Empire High Betrayal Read online

  “Can’t you guys just kiss and make up already?” I asked.

  Rob laughed.

  Matt didn’t.

  “I knew you were funny,” Rob said. “One of the many reasons why I think we’d make a much better couple. Isn’t dating the high school football star a little cliché? Soccer’s a much sexier sport, Sanders. It has international appeal. We could travel the globe together.” He gave me another flirtatious wink.

  Was he trying to start a fight?

  “If you haven’t noticed the ring on her finger, she’s mine, dipshit,” Matt said.

  “I don’t know…yesterday when we were hanging out she said it was just a promise ring. As far as I’m concerned, promises are just declarations that are begging to be broken. What do you say, Sanders? Meet me in the treehouse at midnight?”

  Yeah, he was definitely trying to start a fight. Somewhere in all that ridiculousness were fighting words. And I needed to put a stop to it right now because Matt looked like he was about to strangle Rob. “I’m happy with Matt,” I said. “Which I made clear yesterday. So I won’t be meeting you in your treehouse. And also like I said yesterday…I’d appreciate it if you stopped flirting with me. I know you’re just trying to get under Matt’s skin.”

  Rob put his elbows on his desk and leaned forward. “I love a girl who knows how to take control.”

  “Is there a problem back there?” Mr. Hill asked.

  Shit. Shit, shit, shit. He was going to make me read out loud for the entire period. I could feel myself sinking in my seat.

  “No? Great. May I continue then?”

  “Of course, Mr. Hill,” Rob said.

  Mr. Hill squinted at him and then cleared his throat. “Very well.”

  So he’s not going to punish me? Thank God. Just as I started to breathe a little easier, Mr. Hill started talking again.

  “As you know from the syllabus, there is no midterm per se in this class. But I will need a status update on your projects. I expect them by the end of the week.”

  Oh, crap. How were we supposed to finish our group project when Rob and Matt were fighting? James had given us a pretty good head start on the website. But we still had to figure out exactly what was going to make our fitness site unique.

  I glanced over at Matt. He was staring at the board, but it didn’t look like he was paying attention at all.

  I needed to make sure he knew I was all in with him. I didn’t want him to have any more doubts. I picked up my pen and jotted him a note:

  How do you think your parents would feel about me moving in until Isabella goes off to college? Or more importantly…how would you feel about that? Would you get sick of me after a year?

  I tore out the sheet from my notebook, made sure Mr. Hill wasn’t looking, and slid it onto Matt’s desk.

  He read it and a smile spread across his face. “Are you serious?” he whispered.

  “My dad said it was okay,” I whispered back. “If it’s okay with your parents, I mean.”

  “I don’t think they’d mind at all. My mom already loves you.”

  I smiled.

  “And what about you?” I whispered. “You want me to stay?”

  “Are you kidding? Of course I do.”

  “I’m not going to ask again,” Mr. Hill said. “Is there a problem back there?”

  “Sorry, Mr. Hill,” Matt said. “It was all me.”

  “Great, Mr. Caldwell. Then how about you pick up on page 107 then? Second paragraph down.”

  Matt gave me a small smile and then opened up his book and started reading. And reading. And reading. He seemed to take the punishment a lot better than me. Where I stumbled over the words, he read them perfectly.

  I rested my chin in my hand as I watched him talk. He was really good at public speaking. I knew that he wished he could take over his dad’s company one day. But maybe he had more to offer than that. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that his dad wanted Mason to take the reins. What careers needed good public speakers? Politics, for sure.

  I smiled to myself. In the blink of an eye I could almost see our future. He could be the mayor of New York. I could take over my dad’s business. Matt and I could rule this town. Us against the world.

  Sometimes thinking of the future made my chest hurt. I used to be scared of not having one. Of my life being cut short. But I wasn’t my mom. I wasn’t my uncle. I was healthy. Dr. Wilson had confirmed it. And if I could get these stupid panic attacks under control, I’d be perfectly content. I wasn’t going to die young. I had my whole life ahead of me. My whole life with Matt.

  The bell rang and Matt slammed his book shut.

