Forever Golden: Dark High School Bully Romance (Kings of Cypress Prep Book 3) by Rachel Jonas (beach books TXT) 📕

does—so it’s not farfetched that he’d be on a mission to silence her like he did the others.

“You worry too much.”

She forces a fake-ass smile right after speaking, and I know it’s fake because, again, she’s on the verge of crying.

“You had a right to freak out. I probably gave you a heart attack when you came in and saw all the glass.”

“And your bags. Let’s not fucking forget those,” I add, making sure she knows that has to be addressed, too.

Frustrated, her stare lingers on me for a moment before her gaze wanders up toward the ceiling.

“I overreacted, let my emotions get me all riled up.”

This is the line of bull she tries to feed me next, doing a shit job of pretending not to be affected. And, fuck, I can’t stand this tiptoeing shit.

“I can’t fix whatever my dad did if I don’t know where to start, Blue.”

Another fake grin, but bigger this time. “If you’re calling me Blue, that means you’re blowing this way out of proportion.”

“Who the fuck are you trying to kid right now? Throwing in a joke or two doesn’t mask the fact that you’re crying. Or the fact that something that asshole said had you ready to jump ship and fucking leave without so much as a damn smoke signal. So, like it or not, you’re gonna have to give me more than bullshit.”

Well… okay. So, I still suck at slow and steady. Noted.

I tried keeping my cool, but all my alarms are sounding off right now. She’s trying to make light of what’s happened, and all that does is tell me there’s something to hide.

Her stare practically bores a hole through me, but she seems to understand that I’m not buying into the act, not buying her bullshit. Eventually, that brings us to a stalemate.

She shifts her gaze now, instead keeping her eyes trained on the ceiling. I can’t read her mind, but she sure as shit isn’t forcing that smile anymore, which says a lot.

“There’s nothing you can fix, West. Just… let it go.”

I draw in a deep breath and there’s an unbelievable amount of frustration and tension in my shoulders.

What the hell isn’t she saying?

“So, that’s where you think we’re leaving this? I’m supposed to believe he didn’t say anything at all? Supposed to believe you got pissed and fucked up your hand because you didn’t like the interior of his SUV or some dumb shit like that?”

With her eyes still aimed toward the ceiling, she sighs. “Damn it, West! He just… he doesn’t want us together!”

That last part leaves her mouth awkwardly. Like she would’ve rather placed her hand on a hot stove than say those words out loud.

“And?”

“And what?” she snaps, rolling her eyes. “The man sees me as ‘southside trash’. Meanwhile, you’re his fucking heir and shit. Add it all up and he doesn’t want someone like me ruining your rep.”

She’s determined to make me believe this is the conversation they had, but it’s not working.

“Bullshit.”

She scoffs and I see her frustration brimming over, but I don’t give a shit.

Another dramatic eye roll and she faces me again. “Fuck, West! What the hell else do you want me to say? He doesn’t want you with me, doesn’t want us being together to tarnish your image. End of story,” she snaps.

Anger has my blood boiling and both fists clinched tight, because there’s more. A lot more.

A few heart-pounding seconds go by and we’re silent, facing an impasse. Mostly because I know it won’t be easy getting her to confess the whole truth, but she has to. The only way any of this works is if we bring each other in. On everything.

Another sigh from her means she’s done talking, done letting me drag more out of her than she’s willing to share.

“That night I came by to air out all our shit, I explained why I targeted you when we first met. You said something that’s stuck with me to this day. Do you remember what you asked?”

The only sound in the room are her angry breaths as they puff from her flared nostrils. However, after a few seconds, I at least get some form of a response when she shakes her head.

“You said that one simple conversation is all it would’ve taken. Just one moment of trust and transparency. That stuck with me, and it’s the reason I’ve been honest with you about everything since,” I add. “You, my brothers, and Joss are the only people on this planet I trust one-hundred percent. I know you’ve seen a lot of shit, have been through a lot of shit, but I need you to know you can trust me like that.”

She doesn’t speak right away, but I notice something I’m not even sure she realizes yet. She’s trembling. Sure, it’s slight, but I notice it right off the bat.

“You’re safe with me, Southside. Always.”

Again, she gives me nothing, but I think she’s softening. So, I keep talking.

“Asking if Vin made you sign something wasn’t random. I asked because he’d already been to visit Casey before I got there. He made her sign an NDA because of what happened between us. Then come to find out, he did the same to Parker, which means he’s on the warpath, covering his tracks and mine, but I have no idea why. Seeing her was already a little weird, but even more so knowing she’d seen my dad recently. Made matters worse that she was being super cagey, checking over her shoulder every few minutes.”

Southside blinks at me and I can only hope I’m making some sort of progress.

“He added a bribe to sweeten the pot for Casey. My best guess is he did the same for Parker, which explains her recent shopping spree. There is a bright side to all this, though. If you want to call it that.”

Southside’s brow quirks—the first real sign of life I’ve seen in a while.

“With her signing the NDA, agreeing not to ever tell what