“You’ll be safe there. I’ve made all the arrangements and you’ll get a better education there than any college you could attend. You’ll leave Pointebreak with a network of professionals anyone would dream of and can do anything you want.”
I raise my head, brushing away the fresh tears that have begun to fall. “And what about you? What are you getting out of this?”
After a long pause, he finally answers. “Everything we’ve ever wanted.”
TWO
RILEY
The sun shines through my open curtains, but I’m too tired to move. My limbs feel heavy, like I was dragged through hell and barely spit out in time to wake up. My ruined future haunted me all night, each thought bringing a fresh torrent of tears; I cried until I was so exhausted I all but passed out for a few hours. I can’t believe he did this to me. I still don’t understand what he meant by thinking this was best for me. Dartmouth, and an Ivy league education is what’s best for me.
To add insult to injury, Troy came by last night to break up with me. According to him, he can’t date someone who will slum it with criminals. How charming, right? I will say, I’m proud of myself, though. I didn’t cry or beg with him there, although I couldn’t keep my chin from quivering before James, our driver and bodyguard, personally escorted him to the door and removed from the standing list of invited guests. Since his dad is the one who told him to break it off with me, I’m sure he doesn’t care.
Our parents threw us together for political reasons, but somehow we clicked. We were kindred spirits shaped by the same pressures of living our lives under the microscope of the public. We were always trying to be the perfect son anddaughter, so the media had nothing unfavorable to report. Plus, Troy is easy on the eyes.
We got together after one of my dad’s parties last summer. I was playing the perfect hostess, and Troy attended with his parents. It was love at first sight—or I guess lust would be a better way to describe it. We hit it off great. I took him on a tour of the house, and then we snuck a few glasses of champagne and hung out in the pool house, away from prying eyes.
We spent the afternoon talking and laughing and because I was a little drunk, and a horny teenager, I went down on him and he fingered me. I felt like such a bad girl. I was sure dad would take one look at me andknow.Troy’s arm was casually slung around my waist, but nothing about what we did felt casual. My face was burning, my pulse was a drumbeat of guilt and thrill. I didn’t dare look my father in the eye. I had never done anything like that in my life, but had never felt so happy before. Plus, I knew daddy would approve of him, a rare feat in itself. Usually I was alone, surrounded by adults at these events, so it was a welcome distraction to have a cute boy my age there. Those parties are a way for my dad to rub shoulders with donors and act like he cares. Which, judging by the way he’s sending me away, is probably another facade.
My reputation at school was that of a perpetually uptight virgin, a label whispered in hushed tones from some assholes I turned down. They didn’t know I had a boyfriend because they didn’t need to know about my love life. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. And I’m not, for the record, a virgin. Although Troy was constantly trying to get me to sleep with him, I refused. Third base was as far as it ever went, and I know that used to upset him. I would make some excuse why I couldn’t sleep with him, and those conversations always ended in an argument.
I often wondered if he kept dating me because his dad wanted him to, or because he wanted to add another notch to his belt. Now don’t get me wrong, he was a gentleman, and I was happy dating him. And most times I genuinely thought he liked me, but there were times I wondered just how much. I suppose this breakup was just a matter of time.
Tears stream down my face, hitting the pillow under my head as I think about it. No Dartmouth, no boyfriend, no life. Everything is unraveling in the blink of an eye.
I lie there, feeling sorry for myself when someone knocks on the door.
“Riley?”
“What?” I call out, hearing my best friend’s voice.
I’ve known Leah since elementary school. Her parents aren’t in the same social circles as mine, and maybe that’s why we get along so well. She shows me how normal people live. We've been inseparable since we were in the same summer camp when we were eight. She’s been there for it all and always without judgement. I don’t know what I would have done without her. I’m not sure I would be here today if it weren’t for her.
I wasn’t suicidal or anything, but Leah and her family were my haven. She won a full-ride scholarship to attend Stonewall, so I was lucky enough that we got to go through high school together.
She opens the door and looks at my sad state. I texted her “over” last night and with that one word, she knew exactly what I meant. She sent a few hug GIFs, and a promise of a visit, so it’s no surprise she’s here today. “I’m going to assume you’re newly single and ready to mingle.”I am most definitely not ready to mingle.“He was an ass, anyway. Get up. We’re going out.”That sounds miserable.I want to sit here in my room and wallow for the day. “It’s your last day of freedom and you’re not spending it cooped up in your room.”
She goes to my closet and rummages through, looking for something for me to wear. She spots the large suitcase in the corner of my room and shakes her head. “I still can’t believe he’s making you go.” I sit on the bed and watch her push hangers around until she comes back with a cute pair of shorts and a flowy top and tosses them to me.
“Get up, shower, and put these on. We’re going on an adventure.” I go to argue with her and she places her index finger over my mouth. “Nope. You’re not arguing. We’re going to start our research project today.”
Barrington is a quaint town with some cute shops and cafes along the main road. Nestled close to the White Mountains, Leah and I play tourist for the day. We shop at some of the small boutique stores on Main Street and wander down the sunny streets and then through the park. I’m glad she got me away from the house. I feel marginally better being in the fresh air with my best friend.
“You said you wanted to start research. What did you have in mind?” I ask as we take a rest on a bench overlooking a small pond with ducks milling around.
“I want to go to campus, and talk to people. Or maybe stop people along the way to ask questions.”
“I’ve been to the campus before, but they locked the gates with a guard at the end. No one is getting in or out of there without their permission.”
She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “So let’s take a drive and see if the guards will talk. I may have a twenty I can bribe them with.”She smirks, and we both laugh at the ridiculousness of it. “Come on, let’s see what we can dig up.”
Fat lot of nothing is the answer. There are no signs to follow to get to campus and GPS ran us in circles. We stopped an elderly couple to ask for directions, and after a horrified look, the man yelled at us to leave them alone and he knew nothing. So that was a lovely experience. Even something more exciting to look forward to for the next few years. I didn’t even mention I was Riley Whittier because I don’t think that would have helped matters.
We finally pulled a map up online and I navigated the route shown as she drove. When we arrived in front of the school, the guard scowled at us and told us to leave. I explained I was a new student, and I was to be on campus tomorrow, but he informed us of the strict move in hours, with no exceptions.
So, now we are sitting in a booth at a small diner at the edge of town talking quietly amongst ourselves. Leah tried to ask the waitress questions about the school, but she turned her nose up and said to stop asking or she would kick us out. For a supposedly friendly town, the people here are kind of rude.
My phone keeps ringing with new messages from Dad and James, but I’ve been ignoring them. I responded once, saying I’m out with Leah. And I’m not stupid enough to think they don’t know my whereabouts. My location tracking is on, and both have access to it. While James is my dad’s guard and driver, when needed, he’s mine, too. I’ve grown close to him over the few years he’s been with us. He’s more of a father to me than my own is sometimes. I almost feel bad for ignoring him. He hadnothing to do with my dad’s decision, and I know he only wants to ensure I’m safe. I’m glad he found his way into my dad’s circle.
