It had become a ritual;
To watch her.
Theo hadn’t realised it until recently but it was a ritual that he had been doing all his life. As far back as he could remember he would wake up in the morning for the rise of the sun, ready for the intense physical training with his father, legendary basketball player, “KVC” himself Kip Van Cise. He would wake up, go immediately for a run and then lift weights in the garage until it was time to get ready for school. Then, as he ascended the outside stairs that led to the upper floor, Theo would look to the raised window behind him and she would be there.
Trixie would be in that room, across the small patch of perfectly manicured emerald grass and the white picket fence that separated their homes and she would be there standing like a vision of the goddess. And he would watch. He would see her flick her hair back; choose her armour for the day's coming battle, apply her warpaint and get into the character of Trixie Kingsley. Bea, as he knew her.
It was a ritual.
The drive to Beverly Hills High in his classic 1969 Chevy Stingray felt longer than it normally did. Maybe it was the air of trepidation acting like a fog around him that Theo couldn’t cut through. His breakup pre-summer was big news, of course it was, he was the Franchise. Yet it didn’t feel like it was that. No, something else was weighing on his broad shoulders. It could’ve been that Bronwyn had gotten more annoying and was so excited for her junior year. Theo loved his little sister dearly but she just could not stop talking; that might be part of it. The reality was that he had deemed his senior year, his year. Theo was going to take what he wanted and give nothing back and there was something that he had had his eye on, something he had been wanting for a while and absolutely nothing was gonna stop him.
“Love you! Have a great day!”
Bronwyn was an angel on Earth, a pearly white smile and eyes like diamonds which she stole from their father the day she was born. Theo looked like his Mom. She was naive to the world in which they grew up, protected by a light that their mother shone onto her. He was not, he saw everything for what it was; an opportunity, an army of the damned souls who didn’t know that they were already dead.
“Don’t do anything stupid.” Theo waved back with a smile for his sister before he climbed out of the driver's seat and locked up his vehicle. He had kept the same parking spot since he got his car. It was a prime location, perfect to people watch, to learn and soak in all the new information and gossip that he would no doubt use to continue his reign over the deluded Nepo babies that he was surrounded with. In the distance, he could see the unmistakable flaming red hair of his cousin Tallulah and her twin Alexandria; the Strattons. No doubt the two were up to some mischief. Unlike him, they wore what they did on their sleeves. One day it would bite them in their asses and as much as he enjoyed their company, he couldn’t wait to see it happen.
As he entered the school and walked the hallways of his empire, Theo’s dark eyes caught sight of Trixie rushing into a disabled bathroom with a drawstring bag that she had pulled from her nearby locker. Now that was interesting. She was moving very fast, in a rush into a room she had no business being in. What pray tell was she doing? Well now he had to know, time was there to be killed after all? Theo stepped through the crowd, shaking the hands and patting the shoulders of his adoring public until enough of their time was wasted on him and their focus redirected onto the next athlete or popular kid that followed behind. With their glares elsewhere, the redhead slipped down the side hall and followed Trixie into the bathroom.
He made a point of slamming the door behind him, a smirk curling across his round face as he locked eyes with a bare chested Trixie. “Well well, what do we have here? My Bea caught doing something she shouldn’t be?”
Involuntarily, goosebumps made their presence known on her skin. Trixie would curse under her breath for rushing to change and forgetting to lock the door but she was caught off guard. She didn’t even think she’d be here long since all she was going to do was put a black halter top on and a comfortable sweater. Instead she held her shirt close to her chest and turned to face away from her ex. The anxiety that was now residing in the pit of her stomach caused her heart to race. She couldn’t think straight but the last thing she should do was show a sign of weakness.
Woefully unprepared, Trixie tried to steady her breathing. They hadn’t been this close in years. The only time they were in close proximity was when they had to be because of class or walking past one another in the halls. She had no idea what motivated him to do this and quite frankly, she was not going to stand for it. This was not proper for a gentleman, a boy, or a person in general. Get it together, Trix. Don’t let him have the upperhand. Rushing to put her top on, she hissed, “What the fuck are you doing in here, Teddy?” Once her chest was covered she turned to face him, harshly. “Did your mom not teach you common sense?”
“We both know that neither of us are common.” Theo could see the residual bumps on her arms from when he entered. This was Beverly Hills, the cold didn’t exist here. Those goosebumps were for him, they always were. No matter what they would always be connected to one another, they had been all their lives. “We’re Elite. We’re superior stock.” His dark hazelnut eyes softly looked over her body, he couldn’t help but think of the image that she had just hidden from him. “We’re thoroughbreds.” Taking a step deeper into the room, Theo allowed his bag to fall to the floor before placing his hands into the front pockets of his dark jeans. “Which begs the question, why you, Trixie Kingsley, would allow for something like that to happen?” He pointed with his gaze to the dirty top she had dropped onto the floor. “How could you even let them get that close?”
