Ruin Me (2 page)

I slip the maroon gown over my head. It tumbles down my body until it just barely scrapes the floor beneath me. I cringe at my reflection. Hundreds of years of commencement in this country and no one has managed to create a graduation robe that
doesn’t
fit like a fucking muumuu?

Oh, well. It’s just tradition. It’ll all be over in an hour. Then I can kiss this fucking place goodbye once and for all.

I run my fingers through my long, black hair and make sure it’s sitting perfectly before placing the cap on my head. The tassel hangs down on the left side, but I ignore it while I fit the golden trim over my shoulders and make double sure it’s even on both sides

“All right, Piper,” I say as I grip the tassel and move it to the right side. “Let’s do this bitch.”

***

“It brings me great pleasure,” Headmaster Lynch says from the podium on stage, “to introduce this year’s Valedictorian. Not only because of the fantastic example she’s made for her classmates and this small community, but because I was there the day she came into this world.”

I stare out at the crowd gathered on the front lawn of Belle Academy. An ocean of maroon caps and gowns sits in the front section while friends and family sit on the bleachers around them. I sit on the stage. It’s where I belong, after all. I’ve earned this.

“I feel nothing but
overwhelming pride
to be here today…”

I hold my eyes steady to keep from rolling them. People have already begun staring at me to see if I’ll start crying or show some other form of deep emotion towards my father. If that’s what they want, I’ll give it to them, but not yet.

My eyes lock with Kai Casablancas’ stare from the front row. His brown hair hangs down under his cap, grazing the tops of his eyes. The corner of his mouth turns upward with a smug smirk.

“I’m sure every one of us will be keeping a close eye on her from now on, because she’s guaranteed to take over the world. Ladies and gentlemen, Class of 2015, your Valedictorian, and
my beautiful daughter
… Piper Lynch!”

I tear my eyes away from Kai and throw on a wide smile as I stand up. Applause fills my ears and I get a quick jolt with each whoop and holler I hear from my classmates. I shake my father’s hand and he sits down on a chair while I take my rightful place at the podium.

“Thank you,
Headmaster
,” I say, which earns a few chuckles from the crowd. I smile with nerves full of raw energy and look out into the eyes of my classmates. “Guys, we did it. We actually did it. We’ve worked so hard for so many years to get to this moment. After today, they can no longer call us children. The rules of Belle Academy no longer apply to us.”

I make eye contact with Kai again in the front row, but quickly move on. The last thing I want to do is look at him. Not during my moment.

“Freedom,” I continue. “That’s what this feeling is. Complete, utter freedom to be whomever we want to be. We can go anywhere and do anything we want. My father was right before. I
am
guaranteed to take over the world, but so are each and every one of you. There’s nothing to stop us now.” I pause and look out at everybody with a long smile as they grin back at me. They’re all eating out of the palm of my hand. I look at their faces and see their real futures. A few have potential, but the rest of them? No way. But I’m not going to be the one to tell them that, no matter how much pleasure it would bring me to knock them all down a peg. I’ve spent years being the perfect princess of Belle Academy. I guess I can fake it for a little bit longer. My eyes fall once more onto Kai’s face and I swear I see his head shaking back and forth.

“Look into the future with me now,” I continue. “Imagine what you look like, where you’ll be, who you’re with… then hold onto it with everything you have. I can’t guarantee it’ll come true, but I can promise that with the right amount of dedication, determination, and focus… you might get close. But never forget where you came from. Don’t forget about the echoing hallways of Belle Academy. Don’t forget the faces of those sitting next to you because we all came from the same place. We’ll understand your struggle and we’ll help you along the way. Congratulations, graduates. I can’t wait to see what we make of ourselves. Thank you.”

The lawn erupts with applause. I hear the whistles between their lips and the clapping of their hands. It’s a good feeling, one that brings me sincere warmth. I step away from the podium and walk across the stage to take my diploma, as we rehearsed the day before. My father extends his hand to me and passes the rolled up sheet of paper off to me. He steps closer and pulls me in for an emotional hug. I let him have it. He’s been waiting as long as I have for this moment. As he releases me, I catch sight of tears in his eyes.

“Congratulations, Piper,” he says, his smile full of love for me.

I force a tear down my cheek and brush it away with my palm. “Thank you, daddy.” I shift my position to give the photographer offstage a better view and smile for the photo. I recognize him from Ms. Clark’s geometry classroom as he snaps our photo. So that’s who he was.

The little princess of Belle Academy is all grown up.

Ninety more days, and I’m out of here for good.

Chapter 2

Kai

I twirl my rolled diploma about in my fingers from my chair in the front row and watch as my classmates cross the stage after me. Each name called brings the flash of memory to my mind.

Shawn Monty. My best friend. No other description necessary.

Charles Moore. The editor of the newspaper.

Monica Myers (Belle Academy Female #18). The carpets don’t match the drapes.

Annie Prescott (Belle Academy Female #19). She and Barbara Lee (Belle Academy Female #12) gave me my first threesome. Thanks, ladies.

Stewart Ryan. Resident douchebag.

There are twenty-three female students in the Class of 2015 and I’ve been inside exactly twenty-two of them.

All of them except for unlucky #13. Piper Lynch.

