Sweet Ruin: A YA Boarding School Romance (Weybridge Academy Book 3)

“I’m going to miss you over Thanksgiving,” Wes said. His arms were wrapped tightly around me, making it very difficult for me to finish packing for my trip home. I’d left it until the last minute, so it was a miracle I had anything in my bag at all. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to step from his grasp. Cress had gone to check on Anna, so these were probably the last few moments Wes and I would get alone before we both left for the break.

“I’m going to miss you too,” I said. “You sure I can’t convince you to come to Rapid Bay instead?”

He gave me a sad smile and shook his head. “I don’t think my parents would forgive me if I bailed on the gala. It’s a big deal for them.”

“No, of course,” I replied. “You should be with your family. It’s just going to be weird spending such a long time without you.”

I hadn’t gone more than a couple of days without seeing Wes since I’d arrived at Weybridge Academy, and while we were only going to be apart for a few days, right now it felt like forever. I couldn’t deny how excited I was to be heading home though. It had been a hectic few weeks topped off by the previous weekend’s drama at Luther’s house. If there was anything more embarrassing than turning up at a high-school party you weren’t invited to, it was being totally underdressed at said party and your ex-boyfriend kicking you out. A short break from this school was just what I needed. Of course, I was mostly excited about the trip because I would soon be reunited with my mom.

“We’ll FaceTime,” Wes said. “And speak on the phone every day.”

“We better,” I replied.

His arms loosened around me as the sound of Anna’s voice shattered the moment. “I’m going to miss you more. No, I’m going to miss you more,” she cooed as she came through the door. She was dragging two large suitcases behind her and grinning broadly at us. “You guys are so loved up it’s sickening. You’re lucky I’m the one walking in on this and not Sawyer, or you’d never hear the end of it.”

I wasn’t sure Anna’s reaction was all that much better than Sawyer’s would have been, but I decided to ignore her and focus on Wes. I lifted myself up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss goodbye.

“I’ll see you in a few days,” he said as he slowly drew his arms from around me. “Need a hand with your bags?”

I shook my head. “Unlike Anna, I’ve packed light.”

“Hey!” she complained. “This is light for me. I’m always ready for all possible weather and occasions. I don’t like to get caught out when I’m on a trip.”

The door opened again, and Cress came into the room, lugging another bag along with her.

“Please tell me that’s not also for Anna?” I asked.

Anna and Cress looked at each other.

“Okay, so maybe I overpacked,” Anna said, facing me. “But, I swear, it’s harder to pack light than it is to pack heavy.”

“I think you should ditch a bag,” Cress agreed. “Maybe this one. We won’t need cocktail dresses for this trip, right, Isobel?”

“A whole suitcase just for cocktail dresses?” I gasped.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll leave it here,” Anna huffed. “I guess I can buy something in Rapid Bay if I get desperate.”

I laughed to myself. Anna was going to be sorely disappointed if she was expecting an array of shopping options in my hometown. It wasn’t like Rapid Bay had a Fifth Avenue.

“Wes, could you be a darling and return that bag to my room on your way out?” she continued. “My roommate is in there, so it’ll be open.”

“Sure.” He grinned. “Have fun, girls. I’ll see you next week.”

Once Wes had left the room, I threw a few final items into my bag and zipped it closed. I didn’t really need to pack much because I had a closet full of clothes back home. But I’d grown attached to some of the cozy sweaters I had here, and my jeans at Weybridge all fit me far better than the ones at home. I guessed that was the benefit of having your clothes chosen for you by a stylist with your exact measurements rather than raiding the local charity store for every outfit and wearing them well beyond their lifespan.

I helped Anna by carrying her second suitcase down the stairs and out the front door while Cress dealt with her own luggage. The girls were buzzing with excitement as we made our way to the parking lot.

“I can’t wait to see your home,” Cress said.

“Me too,” Anna agreed. “I Googled photos of it, and the beach looks so beautiful. I wish the weather were a little warmer so we could go swimming. I packed my bikini just in case, but I think that was wishful thinking.”

I smiled. Of course, Anna had packed her bikini.

There was a large black SUV waiting for us in the parking lot. As we approached, the driver got out of the car and stepped toward us. Matthew had offered to organize all our transport back to Rapid Bay. I still felt a little uneasy about accepting such an offer from him because I knew it would likely involve private jets and personal chauffeurs. But I couldn’t deny how convenient it made everything, not to mention the extra time I would get with my mom as a result. I’d told him we didn’t need anything extravagant, but he and I had very different definitions of the word.

“Isobel?” the driver asked.

“That’s me.”

“Great. Let me take your bags.” The poor guy seemed to regret the offer as soon as he started lifting Anna’s bags into the car. He grimaced as he heaved the first suitcase, then the second, into the trunk, but he didn’t utter one ounce of complaint.

