Savage Games: An Academy Bully Romance (Bastards of Boulder Cove Book 1) Read online

  “There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.”

  – Raymond Chandler

  Copyright © 2022 Rachel Leigh

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the copyright owner.This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  For permissions contact: [email protected]

  ISBN: 978-1956764161

  Cover Design by The Pretty Little Design Co.

  Editing by Fairest Reviews and Editing Services

  Proofreading by Rumi Kahn

  www.rachelleighauthor.com

  Contents

  Chapter Playlist

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Rachel Leigh

  Listen on Spotify

  Prologue: Bad Blood by Taylor Swift

  1: Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve

  2: Lovely by Billie Eilish

  3: Guys My Age by Hey Violet

  4: Push by Matchbox 20

  5: You Broke Me First by Tate McRae

  6: Without Me by Halsey

  7: High by The Chainsmokers

  8: she hates me puddle of mud

  10: Broken by Evanescence

  11: I hate You by Three Days Grace

  12: Bad at Love Halsey

  13: It’s Been Awhile by Staind

  14: How’s it gonna be by Third Eye Blind

  15: Love Hate Relationship by Trapt

  16: Comedown by Bush

  17: Graveyard by Halsey

  18: Therefore I am by Billie Eilish

  19: Outside by Stained

  20: Drift and Die by Puddle of Mud

  21: Torn to Pieces by Pop Evil

  22: Thing For You by Hinder

  23: Shimmer by Fuel

  24: Light it up by Fall Out Boy

  25: Far Behind by Candlebox

  26: The Reason by Hoobastank

  27: If you could only see by Tonic

  Epilogue: Shiver by Coldplay

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  Prologue

  SCARLETT

  Ten Years Old

  “Ready or not, here I come.” Crew’s voice carries down the hall, and as soon as it hits my ears, a mixture of excitement and nervousness swims in my belly.

  I cover my mouth, trying not to laugh, but spurts of the concealed sound spit into my palm.

  “Caught ya,” I hear him say, and Jagger grumbles in defeat.

  One down. Three to go.

  The last to be found gets to pick our next game. Of all the years playing hide-and-seek at the Aima Hall—a place where all our Society meetings are held—I've never won.

  There are so many times they’d find Maddie first and pretend they didn’t see her, just so I didn’t win. Being the good friend she is, Maddie’s forfeited the loss more times than I can count, but it’s not the same. I want the win because I earned it, not because someone gave it to me.

  These jerks will never let me have it, though. Especially if it came down to me or Maddie winning—they’d always choose her.

  With my legs hugged to my chest, I scoot deeper into the closet, hiding myself among janitor buckets and mopheads.

  Shadows of footprints dance through the light, shining under the door, and my heart beats superfast. I place my hand over my chest, hoping no one can hear it.

  I feel like I’m going to pee myself, but suddenly, the guys hearing me laugh is the least of my worries.

  “Scar,” Crew sings, “where are you?”

  “Bet she’s in the basement,” Jagger says.

  “No way. She’s too much of a scaredy-cat to go down there by herself,” Neo tells him. I didn’t even know they found Neo already. Maybe he gave up, just to help them find me.

  No surprise there.

  More footprints graze the light. Coming and going. Stopping and moving. When their movements stop directly in front of the closet door, my stomach tightens.

  I should just give myself up now.

  “I bet she’s in here,” Neo says while the others urge him to open the door.

  Before I can move—be it to scoot farther back or to come out of hiding—the closet door flies open and a beam of light shines in.

  My heart is racing and I’m clenching my muscles to stop what’s coming, but it’s no use. I gasp when warmth trickles down my leg.

  Oh no.

  My entire body flushes with heat and I’d love nothing more than to disappear through the side wall and never return.

  “Found ya,” Crew beams eagerly, “you lose again.”

  What do I do? What do I do?

  “Yep. I lost. You can go find Maddie now.”

  Crew comes deeper into the closet, then reaches over and flips the light switch. His eyes immediately land on the puddle beneath me.

  I shiver and shake and internally scream as a single tear rolls down my face. I can’t even look at him. Instead, I tuck my chin to my chest, hugging my knees, and pinch my eyes closed.

  The clicking of the light switch has my eyes shooting back open, noticing the closet is now dark, only the light from the hall shining into my hiding place.

  “Yeah. Let’s go find Maddie,” Crew tells them.

  My heart swells and I crack a smile, though he doesn’t see it because he’s already out the door.

  That smile instantly drops when Neo barges in all broody and flips the light on again. Crew tries to grab his arm, rambling words about finding Maddie, but it’s no use.

  Neo knows.

  “You guys have to see this.” He laughs. “Scar peed herself.”

