Swamp Princess (Skystead Prep Book 1), page 4
I quickly tap out a response.
Brinley
Thank you, but not tonight. I just got here, and you know how I am about school work. I want to be a little ahead before I go dancing.
I watch the dots form and disappear telling me he doesn’t know what to say. Finally, after a minute, I get the last message before we stop in front of a classroom. Fine, but next weekend, it’s you and I, babe.
Fine…
I know he will bring me my stuff tonight and try to convince me otherwise, but I like to have a solid foundation before I do anything and that means my homework. Even in my old school they gave a syllabus and by the time the second month of school came, I was already done with my work and helped Blaise and perfected mine. Coming here definitely can not change that.
“Here is your class, the teacher's name is Mr. Brooks.” Haven sighs and I see a wistful look. “He’s not like the other teachers, in fact he’s the kindest.” Shaking her head, realizing she said that out loud, she opens the door and I follow her. She walks right to the desk and my body snaps to attention, realizing I am the last person, so the entire classroom is full and I nearly die.
“Haven, who do we have here?” I force my eyes on the teacher and am surprised by his appearance. He is young, and his face remains boyish. He has an auburn and chocolate tint to his hair and a light stubble on his chin. His eyes are a bright hazel. I can see why Haven is crushing. He’s still a prep, so not my type.
“Mr. Brooks, this is the new student, Brinley Venice.” His eyes move to mine and he smiles.
“Nice to have you, Brinley. If you want to take a seat.” He motions to the two person desks and the only one that is left open is next to a boy who from here, I can tell is tense. “Well, you will have to sit next to Remington. Here is a notebook with a fine point pen, take it to your desk.” He dismisses me and I make my way back, trying to ignore the sudden whispers again and the hateful looks.
Once I get to the seat, I decide to try to be polite and I turn to my new desk mate. “Hello, I’m Brinley.” I smile and hope it seems warm. My nerves are starting to get the better of me. His face whips to mine and the sneer on his face is something that I wasn’t expecting.
“Don’t fucking talk to me, swamp slut.” My face shuts down and I gasp. I was not expecting that from him.
Fighting the urge to punch him in the face, I angrily look down at my book and get even more pissed to find that I have to fight tears from slipping to the book underneath my face.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s begin,” Mr. Brooks says. “This year, we will be focusing on the cynosure of essay writing along with short stories. I will pass out your laptops. The notebook is what I like to call a book bible where you will list the topic that I give you and then jaunt down your ideas, that book will also be a part of your final grade so do not take it lightly.”
He leans down and pulls out laptops and starts passing them out. Once I get mine, I marvel at it. I’ve never been able to afford one of these and now I get one for free.
“Don’t steal it, swampy. It has a tracker in it.” The venomous whisper comes from my desk mate.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I spat at him, trying to keep my voice lowered.
His eyes turn to slits, and he moves closer to me. I look at the teacher who is currently writing on the board, oblivious toward the confrontation. His mouth gets so close to mine I can smell the coffee and the mint he had this morning. “You. You are my problem, and I don’t like you.” He sits back as the teacher turns around.
“The first prompt will be to write a two-page, one lined spaced paper about who you think you were in a past life and why.”
I sit back. I was not expecting that, but I get to work, putting my asshole desk mate out of my mind.
Chapter Five
The day has been long and exhausting. I have my full syllabus and I plan to spend the night in my room or the library catching up and getting ahead. Haven met me at the end of the day and showed me to my room. She cringed a little, opening the door expecting me to disapprove of the small room.
I couldn’t have been happier. My own room. One queen bed. A small dresser and a closet. A standing mirror behind the door. It was everything and so different from my room in the trailer that I almost cried. As I headed back to the dining hall, I got a message from Blaise and a photo of Greasy B’ famous burgers. I smiled and sent him a text letting him know I was on my way.
