Lesson Seventeen - You Never Will Be Perfect But Always Be Yourself.
It had been two days since I was rescued.
My mother had done nothing but try to fuss over me. I say the word 'try' because I pushed her out of my room and locked the door anytime she tried to come in.
She had even tried climbing over to my balcony from the one next door. It would've been funny on a normal day but I wasn't in the mood so I just closed the blinds on her.
Plus I wasn't stupid, her wedding was tomorrow all she really wanted to do was to talk about it.
My dad on the other hand knew I needed my space. He greeted me home, quickly took in the sight of me and as soon as he seen that I was fine, other than a few bruises and cuts he sighed in relief and let me go on my way.
There was someone who was annoying me more than my mother and I wasn't sure what to think about the situation or his presence. Walking out my front door there he was again leaning again his motorbike swinging the keys in his tattooed hand.
Riker Kennedy.
"I've been seeing too much of you lately, Kennedy."
Closing the door behind me I acted like his presence didn't even bother me.
When in reality my mind was going a hundred miles an hour in my own thoughts.
He stopped swinging the keys in his hand and looked at me carefully. I knew I looked a mess but I didn't care. I had a red mark on my cheek from where Max had hit me but I had done a pretty good job at covering it with my makeup.
The one I was most worried about were the ones on my wrists. The marks were ugly and red, the only visible sign that anything had happened. There was also a deep cut on my stomach but it was covered and the only people that knew about that were the people that were told.
Which was my dad and maid who helped me bandage it every morning.
"You look like death."
Rolling my eyes at his remark, he smirked at me knowing that acting normal around me was what I needed right now.
I was sick of people walking around like I could break at any moment.
There was no way I would break.
Thoughts were running around in my head but not as a damsel who can't get over it. No, I was already planning my next move. I wanted to know who they were and what they truly wanted.
There was no doubt that someone had set that whole thing up and I wanted to know who.
In the end though I couldn't help but grin at Riker's actions.
As much as I hated it, he was the only person that hadn't been treating me any differently lately. Even Damon was watching me like a hawk waiting for some sort of breakdown or something else to happen.
"Thanks that's what I was going for. The fresh look of a corpse."
He chuckled under his breath and threw the keys out towards me. I looked at them and noticed that it was my BMW I8 keys.
My baby and the car that I had left at the car park that night.
"I collected the car when I found out. You dropped your keys in the car park that night. I knew even if you died and someone stole that car you would come back and hunt all off our asses."
Looking around I noticed the car sitting a bit further down the driveway. I sighed in relief. It was something that was a sense of normality.
"You ok princess?"
I nodded not even caring that he called me by his annoying nickname.
"Yea, it's just annoying that you're the only person that's not treating me like I'm damaged. It's actually starting to piss me off."
My hands tightened on the car keys knowing that the guards were probably watching me right now. Waiting for some sort of sign that I was breaking.
They would be waiting a long time.
Lyra Anderson doesn't break.
She conquers.
He looked at me curiously now, almost like he didn't completely believe what I was saying. "What about Jake and Sky?"
Hearing there names put a sharp pain through my heart. Frankly I hadn't even seen them since I got back and it wasn't out of their own choices. Which I couldn't blame them for.
It still hurt though that my two best friends weren't hear to help me process my thoughts.
Thoughts on what I was going to do next. They kept me grounded, making sure that I didn't take things to far.
My mind was spinning with ideas that I knew they would never approve off.
If I was to tell Riker right now, he would probably 100% agree with what I was saying and would be right there as back up.
With every passing minute I was drifting further and further away from that picture perfect life that had been drawn out for me.
And for some reason I loved being pulled away from it.
"Sky's mom basically has her on lockdown. She fears that her daughter will be the next one kidnapped even though we all know that won't happen. Jake had to go abroad for some family thing. He's raging he's not here with me but I don't need their pity right now if I'm honest."
Pity was something I didn't want from them but I knew it would have to come with their company.
"I don't know, I would take the pity. You could get away with everything."
Laughing slightly I walked down the steps so that we were now closer. It scared me slightly how I was talking to him so easily. Almost like it wasn't just two days ago he had a gun in his hand raining bullets on others.