  “Just leave her alone,” Crew tells him, but Neo doesn’t let up as he stands there pointing and laughing.

  More tears fall and I wish I could run out of here and never look at their faces again, but I can’t move because it’ll only make things worse.

  “I didn’t pee!” I shout. “The mop bucket tipped over.” Neo sees right through my lies; I can tell by the way he’s looking at me.

  “Liar,” Neo says, “you peed your pants and now you’re trying to hide it.”

  Jagger stands off to the side with his head down. Not that I expect him to help me. I didn't even expect Crew to try. Standing up to Neo is something neither of them does often, if ever.

  “Gimme your phone,” Neo says to Jagger, holding his hand out to his side.

  “I don’t have it. I’m grounded from it for a week, remember?”

  Neo looks at Crew. “Do you have yours?”

  Crew hesitates, looking at me, and I shake my head.
Please don’t do it.

  “Dude. Give me your phone. I gotta take a picture of this.” He hesitates some more, warranting a shout from Neo. “Now!”

  Looking at me, Crew reaches into the pocket of his jeans.

  All I can do is sit there while Neo flashes the phone camera in my face, laughing his butt off. Because Neo gets whatever he wants.

  But he’s the only one laughing. Jagger doesn’t make a sound while Crew looks at me and mouths the words, “I’m sorry.”

  If I wasn’t so choked up right now, I’d tell Crew I don’t forgive him. Because even if he tried to help me, he always cowers to Neo—they both do—no matter who gets hurt in the process.

  Chapter

  One

  SCARLETT

  Eighteen Years Old

  My stomach twists in tiny knots as I pull open one of the glass double doors to the upscale long-term care facility where my best friend lives. I’ve been coming here twice a week for over a year, but it never gets easier.

  The reflection from the sun hitting the crystal chandelier overhead has me blinking away the bright beams of light.

  “Good Morning, Scarlett,” Tammy, one of Maddie’s nurses, says as the door closes behind me.

  With my coffee in hand, I approach her. “How’s she doing today?”

  Tammy presses her lips together firmly and shakes her head. “Not great. Her blood pressure’s been pretty high.”

  “Oh, no.” After my last visit, I was hopeful she was taking small steps in the right direction, but it seems like every time she does, she takes two steps back.

  “Hopefully, your visit will calm her down a bit.”

  “If only,” I say, gripping my coffee and focusing on the warmth in the palm of my hand. “I’m here to say goodbye for a bit. I’m leaving for school three hours away this evening.”

  Guilt has been gnawing at my insides since my parents decided for me. I hate that I have to do this. I shouldn’t be leaving Essex. I shouldn’t be leaving my best friend. If she could talk, she’d give me a massive amount of shit for not fighting my parents on my attendance at Boulder Cove Academy. Maddie and I always swore we’d stay in public school together, and we never swayed from our decision. Until I had no choice.

  Tammy’s eyes widen in surprise. “Three hours away? Wow! Hopefully, you’ll be able to get away from time to time to visit.”

  Chewing on my bottom lip, I shake my head. “Not until Christmas. They’re pretty strict over there.”

  “Well, make the most of today, then. She’ll be here when you return.”

  A smile parts my lips. “Thanks, Tammy.”

  I continue walking, passing by the kitchen that smells delicious, like cinnamon rolls and sugar cookies. This place isn't your typical nursing home—it’s a mansion-sized home in a gated community with high-paid staff who treat the residents like family. Maddie, being in a coma, doesn’t require much care, but she’s comfortable here.

  I knock my knuckles on the open door, putting on my cheerful face as I enter Maddie’s room. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  She can't hear me or see me, but I see her.

  Leaning down, I kiss her cheek, then set my coffee on the bedside table. “I heard you had a rough night.”

  If she could talk, I know she’d tell me all about it. Just like she used to. We talked to each other about everything.

  I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone to open our playlist. “Are you ready?”

  I tap Play on the screen and “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve plays through the Bluetooth speaker I put in her window when she moved in over a year ago. It’s one of our favorite songs from a movie we used to watch weekly.

  “What do you think? Side braids today?”

  She doesn’t respond, but sometimes I pretend she does. In this case, I imagine she’s beaming with excitement and screaming yes.

  I grab a brush from my bag and pull the hair ties off my wrist.

  My hand sweeps under her head gently and I part a chunk of her hair to the right side. It won’t be perfect, but it’s not about perfection. It’s about spending time with my best friend.

