A Rose to Keep Read online

  Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2021 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0435-7

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A ROSE TO KEEP

  The Society, 1

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2021

  Chapter One

  Sian

  “You have everything, don’t you?” my mother asked not for the first time.

  I didn’t know why she even bothered to come. We have this same play each time she takes me back to hell, no sorry, to school. If you could call All Saints Academy a school. It was a fucking death trap. A nightmare. Where the elites sent their kids, and yes, I was an elite but according to others, I was the lowest form of them. The kind of person who shouldn’t be there. I had every right to be here. My parents paid a fortune for me to be here and besides, they were wealthy. Both of them were the best damn lawyers in the country. Highly sought after, but they also came from old money. Neither of them was interested in their family’s businesses and that was the trouble with many elitists. They’d hired outside help to run the company, rather than keeping it in the family. They broke tradition and the royal rules, or so it would seem to those who cared about the academy. News flash, I did not.

  “Mom, you sent my things over last night, remember? It’ll all be waiting for me in my room. I promise.” I grabbed my bag, going for the handle on the door to try to get out. It was senior year. The very last before college. My parents had applied to only the best within the country, but what they didn’t know was I’d also applied to some abroad. I wanted to get the hell out of here.

  I wasn’t like the other kids. I didn’t see myself as better than anyone else, or higher up the social chain. It probably had to do with the nanny who raised me. A middle-aged woman named Drew, and I had loved her so much. She’d died two years ago of cancer. I’d found out after the funeral, and since then, my mother made it a ritual to bring me to school. To see me off like a mother would during kindergarten or something.

  My mother never did any of those things. She may have given birth to a daughter, but her entire focus in life was her career. She wanted to be the best. It was why my parents had a volatile relationship. They were enemies in the courtroom and tale had it that they also hated each other in high school. Their mutual hatred turned to passion, then to love, then to me.

  After slamming the door closed, I took each step into the battlefield. Drew had originally applied for me to go to public school and for a couple of years, I had. With my parents away so much, I’d lived with Drew and pretended she was my mom. I’d blended in well there. When my parents found out I wasn’t a member of their precious All Saints Academy, shit had hit the fan. Drew had been fired, and I’d been enrolled into this shithole. Not that it was anything like that.

  There was no way anything shitty could touch these precious darlings.

  To put it mildly, I so did not fit in here. Raised by a down-to-earth nanny, I loved the simpler things in life. Not the wealth, greed, and power these bastards did. From the moment I’d entered the school, I’d been public enemy number one. Why? I refused to wear designer. I didn’t bow down to them. And I was my own person. I didn’t care to join the crowds.

  They could all go fuck themselves. There was only one other girl here that I liked, Heather. She wasn’t like the rest of them, but it also had to do with the fact she was a scholarship student. She was amazing. Her intelligence was through the roof. This school had been notified of her level of genius, and well, they gave her a full ride, also opening her chance to go to any college in the country.

  The moment I spotted her, I smiled. Her hair was up in two ponytails at the back of her head. She always wore a little makeup, and she had on a pair of large glasses.

  “Sian!” She yelled my name, and in the next second, we hugged.

  We never saw each other through the summer. My parents dragged my ass across the country from one social function to another. When I’d been hoping to hang out with Heather, enjoying the beach, my parents had me at spas, beauty clinics, and going shopping. Each function required a brand-new dress.

  So this summer, I had no choice but to attend every single high-flying society function, being thrust with the very people I detest.

  “You know it’s happening today,” Heather said, walking with me as we headed to my building.

  Heather lived a little closer to the faculty. I thought it was to make sure no one tried to oust her, or do anything to hurt her. The wealthy could do whatever the hell they wanted. The last scholarship student left years ago, humiliated, degraded, and wishing they’d never stepped foot on campus.

  No punishments were ever given. No one could prove what drove the girl to breaking down. She didn’t belong, and most people here made sure she knew it. I didn’t play into their games. Another reason I was well and truly hated.

  We walked into my building, and I got my key ready, going into my room on the second floor. It was like a mini apartment. There was a sitting room, bedroom, small bathroom, and even a tiny kitchen. It was the only part of this academy experience I liked. This school had everything, including a gym as well as a pool for anyone to use providing they alerted someone to their being there.

  As per my parents’ request, everything was put away for me. My clothes were neatly folded in drawers. My wardrobe full of cute little outfits because they wanted me to have a social life here.

  Not happening.

  I stuck to the school uniform most of the time. The small skirts were offensive. I often wore mine with tights. The pristine white shirts for the female uniform were also sheer, so most of the time, bras or lack of them could be seen. Again, a nice crop top underneath took care of that.

  The school colors were a dark-forest green and gold. There had to be gold somewhere.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The selection!”