  “Next time don’t talk during my class, Mr. Caldwell,” warned Mr. Hill.

  Matt rolled his eyes and looked over at me. “You’re welcome,” he said.

  “What? You were talking too. It’s about time someone got in trouble other than me.”

  He laughed. “I know, I was just messing with you.” He shoved his book into his backpack. “Do you have time for a quick visit to the auditorium before you get whisked away back to my house?”

  “What exactly are we going to do in the auditorium?”

  “Just because I’m loving you out loud now, it doesn’t mean I don’t get to love you in private anymore. See you in a few,” he said and tossed a note on my desk.

  I looked down at his familiar scrawl.

  Baby,

  Meet me in the auditorium in five minutes?

  Love,

  -Matt

  P.S. I’ve spent a lot of time waiting for you in the auditorium. I hope my future wife doesn’t leave me hanging anymore.

  I was smiling so hard it hurt. I looked up and Matt was already gone from the room. I folded up the note and slipped it into the pocket of the front of my blazer. It was the first note he’d ever signed. And he’d called me baby a few times, but for some reason seeing it in writing made my heart race.

  “When are we going to meet up to do more planning on Operation Disappearing Troll?” Rob asked.

  I almost jumped. I hadn’t realized he was still in the classroom. “I can’t, Rob. We’ll have to plan the rest of the prank via text. Here.” I wrote down my cell number on a piece of paper and handed it to him.

  “James isn’t going to be happy about this. I’m pretty sure this breaks our deal. No prank means me and James don’t have to talk to the Caldwells.”

  “I’m still going to help with the prank. The deal is still on.”

  “If you say so.” He pulled out his phone and put in my number. “I don’t know why you’re so concerned about all of us being friends again anyway. We’re not fighting because of you. We’re fighting because Matt’s a snake.”

  “He’s not a snake. You never gave him a chance to explain what happened with Rachel. You’re being unreasonable.” I pulled my backpack over my shoulder. I was done with this conversation. If Rob and James wouldn’t listen to one of their lifelong friends, why would they listen to me?

  “Hey.” Rob grabbed my wrist before I could walk off. “I heard you had another panic attack. You okay?”

  I was pretty sure he was the snake. Obnoxious one minute and then able to be sweet the next. But I didn’t think he was doing it to be manipulative. Deep down in Rob’s sarcastic way, he actually did care about me. Or else he never would have helped me through my first panic attack. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.”

  “You don’t need to be scared of Isabella. James and I have your back.” He let his hand slowly fall from my wrist, his fingers trailing down my palm. “See you tomorrow, Sanders.”

  I shivered. “Wait. Rob?” If he really had my back, he could do me another favor. “Can you please stop pushing Matt’s buttons on purpose?”

  He shrugged. “But they’re so easy to push.”

  “Please?”

  “Anything for you, Sanders,” he said with a wink.

  Instead of going to my locker to get my things, I went straight for the auditorium. The last time I’d met Matt in
the auditorium, I’d been scared out of my mind. And angry. God, I had been so angry at him. But this time? I loved him so much it hurt.

  The heavy door closed behind me with a thud. The smell of old wood wafted around me, reminding me of our first kiss. The kiss he’d stolen. He didn’t have to steal anything from me now.

  “Matt?” I whispered into the darkness.

  Okay, this time was scary too. But not because I was expecting some terrible prank. It was just because the Empire High auditorium was really freaking creepy. “Matt?” I said a little louder.

  I laughed as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

  “God you’re beautiful,” he whispered into my ear.

  “It’s pitch black in here.”

  “It’s not like I forget how beautiful you are in the dark.” He kissed the side of my neck. “You drive me crazy, baby.”

  I turned in his arms and tried to make out his face in the dark. “Do you really think I can move in for a whole year? My dad said he’d talk to your dad…”

  “It’s fine. I promise. I’ll let my parents know tonight, okay? Now, where were we?”

  I laughed, but he silenced me with a kiss.