  “So, I have some news,” I begin. “You remember how I told you they expelled me from Clearwater the last week of school? It was so bad, Maddie. There was no way in hell I could have talked my way out of that one. Someone parked my car in Principal Gunther’s driveway with a gas can in the trunk. Anyway, I ran into his stuck-up daughter last week and she got all up in my face. She was all, you tried to burn my house down. Blah. Blah. Blah. Which you and I both know I didn’t do. They did this to hurt me. A girl can only take so much, so I head-butted the bitch and broke her nose.” I laugh, but it’s not at all funny. The whole situation is beyond fucked up.

  I feel like an ass for even rehashing this story, but it’s necessary to explain why I’m leaving. Still weaving the braid, I get to the point of the story. “Anyway. Two school expulsions in one school year, topped with all the other things they did to make me out to be an insurgent, and my parents are sending me off to BCA.” I hold my breath as the words leave my mouth, hands held still with the wispy ends of Maddie’s brunette hair wrapped around my fingers.

  One of her monitors goes haywire and I see that her blood pressure is up again. When it doesn’t stop, I drop the braid and rest my head on her shoulder, trying to calm her. “It’s okay, Maddie. Everything is okay.”

  We’ve known for a while that Maddie’s brain is still functioning, and on the off chance she can hear me when I talk to her, I keep doing it. I tell her everything as if she’s my own personal diary. Moments like this, I’m certain she hears what I tell her, though we can’t be sure.

  The machine continues to beep as her heart rate spikes, too. “Calm down, babe.” I walk around to the other side of the bed, peeking my head out to see if one of the nurses is coming, but I don’t see anyone.

  I panic, but not because I’m worried about leaving—because I’m worried about her.

  Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I watch my best friend lie there without a voice.

  Why? Why her? Why this sweet girl who had a bright future ahead of her? Why not me?

  The next thing I know, Tammy and another staff member rush into the room. “You’ll need to leave.”

  “I can calm her down. Please, just let me talk to her.”

  “I’m sorry, hun. You can return tomorrow and hope for a better day.

  “But…”

  Tomorrow I’ll be gone.

  I take a step back, watching as they adjust the monitors and the cuff on Maddie’s arm. Tears slide down my cheeks and I die a little inside, just like I do each time I have to leave her here alone.

  Chapter

  Two

  SCARLETT

  “You’re sure you can’t change his mind?” I whisper to my mom. My eyes stay pinned to the back of the driver’s seat, where my dad sits with his fingers locked around the steering wheel.

  Her hand squeezes mine from where she sits beside me in the back seat, thumb grazing my knuckles. “It’s only eight months until you graduate, then the future is yours.”

  “Yeah, right,” I mumble under my breath. The future has never been mine. It’s always belonged to the Blue Bloods.

  Mom drops my hand and tucks my hair behind my ear. “You’re going to do great here, honey.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.” My voice is soft, as it always is with her. No matter how many mistakes I make, my mom is always in my corner. Dad is, too, but it’s different with my mom. She’s warm and gentle in a way that makes me feel safe and content.

  “You’ll check in on Maddie, right? Make sure she’s doing okay?”

  “Of course. You know how much we love Maddie. She’ll be fine, as will you.”

  Dad shifts the car into park, rests his hand on the back of the passenger seat, and turns to face me. “Are you ready for this?”

  “No,” I spit out on impulse, “but it seems I have to be.”

  “Wel
l, honey. You made your choices, and this is where they brought you. Can’t say I’m sorry about it. You were meant to be here. The Academy is going to reshape you, and when you leave, you’ll have a newfound appreciation about your place in The Society.”

  Maybe I want to reshape myself without this place. Instead of saying the words, I nod in response. My fate is sealed. I’ll be getting out of this car, along with my bags, and staying here, no matter how much I don’t want to.

  Dad turns back around and pulls the lever to pop open the trunk. Once he’s out, he pulls out my bags and sets them down on the sidewalk beside the car. Mom squeezes my leg and gives me a comforting smile before opening her door and getting out, so I do the same.

  I’m looking up at the massive building, then to the smaller ones surrounding it when Mom holds out her hand. “Phone, Scarlett.”

  I look down at her open palm, moping. “Seriously, Mom?”

  “Rules are rules. We’ve told you many times they’re not allowed.”

  Reaching into the back pocket of my jeans, I pull it out and plant it in her hand. “Who made the stupid no phone rule? How’s anyone in this day and age supposed to survive without a phone or the internet?” Not that it matters. I snuck my own untraceable phone for emergencies in one of my bags. There’s no way in hell I was coming to this desolate place without one.

  “That changed shortly after my and your mom’s attendance here.” Mom and Dad look at each other and it feels like the air has thickened—almost as if they’re sharing an unspoken secret. “It’s best to avoid outside communication during your stay.” His tone shifts abruptly as he waves his arms out toward campus. “I mean, look at this natural beauty. You don’t need the internet when you have this in your backyard.”