  “Oh, please, give me a break. That stuff cannot be real.”

  Every senior year, the main four Saintly Devils picked one female from the year to belong to them. There was so much rumor and gossip about this. Personally, I didn’t believe it. One girl belonged to four guys, and they could do whatever the hell they wanted with her. She was theirs in every single sense of the word, but it also made her off-limits to everyone else. If someone so much as looked at her, they were screwed. She was highly protected. There were a lot of members of the Saintly Devils, also referred to as the Hot Devils or the Dirty Devils. They were four of the wealthiest guys in each year. From the moment they stepped foot into this school, Gideon Flores, William Martin, Mateo Robinson, and Dante Jones were the Saintly Devils. The strongest, hardest, most egotistical people I’d ever had the misfortune to meet. They were assholes.

  I couldn’t stand them. Let’s start with Gideon. He was flawless. Tall, muscular, the kind of guy who knew he was hot, and the girls just fell into line. Short black hair that never looked greasy or unkempt. I couldn’t imagine for a second him getting out of bed and not looking perfect. The guy screamed it. Then, of course, he had pretty blue eyes. At times, they seemed to be as cold as the ocean near the poles, sharp, almost as if you got too close they’d strike you down. Yeah, I had seen him, but that didn’t mean I liked everything I saw.

  William was a different guy from the rest of them. I thought of him as the playful one. The jokester. In class, he was always driving teachers crazy with his need to not take life seriously. I didn’t know how he fit in with the other three. I was guessing he helped to balance them all out. Brown hair, slightly longer, and often looking windswept, like he constantly ran his fingers through it. Green eyes, but I didn’t know how green. Like an emerald, but not as bright.

  Bringing me to Mateo. I liked his name, and he was the blond-haired of the group. Slightly longer hair as well, but not enough to put it into a ponytail. I wondered if this was his rebellion of being the perfectly kept son. The out-of-place hair, the attitude, it all called to a guy trying to find his place in the world. Like Gideon and William, his body was rock-solid. The school uniform’s blazer was a little tight across his arms and shoulders, showing the expanse of his build.

  Last but not least, Dante, the seemingly quiet one of the group. More often than not, I saw him scribbling away in his notebook. The artist or the tortured soul of All Saints. I wanted to snort at the title. It was laughable. As if this guy could be tortured. For three years, I’d seen girls throw themselves at him as if he was some kind of trophy. Brown hair, slightly darker than mine, brown eyes, and he often had smudged fingers from using pencils. I didn’t know why I’d noticed that about him, I just had.

  “It is,” Heather said. “I researched this, and there are pictures all over social media of every girl who was chosen being seen with them. It happens.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, if the rumors are true, it’s going to be Chloe. They only pick the hot, popular ones. I think you should get picked.”

  Heather snorted. “Hot nerds a
re in right now.”

  “I don’t think fat chicks will ever be in.”

  Heather groaned and shoved me. She knew I had no problems with my weight. My curves were fucking awesome. There was a time, many years ago, when Drew found me in the bathroom. I’d attempted to throw up. Public school wasn’t easy. I’d stepped into school and immediately gotten the title of fatty, cow, pig, and many other names. For a short time, I’d been ashamed of my weight. Drew had helped me so much. She refused to allow me to go down that path, and every single opportunity she had, she taught me about self-love. Not loving only myself, or being pretentious, but actually accepting and loving myself for who I was.

  It took me a long time to embrace who I was, and I only really started doing it after she died. I felt it was shaming her memory to fall back on bad habits. Every day, I took a moment to think of all she taught me, and in doing so, I learned to accept and love my body for what it was, mine.

  Everyone, including my skinny mother, could kiss my voluptuous ass. I wasn’t changing for anyone.

  We both ended up giggling on the sofa.

  “I better get ready.” Heather was already dressed in the uniform. I disappeared into my room, quickly swapping my torn jeans for the skirt and shirt, tie, and left the blazer. I was way too hot.

  After grabbing my bag and stuffing it with what I needed, I entered the sitting room.

  Heather looked like she’d fallen asleep.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I was up all night studying. You know how it is,” she said.

  Heather’s stress levels always tripled when we were back here. If her grades began to fall at any time, she was out. Simple as that. They only wanted a genius. Not a slacker.

  “You know you’re amazing, right? You’ve got this.”

  “I know. I need to stay on top of everything, Sian. I’ve got my future riding on this year.”

  I kissed my friend’s head. “You’re going to do great.”

  “I hope so.”

  I took her hand, and together, we left the dorm, heading out into the courtyard. There were no more cars in sight. The parents had dropped us all off.

  We didn’t linger and instead made it into the main hall, finding seats in the back. Teachers were already seated, waiting, and slowly, students began to walk in, taking seats. Girls were giggling. Guys were fist-bumping or randomly grabbing a girl and kissing her.

