Chapter thirty-eight Bexley
Chapter thirty-eight
Bexley
“I’m going… to die,” Soph cries. “Help.”
“I can’t,” I whine. “If we touch each other, it’s a fail.”
The sounds coming from our mouths would probably make me die of sheer embarrassment on any other given day. But right now, I’m more concerned about actual death and making it to the end of this horrendous gym exam.
After we completed the theoretical proportion at the start of class time, we were ushered to the field for the physical test.
Distance run. Followed by pushups and situps.
And if that’s not all, apparently to finish we have to hold a plank for at least ninety seconds to successfully pass.
We’re fucked. No—actually.
My excitement about leaving Willowbrook is fading away like the oxygen deprivation occurring in my brain, becoming nothing more than a dream.
We’ve only just started the physical tests.
Soph and I are desperately fighting for our lives on the track.
I’m absolutely confident that, somehow, these bastards have made the track length longer overnight.
We’re only halfway through the running section of the examination, and the thought of more torture after this, has me considering faking my death.
Maybe they will award me a posthumous diploma out of pity.
I try to distract myself by searching for Ry, hoping that a glimpse of his shining, sweaty muscles might kick my cardio stamina into gear. But the insanely gorgeous love-of-my-life slash pain-in-the-ass is miles ahead, figuratively speaking, almost finished the distance run.
Dammit it!
“I love you,” I mumble pathetically to Soph. “Avenge me.”
“You’ll have to avenge me first,” she sniffles. “Oh, my God. I didn’t even get to sleep with Parker yet. This isn’t fair.”
I yelp, wheezing like I’m choking on glass. “You’re… going… to… ?” I run out of air before I can finish, but Soph understands the gist.
She stumbles slightly, arms flailing and flapping like one of those inflatable wacky waving tube guys. “I wanted to! Now I’m going to die a virgin. It’s not fair.”
“No, no,” I ramble, finding my determination to live. “We have to corrupt you first. Okay—breathe in and out. We can do this. For the dick, Sophia! Fight for the dicking.”
A shadow rolls over my face. This is it—I’m at the pearly gates. A devilish angel is standing over me, grinning in pure amusement.
“You okay?”
Rylan’s face is swimming in and out of focus and all I can do is offer a weak thumbs up before my arm falls back onto the grassy ground.
“No,” I mumble, contradicting myself. “I can’t move.”
There’s a whimper from my right, Ry glancing over at Soph before chuckling. “Do you need me to carry you?”
“Don’t you dare leave me behind, Astor,” Soph threatens. “I’ll haunt Tai and you.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Sophie.”
“Fuck… ow.” Her curses trail off, hand blindly reaching for me. I manage to clasp her palm, the pair of us sprawled out like grass angels while the rest of the class disappears into the changing rooms or start to head back to the main building.
“Hey, at least you passed,” Ry offers, failing to muffle a laugh. “Come on, let’s sit you up.”
His warm hands slide behind my back, gently pulling me upright. Ry hands me his water bottle before maneuvering Soph to the sitting position as well.
“I don’t think the pass was worth it,” I mumble. “Thank fuck we never have to do that again.”
Ry squats down in front of me, steady on the balls of his feet. “I’m proud of you,” he tells me. “You can rest now.”
“Shit,” Soph groans, slowly climbing to her feet. “I hate you, Bexley Spencer.”
“Love you too,” I wave drunkenly. “Enjoy your American Lit exam.”
She lets out a few more pained noises before limping to go get changed. Ry takes her spot next to me, reaching for the water bottle.
“I have the house to myself this afternoon,” he says casually. “Do you want to come over?”
I nod, eyes closed as my breathing finally settles. “Sure. Bring Tai and Hunter too if they are free.”
“As if I could keep them away,” he jokes. “How was work?”
Opening my eyes, I peer over at him. “I’m sorry,” I say sincerely. “I should have listened to you.”
All his carefree energy vanishes, expression hardening. “What do you mean?”
Sighing, I fill him in on what happened with Elliott, not missing the way his fist clenches as I speak.
Ry’s eerily silent when I finish, and for a second, I’m actually worried he’s about to drive to the coffee shop to hunt down the man.
Finally, he relaxes—only slightly, though. “I’m glad you handled it,” he says in a low, dark tone. “We can talk more about it this afternoon and help figure out a plan.”
It’s hard to ignore the uncomfortable sensation that heavily twists my stomach into knots when we walk into the Astor residence.
Even though Mayor Astor isn’t here, it makes me feel sick knowing his lingering presence is around.
Hunter places a hand on my lower back, rubbing soothing circles. “We double checked his whereabouts before leaving Willowbrook. T confirmed he’s three hours away.”
“Yep!” Tai answers, appearing on my right. “Away on business until tomorrow.”
The two of them drove us here since my truck is at Willowbrook and Ry’s is written off.
We decided to take two modes of transport, just in case the four of us being in one vehicle is too tempting for drunk drivers.
I did offer to drive myself, but Hunter suggested it might be best to avoid having my vehicle seen here.
“Good,” I murmur, looking over at Ry as he pulls his jersey off, discarding it on the floor with his sneakers.
His six-pack ripples from the cool draft blowing out of the ducted air conditioning system. It’s sweltering today, and despite how I feel being here, I follow suit, pulling my own jersey off and tossing it on top of his.
“Screw this heatwave.” I breathe out, immediately feeling better.
Ry’s gaze drifts down, taking in my sports bra and skirt. “I like the heat.”
“Eyes. Here,” I playfully scald, motioning with my fingers for him to look up at my face.
“Like you weren’t staring at his chest,” Tai teases. “I saw you, perv.”
