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When I reached Scarlett’s side, I caught her hand in mine, and though she resisted at first by stiffening up, it was only for a moment before I enveloped her hand in mine. Lifting it to my mouth, I brushed my lips over her knuckles. “But I’ll see ya later?” I said.
Gabby’s gaze darted to Scarlett, and her blue eyes darkened like a stormy sky, a warning to get us out of there.
Without waiting for her response, I pulled Scarlett from the room and glanced behind us to ensure they weren’t following.
“Watch out, Thorne. Looks like the sharks are circling, and they’re hungry.”
“They’re harmless,” I said, which seemed true enough.
“Ha! Just wait. They’re going to do anything and everything to kiss your butt and win you over.”
“It’s not anything I’m not already used to, trust me.”
“Sounds like a hardship.” She rolled her eyes.
“Not a fan of Gabby’s, I take it?”
“That’s an understatement,” she grumbled.
“I thought she seemed pretty sweet,” I said, seizing the opportunity to goad her. “Plus, she has the whole blonde hair, blue eyes thing going for her.”
Scarlett’s jaw tightened, and my lips twitched.
Unable to resist, I added, “And she smelled good too. Like, lilacs or something.”
“Or something. That’s the scent of cruelty and desperation you’re smelling. It’s deceiving that way.”
“Hmm,” I murmured, fighting a laugh. “Seems like she might be a nice backup. You know, in case this doesn’t work out between us,” I said, motioning to her.
“If brainless and vapid is your type, knock yourself out,” she said in a chipper tone that belied her words.
We walked a little longer before Scarlett paused outside the cafeteria and dropped my hand, her dark gaze sharp on mine. “Listen, you can do what you want. So if you want to be friends with Gabby and her crew, go right ahead. Knock yourself out. But don’t expect me to follow suit or hang out with them or stick around when you’re together.”
“You’re serious?” Not that I cared about befriending any of those ass-kissers, but I sensed a deeper level of animosity I didn’t understand.
“Totally. The Royals are no friends of mine.” Then she paused and shook her head. “Well, except for Topher. But he’s not really a Royal anymore. It’s complicated.”
“A Royal?” I arched a brow, and Scarlett sighed.
“Come on, noob.” She grabbed my arm. “I’ll explain as we get lunch.”
#
SCARLETT
Even though I’d explained the Royal status to Thorne at lunch—how they ruled the school and thought they were better than everyone else, how they’d tortured Penelope for years—it was hard to tell where he stood on the matter. Or maybe the image of Gabby mooning all over him as she all but drooled on his sleeve still burned in my memory. Either way, he was hard to read. I couldn’t make heads or tails of how he felt about them. Or maybe he was simply indifferent. But if anyone was Royal material, it was certainly Thorne Roberts. And the last thing Lakeview needed was an actual celebrity to join the Royal ranks.
Could you imagine their egos?
After Topher chose Penelope over them in the fall, he remained surprisingly popular, which was the opposite of what they wanted. With them, it was Royal or nothing. And while Gabby remained Queen of Lakeview, they were still in need of a king. Which meant they were getting desperate, and I refused to allow them to take Thorne as one of their own.
It wasn’t until the end of the day that I knew I was in trouble. I never spoke with Gabby. In fact, I made it a point to avoid her at all costs. Mostly because it was my general belief that she was a fairly despicable human being.
So when I caught her leaning up against my locker, snapping her gum in her Lucky Brand jeans, I spun around and headed in the opposite direction.
Who needed textbooks anyway?
But I was too late. The lion had already spotted her prey, and her shrill voice called out, “Wait!”
