Chapter 4 - Prince Charming never show up, huh? (1)

It's you, babe.

And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe.

And I could try to run, but it would be useless.

You're to blame.

Just one hit of you,

I knew I'll never ever, ever be the same.

— Camila Cabello

A U T U M N

He was towering over me, with two of his minions on each side. Seriously, why do douchebags always have followers? I stole a glance at Jess but she was already passed out, her head rested on the arm of the couch and her lips slightly parted.

Everyone's eyes were on him as they all waited for his so-called announcement. I bet it was something unimportant like how he finally managed to excel in the art of torturing innocent people or seducing some other girl to dump her boyfriend. Whatever it was, I didn't plan to listen as I pulled out my phone, leaned on the back of the couch, and opened Instagram.

"I just found out that this girl," he started. I didn't notice he was pointing directly at me until I could feel everyone's eyes making a hole in my head. I looked up at him and sighed, waiting for him to continue so I could get it over with. I doubted he could really 'make my life a living hell' as he'd said earlier. "Was the girl that slept with the admission board to get in," he finally finished his big announcement. He looked down at me, those grey eyes glinted with excitement and something more. Something that made him look devilish. His eyes fixated on mine and I saw the cruelty beneath those chrome shades.

I rose from the couch, still keeping my eyes locked with his, unafraid of his cunning ways of payback for not saying yes to his earlier offer. If he looked so heartbroken, I would've felt bad and offered him friendship, but since this was the way he chose to go, I had to make my side of the story heard.

"What the fuck did you just say?!" I barked my words at him. I heard some people gasp, I bet no one dared to talk to him that way. Maybe that was why he became such an egomaniac asshole who thought he could do anything he wanted because the world evolved around him. "I got here by scholarship and because of my good grades. Not some sick ways like trading sex for a free passage, you nitwit!"

The corners of his lips twitched like he was about to smile, but his eyes were all about getting his way and right now he wanted revenge. "Oh, so you're poor." He let out a chuckle and the entire room followed with laughter. It was almost as if they breathed because he allowed them to. I wondered what he got in him that made everyone here willing to be his minions. "You traded sex for money then. So you don't need to pay tuition."

I felt that the more I argued, the more ridiculous I looked. It would look like a kids' play. Everyone here was clearly stupid enough to believe the words he said, so why would I try to make a fool of myself by trying to convince them otherwise? I knew the truth, I knew that I got here because of my good grades in Carlton and as long as my friends knew that too, I was fine.

If only this happened in Washington, where people knew my father, Thornton Summers, the CEO and sole owner of the Summers Enterprises, they wouldn't believe a word Phraser said. But this was New York and I didn't like to boast about my father, so I was going to simply remove myself from this conversation and get to the door, where my amazing boyfriend probably has arrived to pick me up from this awful place.

I saw Colton walk through the crowd. He stopped by the couch and knelt beside Jess. "Babe, are you okay?" My friend answered him with noises unknown to humans. "Okay. Time to get you home."

"Mate," said one of the Phraser's friends, which I guessed his name as Mateus, according to Jess' words earlier about Phraser having two best men on his side: Mateus and Kennesaw. "Do you know this pauper girl?"

Colton followed his gaze and locked his eyes with mine. A frown appeared on his forehead. "Pauper? Do you know whose daughter she is?! She's—" Colton was about to continue but I gave him a warning look that stalled him immediately.

"Come again," asked Mateus, leaning forward so he could hear him better.

I fixed my eyes on Colton although I could feel Phraser's gaze on mine. There was no way I would give him the satisfaction by looking directly at him. He just told the biggest lie I've ever heard since someone told me Santa wasn't real. For the crowd, I had no idea who they were, and judging by how they hung on his every word like he was some Matthew, Luke, or John telling a prophecy, I wasn't interested in making friends with them either. I only wished I didn't see any of them in my class next week.

"Nothing," answered Colton at last. He pressed his lips together and slid his attention back to Jess. He put her arm around his neck and carried her bridal style towards the front door. I followed closely behind them.

To my surprise, Tyler wasn't there. He was nowhere to be found by the time we reached the front porch. "Do you want to ride with us?" asked Colton after he brought the car to the front and tucked Jess safely inside.

I shook my head. Tyler was probably on his way, I didn't want to disappoint him by going with them. "No. I'm good. Ty's coming."

Colton nodded. "Okay. Don't go anywhere until he shows up. New York is not a good place to wander carelessly at night."

I rolled my eyes, listening to his lecture about safety as if I was a kid and not nineteen years old. "Just go and get her to bed. She's gonna have a massive hangover in the morning."

I watched the dark blue sedan drive away into the night and let out a deep sigh. I checked on my phone but there were no messages. I quickly typed a short message and hit send.

- Where are you? I'm waiting outside.

I moved to the wooden bench, took a seat, and waited. Ten minutes turned to fifteen and fifteen turned to thirty. Before I knew it, it was three A.M. in the morning and there were still no words from Ty.

I had two options: waiting here for another hour or going back inside. Noticing how a few people who came out earlier looked at me with a distasteful look on their faces, I had to scratch option two. I glanced at my phone screen, I had fifteen percent of battery left. It wouldn't last more than an hour top.

"Gosh, where the hell is Tyler?!" I muttered to myself out of frustration. He usually kept me updated, even when he canceled, he always let me know instead of keeping me in the dark like what he did now.

It was getting colder. My brown colored jacket hugging my body was not enough to keep me warm. I folded my arms across my chest and hunched my shoulders against the cold. My brain told me to be clever and crawl back inside but I refused to do that. The look everyone was going to give me would probably be colder than the night air.

Where the hell was Ty? Would he come? Or did he forget to inform me that he wasn't coming?

"Prince Charming never show up, huh? A case of mistaken identity?" A voice interrupted my train of thought. I cast a glance over my shoulder at Phraser, who had just come out of the door. Geez. Couldn't he just leave me alone?!