Freak: A Reverse Harem High School Romance: Fate High School, #2

By Sophie Stern

Fate smiles upon the wicked.

Isla:
My entire life has been one complication after another, and then three new kids roll into school acting like they own the place.

They don't.

They don't know anything about Fate High, or Fate, or me.

They definitely don't know what I'm really like.

They don't know the deep, dark secrets that keep me up at night, but something tells me that they want to.

And they aren't going to stop until they get what they want.

This is a reverse harem high school story with steamy scenes, bad boys, and bullying. Expect swearing, expect bad choices, and expect our heroine to refuse to choose between her three bad boys. This is the second book in the FATE HIGH SCHOOL series and should be read in order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sophie Stern
• Release date: Aug 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201159887

Book preview

Fate smiles upon the wicked.

Isla:

My entire life has been one complication after another, and then three new kids roll into school acting like they own the place.

They don't.

They don't know anything about Fate High, or Fate, or me.

They definitely don't know what I'm really like.

They don't know the deep, dark secrets that keep me up at night, but something tells me that they want to.

And they aren't going to stop until they get what they want.

This is a reverse harem high school story with steamy scenes, bad boys, and bullying. Expect swearing, expect bad choices, and expect our heroine to refuse to choose between her three bad boys. This is the second book in the FATE HIGH SCHOOL series and should be read in order.

1

Isla

FATE HIGH SCHOOL HAS never been my favorite place. It’s never been a nice place or a comforting place. Then again, would anyone describe high school that way?

No.

Nobody would.

The only people who like high school are the people who flourished during their four years locked in these walls. The cheerleaders, the jocks, and the princesses: those are the people who always talk about how wonderful high school can be.

The rest of us are too busy trying to just survive to ever notice any of that.

Now, something worse than high school classes looms ahead of me: winter break. This winter break is going to be the death of me. I just know it. Going to Fate High School is bad enough, but having to be away from high school for nearly a month is going to be even worse.

I’m old enough to know that this isn’t the end of the world, but the holiday season this year feels...

Well, it feels impossible.

It’s not so bad, my best friend Riley frowns at me, crossing her arms over her chest. Riley has always been totally gorgeous. Even though I’ve only known her for like half a year, there’s just something incredible about Riley. She’s strong. She’s brave. Everything about her just screams totally-put-together.

I wish I could be that way.

It is so bad, I respond quietly. Riley is a lot fiercer than I am. She’s had to fight for just about everything in her life. Her dad went to jail for something he didn’t do, but Riley never stopped believing in him. She fought tooth and nail to find out exactly what really happened, and she did everything in her power to save him. The drama came to a full head back at the fall dance. It was supposed to be a normal, ordinary formal dance, but Riley brought the drama.

Well, one of her boyfriends’ dads did, anyway.

Now, as I look at Riley, I can’t stop but think about how much she really believed in her father. She knew when nobody else did that he was strong, that he was honest, and that he was telling the truth about everything. She never wavered in her belief.

What must it feel like to have that sort of faith in another person?

I have no idea because I’ve never had that sort of faith in anyone.

Look, she shrugs, if we could make it through that nightmare of a dance, then we can make it through the world’s most boring holiday break.

I stare at the posters on the bulletin board in the school entrance. There are going to be so many events happening in Fate over winter break that it’s crazy to me. Don’t people need to study? Aren’t there more important things to do? Do we really need this much time to ourselves?

I know the answers to my questions. I know the logical, truthful answers. Then I know the answers that I’m secretly hoping for.

Secretly, I’m hoping that I won’t have to be locked away with my dad all winter break.

Secretly, I’m hoping that everything will somehow work out for me.

It’s going to be awful, I sigh, looking at one of the posters. It’s for a charity event in a couple of weeks where they’ll be raising money for a local animal shelter. Stuff like that, I don’t mind. It’s the other stuff that just kills me. I don’t want to spend my holiday being a perfectly poised little princess who attends things that my father tells me to, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

I know without a doubt that as soon as my father finds out about all of the activities in town, he’ll make me a list and ensure that I’m seen at every single social event. He doesn’t realize what a complete freak I am or how attending all of these events doesn’t make me cool – it makes me a nerd.

Why can’t I just hang out like the rest of the kids?

Why can’t I just use this time to recharge?

The reality is that I’m going to be graduating soon. I’d like to at least have a little bit of time to myself to just think. Isn’t that what high schoolers are supposed to do?

Hey, Riley says, reaching for my shoulder. She offers a little squeeze and then a gentle smile. Everything’s going to be okay.

She’s a liar, but I love her.

It’s not, I tell her.

It will be.

Riley, it’s...

Different.

It’s different from what she thinks.

Riley probably thinks I’m just being difficult, but I’m not. I don’t want to be alone with my dad for so long. Things have been worse lately, and I have no one I can tell.

It’s going to be fine, she repeats with a soft smile. To Riley, it probably seems that way. Riley found herself in a horrible situation, and she managed to wrangle up three different guys to keep her company and to keep her safe.

Good for her.

Everyone deserves to feel the protection and care that Riley feels. Yeah, one of her boyfriends turned out to have a villain for a dad, but that’s all working out okay, apparently. Maddox’s dad is long gone and now he and Riley get to be together, along with two other dudes. They form this little unit of love and adoration that’s actually really cute.

She’s got this safety net, though.

I don’t have that.

The bell rings.

Time to go, she says reluctantly. She knows I’m still struggling.

