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She was playing with fire taunting the Princes like this. And I was serious about trying to keep them from doing something they’d regret, but that didn’t stop me from indulging in a few daydreams where they tore her limb from limb.
When she finally summoned her entourage around her with a flick of her wrist and stalked off, Cole let out a low growl.
“God, she really is the fucking worst,” Leah muttered.
The very fact that she kept her voice low as she spoke was proof of how far Adena had risen around the school. There was a time the auburn-haired girl would’ve said that and worse to Adena’s face. But now doing so would only be asking for trouble.
“Yeah.” Mason was staring after the bitch queen with narrowed eyes, working his jaw back and forth. Then he turned to me and asked suddenly, “Do you have a dress you can wear to prom?”
I blinked. Senior prom would be on Saturday, but it hadn’t even occurred to me to think about going. With all the shit I’d been through at this school, why would I?
“Um, you want me to go to prom with you?”
“With us.” He jerked his head at the other three, and I heard Leah squeak, then titter.
God, I’ll be hearing about this for days. She was back to blowing up my phone with incredibly long text strings, and although I rolled my eyes when she built up a head of steam, I had to admit I’d missed them.
“To prom? With all of you?” I repeated the question just to be sure I wasn’t crazy.
“Yeah.” Elijah spoke up from my other side, and there was something I couldn’t quite decipher in his hazel eyes. “You only get one senior prom. You can’t miss it.”
“I—” I glanced at the other two guys, but they both seemed totally on board with this too. “I don’t have a dress.”
“We can get you one.” Mason shrugged as if it might as well be taken care of already.
“What about you? Won’t you have to be home?” I glanced at Cole, anxiety twisting in my gut as I asked.
“Not that night. My dad said I can stay on campus if I go to the dance.”
I chewed my lip, considering that. The Princes had ruled this school for several years, and I wondered if some of that had filtered up to their parents too—the prestige, the reputation. Maybe Mr. Mercer was willing to let Cole attend because it would look bad if his son didn’t go. Maybe he just wanted him to put in an appearance and be seen.
And if he didn’t go, I was willing to bet his dad wouldn’t let him stay on campus.
“Fine. Let’s go to prom.”
I glanced around the table as the Princes all grinned at me, their expressions almost fierce. Maggie and Dan were a little wide-eyed, but Leah had gotten over her surprise and was glancing down at her lap as she texted quickly under the table—probably a message meant for me.
When my phone buzzed on the table a second later, I picked it up and glanced at it before rolling my eyes at her, struggling to contain my blush.
LEAH: Holy shit!!!! You have four fucking boyfriends.
When a dress was dropped off on campus for me two days later, I chose not to ask how the hell the Princes had known my exact size. The deep purple gown fit like a fucking glove—not that it mattered, since it also came with a seamstress who had me try it on and made a few quick alterations on the spot.
It was beautiful, with a single shoulder strap and a wrapped waist that flowed into a long, billowy skirt. It was hemmed to just brush the floor when I was wearing flats since I still couldn’t wear any kind of heels.
I loved it, except for one thing.
The shoulder that was left bare was on my left side, and the mark from the seat belt and the jagged pink lines of my healing scars were clearly visible.
My uniform covered all of that up, so I usually didn’t feel too self-conscious about the remnants of my injuries. But I couldn’t stop myself from brushing a hand over them and making a face in the mirror once the seamstress had left.
“They kind of ruin the effect.”
Finn sauntered up behind me, peering over my shoulder to take in my reflection.
“Nope. They don’t ruin anything.” His large hands fell on my shoulders, and he dipped his head to brush his lips over my skin, making goose bumps spread like ripples in a pond. “And if anybody thinks so, they can just. Fuck. Right. Off.”
Each word was punctuated with a kiss, and the sweetness of his tone combined with what he’d said made me laugh.
