The Plan: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Breakbattle Academy Book 2), page 1
The Plan
A Breakbattle Academy Novel
Ruby Vincent
Published by Ruby Vincent, 2019.
Copyright © 2019 by Ruby Vincent
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
***
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
The Execution
Mailing List
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chapter One
“What the hell is this?!”
“Language, Jordan.” Aunt Bev’s bat ears picked her up from the hall. The clomp of her work boots reverberated off the walls, preceding her until she appeared in the doorway. “You don’t need to— Hera, help me. What the hell is this?”
Disappointment settled in me and I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. I should have known my family wouldn’t sugarcoat things for me. That’s not what the Manning women did.
“It’s a disgrace is what it is.” Mom pinched the pillow between two fingers and held it before her wrinkled nose. “There are stains on this! It looks as though they found this furniture on the side of the road.”
Yep, no sugarcoating.
Mom turned away from the bed and flung the pillow in the direction of the waste bin. “I will buy you another one.”
Jordan pushed past me into the room. “Might want to get her a mattress too... and a bed frame... and a new room.”
I wished there was something I could say in defense of my dorm, but it was even more horrible than I imagined. A month ago, I slept in the A Class dorm on a bed that cradled me in a memory foam cocoon as I slept. I had a sitting area, television, my own desk, and a wardrobe.
If I hadn’t passed through the gates and read Breakbattle Academy proudly emblazoned on the iron, I would have thought I entered a nightmare instead of my school for the next four years. There were no desks in here. There was no television. There was no sitting area. There weren’t even chairs.
The only thing that greeted us in this minuscule space other than the bare metal-framed twin beds and the wooden trunks that lay before them, were the cracks in the plaster walls and the dust coating the single ceiling fan.
Aunt Bev let my duffle bag slip through her fingers as she planted her hands on her hips. “This is enough. You can’t let her stay here, Brenda.”
“My name is not—”
“Never mind that now,” she snapped. “Are you seeing this? There are prison cells with more amenities!”
Jordan cringed. “Plus, no bathroom. I hate to say it, cuz, but maybe Mom is right. How is this supposed to work?”
I glanced at my mother and noted the slight frown as she looked around. This wasn’t good. She couldn’t change her mind now. Not when I was so close.
“I knew I wouldn’t have a bathroom,” I spoke up. “Only B Class and up get their own bathrooms while the rest of us have to use the showers on our floors. It’s simple. I’ll go early in the morning or late at night when they’re still in bed.”
Aunt Bev shook her head. “It would only take one night owl or early riser to stumble in and this will all go up in flames.”
She had a point, but I wouldn’t let on. “It’s going to be fine, Auntie. Mom and I have already discussed it. Right?” I glanced at Mom who was still frowning. “Right, Mom?”
“Yes, we did,” she said through pinched lips, “but this is worse than I was expecting.”
My throat tightened. “What does that mean?”
“It means we’ll need to give this space some upgrades if my child is supposed to stay here.” She clicked her tongue. “We lived in villages with no plumbing or electricity and I’d take that over this. It’s a disgrace and you can be sure I’ll be putting it in the book. I can only imagine what it’s like on the girl side.”
Mom snagged Jordan’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come with me. We’re going shopping.”
Jordan winked at me on the way out. “Don’t worry. We’ll turn this trash heap into something semi-livable.”
I was so relieved Mom wasn’t forcing me to leave all I could do was smile—that was until I turned and caught sight of Aunt Bev’s piercing look.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I wonder if you’ve really thought this through—”
“I have.”
“—because fooling a few boys for a week while they were focused on their tests and trials is very different from spending the next four years eating, living, and learning together. Not to mention, if you make real friends, your deception might eat away at you.”
I tensed as her speech went on. “I know it won’t be easy to keep my secret, but Mom and I discussed every possibility. Besides, they already think I’m a guy. Short of seeing me topless—which isn’t going to happen—there’s no reason for them to suspect I’m not.”
She closed the distance between us. “And my last point about the guilt of lying to your friends and pretending to be someone you’re not? What about that?”
My fists balled within the sleeves of my sweater. “It will be hard, but I have to do this.”
“Why?” She looked hard at me, capturing my gaze and refusing to let go. “Why do you have to do this?”
“Mom’s book—”
Aunt Bev held up a finger. “I told you I wouldn’t hear that lie anymore. I know this is not about any book.”
I pressed my lips together, falling silent. I couldn’t tell her.
I could trust Jordan to keep my secret. I could trust Jordan with anything, but if I told Aunt Bev, she’d go straight to Mom no matter how much they fight. There was just no way she’d hide something like that from her sister and Mom would yank me out of this school the second she knew the truth. She might even yank me out of the country and take us back on the road. I wouldn’t let that happen. Now that I was here, I was getting close to Derek Grayson. This was all about Derek.