I’ll see you later, I promise.

Riley nods. Then the two of us part ways with her heading to Japanese class and me heading to English Lit. It’s one of my favorite classes ever, and I’m currently toying with the idea of going to college to be an English teacher myself. Not that my dad would ever allow that. I’m almost completely certain he’s already got my entire schedule for next fall lined up, complete with all of the business classes a good little Wilson child should take.

That’s the problem with having a dad who is totally driven and successful. He wants everyone to fit into a little box of what success looks like. I’m honestly more of an artist than anything else. That’s what I care about. I care about creating.

My dad...

Well, he thinks that’s kind of a waste.

English Literature is one of the few non-art classes where I actually feel really comfortable. I love the idea of getting to just read stories and talk about ways those stories have changed the world. Some of the literature from the past has been wildly influential, and in this class, Sarah O’Malley teaches us everything we need to know about that.

Sometimes I think about becoming a writer, but I know it’s not for me. Nope. I just want to do something with art: painting, sketching. I don’t care. Just something where I can feel things while I work, and where I can hopefully make other people feel things, too.

I’ve made it nearly halfway through English class when there’s a knock at the door. The entire class pauses because this is pretty unexpected. Nobody really knocks on doors during classes at Fate High unless there’s some sort of problem.

So, what’s the deal?

There’s not a fire drill and there’s not anyone causing problems. I can’t think of a reason the principal might come knocking. He would just page people. Still, Miss O’Malley stops lecturing long enough for the door to swing open. Three people swagger in with all of the confidence of a group of cartoon cowboys.

These people – not people, men – seem to act like they own the place, which is strange because I don’t think any of us have seen them before.

There’s no way these humans could possibly be eighteen. They’ve got to be older, right? They look older. One of them has slightly shaggy hair. Another’s hair is short and neat. One guy has glasses, and I find myself wanting to reach for those glasses and just tug them off to get a better look at his eyes.

Shit.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I’m staring, and I hope nobody notices that I’m staring, but then one of them catches my eye and gives me a boyish grin. I can’t tell whether my heart is melting or if that’s just my panties getting soaked because I haven’t been with anyone in quite a while. When was the last time I made out? I’ve been so focused on school I haven’t had time for dating.

Now there are only a couple of months until graduation, so I don’t want any complications. I don’t want boys winking at me. I don’t want guys looking at me the way he’s looking at me because I know that if I let him, this guy will devour every part of me.

Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Maybe being devoured by a handsome stranger wouldn’t be so bad. I can’t really explain the way that this school makes me feel to other people. The walls of Fate High have been closing in on me for a long time, but these guys are strangers. Outsiders. They’re like Riley. They’re fresh and new and they’ve got secrets they’ll probably never share.

Then again, I won’t share mine, either.

I duck my head.

Damn.

I just do not want these guys staring at me. My hair hangs long and loose and flows freely onto the little tabletop. It’s definitely not enough to hide me from his stare, though. I can feel the one guy looking at me intently. I never knew what people meant when they said a stare could burn you, but I think I know now. That’s what it feels like is happening. This guy’s eyes are just pouring into me, lasering me, and there’s nothing I can do except hope he finds someone else to look at.

The other guys are talking to my teacher, probably explaining who the hell they are and what they want, when the instructor suddenly clears her throat.

Class, we have some new students today, Miss O’Malley says in her slight Irish accent. She’s lived in Fate forever, but when she’s nervous, her accent becomes a little more pronounced. I’m not thinking about the accent, though, I’m thinking about the words. She said we have new students.

New students?

Right before graduation?

Who the hell is going to be attending a new high school right before graduation?

Is that even allowed?

I don’t think it’s allowed.

I’m tempted to raise my hand and point out that if they aren’t attending for a full year, they probably won’t be allowed to graduate, but I know that every school makes exceptions, and apparently, this school is making a big one. It’s nearly winter break, which means these guys have a couple of weeks followed by a lone semester at this school.

Why would they transfer so close to being finished?

Everyone say hello, my teacher says. She smiles, looking at the guys. I get the distinct impression that she’s really happy about these new guys. Maybe that’s why she’s talking to us like we’re preschoolers instead of high school seniors.

I would be happy, too, if I was her.

Miss Sarah O’Malley is one of the most beautiful teachers I’ve ever seen in my life, and she’s the kind of teacher you always want to please. I can’t even pinpoint why I feel this way with her, but when I see her, I instantly want to make her happy. I want to turn in work that makes her laugh. I feel so unfunny in my daily life that just bringing a smile to someone’s face feels important.

And Sarah...well, she seems like the kind of teacher who has a dark and sordid past.

Then again, don’t we all?

Every student in this class seeks her approval, but especially the boys. They all want to be teacher’s pet, and I wonder if this new group of dudes is going to try just that. The entire class realizes what’s happening, but nobody is brave enough to stand up to it or complain. Instead, everyone just mutters a hello. I see a couple of eyes roll from the other guys in class. They aren’t happy about this change.

I don’t blame them. The new dudes are like...well...they’re big. They’re muscly. They really look far too old to be students. I wonder, for just a second, if this is one of those made-for-TV situations where they’re secretly 25-year-olds who have gone undercover at a high school, but I know that would be stupid...it would be stupid, right?

Tell us about yourselves, our teacher insists, smiling brightly. A little too brightly.

I’m Burton West, the first guy – the winking one – says to the class. He’s speaking to