He had my bags and food. I was so happy he drove all the way back over. Granted it was only a thirty-minute drive across the tracks, but he didn’t have to, and yet, he did and also brought me food. Soon I won’t be able to hide how I feel for him and am going to have to tell him.
I leave my room and head downstairs, smiling at my phone when I crash into a wall. Lifting my head, I realize it wasn’t a wall at all. In fact, it is a man. A gorgeous male. My eyes trace his face and strong jaw. He looks to be on his way out. He is dressed in designer jeans and a pressed white t-shirt over a sky-blue shirt.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say, getting ready to move around him when he puts his hand out to stop me.
“You should watch where you’re going, swamp trash.” His tone is laced with venom, and I have no idea why.
Sighing, I look up at his face and can see how much my presence is bothering him. “Well, I’m sure you saw me looking at my phone and could have moved around me, too.”
“I don’t move out of the way of trash. It moves.” Again, with the trash.
“Dude, fuck off, I have somewhere to be.” I try again to step around him when my exciting desk mate steps forward along with another male I saw in my class.
“Watch your fucking mouth or we will have you kicked out,” Remington says.
“Fuck you. How about that? You don’t hold that much power,” I say, putting my hands on my hips, needing to leave so I can meet Blaise.
“Oh, you don’t think?” The one in front says, stepping closer to me. It takes everything in me not to sniff him. “Our fathers fathers founded the school, and our fathers stepped in.”
I blanch. I wasn’t expecting that. It must show on my face because they all laugh at me. Not wanting to start anything more, I grumble out an apology and again try to step around the now mass wall of male. My attempt is again blocked.
“Where are you going? It’s not like anyone here would want to hang out with you.” The other one who hasn’t spoken says. I take him in now that he is closer. Blond hair and blue eyes. Clean shaven with a strong jaw. His eyes are steel when they meet mine.
“I don’t think that is any of your business.” Tired of the shit, I push past them forcefully. I don’t look back, but I can hear them following me and I speed up a little, thankful that they don’t speed up as well. What the hell were they doing there anyway? This was the girl’s side of the dorm. Again, I shake my head when I think about it, they were probably getting laid. Or headed to get laid. They may reek of money, but they are still gorgeous. I take off the moment I get to the front doors. I haven’t changed out of my uniform because I am hoping for a little more with Blaise tonight.
I see his mustang the moment I exit. He is in the front parking lot which is now only half full. The other cars must have been drivers for the entitled brats here. Blaise gets out of the car and I rush to him. The thought that I would do anything for him flies through my head as his arms close around me.
“Hey, princess.” He kisses me and my body melts. This man has the power to destroy me and he doesn’t even know that. I absorb his smell and his touch that goes straight to my heart, patching the pieces of me that have cracks.
“Hey, Blaise,” I say, needing him. I bury my face in his shirt and he kisses the top of my head again before tilting my head back and forcing my chin up.
“Long day, babe?” His eyes focus on mine, seeing every emotion that I would try to hide from him.
“Yeah, but it got better just now.” He leans down and his lips hover over mine for a moment. I won't stop him. My heart is already in his hands. There is no getting it back. His lips touch mine softly at first. Pulling me close to his body, his hand reaches up to cup the back of my head and he devours me.
Breathing heavily, he breaks the kiss. “God, I missed you.”
I giggle a little. I missed him too, but that’s not what I say. “You saw me this morning.”
“You know it’s not the same.” He pulls my hand and leads me into the passenger side, letting me in. I wait while he moves around to the driver’s side when my eyes meet those of the three rich pricks on the steps, coming down. I flick my eyes away from their stares.
Blaise climbs in, handing me a bag of food and my stomach rumbles, making him laugh. “What are they not feeding you in this fancy school?”
“They are, I just didn’t have dinner, duh.” I roll my eyes as he starts the car, backing away from the parking spot and then shifting into drive. His hand starts digging into his own food, and I know now would be the best time to tell him what happened with Vince.
