Beautifully Ruined

BEAUTIFULLY RUINED MJ MASUCCI CONTENTS 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 2022©MJ Masucci This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within. All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. ISBN 978-1-950175-37-6 CHAPTER 1 Avery Payne Berne. He was the reason I was in this situation. After he, my new stepfather, swept my mother off her feet, they were married within three months. I guess she was lonely since my father died almost four years ago. Now I was living in what can only be classed as a freaking castle. Who the hell has a home with twenty-seven rooms for two people? It made no sense. Servants, a chef at our beck and call, and drivers to take you anywhere you want. It was a dream, except it wasn’t. Worse, with Payne’s entrance came an evil stepbrother. Gideon Berne was number five in the line of Bernes—a bunch of pretentious assholes. My new stepbrother paraded around the house like he was king of the castle. Berne Manor was built entirely of stone brought over from Ireland in the eighteen hundreds. Your footsteps echoed when you walked the halls, but despite the enormity of the building, it was comfortable. In a few weeks, I would be out of the safety of my mother and off to Bancroft Preparatory Academy. Gideon was a god there, but it seemed he was a god no matter where he went. Right now, he was holding court in front of the swimming pool with some of his buddies from Bancroft. The school was full of blue bloods, and I would be thrown in with the sharks in my senior year. I was told that once Gideon and I were settled at school, Payne was whisking my mother away on a belated European honeymoon for two months. It would be sink or swim for me. My mother refused to allow me to stay with one of my friends for the year while attending Arlington High School. Before she met Payne, my life was perfect. I was cheerleading captain, class president, and in line to be head editor for The Roar. “Avery!” my mother called in a sing-song voice. I rolled my eyes as I slipped on a long gray t-shirt, preparing for some time at the pool. “Yes, mother.” My door burst open, not even a knock. I could be naked, but it didn’t matter to her. Once she became a Berne, it seemed her entire sense of respect for me went out the window. All her attention was on Payne, and it pissed me off. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice stern. I grabbed a tube of suntan lotion and ignored her while I hunted for my sunglasses. “Avery, I’m waiting for an answer.” I whirled around to see her standing there, entirely made up and wearing a cute light blue dress with too much cleavage showing. My mother. She transformed the minute the ring went on her finger at the lavish wedding Payne allowed her to have. Gone was any trace of casual. She expected me to dress for dinner like we were going out to some fancy restaurant. And to wear jeans was blasphemy. My only solace from her newfound standards was taking the new silver Mercedes my stepfather and mother bestowed on me as a bribe and escaping to my friend Clover’s house. She was my bestie since sixth grade when we landed in detention for sneaking away during recess. Clover came from a rich family, but you would never know it with her antics. During our junior year, she was suspended four times for various infractions, mouthing off to the principal, wearing clothing in violation of the dress code and refusing to change, smoking on campus, and cutting classes. Clover was a bad influence, but she was fun. I didn’t know what I would do without her when I went to Bancroft. I would be drowning without her to keep me sane, especially with Gideon stepping on my head. “Swimming, mother. I’m going swimming.” She frowned. “You promised to go with me to the club for lunch.” I rolled my eyes, making sure she saw it. “I didn’t promise. I told you I would see if it fit in my schedule.” From her rigid response alone, my mother was practically on the verge of stamping her high-heel-clad foot on the hardwood. I knew she wanted to do it, but she held back. It was a move I’d seen before when we weren’t around Payne. “Your mouth. I do hope Bancroft can do something with you.” My anger fed my insolence, and I poked her because I couldn’t help myself. “Really? I was perfectly fine before you sold me out and forced me to go to your precious Bancroft.” My mother’s face grew tight with the same argument we had had over and over again. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t stay home or with Clover and attend Arlington High for my senior year. I was already part of the popular crowd, and now