Masked Truth: Harrington Hills Academy: Book One Read online

  Masked Truth

  Harrington Hills Academy: Book One

  Mae Reese

  "You wear a mask for so long, you often forget who you were beneath it"

  Alan Moore

  Contents

  Title Page

  Epigraph

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 1

  Skylar

  One week until the end of summer break….

  The end of summer sun in Miami is brutal, beating down on me from the clear blue sky. Looking past the end of the yard to the beach a mere 40 feet away and its crystal blue waters I take a deep breath full of warm salty air. I can hear Granny yelling at someone up at the house, her southern drawl carrying over the sounds of the lapping water and seagulls flying above.

  Pushing my glasses off my nose and onto my blonde hair which is pulled up into a top knot, I look over at my older-by-seven-minutes brother Silas “I seriously wish mom and dad would let you come back to The Academy for senior year”

  “I know, but after what happened freshman year you know they won’t” he mumbles, taking a drag off his joint and ashing it on the ground. He attempts to hand it off to me but I shake my head. I’m not too much of a prude, and have been known to imbibe on occasion but with the new school year comes cheerleading, and a cheerleader with a smokers cough isn’t cute.

  Groaning, I lay back against the lounge chair, pushing my glasses back onto my nose. As much as I would love for my brother to come back, I know he is right. My parents; the pristine George and Linda Santora, would never allow their ‘abomination’ of a son to grace the halls of The Academy again. It would not only tarnish their immaculate reputations but it would also be gossip fodder among the Harrington Hills elite. As far they know, the Elite assholes that is, my brother is off at a Swiss boarding school for mathematical geniuses. Bullshit, right?

  “I know I have survived three years without you, but fuck, we turn 18 this year. It's a big damn deal and I want my best friend with me” I mock pout, knowing even though he could never resist my pleading he couldn’t come back even if he truly wanted to.

  “Listen Sky, you know I would be there with you in a heartbeat but you also know those asshole parentals of ours will never let that happen. I need you to hang tough for one more year and then we will be free. We both get our inheritance when we turn 18 and then we can move off and go to college together wherever we want” he replies, dropping the joint into a soda can next to him just before Granny makes her appearance.

  Ever so gracefully, Granny lowers herself to the lounge chair on the opposite side of my brother, clothed in a kimono with palm trees and flamingos on it, and a mimosa clasped in her delicate hand. “Boy, you know you’ll burn more brain cells with that stinky weed of yours…” I raise my eyebrows as she takes a sip, looking at me before continuing “next time save Granny a hit.”

  Silas stars sputtering, choking on his own spit causing him to sit straight up and hack. Leaning over, granny pounds on his back. “Dammit kid, don’t die on me. How the hell will I explain to those batshit crazy people you two call parents that I snuck you out of that prison school for the summer?”

  If my parents knew that Granny sprung my brother from his proverbial prison every summer they would lose their shit. How she has gotten away with it without them knowing for the last three years is beyond me. But if anyone could do it and not get caught, it's her.

  Eleanor Fucking Santora, as she so eloquently calls herself. The woman was as sweet as sweet tea but could also be as mean as a hornet whose nest had been kicked, and she was also the matriarch of our family. The last living person between my parents and an ass-ton of money.

  My grandfather made his original fortune back in the fifties in real estate, eventually selling off much of his Florida land to the owners of a very large central Florida theme park which netted him more money than most of the entire town of Orlando would ever see in a lifetime based on today’s standards. Before his death he continued to amass his fortune by playing the stocks, and getting lucky by being an initial investor on a few hugely named businesses before they ever made it big, including a fruit named phone and a huge social media platform. Grandfathers shrewd business and investing mind set the family up for life, and Silas and I plan to take full advantage when we get out inheritance, getting as far away from our horrid parents as we can.

  My parents had made their own money, but nothing near what they were set to inherit once Granny passed away. My mother, the awful witch she is, was excitedly counting down the days til that happened.

  “Granny, can’t we just stay here and finish our senior year?” I playfully whine, taking a sip of my water before passing it to my brother who was still gasping for air.

  “Baby girl you know very well that your parents would never let that happen. They only listen to me now so I don’t remove their money-grubbing asses from the will…” she replies, a bit of malice in her voice. My grandfather made sure that his will was almost iron-clad and unchangeable, leaving her every bit of his fortune. However, there were stipulations on how she could disperse it after her own passing. My grandmother has spent the last 5 years trying to figure out how to change or work around the stipulations to leave less money to my ‘brainwashed father and his succubus’ as she so kindly calls them but to no avail. Even some of the best lawyers have yet to figure it out, but she still persists.

  “Besides, if you stayed here for your senior year wouldn’t you miss that hot piece you are doing the horizontal mambo with back home?” Granny asks, swirling her mimosa in the glass before downing the remainder.

  “There is so much wrong with that sentence Granny, I don’t even know where to begin” I mumble.