I face Tai, cocking my brow. “I was observing, Beckett. Assessing his removal of clothes to decide if I should do the same.”
“You should always do the same,” he answers back without missing a beat.
Snorting, I drop my bag by the door, heading toward Ry’s kitchen. “Now, who’s the perv?”
After we all grab some cold drinks and snacks, the four of us head upstairs to Ry’s bedroom. I steal one of the beanbags, stretching out to get comfortable.
“Alright, fill the guys in,” Ry directs. “I gave them the CliffsNotes version.”
I relay the events again, touching on both my and Ry’s weird feelings regarding Elliott.
Now that I’ve had all day to process it, and successfully survived the dreaded gym exam, I’m no longer just livid at the whole situation—I’m shattered too.
“It’s taken me so long to get a job,” I explain. “And normally, my first instinct would be to quit. But I feel like I can’t.” Slouching back, I glance between the three guys. “Especially now, with the house and all.”
Hunter’s face is rigid, clear anger mirroring mine. “I could help with the money,” he offers.
“Me as well,” Tai adds. “Maybe it’s for the best. You can always just keep applying to other places. But if this asshole isn’t going to keep his hands to himself, it’s not worth all of us stressing over it.”
The comment makes me laugh out loud. It’s the worst code word ever because none of us are stressed about this. We’re furious, tired of all the problems that keep popping up at the most inconvenient times. Stressing is just a polite way to say we’re all about to throw hands.
Great—the last thing I need is to be arrested again. Shit… what if Elliott twists the narrative and calls the cops? There’s no way in hell they would make the same mistake twice.
“Look,” I start, giving them both a tight smile.
“I’m really appreciative of the offer. But you know that’s not possible.
” Turning my gaze to Rylan, I purse my lips.
“You’ll just get cut off as well. The chances of a loan flying under their radar is nearly impossible.
We can’t fuel the fire when your fathers are extremely volatile right now. ”
Hunter scoffs. “Frankly, I don’t give a shit about my father. We’re adults and it’s our money.”
I nod empathetically. “I know. But if it’s in a trust fund or some kind of account managed by them, you don’t have a choice here.”
“She’s right,” Ry agrees, frustrated. “That’s what they want. We’re being pushed into a corner.”
“I just hate that it makes me want to give up,” I confess quietly. “No one has ever made me feel like this before.”
Hunter reaches over, clutching my wrist. Stroking my skin with his finger, he shoots me a firm look. “I know,” he says. “But you’re not a quitter. Remember you’re Bexley Spencer. They have no idea who they are up against.”
I smile at him. “Thanks, Hunter. That’s why I love you. I needed to hear that.”
His finger pauses on my wrist, eyes darkening. “What did you say?”
Shit—that kind of slipped out unintentionally. It felt so natural, a genuine reflection of my feelings toward the three men that have crashed into my life in the most chaotic way.
I have so much gratitude because I don’t think they realize how much they have inspired me to keep fighting back, the strength they’ve given me lately.
It’s just easy to forget that he and I have never spoken those words because, while I do feel it, and I’ve expressed that with Ry and Tai, my dynamic with Hunter is still new and raw.
“She said she loves you,” Tai repeats, grinning.
I shoot Tai a quick warning glare. Hunter ignores him, eyes locked on me with an unreadable intensity.
“Go get it,” Hunter finally says.
I’m confused at first, but apparently it wasn’t directed at me because Ry stands, disappearing out of the bedroom.
The door across the hallway opens, closing again a few seconds later before he re-emerges, holding a long, black garment bag.
“What’s that?” I ask, puzzled as I scan it curiously.
Hunter takes the bag from Ry, facing the zipper away from me as he opens the bag. “We have a gift for you.”
My eyebrow shoots up. “Don’t tell me it’s a dress and that Soph has persuaded you to team up against me for prom,” I amusedly mutter.
“Not quite,” Ry answers, as Tai grabs a folder from under the bed, holding it out toward me.
“What’s this?” I ask suspiciously, taking it from him. At no point can I confidently guess their next move, completely bewildered as I hold back a laugh.
But as I flick open the folder, my smile falters when I spot what’s inside.
“... How did you get this?” My voice is quiet, low. I’m seconds away from breaking, wondering if what I’m seeing is real.
Because it can’t be. Can it?
Hunter slips the garment bag off, revealing the piece inside. My eyes widen in astonishment. I’d recognize her drawings anywhere, even if Mom’s signature wasn’t scribbled at the bottom, staring back at me.
My hand cups my mouth as I read the handwritten date next to her name. She drew this while she was in the hospital, days before she was suddenly ripped away from me.
The dress Hunter is holding up is a perfect replica of her sketch.
The soft lavender tulle gown has a sweetheart neckline that dips into a semi-sheer corset-style bodice.
Thin shoulder straps dazzle in the light from little silver gems, similar to ones along the waist band before three tiers of soft tulle cascade to the floor.
It’s exactly me.
Because it is. She designed it… for me. Her final gift.
Ry kneels down so we’re face to face. “It was in her belongings from the hospital,” he replies in a tender tone. “It must have fallen under my bed. So, the three of us decided to have it made for you.”
“Now you have a piece of her again,” Hunter adds. “Something those bastards haven’t touched.”
Tai beams, elbows to his knees, resting his chin atop cupped hands. “Soph said you can keep it in her closet if you want or if you don't have the space at Archer’s.”
I’m choked up by the gesture, still speechless as Hunter hands the dress to Tai, shuffling in front of me. He grabs my face, giving me a soft smile.
“I love you as well, Duchess.”