“Seriously, Anna, you need to learn to pack better,” Cress said as she opened the side door so Anna and I could climb into the car. “My mom has a packing list for every occasion. I’m going to send it to you next time we go somewhere, or you’ll spend your whole life breaking unsuspecting drivers’ backs.”

“I guess I could take a look at it,” Anna said. “But I’m not making any promises.”

Cress was about to jump into the car after us when a shout sounded behind her. “Cress, wait up!”

I looked across the parking lot and saw Kaden jogging over to us. He skidded to a halt when he reached Cress, and her face lit up with a smile while her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink.

“I wanted to see you before you headed off for the break.” Kaden smiled back at her.

“We’ll leave you guys to chat,” I said, reaching out to pull the door closed. “Have a good Thanksgiving, Kaden.”

“You too, Isobel.” He struggled to pull his eyes from Cress as he spoke. When he was around her, it was like she was the only girl he could see.

As I closed the door, Anna let out a frustrated groan from beside me. “Now we can’t hear them,” she said. “Crack the window a bit.”

“I’m not going to crack the window.” I laughed. “Give them a minute.”

“Screw that.” She leaned over me and practically pressed her nose to the glass. Luckily though, she managed to resist the urge to open the window.

“Ooh, she’s tucking her hair behind her ear,” Anna said. “That’s like the Cress version of flashing some cleavage.”

“Anna.” I laughed. “Let them have some privacy.”

“He’s going in for the kiss,” she squealed as quietly as she could. She’d either not heard me or simply decided to ignore me. It was probably the latter. “Yep, they’re kissing. I think she likes it. Kaden looks like he gives good kisses.”

“Anna,” I groaned.

“What?” She finally turned to me.

“I don’t need a play-by-play of their make-out session.” Her running commentary was making this all much more awkward than it needed to be, but it made me curious enough to sneak a glance out the window from the corner of my eye.

She scoffed and pulled herself away from the window. “Don’t worry, they’ve finished.”

I turned my head as Cress stepped toward the car. I could see Kaden over her shoulder. There was a goofy smile on his face, and he was staring after her like a lovesick puppy.

Cress looked back and flashed him one more smile before she opened the door and got in next to me. She released a happy sigh and sank into her seat as the car started down the driveway. I glanced over my shoulder and out the window. Kaden was still standing where Cress had left him, watching the departing SUV.

I was both relieved and a little sad to see the school disappearing behind us. I couldn’t wait to get home. I was so excited to see my mom and spend Thanksgiving with her. And I was surprised to admit I was looking forward to seeing Matthew too. But Weybridge Academy had become like a second home to me and, despite all the drama, part of me was going to miss it over the break.

“I take it things are going well with you and Kaden then?” I said, turning back to face Cress. They’d been spending more and more time together this week, and I’d seen them walking between classes together.

“Kind of,” she replied. “I think I’m in love.”

“Love!” Anna gasped. “Cress, you’ve been on one date.”

“Two,” she said. “He took me out for breakfast on Sunday, so it’s two.”

“Sorry, two dates,” Anna replied with a roll of her eyes. “That’s not enough to know you’re in love.”

“Why not? When you know, you know. Isn’t that right, Isobel?”

The question took me by surprise, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Why was she asking me? I didn’t know any more about love than either of my friends. Had I even been in love before? I wasn’t sure. I’d thought I was in love with Levi, but looking back now, I was certain I had been mistaken.

The things Noah had made me feel were on another level compared to Levi. But that relationship had ended even quicker, passing over me like an unexpected and devastating tornado. I hadn’t had time to think about love. Now I was with Wes, and I liked him so much, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to declare my love for him. It seemed like such a big word. I didn’t want to use it lightly, especially after the heartbreaks I’d recently endured.

“Isobel?” Cress nudged me from my thoughts.

“Uh, yeah.” I didn’t want to dampen her excitement with my internal confusion, so I nodded. “Sometimes, you just know.”

“See,” Cress said to Anna, who simply shrugged.

The car didn’t drive far from the school before it pulled off the main road. I recognized the long wire fence it turned toward immediately. We were going to the same small airstrip Noah had brought me to on our first date, when he’d used his family’s private plane to fly us to Rapid Bay. It felt like a lifetime ago now. So much had changed. The way Noah had treated me at Luther’s party was clear evidence of that.

This time, it wasn’t Noah’s family jet that was waiting on the tarmac—it was my father’s. As the car slowed beside the pristine white plane, I could see his name printed in bold letters across the side of it and up the tail. I really wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the sheer ridiculousness of his wealth.