Theo leaned back against the door, his broad muscular frame blocking it almost in its entirety. Some would consider him pound for pound the strong boy at BHHS, there was a reason TVC was the highest touted linebacker in the country. He was built like an army tank with a Ferrari engine. “I say this because I love you Bea but I think you might be losing your touch. They’re not scared of you anymore.”
Her lips pursed and her eyebrows furrowed the more he talked and invited himself in her space, like he was entitled to it. Standing her ground, not stepping back, even if she wanted to, Trixie coldly stared at her boy next door, getting increasingly angrier by the second. The more he talked, the more annoyed she got. Yet, behind that icy gaze, behind those beautiful, brown eyes of comforting childhood memories, there was hurt and fear of being vulnerable. There was confusion and bewilderment. There was love. Staying levelled, trying her best to not show her conflicted emotions, she admitted, “I don’t want them to be scared of me. That was never my intention, and you know that.”
Her mission was and always will be to continue her parents’ legacy and make sure Beverly Hills High had an environment that not only challenged herself and her peers but catered to everyone’s potential. She simply added her own twist to it. Be informed. Stay informed. Information was power. She wanted to be inspirational, not scary. Relatable, not out of touch. Resourceful, not vindictive. The only reason why she dived deep into journalism was because she liked knowing things, which avoided backdoor conversations, and she liked to keep her peers in the know so those like The Elite and the Hive Five couldn’t use information against them. Gossip and news go hand in hand. Today's gossip is tomorrow’s headline and she wanted to be the one with the story. Trixie swore to do her due diligence to not misinform her classmates and if she could, she’d be a shield, in her own way.
Jamie, however, was a bit more underhanded and perhaps she did let him get away with more than she probably should. The podcast didn’t help. It was their place to dive into their articles or share things they didn’t write about and she wasn’t going to lie… when she was with Jamie, she couldn’t help but be a little catty. That’s just how they’ve always been together but when she wrote, she came from a genuine and authentic place. She wasn’t here to ruin anyone. Her articles made her look good on paper and ultimately reached someone that would be grateful for the intel. Gossip was a tool to distract people from themselves, nothing more nothing less, and she wanted to be the one in the driving seat, steering that asset in the right direction.
Truth be told, Trixie didn’t know why she was even entertaining a conversation with her ex in the handicap bathroom but he cornered her like a predator corners his prey. The only way out was forward and right now he was barricading the door with his muscular physique. “Is this all you wanted? To tease me and say I’ve lost my touch?” She began to worry. Not because of the close proximity she was with Teddy but because of the rumours that could spiral if they were caught exiting the bathroom together. She thought she made herself clear. They both were not right for each other and they were kids when they decided to date. They should focus on themselves, getting themselves right and leaving any feelings they had for one another in the past. They had their careers to worry about. Not each other. As she hugged herself, she tightened her hold. She wanted to ask him: what do you want? But instead, she mumbled under her breath, “I love you too, Teddy…” Breaking eye contact with Theo, she waited for all this to be over so she could get to homeroom and forget how awful her morning was and continues to be.
“Come now, Bea…” Theo took another step into the room, his hands leaving his pockets as he did and placing them firmly onto Trixie’s shuddering arms. “You’re not scared of me, are you?” He asked rhetorically, knowing full well the answer. Everyone was scared of him, as they had every right to be. We’re told as children that monsters don’t exist and that much is true but what we’re not told is that people can be far worse than the things that go bump in the night. “You know teasing is my love language.” His fingers danced tenderly over the skin, feeling her warmth enter through their tips and directly into his body like a concentrated hit of a strong narcotic immediately into his bloodstream.
Their love, if you could even call it that, was barely a flash in the pan. Nine months of what Theo considered bliss. Then again he didn’t have much to compare it to at the time. All he had ever truly known was pressure, so much pressure. Trixie was meant to be the escape from that, she was supposed to be his emergency exit from the hell from which he was birthed and lived in every day. He remembered when his mother would smile and giggle when she would watch the two of them play house as children. The expectation that they would be together was not lost on him but that didn’t bother Theo too much because as far as he was concerned his feelings for Bea were real. At least until she tore out his heart and shredded it with her heel.