  “I may be old, but I know what all you kids do all day… Smoke pot and bang each other. I just want you to make sure you use protection. The Montgomery family are bad stock, especially that rattlesnake Darren Montgomery. He is the spittin’ image of his Daddy, and he was the most obnoxious and self-absorbed man I had ever met. The lot of those Montomgery’s are about as useful as a trap door in a canoe” she spits with venom in her voice, taking her newly filled glass from a shirtless Marco and giving him a saucy wink before he turns and heads back to the house.

  I can hear Silas’ attempt at holding back his laughter and I shoot a glare his way.

  “Granny I am not ‘banging’ Weston Montgomery” I grumble my cheeks heating, not wanting to have this conversation with my seventy-eight year old Grandmother.

  “Well, why not? You don’t have to marry him! This a new day and time love bug, women can bang whoever they want and then move on to the next. I’ve seen pictures of that boy, he sure is a sexy thing isn’t he?” She replies, talking wildly with her hands.

  “Granny, first of all, please quit saying bang. You’re going to ma
ke Silas sterile if the weed hasn’t done it already. Secondly, again, I am not banging Weston nor am I going to marry him...” I say but she cuts me off “Does your mama know that?” She raises her eyebrow at me.

  I sigh loudly, leaning my head back on the cushion “No, she doesn’t. Hence the reason I want to spend my senior year here” I groan.

  “Sorry my little love bug but you know that can’t happen. However, you won’t hurt my feelings if you and Silas end up down here at the University of Miami after you graduate” she smiles, betting her eyelashes innocently at us.

  The idea really isn’t too far-fetched. Silas and I have actually discussed it so we could be closer to her since she is the only family we can actually tolerate, we just haven’t told her that we had been tossing the idea around.

  “You know we love you Gran” I say, as Silas nods his agreement.

  Pushing the awful thoughts of returning home to North Carolina aside I try and enjoy the last few days of my summer break. I know that once I return home and start my senior year I will have to have the perfect daughter mask firmly back in place, which is something I truly dreaded.

  Chapter 2

  Skylar

  First day of senior year

  “Skylar, honey, Weston is here to pick you up” my mother calls from the hallway outside my door. I roll my eyes at her faux sweet tone, the one she only uses in front of other people she wants to impress. She tries the handle but I was smart enough to lock it before I got into the shower.

  “Coming” I reply, swiping one more layer of mascara on my lashes before tossing the tube into my makeup bag and shoving the whole bag into my purse.

  Grabbing my Harrington Hills Academy blazer and my backpack from the hook behind my door I stop and take one more look in the mirror. I double check my perfect blonde hair, my perfectly applied makeup, and my uniform, which is pressed and neat before I unlock the door and head out. No need in getting on the witches bad side before 8 a.m.

  When I emerge downstairs my mother is standing next to Weston, smiling up at his handsome face, as she all but flirts with him. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a chignon at the nape of her neck showing her wrinkle free face, thanks to thousands of dollars in cosmetic surgery. Her svelte frame is garbed in a long sleeve, black pants jumpsuit, and a small fortunes worth of jewelry adorn her wrists and ears.

  “Mother, Weston” I greet politely, as I pull my blazer on over my academy issued white dress shirt. Weston smiles as he leans down and plucks my backpack from the floor, throwing it over his shoulder giving the impression that Weston Montgomery is a gentlemen.

  Yeah fucking right.

  He kisses my cheek and leans back, his blue eyes shining brightly.

  Weston and I have been dating since we were freshman, and while dating the most popular boy at school has its perks, it’s also extremely lackluster. Weston may be drop dead gorgeous, rich as hell, and the quarterback for the football team but our relationship is about as passionate as an avocado.

  “Hey you, ready to go?” He asks, turning towards my mother without waiting for my response.

  “Have a nice day Linda” he says, winking at her before waltzing out the front door to his car. I roll my eyes and follow after him, halting when my arm is yanked back.

  “Remember who you are, Skylar. Remember who you represent” she hisses in my ear. I should have known the vile beast wasn’t going to wish me good luck on my first day of senior year. No, my ‘have a great first day’ was filled with the witch reminding me to mind my P’s and Q’s.

  Welcome to the life of Skylar Fucking Santora.

  Opening the door to Westons Range Rover, I climb in and buckle my seat belt. Almost cringing as he slides his hand from his gear shift to my exposed thigh before taking off down my driveway.

  “I really missed you Sky” he says, his words laced with innuendo. I look over and smile, faking it as best I can.

  “I missed you too, Wes” I reply before turning my head back towards the window and staring as we pass the guard gate of our community.

  Harrington Hills has been voted one of the richest towns in North Carolina for the last 30 years, which means it also contains some of the most exclusive and wealthy families in the state. Weston’s family is no exception to that.

