “Because we’re friends,” I say. “Friends hang out.”

  “Just trust us,” Penelope says. “He’s into you.”

  Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.

  10pm.

  The boys are... irrelevant.

  “Hello.”

  Charlie answers on the first ring.

  He was obviously waiting by the phone for me to call.

  I love that he was.

  “It is so good to hear your voice,” I tell him.

  Seriously. It’s been too long. I just want to see him. Give him a hug. And never let go.

  Family should never be separated.

  Stupid terrorists.

  “I miss you,” Charlie says.

  “I miss you, too,” I say. “Like, a lot. I kinda wish you were here. Boarding school is actually kind of fun.”

  “Wow. I never thought I’d hear you say that,” he says. “There must be a guy involved. Is there? I need his name, address, some references, and a background check. I have to know if he’s good enough to date my sister.”

  “There are lots of guys here,” I say. “Like, really hot guys.”

  “But there is one in particular,” Charlie says.

  “Maybe,” I say.

  “Which means yes. Just tell me,” he says.

  “Fine,” I say, as I pace back and forth in the stairwell. “His name is Brooks. And he has the bluest eyes. And his smile. Oh, my gosh, Charlie, I have never, ever felt like this before. It was, like, love at first sight.”

  “Love?” Charlie asks.

  “You know what I mean. Attraction. Like magnetic, earth moving, attraction,” I say. “And I know he felt it, too. We’ve been t
exting nonstop. The only problem is he goes to West Raven Academy and I go to East Raven. Our schools are rivals, so I can’t tell anybody about him. Everybody thinks I like this other guy who goes here.”

  “Wow. Two guys. I’m impressed,” he says.

  “Shut up.”

  He laughs. “My little sister is a playa.”

  “I am not.”

  “Tell me about the other guy,” Charlie says.

  “Um, we’re just friends,” I say. “I mean, he’s hot. Like, super-hot. And he goes to East Raven. But he’s not Brooks.”

  “You’ve known these guys for three days, Phoenix,” he says. “Maybe you should get to know them before you make a decision. The magnet guy could turn out to be a jerk.”

  “Possibly,” I say, hoping that’s not the case. “But either way, I want to be both of their friends.”

  “Speaking of friends... have you made any?”

  “Actually, yes,” I answer. “Well, I’m starting to. I’m friends with my roommate, Teagan. She’s on the soccer team. And we just clicked right away. I’m also friends with some girls from the dance team, Zoey, Penelope and Samantha. We all hung out tonight. It was awesome.”

  “Are they hot? Because, you know, I’m single now,” Charlie says.

  I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me. “You’re always single.”

  “True.”