  Of course, the Saintly Devils were the last to arrive, taking their seats up front. All four of them appeared to have gotten taller, and if I wasn’t mistaken, more muscular as well. The blazers looked like they were ready to pop right off their shoulders.

  It was way too warm for tights, and I hated how small the skirt was. I kept reaching down to the hem, tugging at it. Heather grabbed my hand, locking our fingers together to stop me from fidgeting.

  The principal stood up and welcomed everyone back. The speech was the same one she used last year, and the year before that. It was boring, tedious, but it clearly made her feel powerful and in control.

  I checked the time and like clockwork, she finished her speech, ready for us to get to our first class.

  “How long do you think she’s been doing that speech?” Heather asked.

  “Ever since she took the seat in office,” I said.

  We both burst out laughing. There was nothing political about this school, and yet, everything seemed to be.

  “I’ve got to go,” Heather said. “Our schedules suck. Meet you at lunch?”

  “Yep. Same place. Same time.” We hugged and went our separate ways. First period was math.

  Heather and I normally had homeroom together, but on the first day of every term, the principal did her welcoming back speech, so classes started immediately.

  I hated math.

  After entering the classroom, I took a seat at the front, where I always sat. I did this so I could get the teacher, Mr. Brick’s help.

  Math was stupid. There were too many rules and formulas for it to make sense. I thought it was put on this earth to test those in the most stupid of ways, so, I hated it.

  I grabbed a pencil out of my bag before putting it on the floor, keeping my feet wrapped around it.

  People began to fill the classroom. Whispers ran rife.

  I heard a little of what was said.

  “I heard they’re going to present it in class.”

  “No, I think it will be at lunch.”

  “I wish I was the one getting the rose.”

  Ah, the selection. The most important part of the senior year. The way people knew which girl was selected to belong to the Saintly Devils, a single deep red rose was presented to her. All the thorns removed so she didn’t bleed.

  Again, this was just hearsay. I didn’t believe in it.

  Four guys. One girl. It didn’t make any sense.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone sat down next to me, and when I turned to see who it was, I was tempted to move.

  Gideon sat next to me. Why?

  To make matters worse, Dante and Mateo took the seat behind me, with William leaning up against the window.

  All four guys totally surrounding me.

  “Mr. Martin, please take a seat.”

  “I have a note. I like to stand to learn, Mr. Brick,” he said, handing a folded piece of paper to the teacher.

  I prayed it was a bogus note, but one look at the teach, and I could tell it was real.

  “Fine. Hand out these books please.”

  “Gladly.” William placed a book very gently down in front of me.

  “Thanks,” I said. I wasn’t rude. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but instead, I opened the book, wrote the date, closed the book, and wrote my name. There. My new math’s hell book for the next year. What fun. This was the topic I hated so much. I couldn’t stand it.

  I ignored the guys even though I was sure their gazes were on me.

  Why were they sitting around me?

  Was this some kind of test to see how far they could push me?

  Tapping my pencil on the desk, I kept my gaze up front. Time ticked by, and I breathed a sigh of relief the moment Mr. Brick started talking.

  Normally, I found myself immersed in class, taking in all the knowledge, but today, the Saintly Devils distracted me, and I hated it.

  Today’s lesson wasn’t about algebra, fractions, or equations. There was a detailed plan of the year, preparing for the necessary work to accompany our exams. I made notes and would have to go over everything later.

  I didn’t like their constant attention. Nerves hit me hard.

  When the bell finally rang, I quickly grabbed my bag and prepared to make my escape, but they crowded in.

  People left.

  Some tried to linger, but the guys gave everyone a look. Even Mr. Brick left the room, and within a matter of seconds, I was alone with four guys I couldn’t stand.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “I wanted to let you know how pretty you look today,” Gideon said.

  “Right, okay, thanks. Please move. I’ve got to get to class.”

  He took a step toward me, and I immediately step back only to come into contact with William. I immediately moved so my ass was pressed against the desk, and I could see all four of them.

  “Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I don’t find this funny. Please, leave me alone,” I said.

  “You know, every other girl would be creaming their pants to have all of us showing them attention,” Dante said.

  “Then go and find that other girl.”

  “This year is going to be very interesting,” Gideon said, making a path.

  He hadn’t moved too far out of my way, but there was enough room that I was going to have to rub up against him and Mateo to get through.

  Without a word, I stepped between them, getting the sense they moved a little closer, but I must have been losing my mind.

  I picked up speed, rushing off to my next class. This one, biology. I took a seat, and lo and behold, all four Saintly Devils entered the classroom. To make matters worse, they took a seat like before, only this time, William was seated at the desk.