“Blaise, I have to tell you something.”
His eyes meet mine briefly and I know he probably sees guilt since I never told him yet about Vince. “Did you sleep with someone?” I hear slight anger in his voice. It’s something I file away as wishful thinking, that he would be jealous. Blaise fucks others, why would he be mad if I did? Though lately, I haven’t seen him fuck anyone.
“No. It’s about Vince though.” Blaise pulls over and I see we are at a restaurant that looks like it is in the process of being remodeled.
“What about that fuck?” I hear more anger than expected and again, I want to ask him about it, but he looks guarded, so I know not to push on this.
“He was at my trailer and my mother got some coke from him.”
His snort is loud, but I can hear the irritation as he says. “That’s not surprising but I am guessing there is more to it.”
“Yeah, so.” I fiddle with my hands in my lap, trying to figure out the best way to tell him this. “My mother basically traded me for coke. You know how Vince is about payments and he has wanted me for…”
“Forever. Fucking, god damnit. Your mothers a fucking piece of trash, like my dickbag father.” Blaise slams on the steering wheel, making me jump. “I’m sorry, Brin.”
“He has given me until summer.”
“Fuck.” Sighing he reaches over and grabs my thigh. “Don’t worry, Brin. I will fix this.” I don’t know how he will but with the determination in his eyes, I trust what he says.
“Thank you.”
“Always. Now no more talk about that. Climb over here.” Blaise moves his seat back and smiling, I move over, sitting on him. He brings his mouth to mine and devours me like he always does. “Did I tell you you’re hella fine in this?”
“Yes, now show me.” I whisper against his lips, slamming my mouth back to his. I’m already lost. I’m going to enjoy every second of him.
Chuckling, he pulls back again as his hand starts to circle my clit over my panties. “What happened to no kissing?”
“Shut up, Blaise.” I grind against his hand, when the horn blares, scaring us both. I chuckle and lean forward. I pull his cock out of his sweats and run my hand along his length, feeling him leaking already.
“Sit on this cock.” He pushes up enough to pull his sweats down and I move my panties aside, not needing much stimulation since I am already soaked for him. “Good god, you look so good when you stick my cock inside of you.” His head falls back as I sink onto him and thrust my hips forward.
His hands grab my hips and grind me against him while I unbutton my top, leaving the tie on. His eyes flare when he sees my bra.
“Help me out of this.” I whisper against his mouth, leaning forward. His hands fly to my bra and unhooks it and his eyes drink me in. For the moment, I feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” Blaise leans forward his mouth taking in one of my nipples, swirling it around his tongue. I am so thankful for the dark of the night and the cover because one look at me and he would know how in love with him I am.
I grind against him the best I can in a car and his cock thrusts in and out of me. I rip his shirt off and lean down and bite his shoulder, needing to mark him. When Blaise doesn’t protest, I suck on his neck hard, knowing I am going to make sure he is visibly marked.
“Fuck, Brin, don’t stop that.” He moans out between thrusts. My legs are starting to cramp but I wouldn’t stop this even if I was in serious pain. Blaise is letting me mark him and damn it, I will. When I am sure I marked him, I move back to his lips and kiss him like he is the very air keeping me alive. I want him to know how I feel without actually saying the words.
“You’re killing me, babe. I’m going to cum.”
“Me too.” I’m breathless and the moment his thumb runs circles on my clit while he slows his thrusts, I fall apart. My body spasms and I feel him release inside of me. He doesn’t pull out, he just keeps pushing inside me until his cock softens.
We both still and I lean back down and kiss him. When I pull back, I can see he is fighting about saying something to me. “Brin, I…”
A knock on the window startles me, my hands fly to my shirt, covering my chest while Blaise turns pissed off eyes to whoever interrupted. I look out and see the three dickheads standing by the window. Blaise rolls the window down and snarks out the window. “What the fuck?”