He could've killed people that night and in honesty I didn't know if I wanted to know the answer to that. I knew that side to Zane but I didn't know if I could picture Riker being like that.
There was something about Riker that told me that he had more honour than Zane.
There was something else that was bothering me though.
"You won't let harm come to Damon right?" My voice was low as I spoke, almost childlike.
He needed to promise me that no matter what my brother would be ok under his watch.
He looked caught off guard at my question almost like he didn't expect me to bring up that part of his life at all. I watched as he shifted on the bike but finally looked me dead in my eyes.
It was an answer I needed to know.
Damon was in with Zane's gang that made him and the man sitting in front of me enemies and I didn't like that thought.
Damon was my brother and I would never want harm to come his way but this was the life he had chosen and I respected that. That didn't mean though that I couldn't be worried about his safety.
There's no one else in this world I would worry about more.
"Don't worry Damon is protected under mine and Ace's orders."
Relief flooded me at that sentence. There was no way I could lose Damon.
He was my twin brother and I wasn't going to lose him to this stupid world he has thrown himself into.
Even if that world was calling out to me too.
Something else came to mind but it wasn't something I was overall worried about.
After all it Zane did anything I would rain hell down on him and he knew better than anyone what I was capable off.
What I needed to realise was what I was capable of myself.
"He shouldn't have went with you that night. Zane doesn't take well to traitors."
Before I could think of anything else Riker snapped me out of my thoughts one again. He seemed to know when I was getting to lost in them. "You let me deal with Damon and Zane. I feel like you have somethings you need to work out in your own head before anything else."
Watching carefully, Riker swung his leg back over the bike and it roared to life. The sound of a engine calming my mind down as the voice in my head went silent.
It was like he knew.
"What do you mean?"
He looked at me carefully. "It's dangerous to be half in and half out in this life Lyra. You need to pick a side."
Once again Riker Kennedy knew what was going through my mind without it ever being spoken out loud.
Maybe I didn't need Sky and Jake after all to listen to my mind rant. To tell me I was going to far and to deep in a life that wasn't mine.
Maybe I just needed this boy in front of me to tell me how it was.
Later that day I sat in my BMW in the school car park. If I was honest with myself I didn't even want to go in. It was my first day back and it was a Friday. I should've left it till Monday to go back but I was sick of sitting in the house.
Frankly it wasn't the kidnap that had got me all out of sorts.
Riker was right I needed to pick a side.
Being in the situation I am now was just going to get me killed. I had tried avoiding the boys but trouble still found me anyway.
As long as their families were still in the City there was no way I was getting away from it.
My life revolves around being the Heir to a Empire that had nothing to do with any off it. If I was to keep up though with the others I would have to adapt.
My Empire would have to adapt.
The older I got the more I realised that life was a balance between the good and the bad. My father had raised to where he was now because he stayed on that 'good' path. He was as high as he could go with what he had.
What I wanted was more.
My dad had gained success but I wanted power.
Power to do what ever I pleased, the power to make people think twice before taking me on.
Sighing I stepped out of the car and walked towards the school. I was good at the business side of things but that darker side of an Empire was something I didn't know at all. I guess there really is no such thing as being clean when you were worth billions because at the end of the day it came looking for you.
Sooner or later.
As I walked along the hallway I was snapped out of my thoughts by the most annoying voice in the word.
Even more annoying than my mothers and that was saying something on it's own.
"Lyra."
Turning my head I seen Ashley walk out of the bathroom. She was clearly ditching class because the bell had rang ten minutes ago. I was late of course but I'm sure they would forgive me.
Not that I really cared if they did or not.
"What does your crazy ass want?"
It was no lie, Ashley Blane was a girl that knew how to get her way. She could be as sweet as sugar to all the right people and at the right time, but then she had another side.
A side that was as cold as ice and that was the side I seen all the time.
Not that I took much notice in her or her actions. I didn't play around with stupid high school drama.
"I heard you got kidnapped."
My eyes narrowed in warning, telling her that this was not a conversation that she had the privilege of bringing up with me.
