Sicko(21)

“It’s okay, Mom. I love you,” I whisper, squeezing her tightly.

“Love you too.”

Before I started Stanford and when I told my parents that I’d be studying to get my medical degree, I half expected them to doubt me. A lot. But they didn’t. It was between this or political science. Politics was my plan B if I didn’t get into med. I knew I could also be great as a political consultant, but it wasn’t where my heart and passion burned. I’m thankful I got into med school, even if I know it’s going to be a long, tedious road, it’s still one I want to take.

Mom leaves and I’m in the room alone with Royce and Gypsy.

“Roy, I’m serious. You don’t need to be here.”

He flops down onto my bed, leaning back onto his elbows. He’s god awfully more beautiful than I remember. His features are pretty, but then someone came along and cut all the hard edges into them. The tattoos only accentuate his personality. It is as though he was always meant to have the tattoos. His blue eyes roam my face, as his feather-like eyelashes fan out over his tight cheekbones. It’s not fucking fair. Why does he have to look the way he does? And Jesus fuck, he clearly has been working out since he left. He was always tall and lean, but the way the veins in his neck and arms swell to the surface of his skin tells me he takes training more seriously these days.

“Ah, but I do.”

“Why?” I ask, opening box one of six. I need to busy myself with something other than gawking at him. “Why do you care?”

He seems to think over my words, his eyes scanning me up and down. “Because you’re in my city now, so it’s only fair. But here’s the deal…”

I laugh. “I’m not making a deal with you, Royce.”

“Oh, you will…” He smirks. “So, here’s the deal. You’re in my city now, and I have enemies. Bad ones. I don’t need them getting to you to get to me.”

I roll my eyes, dropping the box onto the floor and sorting through the photos that I poured onto my bed. “Why do you care?”

Instant. “I don’t. But I don’t have time to be saving you if you’re taken, and then I have to explain to mommy and daddy that their precious little good girl has been captured by bad men.”

I scoff, my tongue running over my lip as I bring my eyes right to his. “Sorry, did you just say precious little good girl?” I know I should stop talking, but I’m too fired up. “I haven’t been a precious little good girl for about—hmm—” I pause, bringing my finger to my temples while basking in his silence. I think I hear Gypsy drop a “oh shit” in the background, but again, I’m too fired up to let this opportunity pass. “Four fucking years, Royce. And those bad men you speak of?” I grind my teeth, my lip curling up in a snarl while my eyes narrow. “Pretty sure I’ve seen worse. But sure thing, big brother.” I turn, bending over and picking another box up off the floor while turning to face him, dropping it onto the bed. “Whatever lets you sleep at night.”

I would be proud of my comeback if the backstory wasn’t so fucking sad.

He stands from my bed until he’s almost directly in front of me. “Check beneath your bed tonight, Duchess.” He leans down until his lips are near my ear. “Because I will be the monster lurking beneath it. Everywhere you go, I’ll be there. Who you talk to, I’ll know.” He leans back, his cold, emotionless eyes disregarding me as though I’m nothing but a cockroach needing to be stepped on. “And you’re wrong…”

“How so?” I say, turning to watch him as he moves across my room, picking up my cell phone and punching something into it.

He glares, tossing my phone at my chest. “You haven’t seen the worst, because that would have to come from me, and trust me when I say, I have guarded you from that side all your fucking life.” His hand is on the door handle as he pulls it open with Gypsy slipping beneath his arm and to the other side. “I’ve changed phone numbers. Fucking use it.” Then he slams my door harder than he made his reappearance into my life.



It took me a couple hours to settle into my room before I got batshit bored and called Sloane.

“Hey!” she breathes into the phone. “Are you here? Matty doesn’t get back until next week and I’m bored!”

“Yes!” I give her my dorm details and then wait for her to come up.

I still haven’t told her about Royce. I don’t really want to. One, because she had a massive crush on him when we were kids and two, I don’t know what it is that Royce is actually doing back in my life. It’s almost too good to be true. I can’t trust him the way I used to. He’s not the same boy anymore. Now, he feels calculated. Like a snake in the grass, waiting to strike.

There’s a knock on the door, pulling me out of my Royce induced thoughts and I swing it open to Sloane and another girl. She has dark hair and slanted eyes; I’m guessing some sort of Asian background. But I could be wrong, so I won’t make that assumption out loud.

“Yay!” Sloane pulls me in for a hug. I let her, even though she and I both know how much I hate my personal bubble being violated. “Wow, your dorm is so much nicer than mine!”

“Yeah, I wish I had a bunk buddy though.”

“Speaking of,” Sloane announces, gesturing to the girl beside her. “This is my new one. Jade, this is Nellie, Nellie, this is Jade.”