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“I’m sorry, Talia. But just because you’re angry at your grandfather and me right now, that doesn’t make it acceptable for you to act out at school. I need you to do better. Try harder.” Her voice softened a little, and she sighed. “I’m worried about you going down the same path your mother did. She started out as the victim too, but by the end—before she left—she was lashing out at everyone and everything. Sleeping around. Getting into fights. Drinking and doing drugs. Making poor choices over and over again. I hope you understand I’m just trying to keep you from doing the same.”
Squeezing my eyes shut for a moment, I let out a breath. “Yeah. I get it. My mom was a screw-up and my dad was an alcoholic, so odds are good I’ll turn out the same way.”
“Talia.” She clucked her tongue. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. You are a Hildebrand, and that means somethi—”
“Right. I’m a Hildebrand.” Useless anger thickened my voice, and I didn’t care if she heard it. “I’ll try to be better at it. Wouldn’t want to embarrass the family.”
“Tal—”
“I gotta go or I’ll be late for class.”
Without waiting for an answer, I ended the call, fingers twitching to throw the phone on the ground.
What the fuck? How is it my fault I got attacked?
I had a hard time focusing on dance practice, even though it was normally my perfect escape when things were getting me down.
Instead, Finn and I sat against the wall watching funny animal videos and epic fail clips for most of the hour, and I actually felt a little better by the time I headed for my next class.
But Jacqueline’s voice kept echoing in my head, and every time it did, my anger returned full force.
That was why she’d called me today, of all days? To yell at me for something that wasn’t my fault?
I hit the books hard in the evening, memorizing a long list of authors and dates for English Lit, then I slipped on some comfy shorts and a tank and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth.
When I heard a knock on the door, I scrunched up my face, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. It was after ten, and with everyone in full finals panic mode, Prentice Hall had been like a ghost town when I’d gotten back earlier. Everyone was either holed up studying or off-campus, practicing avoidance.
“Yeah?” I called as I walked toward the door, then opened it without waiting for an answer.
Mason, Finn, Elijah, and Cole were all gathered in the hallway, and I blinked at them in surprise. They’d only been to my dorm a few times, including last week after Adena had hit me.
“Um… hey, guys. What’s up?”
Mason raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been holding out on us, little dancer.”
“What?”
“Did you really think we wouldn’t find out?”
My gut twisted as I realized what he was talking about. “Oh. It’s not a big deal. That’s why I didn’t say anything. It’s never really been a big deal.”
“Yeah, that’s not helping your case, Legs.” Finn smirked. “Now put some shoes on. We’re going out.”
I hesitated for another few heartbeats, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Or we can carry you out,” Cole deadpanned, and I scoffed.
“You wouldn’t.”
His blank expression split into a feral smile, and he cocked his head. “Wanna find out?”
Sort of, actually.
But I relented, grabbing a pair of sneakers from beside the door and throwing on a black hoodie over my tank. The guys had changed out of their uniforms into street clothes, and they were all wearing dark colors too.
They hustled me out the door and across campus, and we all piled into Mason’s car. All four of the Princes had cars, but for some reason when we all went somewhere together, it was always in Mason’s dark red convertible.
“Where are we going?” I asked, settling into the front passenger seat.