  Not just any kiss. One of his frantic ones. Like we were running out of time. I had been getting used to his slow ones. The ones where we had all the time in the world. But right now…we didn’t. His football practice was starting any minute. And God, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love when he was a little wild. It reminded me of our start. I wasn’t a dirty little secret anymore. But maybe I kind of liked being treated like one sometimes. Sneaking around with Matthew Caldwell was the most thrilling thing in the world.

  He backed me up until my back hit the auditorium door. He pushed up my skirt, bunching it around my waist.

  “What are you doing?” I gasped.

  His fingers slid underneath my tights.

  “Matt someone could come in…” I moaned instead of finishing my sentence. Fuck.

  “Do you know what causes panic attacks?” he whispered as his fingers drove me insane.

  God. I dropped my head back against the wooden door. How did he expect me to answer him like this? My fingers dug into his strong shoulders.

  “Stress,” he said and gently kissed my neck. “And I think I know how to make my girl relax.”

  Chapter 20

  Friday

  “No way,” Kennedy said when we were ushered out of our car on 5th Avenue.

  I was just as surprised as she was. We were in the fashion center of New York, standing right outside the world famous Odegaard boutique. I had never been here before, but I’d remembered Justin mentioning it. He worked for the head stylist of Odegaard – Diane Cartwright. Who just so happened to be my personal stylist too thanks to my dad. I wonder how pissed she is that all those clothes got destroyed by Isabella…

  “For girls’ night we’re getting makeovers!” Matt’s mom said.

  Kennedy opened her mouth but no words came out.

  “I’ve rented out the whole store for the evening,” Mrs. Caldwell said. “We have a hairdresser and a makeup artist coming. And of course we have to go shopping. Plus you two will need costumes for our annual Halloween party next weekend. My treat, of course.”

  Wow. When she mentioned that all girls’ nights involved shopping, I kind of figured we’d end up at the mall or something. But Mrs. Caldwell was always dressed flawlessly. This made perfect sense. I’d seen Matt, Mason, and even Mr. Caldwell around the house in pajamas. But never Mrs. Caldwell. “Mrs. Caldwell, you don’t have to…”

  “I want to. That’s why it’s my treat. Come with me, girls.” She walked through the ten-foot-tall glass doors and greeted the person standing there with a kiss to each cheek.

  Kennedy and I both looked at each other. “I feel like I’m going to be arrested just for stepping foot in there,” she said.

  I laughed. “This is surreal, isn’t it?”

  “It’s freaking amazing is what it is!” Kennedy grabbed my arm. “I mean…makeovers?! At Odegaard? That’s not even a thing! This isn’t real life!”

  I laughed.

  “And I’ve heard rumors about the Caldwell annual Halloween party. It’s supposed to be epic. They go all out. Apparently last year there were even fire dancers.”

  I wasn’t sure how fire dancers related to Halloween at all. But the Caldwell mansion was perfectly suited for a Halloween party. There definitely wasn’t much decorating they needed to do. That’s why I mainly hung out in the warm and cozy kitchen and Matt’s room. I barely even went in the guestroom I was supposed to be sleeping in. I just went in every now and then and pushed around the sheets.

  “Girls, what are you waiting for?” Mrs. Caldwell said and waved us inside. The woman she’d been chatting with had disappeared through another set of doors.

  I forced myself not to spin around. The air even smelled fancy inside, kind of like how when you walked into a department store and got sprayed by one of the perfume sellers. Only…nothing like that at all. Because it didn’t even look like a store. There were marble walls and a chandelier. It was more like the entrance of a five-star hotel than a boutique.

  Where are we? Kennedy was right. This wasn’t real life.

  I heard someone squeal and turned to see Justin walking over to us.

  “Ladies!” he said. “I saw that you were on the schedule tonight so I took the overtime hours. You’re so welcome.”

  “Ah, Justin!” Kennedy said and gave him a hug. “I didn’t know you worked at Odegaard.”

  “I know Odegaard backward and forward. I’m Diane Cartwright’s personal assistant. And tonight I’m yours.” He winked at her. “Great to see you again, Brooklyn.” He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “And Lori. You look fabulous as always.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

  “Thank you, Justin,” she said with a laugh. “I didn’t realize you knew Brooklyn and Kennedy.”