  His father’s grandfather was one of the biggest tobacco farmers in North Carolina, which turned into him being one of the biggest cigarette manufacturers in the world. They’re basically Walton family loaded, hence my parents absolute glee to have their precious daughter dating the Montgomery’s all-American son. Fucking gag me.

  “You missed a lot this summer. They closed down Townes Academy” he says almost flippantly, removing his hand and pushing a few buttons on the radio. My head whips back around to him so swiftly it would make Linda Blair proud.

  “What? Why did they close it down?” I ask, wondering how the hell I was so out of the loop to miss something as big as our rival school shutting its doors.

  Oh yeah, I purposefully ignored most of my friends texts this summer so I could actually enjoy my Miami days with Granny and Silas.

  “Well, apparently their headmaster had been using the tuition money to take trips over to Taiwan for a few years and managed to get himself a wife over there…. And a child. So instead of coming clean to his wife in the States he has been sending his Taiwan wife thousands of dollars a month to ‘support’ her or she would tell his States wife. He drained the entirety of the Townes Academy bank account and is now in jail.” He explains.

  How very Jerry Springer of him, I think to myself.

  “Ok, so what about the kids that go there? I mean I highly doubt the parents will send their boys over to Townesville High” I ask, biting my bottom lip. Townes Academy was a very small all boys academy but their parents money rivaled some of the richest in Harrington Hills, the only difference is most of the Townes kids parents were new money whereas everyone in Harrington Hills was old money.

  “They’re going to Harrington” he grunts, his tone showing his lack of enthusiasm. “Most of the parents at HHA fought like hell to keep them out but apparently money can buy you anything, even a prestigious education at a school you don’t deserve to be at.”

  As disgusted as he is with our board letting the Townes kids into our school, he doesn’t realize that he is no different from they are. They’re all rich assholes who throw their money around to get what they want, just like Weston and his friends. Hell, just like George and Linda Santora. Turning my face back to the window, I smirk.

  This year is going to be interesting as hell.

  Chapter 3

  Skylar

  Walking up the front steps of Harrington Hills for my senior years feels like a dream. Knowing I only have to survive one more year of this place before I get freedom is a reality I am happy to face.

  “Well, well, well if it isn’t our illustrious disappearing leader” I hear her voice before I see her gorgeous dark red hair. Maisie Winston, the reason I have managed to keep my sanity for the last 3 years without Silas and the only person I regularly spoke with during my summer trips to Miami, appears from behind Brock and wraps her arms around my neck pulling me to her.

  “I am so glad to see your ginger ass” I say, hugging her to me tightly. She pulls back, looking me up and down almost cattily. I know it’s an act, she couldn’t be a true bitch to me if she tried. We both have our roles to play, and we play them well.

  The popular cheerleaders.

  The bitchy elite princesses.

  The future wives and arm candy of Weston Mont gomery and Brock Taylor.

  The fakest girls to ever attend Harrington Hills Academy.

  “Look at you with your fake tan and dye job” she smirks, her fingers tugging on my sun bleached locks.

  “Miami will do that to you” I grin, lacing my arm through hers before Weston can take my hand. An avoidance technique we both learned early on.

  We fall in line behind the boys as they walk through the heavy wood
front doors of The Academy, not holding them open for us as they pass through.

  Color me shocked.

  “I really am glad you’re back, I missed the hell out of you” Maisie leans down towards my ear, keeping her tone low so the gossip mongers don’t hear her. Our roles at HHA are simple, we smile, we keep our resting bitch faces in place, and we keep our drama behind closed doors. It's exactly what our parents would expect of their precious daughters.

  “I missed you more. I cannot believe you didn’t tell me about Townes” I say accusatorially. Since Maisie was one of the few people I spoke to from Harrington Hills during my summer vacation, for her to leave that juicy tidbit out stung a bit.

  “I’m sorry, it honestly all happened so quickly and I figured your parents would…” she trails off and her eyes go wide as she takes in the scene ahead of us. I turn, my gaze angling the same direction as hers and am caught off guard when a pair of hunter green eyes catch mine and everything freezes, including the breath in my lungs. The gorgeous green eyes are framed by long black lashes and tan skin, ridiculously good looks, and jet black hair.

  It should be illegal to be that hot in high school.

  You know how in movies when two people first see each other everything seems to go in slow motion? That’s totally what’s going on right now. The guy currently openly eye-fucking me is leaning against the lockers with 3 other guys and a few girls I don’t recognize.

  Those must be the kids from Townes.

  “Hey, eyes up Santora you’re about to be caught drooling in three…two…one…” Maisie whispers, saving me as Weston slows his step waiting for us to catch up to him. He inserts himself between Maisie and me, throwing his arm across my shoulder. Glancing up at him I notice he isn’t looking back at me but at Green Eyes, and he is glaring daggers at him.

  Weston stops himself directly in front of the group of new students. The four guys and two girls pause their conversations once they notice the new audience.