We locked in a staredown that was only broken by the sound of voices in the hall. I blinked when I recognized them.
“—this room on the end.”
“But damn this place is grim,” said an older, deeper voice. “Worse than I remember. I’m pretty sure that skid mark on the wall has been there for the last twelve years.”
“Jaxson,” hissed a feminine voice. “Let’s be more positive, please.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Adam replied as he pushed in the door. “I figured this was what I was in for when I got my placement.”
Despite myself, and Aunt Beverly’s watchful eye, a grin broke out on my face. “Adam! I can’t believe it. We’re roommates again?”
“Yep. I think Argyle felt bad about”—he gestured around us—“this, so she put us in the same room.”
“We did say we’ll be in this together,” I said as he tromped inside weighted down with duffle bags. “At least until we can figure a way out of this mess.”
Miss Val was right behind him. “I have spent the summer looking into that,” she said. “You cannot retake the placement test, but you have the same chance to move up a class as the other students. So don’t worry.” She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Hard work does not go unnoticed at Breakbattle Academy.”
“Thank you, Miss Val, I’m sure everything... will be... fine.” My eyes drifted over her shoulder as the rest of Adam’s party filed in.
Holy mother. Are they Adam’s dads?!
One by one, the most gorgeous men I had ever seen out of a magazine walked into our dingy room.
Miss Val looked over her shoulder. “Oh, Zeke. Let me introduce you to Adam’s dads. This is Ezra.”
A man with perfectly coiffed hair and striking dark eyes inclined his head as he set one of Adam’s bags on the floor.
“This is Maverick.”
My eyes went up, up, and up to peer at the massive hulk of smoldering muscle that waved to me.
“This is Ryder.”
“Nice to meet you, Zeke.” Ryder was next to shake my hand. The act brought him close enough that I could trace the edges of his raven-colored beard and wonder if I was truly looking into silver eyes.
“And this is—”
“Jaxson Van Zandt,” said a blond man in a slick leather jacket and an even slicker grin. “The man. The legend.” Jaxson sidled up behind Miss Val and wrapped his arms around her swelling abdomen. “You’ll watch out for our firstborn, won’t you?”
I cut eyes to Adam who was fighting a laugh. “I’ll try, but I think it’s him who’ll be watching out for me. I only survived orientation week because of him.”
Aunt Bev came up to me and put her arm around my shoulder. “Zeke was homeschooled up to now. This is his first year in a traditional school.”
Jaxson whistled. “What a place to start out. Breakbattle is as far from traditional as it gets.”
“Yes, I admit I had some reservations. I hoped my nephew would go to the local high school with my daughter, but he and his mother thought this place would be a better... fit.”
Miss Val nodded, the pleasant smile still on her face. “I completely understand. No one wants to hear ‘your child’ and ‘battle’ in the same sentence. This school is built on ideas that many find radical.”
“I’m worried about the toll this will take on him.”
“I am too. Zeke’s well-being is my top concern along with all of the students.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, I’m the school therapist.”
“You are?” I picked up a note of interest in her tone. “Will you be meeting with Zeke?”
“Twice a semester.”
“I didn’t know that.” Aunt Bev shuttled me off to the side as she faced Miss Val. “Is it possible you two could meet more often?”
My eyes widened. “Aunt Bev?”
She went on like she didn’t hear me. “Just with the homeschooling, flunking the placement test due to a vicious prank, and being surrounded my male peers for the first time, I think he may need more help adjusting.”
“Aunt Bev!” I hissed.
She flapped a hand at me without looking my way. “Zeke, go help Adam unpack.”
“Actually, we’ll take over from here,” Maverick spoke up. “Why don’t you guys go find your friends?”
“Thanks, Dad. Owen and Justin just texted me that they were here. We’ll go check out their rooms.” Adam came over and grabbed my arm before I could protest. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye, okay?”
Ryder leaned over and ruffled Adam’s curls. “We won’t, son.”
“I’m definitely open for more sessions for students who need them,” Miss Val said as Adam dragged me out. “But Zeke’s mom would have to request them.”
“I’m sure my sister will agree with me that...”
My stomach was a tangle of knots as we left our new dorm behind. I did not like where that conversation was going. Aunt Beverly was being good about using “he,” “Zeke,” and “nephew,” but it would only take one slip-up to sink me.
“You mad about being in the F Class?”
Adam’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. I glanced over at him as we headed for the stairwell.
The hallway was empty except for us. I came early to lessen the shock for my family of seeing a parade of boys stomping in and out of my new home, and no doubt Adam did the same because his mother had to report for work. Something about this felt like peace before the storm and I wanted to enjoy it before everyone else came—before the Elite arrived.