  “Please. I know almost every woman on the Upper East side. How did the three of you become friends?”

  Mrs. Caldwell put her hand on my shoulder. “You’re looking at my future daughter in law.”

  “No.” Justin gasped and then grabbed my hand. “Yes! I knew I’d be planning your wedding soon. Wow, what a ring.” He fanned himself with his freehand.

  I laughed. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

  “Pretty doesn’t cut it. That must be at least 2 carats. Tell me you’ve picked a date for the wedding. I need to pencil you in as soon as possible. I want yours to be my first wedding as an official wedding planner.”

  “I mean…we don’t know when it’ll even be.” God, he looks so excited. “But I did promise you…”

  “If you weren’t engaged, I’d kiss you right now. Lori, she’s a keeper. I’ve never met such a sweet girl in this city.”

  Mrs. Caldwell smiled. “Yes. I can tell why my son loves her so much.”

  I so badly wanted her to like me. Matt always said she already loved me. And she was always perfectly lovely. But I was pretty sure if I came home from school one day and told my mom that a boy was moving in and that we were engaged, she would have freaked out. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. But Mrs. Caldwell was still smiling. I wonder how old she was when she got engaged to Mr. Caldwell.

  “I’ll pencil you in for every Saturday in the fall for the next few years,” Justin said. “Fall weddings are the best. Trust me. And speaking of events…what’s the theme of this year’s Halloween party, Lori?”

  “Characters from old movies,” Mrs. Caldwell said. “The classics.”

  Kennedy looked so excited. “Can I be Jasmine from Aladdin?”

  Mrs. Caldwell laughed. “I meant like from the 50s or 60s…” her voice trailed off. “Oh, my. I’m feeling my age around you two. I guess something from the 90s does work as an old movie for you,” she said with a laugh. “Jasmine it is!”

  Kennedy smiled.

  “And what would you like to be?” Mrs. Caldwell asked me.


  I pressed my lips together. I wanted something conservative enough to work around Matt’s parents. But also sexy for Matt. And now only Disney princesses were swirling around in my head. “I don’t know,” I said with a laugh. “What do you think I should go as?”

  “What about the girl from Clueless?” Kennedy asked. “Not because you’re like her. Just because of the blonde thing. And you already have a school uniform to wear.”

  “Kennedy, that defeats the purpose of shopping,” Justin said. “Neither of you are leaving here without a perfectly tailored Halloween costume.”

  She laughed. “Right. Sorry, I’m used to working with what I have.”

  “Tonight we splurge,” he said and looped his arm through hers. “Follow me, ladies.”

  He led us through a set of doors and into a giant room that looked like it would be more suitable for wedding dress shopping than anything else. But it was filled with fancy clothes instead of wedding dresses.

  We wove through the clothes and mannequins to one of the changing areas. All of them were empty. I guess Mrs. Caldwell really did rent out the whole place.

  “Oh, and Brooklyn, your order is almost ready. Diane is just putting the finishing touches on a few things.”

  “Your order?” Mrs. Caldwell asked.

  “You didn’t tell her about all your clothes?” Justin asked. He shook his head. “That wench of a sister she has cut all her clothes to bits. The little horror. Some of them were one-of-a-kind pieces. And now they’re all in literal pieces in the garbage.”

  “What?” Mrs. Caldwell looked over at me. “Isabella did that?”

  I really didn’t want to talk about Isabella right now. I’d had to deal with her all week at school.

  “You should hear about all the other stuff she’s done,” Kennedy said. “She poured milk all over her blazer once. She’s tried to sabotage her relationship with Matt on several occasions. She leaves Brooklyn threatening notes at school, and I’m pretty sure they’re written in blood.”

  “It’s lipstick.” I think. The notes hadn’t stopped. But I wasn’t scared of Isabella. As far as I was concerned, she could choke on the red lipstick she used to write the notes. I’d kept my dad updated on everything she’d done. Or that she made Cupcake or one of her minions do. Isabella hadn’t acted on any of her threats. She was just trying to scare me out of town.