Elite (Eagle Elite #1)(7)

“Nice! Where’d you get these?”

“My grandma.” I shrugged.

“Remind me to tell her what a kick ass dresser she is next time she visits.”

“She’s dead,” I said it quietly, quickly.

The room fell silent. My eyes shifted to the floor. I hated this part. The part where people don’t know what to say but all you really want is for them to say nothing.

“That sucks.” She exhaled heavily and then placed the shoes on the floor. “I think she’d want you to rock 'em, what do you think?”

I swallowed the knot in my throat and nodded with watery eyes. “I think she would too.”

“Great, now let’s go party and show my brother what a complete loser he is.”

We linked arms and made our way to the party. It was the first time in six months I’d had another female to talk to. The first time in my life I’d had a friend who was a girl. I really liked it.





Chapter Four


The night air crackled with excitement. People talked excitedly down the main sidewalk as everyone made their way toward a huge building with a sign that said “Welcome Back!”

“Damn, Monroe, how do you walk in those things?” Tex fell into step with us and winked. What? Did he suddenly find me acceptable now that I was walking with Monroe? I glared back remembering our first meeting where he flipped me off because his idiot group leader told him too. Minion.

“Tex, I take it you’ve probably met Trace already?”

“I waved.”

“So you flipped her off?” Monroe stopped walking.

“Nixon said—”

“I swear if you finish that sentence I’m castrating you in your sleep.” Monroe poked his chest. “Now apologize to Trace.”

His red hair was spiked all over his head, his teeth were gleaming white in the dusk air as he walked around her and stood in front of me. “I’m sorry I flipped you off. I’m also sorry I didn’t get to see you this close up. You’re pretty. Care to ditch the party tonight? I’m sure we could find a way to entertain—”

“—I said apologize, not hit on her.” Monroe pushed him away. He laughed and then pulled her into a hug. “Excuse him, Trace. He’s almost as big of an ass as Nixon.”

“She said almost.” Tex laughed and walked in between us, putting an arm around each of us as we made our way into the main lobby of the building.

“Speaking of the devil…” Monroe said under her breath as Nixon held court in the middle of the room.

I felt like I was walking in slow motion. Like I wasn’t actually living this life but watching someone else live it. Or at least watching it on TV.

Nixon stood in the middle of the room. He was wearing black slacks and a tight baby blue shirt with a skinny tie and vest. He looked like he was modeling for Gucci or something. He even had aviators on. Oh gosh, I have officially died and gone to magazine model hell.

Chase was next to him, in tight black jeans and a sweater vest that could have done Tommy Hilfiger proud. Tex moved past us to knock fists with them. And then I noticed Phoenix make his way through the crowd and embrace Tex pumping him twice on the back.

Nixon took off his sunglasses and examined me slowly. His eyes narrowed until I could barely see the icy blue. He snapped his head to Monroe and nodded just once. “Nice work, Monroe. She looks like she actually belongs here.”

“She does belong here, you idiot.” Monroe moved past me and air kissed her brother on either side of his face before returning to me.

“The way I see it…” Nixon grinned. “She won a silly contest. The same contest we put on every year so that the poor underprivileged people of the world are able to join the high society. She…” He pointed at me and smirked. “Is just a number.”

“At least I’m not an ass,” I spat. To my utter horror and complete humiliation it fell silent all around us.

Nixon slowly approached me. Rage was evident in his eyes but I couldn’t back down. I refused to be bullied by some privileged rich kid who thought he ruled the known universe just because he was good-looking and had money.

“Is this on?” A guy spoke into a microphone. “Attention, everyone.”

Nixon shook his head and backed off, making his way toward the stage.

“Your student body president would like to welcome you all back to school!”

Okay, so maybe he was a type of president. I clenched my teeth and waited. Monroe patted me on the arm as Nixon made his way to the stage.

People chanted his name over and over again. Funny how his name was Nixon. I smirked to myself and noticed that Nixon’s eyes never left my face.

“I’d like to introduce someone….” Oh no, oh hell no.

“She’s new here…” He stared at me coldly. “And I want everyone to give her a warm, Eagle Elite welcome! Please clap your hands for… Dr. Tessa Stevens, our new history professor.”

I blew out the breath I’d been holding and struggled to keep my hands at my sides. The only way I could smile was by imagining my hands around Nixon’s throat.

A pretty middle-aged woman waved from the side of the stage. Nixon clapped in her direction and flashed a devastating smile.

Suck up.

“Now, I know all of you are eager to start the welcome party.” He winked in my direction. The bastard.