Matthew’s plane was just as luxurious as the Hastings family’s jet although Matthew’s felt slightly bigger and more spacious. Cress and Anna commented on how nice the plane was, but neither of them seemed at all overawed by it like I had been on my date with Noah. I guessed they’d both been on trips like this before.

Cress spent most of the flight gushing about Kaden. She seemed to be missing him already. They hadn’t been apart for more than an hour, but she kept glancing at her phone like she was struggling not to call or message him.

She wasn’t the only one constantly looking at her phone, and it felt like I was lifting mine to check the time every couple of minutes. I couldn’t wait to get home and was practically counting the seconds until the plane would touch down and I’d see my mom again.

Once the flight attendant announced we’d started our descent, I was pretty much useless at holding a conversation with my friends. I was excited and distracted, and I bounced on my seat as I looked out the window to see if I could recognize any landmarks.

Anna and Cress kept laughing at how eager I was, and even though neither of them had been anywhere near Rapid Bay before, they both looked out the window with me and tried to help me spot home.

When the plane finally landed and came to a stop on the runway, I looked out the window and saw my mom jumping up and down on the tarmac, waving her arms in the air.

I smiled brightly at her excitement, which was even more obvious than mine. When the stairs lowered and the three of us got off the plane, I raced over and threw myself into my mom’s arms. We squeezed each other tightly, and it felt so good to be wrapped in her embrace again. She felt small in my arms, and I remembered thinking the same thing when she’d come to visit for Halloween.

I really hoped she wasn’t still stressed and overworked at the café. She sometimes got so caught up in work she forgot to eat. It was like the world’s worst diet, and I hated I wasn’t around to make sure she was taking care of herself.

She didn’t show any other signs of fatigue though as she greeted Cress and Anna, giving them both a warm and enthusiastic hug.

“I’m so glad you’re all here,” she said. “How was the flight? Can I help you with your bags?”

She didn’t hesitate as she grabbed one from the steward who was carting them over to us, but she immediately gasped and dropped it to the floor.

“Did someone pack a ton of bricks?”

Anna blushed. Apparently, she was finally feeling embarrassed about packing too much.

“That would be Anna,” I said.

“Anna…” My mom shook her head. “You’re going to break someone’s back with that bag, sweetie.”

“Yeah, so I’ve been told.” Anna shot stern looks at Cress and me.

We started walking over to my mom’s car, and a wave of nerves hit me as my friends took their first look at it. The beaten-up sedan was older than me, and I imagined neither Cress nor Anna had ever driven in something made before they were born.

I’d grown comfortable at Weybridge, despite all the wealth and privilege that had made me feel so out of place when I’d first arrived, and that was mostly because of Cress and Anna. But I feared the jarring contrast of going from a luxury private plane to a rickety old car would be a stark reminder I wasn’t from their world. I chewed on my bottom lip as I waited for their reaction, but neither of them said anything. In fact, they barely seemed to notice the car’s peeling paint and rusted edges as they happily made themselves comfortable in the back seat.

As my mom started the car and the engine spluttered to life, I glanced at the girls from the front seat, waiting to see if they might finally react. Still, they remained unbothered. They were both too busy laughing at one of my mom’s jokes, and when the radio came on and one of their favorite songs started playing, they began to belt out the tune at the top of their lungs.

When we arrived at the café, the girls gushed over how adorable it was, and they didn’t bat an eyelash when they were shown upstairs to our small apartment. Cress and Anna had never treated me any differently after finding out I didn’t come from money like most of the kids at school, but a part of me had been worried they might feel differently when they experienced my simple upbringing firsthand. Seeing how comfortable they were in my home made me truly appreciate just how little it mattered to them, and I felt slightly guilty for ever having any doubts.

It was getting late when we arrived home, so my mom made us all hot chocolates, and we drank them while we sat around the small kitchen counter. I got the feeling my mom would have kept us chatting all night if she could, but we were tired from traveling, and everyone decided it would be best to get an early night and be fresh for the Thanksgiving festivities the next day.

Cress and Anna slept in my room and agreed to rotate each night between my single bed and the air mattress my mom had set up on the floor. I shared a bed with my mom. I fully expected her to keep me up half the night as she tossed and turned worrying about my father arriving tomorrow and the big day of cooking she had ahead of her. But, instead, she fell straight into a deep slumber.

She seemed so settled as she slept, looking far more at peace than she had when I’d last come back to Rapid Bay. She was normally so stressed by work and finances, but right now I couldn’t see any hint of those usual worries.

As I lay back and closed my eyes, a feeling of genuine contentment washed over me. It had been a dramatic few weeks, but there was nothing more calming than the feeling of being back where I belonged, at home with my mom, and I soon fell into peaceful sleep myself.