Page 1 of Diesel

Chapter One

Cyrus

The devil came calling, and I traded my soul to hide my sins and protect what was left of Zeke’s memory.

When my heart was tragically stolen from me, I was dead anyway. Without Zeke, I had no reason left to live, and taking my own life wasn’t as easy as I expected. Being blackmailed made it easier to survive. But, I decided that I needed to suffer, to wake up every day and pay for the part that I played in his death.

After Zeke was killed, I did something I wasn’t proud of and tried to take my own life. While I was on a mandatory 72-hour psych hold, a mystery man in an expensive suit walked into my room, but his smile should have been a dead giveaway that he wasn’t there to offer his condolences. He simply handed me his phone, and the video made my stomach churn.

The last six months, I had been in a never-ending spiral. My father had told me that his girlfriend was moving in. I began drinking, taking some recreational drugs, and made a sex tape.

I didn’t need to watch the video to see the girl with her head between my thighs, or Zeke’s hard length plunging into her from behind. A video like this would cause a scandal for my father and tarnish the memory of my best friend and soulmate.

“You’ll tell your father that you need to go to rehab, I will convince him that my school is where you need to be,” he simply said. I remember being in shock that he knew my father.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Just don’t fall at my son’s feet, he will do the rest himself.”

He was gone before I could even ask who his son was, not that it mattered anyway. I would do whatever it took to keep Zeke’s memory from being ruined because of me. It might seem like an overkill, why not just let the sex tape get out. There are a few reasons, but the biggest being that scandals in our world can sever business relationships. We are taught from birth how to behave and to be careful of what we show the outside world.

And also for Zeke’s family, they say they don’t blame me, but how can they not? Their son loved me so much, he would have done anything I asked him to, hence the whole reason we made the sex tape. I didn’t want to be the only girl he slept with. He needed to experience different things, so that after ten years of marriage, he wasn’t fucking his secretary like his own father does. Being a Stepford wife isn’t what I want for my life, waiting around for my husband all day and half the night. Not that it matters now, I have nothing and no desire to do anything. Losing him meant losing a massive part of myself that I will never get back, and I don’t want to move forward without him.

Now, I’m here at Briar Academy. I was released from rehab yesterday. My father and his soon to be wife, Celine, were waiting for me in the lobby. I walked straight past them and into the car. From there, we went home, and my bags were already packed. He gave me the ‘it’s for the best’ speech. I agreed with him to make him feel better.

It would be good for me to not return to my old school anyway; I wouldn’t be able to face our friends and have them feel sorry for me.

No wonder my father was happy to ship me off. He managed to keep me out of the spotlight my entire life. Once my mum died, I changed, he changed, and we haven’t been as close. Out of sight, out of mind. I’m sure his soon-to-be child bride is happy that I’m no longer around to remind her that the house she is playing wife in belonged to my mother.

The flight wasn’t bad, my father’s private plane is one of the better parts of being wealthy. The one suitcase I brought with me, I was told to leave, and it would be delivered to my new dorm. The rest of my belongings would be delivered here to Briar Academy once my father sends them.

I have vacationed here at Briar Bay before, just not this side. My father owns a house just on the water, we would come as a family every summer. I would sunbathe, while Zeke would use the jet skis. We had a perfect life, the scars and burns on my arms and body are a daily reminder of the awful person that I am. My therapist started me on medication to help me sleep and stop my nightmares. Not that they stop them completely.

She seemed to believe that I was depressed, and maybe I was, though she didn’t want to put me on medication for that yet, not so soon after a huge loss. If I didn’t have the thoughts or reminders, how could I continue to punish myself? It’s the least that I deserve.

I walk the stark white corridor that connects the small private airport to Briar Academy, my ballet flats squeaking against the tiles as I walk. Clutching the map the flight attendant gave me, I try to figure out where to go. The huge red dot that saysyou are hereis no help. Do I go to the office? If so, who do I see there? No one told me anything; I was driven to the airport by my father’s driver. Celine offered to drive me herself, but I have zero interest in being her friend. She is nothing but a constant reminder that my mother is never coming back, a sure-fire way that I will spiral again, and that isn’t something myself or my father needs.

Coming to a stop at a set of automatic doors, I take in my surroundings and look down at my map, turning it around multiple times to figure which way is which. The beach is to my left, so I swivel the map and finally figure out where I need to go. A deep sigh escapes my lips when I realise the steep hill to my right is the way I need to walk. Surely they would have sent someone to escort me to where I needed to be, right? They knew I was coming, maybe someone would have looked for me at some point?

The humidity here is something straight out of a horror movie. I feel like my lungs are trying to jump back in and hide inside themselves. I may need to rethink the cardigans I wear to cover my scars and burns because the instant I start to sweat, the fabric clings to me like a second skin. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I start the trek up the hill.

Halfway up, I regret not waiting. Everything hurts from the tips of my toes to the top of the messy bun currently piled on my head. Committed and cursing under my breath, I continue to the top. Thank god the office building is the first one that becomes visible.

Looking at the sight before me, I’m speechless. Large sandstone paths lead to a grassy circle area with large palm trees. A few picnic tables are off to each side, and there are white buildings with blue squares, which seem to be windows. It looks so clinical–like a hospital building.

Finally, I see signs! I follow them to the office, where everything looks pristine: white tiled floors, white walls, a few fake plants to give the room some warmth. A large desk is placed smack bang in the centre of the room, a lady in her late twenties looks up from the computer screen and stares at me. I should introduce myself, or say something, but this woman hasn’t even blinked. She clears her throat, startling me slightly.

“Can I help you?” She asks in annoyance, treating me like I’ve wasted so much of her precious time.

“Well, I hope so, especially considering you work here.” She doesn’t look impressed by my snarkiness. Her lips have pinched together, accentuating the lines around her mouth. “I’m new, figured this was the place I had to be.”

She does one sharp nod and holds out a large mustard-yellow envelope.

“Miss Baron is in a meeting. You’re later than she expected. Take this, it has your ID bracelet, tablet, timetable, and class map. All your belongings are in your dorm room already. If you go to the room next door, Darla will take your measurements and get you some uniforms.” I take the envelope, and she looks back at her screen, dismissing me without a word.Bitch.

Darla is a sweet old lady; she talks and talks about how exciting it must be starting a new school and how wonderful all of the kids at Briar are. I nod and smile my way through the fitting. Luckily I’m a pretty generic size, and she has one that fits good enough. She says she will have more uniforms sent to my room later today with a reminder to make sure they are always sent to be washed every Friday.

After I finish with Darla, she points me in the direction of the tech room, a few doors down, where I will get a tablet for schoolwork.

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