Chapter 19
My hands skimmed over the uniform. It fit me shockingly well. I wasn’t sure how they’d gotten the sizes down. Maybe Carly had given them to Colt.
I’d never worn a uniform in my life, but I’d expected scratchy fabric and boxy cuts.
Not for Castle Preparatory Academy, what I’d learned was the official name of the school thanks to my blazer.
The shirt was the softest cotton I’d ever felt.
The kilt was lined with satin so that the wool didn’t touch my skin.
And the blazer cocooned around me perfectly.
I surveyed myself in the mirror. I’d used the curling iron Baldwin had left in my bathroom to add some waves to my red hair. My heart squeezed as I took it in. The same hair as my father. The same deep green eyes, too. I really had no similarities to my mother, and I was grateful for that.
I’d done my best with the makeup. Adding mascara to my lashes and a bit of lip gloss. I hadn’t wanted to mess with the rest and end up looking like someone out of the eighties.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the leather backpack that had been delivered alongside a heap of clothes I didn’t even want to think about. One thing at a time.
I gave Briar a quick scratch behind the ear and headed out the door.
When I reached the stairs, I could hear voices coming from the dining room.
My stomach flipped. I couldn’t imagine what school with the guys would be like.
The idea of handling this new world on my own was overwhelming, but I didn’t want to be a burden to them, either.
As I stepped into the dining room, all conversation stopped, and four pairs of eyes locked on me.
I swallowed hard as I took in each expression.
They were all different. A muscle in Ronan’s cheek fluttered as his gaze bored into me.
Colt’s expression was full of longing and maybe a bit pissed off.
Dash wore a grin a mile wide as his blue eyes sparkled.
The anger in Trace’s violet irises sparked and danced as his fingers tightened around his fork in a vise grip.
I glanced down at myself. Had I done something wrong? Was I wearing the wrong outfit or something? “Is this okay?” I asked softly.
Colt was on his feet in a flash. “You look gorgeous, LeeLee. That’s the only reason we’re staring.”
Trace and Ronan quickly averted their eyes, but Dash just kept smiling. “Too gorgeous for your own good.”
Heat hit my cheeks, and I quickly slid into the open chair between Colt and Dash, dropping my bag to the floor next to me. Dash quickly loaded my plate with eggs, a biscuit, and some fruit. My stomach pitched as I looked at all the food, unsure if I’d be able to eat anything at all.
Dash reached over and squeezed my thigh. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Trace muttered something under his breath, downing the rest of his coffee.
My gaze pulled to him as if he held some sort of magnetic force. There was a darkness swirling around him. It was more than just his hair and the tattoos covering his hands. That darkness was in him. More than that, a deep sadness.
“What?” he snapped.
I jumped. Anger quickly followed on the heels of his startling. I hated the idea of Trace knowing he affected me so deeply. “I was just wondering why you’re so sad.”
The guys stilled as Trace stiffened. “I’m not sad. I’m annoyed as hell that Colt dumped you on us, and now, we’re going to have to watch your back every second of the day.”
I straightened in my chair, fighting the blush that rose to my cheeks. “Good thing I’m not counting on you to watch my back. If I were, I’m sure there’d be a knife in it.”
Ronan tried to disguise his laugh with a cough.
Trace shot a scowl at him, then turned that angry look in my direction. “You think you won’t need me, but you will.”
I shrugged. “I’m not asking you for anything. But you seem determined to make yourself miserable, so have fun with that.”
Dash choked as he took a sip of juice. “God, does she have you pegged.”
“Okay, I think that’s enough. Let’s just have a nice breakfast,” Colt said.
I took a big bite of my biscuit. I didn’t want Trace to think that he had any effect on my appetite.
Colt turned to me, sliding over a piece of paper. “This is your class schedule. They tried to match it to the classes you were in at your old school as much as possible.”
My brows pulled together. “How’d you know what classes I was in there?”
Colt grinned. “I’ve got my ways.”
“Stalkery ways,” I mumbled.
Ronan snorted.
“You can ride with me to school, and I’ll take you home, but we don’t have a ton of classes together,” Colt informed me.
Trace’s head snapped up. “That’s a bad idea. Give her one of the Rovers to take.”
I didn’t bother telling him I didn’t even have a driver’s license.
Colt’s gaze narrowed on Trace. “I’m not letting her show up at school alone.”
“You’ll just make her a target,” Trace growled.
“I can walk. Or I’ll get a bike after I get a job,” I hurried to say.
Ronan shook his head. “It’s too far to walk or ride your bike.”
I worried the corner of my lip. “Is there a bus I can take?”
Dash laid his hand over mine. “You can ride with us. Don’t listen to Trace. It’s not a big deal.”
Trace shoved back from the table. “This is going to be a nightmare.”
The ride to school was beyond awkward. I was shoved in the middle of the back seat between Dash and Ronan. Their large frames made me feel just a bit claustrophobic. It didn’t help that their scents swirled around me.
I’d never really been aware of how guys smelled before. But Dash was a mixture of pine and cedar. Ronan reminded me of a dewy morning after a hard rain. That didn’t even make sense. But I wanted to roll around in both of them.
Trace sat in the front passenger seat, staring at the road and pretending none of the rest of us existed. Colt seemed lost in his own world as we drove.
Each moment of silence twisted my stomach tighter. By the time we pulled through massive iron gates, I wanted to throw up.
As the school came into view, my jaw dropped. Castle Prep was an appropriate name. The main building looked exactly like the castle from a fairy tale, complete with turrets. It was only missing the moat and drawbridge.
I gaped at the cars in the parking lot. BMWs, Mercedes, Porsches, and even a Ferrari. This was not my public school, that was for sure.
Colt pulled into a parking spot with Carrington printed on a sign in front of it. His hands tightened on the wheel. “Stick close today.”
The guys all nodded except for Trace, who shoved open the door and jumped out of the SUV.
“This is going well,” Ronan muttered.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured them. “I’m good at fading into the background.”
Ronan stared at me. “The last thing that you are is invisible.”