She’s sitting on the stage now with that smile on her face. Yeah,
that
smile. The one she wears but doesn’t mean anything by it. Luckily for her, no one else but me has been able to see through it, but I’m not telling anybody. Her eyes follow each student as they pass by. I’d do anything to be a fly on the wall of her mind right now and hear what she’s really thinking behind that thick wall of glass and ice.

I’m running out of time. A few years ago, Shawn and I made a bet. It was stupid, passive. Something neither of us started taking seriously until it became clear that I was actually capable of pulling it off.

Bang every girl in our graduating class before college begins. All twenty-three of them.

I’ve been stuck on twenty-two for weeks now.

Juliet Cole (Belle Academy Female #5) was the last to fall. She’s got a thing for toes.

But Piper
fucking
Lynch? I thought she’d be the easiest of all of them at first. She and I have been in the same class since kindergarten. We used to be forced into play dates when our mothers used to hang out. Those stopped when my mother and her father got a little
too close
to each other. Their affair broke up both marriages, but out of the ashes grew their own union and Piper and I were suddenly kin.

Oh, goody.

She’s either totally clueless or entirely disinterested, neither of which I’ll believe. Panties melt when I’m around. It’s a gift and a curse. No woman is safe — except for Piper
fucking
Lynch apparently. I’ve hit on her a million different ways and she’s given me absolutely nothing to work with in return. Years of my best material wasted on her and that seemingly impenetrable chastity belt. Sure, academics are important, but even Einstein must have let loose at some point, right?

I stare at her up on that stage. Piper
fucking
Lynch with her good and innocent posture and that petite little waist. With those annoyingly beautiful, shimmering blue eyes and perfect raven hair. And that
skin
. Like a damned porcelain sex doll. I’m getting an angry hard-on just thinking about the complete fucking package.

What does a guy have to do to fuck his stepsister around here?

Don’t answer that.

***

“I’m really starting to doubt you have what it takes to seal the deal, Kai.”

I glance up at Shawn from the hood of my corvette and keep a steady voice. “I have what it takes. Don’t you worry.” I see Piper across the parking lot near the school. The wind catches the golden tassel on her cap and blows it across her face like a lock of hair. She pushes it back and laughs at something Mandy Black (Belle Academy Female #3) whispers in her ear.

“I’m not the one that should be worried,” Shawn says with a grin. “I think the fact that you’ve been living under the same roof with her for over
two years
now and you still haven’t hit it speaks volumes, my friend.”

She catches me staring at her, but I don’t look away. “I will admit, Piper’s a little more frigid than I expected.” After a quick roll of her eyes, she turns away. “But I have the rest of the summer to thaw that ice. You’ll see.”

Shawn shakes his head. “There’s no shame in backing out. I’d understand.”

“No one’s backing out.” I bite my lip. “Everyone has a turn on. I just have to find hers.”

“Good luck,” he says. “I could give you a sexual dossier on every girl in our class. But Piper… no one knows what shit she’s into. She’s like the Pentagon of pussy.”

“Don’t forget whose dick wrote those dossiers, Shawn,” I say with a soft chuckle. “I think she’s maybe on the amateur side.”

“No way she’s a virgin, man.”

“Have you ever seen her with anyone?” I ask. “Heard whispers in the hallways?” He doesn’t answer. “If she’s not, then she’s very,
very
good at keeping it under wraps.”

“Well, then she’s learned from her daddy’s mistakes. The Headmaster isn’t exactly known for keeping his dirty secrets secret.” I shoot him a quick glare and he throws up his hands. “No disrespect to your mom, of course. She’s a classy lady.”

I look back at Piper and push myself off the car. “No, this is it, man,” I say.

“What is?”

“High school is over,” I explain. I pull the maroon graduation cap off my head. “She’s got nothing to keep her mind occupied for an entire summer. No books. No tests.
Nothing
until fall. This…
this
is the time I’ve been waiting for.” I grab the maroon robe by the neck and pull it off before tossing it all into the backseat.

Shawn smirks across the lot at Piper. “Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong. But I think it’s gonna be me rolling around USC in this beautiful ride come September.” He brushes a finger across my car and I cringe a bit on the inside.

“I
am
right.” I open the driver’s side door and sit down inside. “You just wait and see. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye bye, dick,” he teases with a wave.

I turn over the ignition and the engine purrs with life. There’s no way I’m giving up this car. She’s my most prized possession. My little red baby. The thought of Shawn taking ownership fills me with sincere dread.

Piper’s little voice travels on the wind as I roll in closer to her. That deep tone with just the perfect amount of femininity blended in. I feel a twinge in my pants as I push the brake near the curb. “Hey, Pipes.”

She glances at me from the corner of her eye. “What?” she asks.

“Let’s go. Mom’s waiting.” I watch her as she tries to continue her conversation with Mandy, but Mandy looks at me instead.

“Hey, Kai,” she smiles at me.

“Howdy, Mandy.” I give her a wink and her smile grows a little wider. Mandy Black. She’s bendy.
Really
bendy. She pushes her brown hair back behind her ear and I get a burst of satisfaction when Piper finally turns in my direction with an annoyed frown.

“Let’s go,” I repeat.

I hear Piper tell Mandy something about calling her later and she finally steps off the curb towards the car.