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What was he doing tonight?

I pictured him in his bed, thinking of me.

Please oh please let him be thinking of me too.

It was easy to picture. I knew which apartment building he lived in, but not the number of his place. He was a pretty private person. But I’d trailed him one day. And then looked up a bunch of pictures online of a listing in the building.

It wasn’t the nicest apartment complex. It was on the other side of town. And he was most likely in a studio. Teachers didn’t get paid much. He did what he did because he loved it. Just like my mom and my uncle did.

I used to wonder if maybe that’s why Mr. Halifax kept his distance. Because he was worried about our different lifestyles. But I could live in a studio apartment. I didn’t need this big lavish lifestyle like other kids at Empire High did.

I knew my father was filthy rich. But my parents had chosen an apartment that was smaller than most of the other people I knew. It was one of the older buildings in the city. It was cozy. It was home. This was what I was used to. I didn’t need Mr. Halifax to give me the world. I just wanted him.

And I couldn’t wait any longer to know if he wanted me back.

My friends thought I was going to wait four weeks until a party he might not come to. That wasn’t happening. I was making my move tomorrow night. Because I knew exactly where Mr. Halifax would be. And I knew exactly what I wanted him to do to me.

Chapter 3 – Aphrodite

Saturday

I was 99 percent sure that Scarlett was with Axel tonight. Probably tangled up in her sheets. But there was a one percent chance she was free. And I was betting on that one percent.

I walked up the spiral staircase of our secret lair. I still couldn’t believe that Uncle James hadn’t found out about this yet. Especially with Axel sneaking into Scarlett’s bedroom every night. But I was very happy that Uncle James was slacking because our secret lair was everything. It was the perfect place to hang out. Made even more perfect by the fact that Liam’s sometimes girlfriend, Natalivanka, didn’t mind that we’d put a hole in her ceiling and decorated the room. She was awesome, rarely in town, and had amazing clothes we liked to borrow.

I tapped on the trapdoor twice and then pushed it open. I covered my eyes with my hands. “Everyone get dressed.”

Scarlett laughed. “I am dressed.”

I slowly lowered my hand but squinted just in case. Scarlett was fully clothed as promised, sitting cross-legged on her bed with a textbook on her lap.

One percent for the win! I closed the trapdoor behind me and went over to her closet. I started rummaging through her clothes. “Come on, we’re going out.”

“I can’t tonight, Soph. Axel and I are going to watch a movie. You can join us though.”

My hands froze. Right. It had only been a week since they’d gotten engaged. Of course they were going to be hanging out tonight. My one percent chance evaporated in a poof. I was still adjusting to our new normal. “No, that’s okay. Forget I said anything.”

“Is that a yes to the movie?”

“No, I’m going to that new club I mentioned yesterday.”

Scarlett stared at me. “The one you overheard the teachers talking about going to?”

“Yup,” I said.

We both just stared at each other. She knew why I was going to that specific club. On this specific night. Neither of us needed to say it out loud.

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Scarlett asked.

“I think it’s a splendid idea.”

“Soph.”

I smiled. “Scar.”

“I don’t think you should go there alone. Clubs are really shady.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll get Jacob to go with me.” I shot him a text asking if he wanted to come. Not that I needed a chaperone. It was actually better if I didn’t have one. I couldn’t wait four more weeks. I just...couldn’t. Not when I’d been so close.