He smiled softly, sweetly even. Theo Van Cise’s blood ran colder than the snows of an Alaskan tundra but his face disarmed all that bore witness to him. He was pretty, round cheeked and did not possess a harsh face that would reflect the beast that had grown inside the pit of his stomach. “I just wanted to tell you that you looked beautiful today.” He took a piece of her dark hair between his fingertips and held it aloft between their faces. “I mean you always do, you know that, I don’t have to tell you.”
A gesture like this used to cloud her senses and make her melt. A gesture like this, and his gentle, musky scent, used to bring her to attention. A gesture like this used to get her to giggle in embarrassment and turn into a blushing bride. Things were different now and the somersaults happening inside of her was not because of innocent butterflies but out of anxiety and concern. Her dad taught her about the 333, to pull her out of this state. She was a lover, yes, but she was also a fighter. The 333. Name three things you see, three things you hear, and three parts of your body.
What did she see?
Theodore’s eyes. His hand that played with her hair. His smirk. That malicious smirk that pretended to be soft and kind. Theodore was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
What did she hear?
His breathing. Her breathing. The muttered noises outside the bathroom of their peers rushing to homeroom. She wasn’t alone with him, not really. Just out that door, there were people and if she wanted to, she could scream. She could make her location known. She could get away.
And three parts of her body?
Her hands.
Beatrix found herself letting go, no longer crossing her arms, and gently grabbing his hand, placing it on her cheek. She looked at him with empathy and regret. She still cared about him. That would never change.
Her chest.
Flirtatiously, she fluttered her eyelashes and made prolonged eye contact. Inching closer, Trixie gave him a nice view of her petite form. A body he used to embrace often. A body he wished he tasted. A body that wasn’t his. He had an even better view of her cleavage. She wanted him to. With her new top, there was plenty for him to see. With her face inches away from his, he could see her lips. Those lips he used to kiss.
“I like when you tell me things like that,” she whispered, using her femininity to her advantage. She might be a good girl but if she really wanted to, she could be bad… She was Beatrix Kingsley. She knew her worth.
Her knee.
In quick fashion, Trixie forcibly brought her knee to his groin, making sure she aimed right for the balls. With the fight response activated, she shoved her ex out of the way and decided her backpack and her dirty clothes were not as important as her safety. Operating under the impression that if she allowed their time together to last any longer, he would hurt her, she cursed, “Next time you do this shit, I’m getting a restraining order, asshole!” And she left the bathroom, leaving Theo to think about his actions. She didn’t stop until she found herself under the stairs by the back entrance, a place where kids smoked. When she noticed no one there, she dropped to the floor and observed her shaking hands. She wanted to cry. What the fuck is wrong with him? The Theo she knew would never do something like that, but that was the thing, wasn’t it?
He wasn’t the Theo she knew.
Teddy was dead. He was the Franchise. And that was entirely her fault.
“Fuck me…” she muttered, finding stability against the wall. She hugged her knees and buried her face, letting the fear pass her by. She needed to get her shit together. The last thing she wanted was someone to spread fake news or worse, tell people she was weak. Trixie wasn’t weak. She was a bad bitch and she was going to keep it that way. But first, she needed to compose herself so she can smile and act like what just happened, didn’t. Everything was going to be okay. She was okay.
She was okay.
Theo knelt on the floor in agony but he was smiling, by God he was smiling. This was her chance, he wanted to give it to her out of the goodness of his heart. She could’ve saved it all if she had just let herself feel what she wanted to feel but typical Bea, stubborn to the last. Now everything was going to burn and it was all her fault. Pulling himself back up to his feet using the nearby sink, Theo’s eyes shifted to the pile of clothes and the bag she had left behind. They were the perfect representation of what had occurred to his Bea. She had shed her skin and transformed, though through her chrysalis she had not become a butterfly. No, she had become something else entirely.
She was one of them.
As his grip on the sink tightened, Theo could feel it begin to peel away from the wall. If he wanted to he could rip it straight out and throw it around as if it was nothing, it was within his power to do so. Yet he chose not to. Appearances, as they say, were everything and he was the Franchise. It was time to put his game face on. Gathering himself with a deep breath, Theo picked up his own bag and slung it back over his shoulder before grabbing Trixie’s things and bundling them up together. He exited the bathroom and grabbed a freshman by the shoulder. “Hey, get these cleaned up and make sure they get to Trixie Kingsley, ok?” He pushed the items into the pizza faced lads hand and pulled him an inch closer. “If you don’t, I’m gonna break your jaw. Run along, get out of here. Shooo.”
Pushing the child away, Theo surveyed the chaos around him. He gave her a chance; now someone else would have to deal with it, with him. And he had the perfect person in mind.
He couldn’t wait for Homeroom.
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