Page 25 of Colton

Artemis looks at me, brow raised, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. She grabs my wine glass, taking a small sip of it, not breaking eye contact. She lowers the glass, then glances between Grace and me.

“Nothing, really. My family has called me to come home for a couple of days.”

A frown etches onto my face. “Does that mean I’ll be doing the presentation alone?”

Something clicks in her head, and she mutters something under her breath that I can’t quite catch. Then, she looks at me. “No, I’ll be there. I promise.”

I nod, though I’m not entirely convinced. Artemis isn’t someone I’d ever trust to keep a promise, and quite honestly, I was hoping she’d say I had to present myself. It would be a lot more difficult, but I’d feel more confident doing it on my own.

Artemis Hill exudes confidence unlike anything I have ever seen. The way she speaks, walks, and carries herself reminds me of Sophia. However, it’s much more dangerous. Every step she takes is calculated, every word thought through. She’s not someone to be taken lightly, and the bruise that’s still on my shoulder is there to prove it. I don’t want to be close to this girl, ever.

A tight smile is on my face. “Perfect.”

Artemis nods, then stands up. She straightens her blazer, smoothing out her perfect hair. The blonde strands against the ginger hair look too good. No wonder Grace was involved with her — only an insane person would pass on the opportunity.

“I have to go, girls. It was nice catching up with you.”

She leaves before either of us could say anything. Grace’s eyes follow her retreating footsteps, and only after Artemis is out of the restaurant does she relax, though not entirely.

“Are you okay?”

My voice is soft, and Grace tries to smile. It falls flat, and she’s silent for a while.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Artemis earlier. Quite frankly, one of the reasons I was advising you against befriending her was because you’re her type.”

I frown. “I’d never date your ex, Grace.”

“Oh, I know!” She immediately says, eyes widening. “That’s not what I’m implying. She likes playing with people, Ava. She played with me, too. I don’t want that happening to you. She has a way of getting under people’s skin, and then ruining them from within.”

There’s pain in her voice. Even though she said that it was nothing more than a hookup, I can see the sorrow in her eyes. Whatever happened between the two of them must’ve ended in an ugly manner, and the fact that Artemis brought it up without any regard for Grace only solidifies what I thought of her.

She’s a cunt.

A pretty one.

But a cunt, nonetheless.

“I’m okay, really,” she reaches over the table, squeezing my hand. “Now, eat. I have to be somewhere in an hour.”

“I forgot about this. Anyway, how long do you think you’ll be gone?”

Grace checks her wrist-watch, pondering. “It’s three now. I’m thinking I’ll be done by dinner time.”

“Dinner time?!” I whisper-yell. “What the hell are you doing? Cooking meth?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffs. “I don’t have the equipment, nor the ingredients.”

“That’s really not making me feel any better.”

Grace laughs, and it’s sincere. She finally relaxes entirely, the encounter with Artemis forgotten, even if briefly. She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, then starts eating again.

“It’s personal. Let’s just say I’m trying to make someone’s life a living hell.”

Slowly, my brows lift up, almost reaching my hairline. She eats, nonchalantly, as if she didn’t just drop a bomb on me. I wait for a while, expecting she’d give me an explanation, but no such thing comes.

“And you don’t have resources for that at the Academy?”

She shakes her head. “Nah, there’s far better things here. Besides, when you do something within the gates of Saint Valley, it stays here.”