“This is private property, swamp trash, and you can’t be here.” I carefully remove myself off Blaise making sure I duck a little to get my clothing back in one place. Loyal moves forward and Blaise quickly puts himself away while looking at the three assholes. “My father owns this property, so unless you want to get your ass in jail, I suggest that you leave.”
“Fuck you.” Blaise says but he starts the car while my mind wraps around the fact that these dickbags are here. How long were they here? “Fuck, these guys. Who the fuck are they?” Blaise looks at me and I shrug.
“I just met them today; they are the sons of the founders of this school. They are in most of my classes.” I shrug trying to gather myself.
“Well, fuck them.” He pulls out and starts heading back to the school. I can tell he is angry, but I want to know what he was going to say before we got interrupted.
“Blaise, what were you going to say?” His eyes flick to mine for a moment, and he sighs.
“Not tonight, Brin. I’m too angry now.” That’s weird. He sounds guarded again and I know I won’t get more from him. We travel in silence with his hand on my leg and when we pull up to the school he leans over and kisses me. I can tell he is distracted but it still hurts.
“Goodnight, Blaise,” I say.
“Night, Brin.” He pulls away and leaves me standing there. I watch his car until I can’t see it anymore. I miss him already. Turning, I head back into the school, taking my time. Even though I have only been here for a day, it already feels like I have been here for years.
I don’t fit in and I have no friends here. I only have people who think I am trash and want me gone. By the time I reach my door, I fumble for my key, already exhausted from the emotions tonight and from the day itself. A rough hand reaches out and grabs my arm and I look down at the hand before looking up and meeting the eyes of Kingston, the prick from my science class.
“What do you want? I’m tired and don’t have the energy.” I stick my key in the door and unlock it when he pulls me against him, crowding my space.
“The next time you want to fuck your little boyfriend, do it in the swamps.” He drops my arm and turns on his heel and my world drops. He freaking saw us and is just now telling me. Not having the energy, I sigh and just go into my room and close my door. I don’t want to deal with him more than I have to.
Chapter Six
“Today’s topic will be, if you could change one thing in the world to make it better, what would it be and why? You will also express the downfall of that change. You will write a two-page, one spaced compact page explaining your reasoning. We will focus on punctuation and spelling, and I will be looking over the paper to see the depth and the overall context. I want to see how deeply you believe in what you write. Make sure you send the completed paper as a doc to my teacher's email which is on the board.”
I look down at my laptop, blanking on what I want to write. There is so much in the world that I want to change but pinpointing one thing is hard. I tap my fingers on the keys, typing the first line.
If I could change one thing in the world it would be
The hardest thing is trying to find the answer. It seems like the easiest thing to do would be to pick the first thing that comes to mind, but that doesn’t seem right. I end up going with poverty. I would change that people live like they do when they don’t have the money. I would change the pay rate for people so they can actually live, but as I’m writing I start to see where the downfall would be.
Some people are just lazy and don’t want to work. Even if we implement higher standards of pay making it so people aren’t just living to work, then there are people who still would refuse to work, forcing their children to live that way too.
I am so engrossed in my writing that class flies by quickly. After sending my paper off to the teacher, I finally feel his eyes on me. “What?”
I turn my head now to fully focus on the asshole next to me. Remington glares in my direction and refuses to say anything. Turning back to the front, I try to focus on the teacher again. When he finally dismisses us, I go to get up but I am shoved from behind.
“Move, swamp bitch.” Remington sneers at me. My arm flies forward dropping everything in my hands and sending my laptop skidding across the floor. The remaining students don’t take long before they start laughing. No one moves to help me which doesn’t surprise me, seeing as they are SO welcoming of people from the swamp.
They say we are the bad ones but really it is them. They act like everyone from the swamps is below them. Really, when South Warren was divided, I guess you could say that it was partially correct. You have a side of the tracks that is swimming in money, expensive cars, houses, and school. They even have the best shopping malls and foods.