She didn't even have the privilege to talk to me, yet here we were.
"What about it?" Keep my voice blank and unaffected by her words.
She's the last person I would let get under my skin.
"I told you not to get between me and Riker." She was twirling her bleach blonde hair between her fingers a cunning grin on her face. "It amazing what people will do if you pay them enough."
Was this bitch in front of me actually crazy? Like I should've guessed in honesty that it was her.
She would do anything to get what she wants and Riker was what she wanted.
Shoving her against the lockers, the sound could be heard through the whole hallway. She held the grin on her face as I glared at her.
Then I seen it, the flash of panic in her eyes before it was gone. She knew she had fucked up she was going to play this out because she was already in too deep.
Ashley knew it was only a matter of time before I found the answers that I wanted.
"You're fucking sick in the head, you know that right?"
She rolled her dull brown eyes but there wasn't the complete carefree attitude she wanted to show in them. She struggled against my grip but I didn't loosen it. My wrists were aching and ny stitches on my stomach burned but I ignored it all.
Would I fuck show pain in front of her after what she has done.
"You're not the first person to say that." Was her only response and her voice told me it was the truth.
"What is going on here?" Turning towards the voice I seen Riker and Damon walk over to us. Not once did I ease up on Ashley, there was no way I was letting her away that easily.
Since when were the two of them so close.
"Riker." Squealed Ashley happily as she pushed against me and a shooting pain ran through my stomach.
There was no choice but to let her go and she ran over to Riker and grabbed ahold of his arm. I swear my eardrum had burst at the sound. The girl was so bipolar, I honestly couldn't keep up.
"What were you two doing?" Riker looked at Ashley first as she basically rubbed herself against him. I couldn't help but make a gagging noise and Riker looked at me amusement.
For a moment I thought about telling him what she did, but then I thought about it for a second more. This crazy bitch was someone I wanted to deal with.
She was my problem.
"Nothing just having a lovely little chat." I waved him off like it was no big deal and we all knew I was lying.
Damon looked at me like I had officially lost my mind.
Maybe I had.
"Are you sure you should be back to school?" He might have humours tone in his voice but I could also hear the seriousness in it. He had just seen me hold Ashley against the lockers of course in a heated argument.
In the end though my brother worries to much I swear.
"Yea, Lyra." I looked at the stupid bitch as she spoke, a smug look on her face that only I could see. "Maybe you should take a few weeks off. I mean you have been through a lot."
There was nothing more I wanted to do than slap the blonde bitch, but instead I gave her a sickly sweet smile which made her frown.
Riker just looked amused by the whole thing and I didn't blame him. Damon on the other hand couldn't look anymore confused if he tried as he looked between us all.
"No thanks to you." I gritted our under my breath but she stuck out her tongue at me.
Like what the actual fuck, what are we five.
She does realise the situation she had put me in with her little stunt.
Riker pulled his arm out of Ashley's snake like grip. Honestly I was surprised he still had an arm and didn't have to detach it in order to get it back.
Ashley looked at him with a pout but in honesty it looked ridiculous with her make up covered face.
"But Riker I thought we were going to have fun."
Everyone could see and pretty much hear Riker roll his cloud grey eyes. "We had our fun along time ago Ashley. I don't play with the same toy twice."
If looked could kill I would be ten feet under by now. I didn't know what her problem was, none of this had anything to do with me.
"So what? You're going with that whore?" Ashley seethed as she looked between me and Riker. I seen a daring look in his face and I didn't like it.
It meant trouble for me.
"She's not a whore like you though Ashley, how many guys were you sharing that ass with when we were together?"
Ashley's face turned red, but this time out of embarrassment. Riker though didn't look like he cared.
He clearly got over it a long time ago. I never really knew the story with the two of them. They were at the other school before they all joined in one. So the only thing I had ever heard about their relationship was through the rumours. I knew better than anyone that rumours weren't always true.
"That was a long time ago Riker."
Everyone ignored her as she spoke and Riker leaned down so we were face to face. I could see Damon walk towards us but before he was in hearing distance Riker whispered.
"The only ass I want right now is yours princess."