FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS OF THE CHEATER.FAKER.TROUBLEMAKER SERIES (WATTY'S 2016, FICTION AWARDS 2016, HACHETTE AUDIO 2017), JENNY ROSEN & KRISTEN MAGLONZO.
After bullies, braces, and brutal heartbreak shatters his faith in love, soon-to-be fre...
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NOTE: Tune in for this week's emotional rollercoaster of a chapter of BOY KING! kaelking12 did an amazing job with this chapter & we hope you have as much listening as we did recording :)!
CHAPTER 36
Lacey
There are people who live to hide their darkness.
People like my mother.
People like me.
We carry our brokenness close to our bones.
Keep our ugliest secrets from reaching the surface as a matter of survival and necessity.
We are terribly desperate to outrun ourselves and our histories.
We try our best to bury our shadows.
But Elias's father is draped in them.His darkness lives right on the surface—seeping through his billboard smile and dripping off the threads of his expensive suit.
Malcolm King has the kind of presence that refuses to go unnoticed. Even my dad's pointed him out on the fancy ads plastered around San Diego every time we pass one. I don't know what it is about the appearance of money and power that blinds people to the reality of a person's character.
But now that he's standing inches away from me, I realize the reason for his success. The posters make him look accomplished. Trustworthy. Honest.
His posters are made of lies.
"My goodness, I'm sorry I startled you, young lady. If I'd known my son was expecting such a beautiful guest, I would've come better prepared. I don't believe we've met. I'm Malcolm. Malcolm King. And you are?"
Mr. King unearths his hand from the inside of his silk-lined pocket and extends it to me. His nails are neatly clipped. Cut down just below the cuticle to appear almost harmless. But only almost.
The red crescent grooves littered along in the skin of Elias's neck scream louder than the bruises surrounding them. It's been a week, and they still look fresh. Fresh enough to spur a number of serious conversations if any of our teachers were to see them.
Especially Mr. K.
Part of me wishes he were standing here with us. He's strong enough to stand up for Elias. Strong enough to call out his father for trying to groom away his secrets.