“No, I’m not,” I said honestly. “I’m just happy to be here. That stunt Cam and his buddies pulled could have gotten our admission rejected.”
He scoffed. “I have no doubt that was the idea. I’ve been thinking about it all summer and it was planned. Santi getting us out of the cafeteria when he did. Cam stalling us until he dropped the final ultimatum. If we had agreed, we would have made it to the test with the other guys, but running to get help would have doomed anyone to miss it and get kicked out of the Elites and Breakbattle. We were only saved because Mom fought for us.”
“Their plan was exceptionally cruel and devious.”
Adam gave me a look as we reached the third-floor landing. “You’ve summed up Cameron Dupre perfectly. Exceptionally cruel and devious.”
There was nothing to say in response to that. Every orientation the Elites came up with something to test the newbies, but it was Cameron’s idea to murder Derek. What kind of sixteen-year-old would come up with a test so twisted?
My mind didn’t offer up an answer to that question so I tried not to think about it. There was plenty of time to worry about Cameron and the rest of the Elite Network.
It was Sunday and move-in day. After unpacking and saying goodbye to our families, we would meet up in the auditorium where the battle system and life at our new school would be explained. Then the next day would be the first day of classes and the official start of the year. I was being thrown right in and even though I had no doubt I hadn’t heard the last of the Elite Network, I needed to focus on the real reason I was here.
“Owen is in the room on the end,” Adam said. “399.”
I glanced around the hall, taking in the stark differences from the one I had just left. The C hall wasn’t on the same level as the A hall, but there were no skids on these walls. The wallpaper was a clean simple cream and the gray carpets were stain-free.
“I’m glad he got into the C Class,” I said. “Showing up to orientation with a broken arm was the worst luck, but he got through.”
“I think he would have been in the A Class if his scores on the trials hadn’t brought him down. I wish they’d bend on their ‘no exceptions’ rule.”
“Your mom said something about hard work being rewarded though. If it is possible for us to move classes, how do we do it?”
“We would have to—”
“Mom, I think that’s Adam.” A voice cut us off as Owen stuck his head out the door. He looked the same as when I last saw him which made sense. It was only a month ago. His long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but now both hands were out of the sling. “There you are. Let’s check out Justin’s dorm.”
“Let’s see yours first,” Adam replied as he stepped around him. “Do you know who your roommate is?”
“Nah. He’s not here. We only came this early because Mom and Dad have work.”
I followed Owen inside to see an older couple making up one of the beds. I introduced myself as I took in the C dorm. It wasn’t very fancy. They didn’t have a bathroom, sitting area, or television. Instead, there were two metal-framed twin-sized beds, two desks, and two trunks. Where they mainly differed from the F dorms is everything in here had been maintained and was spotless. The furniture in my dorm looked like it was fished out of a landfill.
It doesn’t matter, Zela. You came here to get close to Derek. Everything else is just details.
We finished our snooping and then headed up to see Justin. He opened his door looking pretty pleased with himself and why not? His room boasted everything ours did but he had his own bathroom and a sitting area minus the television.
“It’s not so bad, right?” asked the freckled boy. “Mom went out to pick up some more things, but I like it. Derek and the rest of them were saying they would drop out if they didn’t get into the Elite Class, but I don’t think it will be that bad to be a B. Plus, once you guys move up, orientation week won’t even matter.”
“Hope so,” Owen said as he hopped up on Justin’s desk. “But I still don’t understand what happened during orientation. How could you guys miss the practice test?”
I chanced a look at Adam. I didn’t know what he told his friends over the summer but at the end of orientation, I felt we made a silent pact not to tell the whole truth. We explained to Argyle that Cameron, Santiago, and Derek pranked us, but we left the other boys out of it and did not mention a word of the Elite Network. The three of them were already starting the year with two months of detention and I did not want to piss any more people off.
“Cam and Santi pranked us,” Adam finally said. “They lured us out into the woods and made us think a student was in trouble, so we ran to find Mom and missed the test.”
“Bastards,” Owen cursed. “Damn, what’s wrong with those guys? They’ve been messing with us since middle school, but that’s too far. Argyle should have kicked them out.”
Justin shook his head. “Kick out two Elite students? Something tells me that group can get away with anything.”
Unfortunately, no one spoke up to argue with that. All of this was new to me. Bullies, vice principals, and high school hierarchies. I hoped orientation wasn’t a glimpse of what the next four years would be like, but I wasn’t optimistic.
We hung out in Justin’s room a little longer until his mom came back loaded with bags. That was the hint that we should go down and help our own families set up our dorms. When Adam and I returned to our room, it was packed.
“There you are, Zeke,” Mom said when I stepped in. “We’ve gotten you new sheets, pillows, a mattress pad, a trunk, a chair, and a rug.”
