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Blake sighed. “And I’m sorry for lying to you about my identity, lying to you about my plans, and tricking you into letting me into the chem labs. Are we good now?”
“I’m not the only one you owe an apology to,” Gracie said with a pointed look toward Zara.
“I am truly sorry, Zara, for any pain I may have caused you,” Blake said dutifully. Raina thought his voice sounded sincere, but Zara scoffed and crossed her arms. “Look, I’ve changed, okay? New school, new start. I want to be your friend.”
Dean laughed roughly. “That’s a good one, Blake. Real good.”
Raina took another bite of her food as the Ashcrofts began arguing; Gracie looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but there.
“Gracie, do you want to come with me to get more food?” Raina interrupted.
Her friend stood without hesitation. “I’d love to.”
The two girls headed out of the dining hall, reaching Raina’s kitchen in a matter of minutes. As Raina opened the cabinets in search of snacks, Gracie leaned against the counter, tapping her fingers against the edge.
“How are you feeling about Blake?” Raina asked, pulling a package out of a cabinet. She took a cookie for herself and offered another to Gracie. Gracie waved the snack away.
“I have absolutely no idea. Was his apology sincere? Was it not? Does he realize exactly what he did? If the teachers found out I’d helped him, I could’ve been expelled. At best, I would’ve lost my scholarship, but I still would’ve had to leave.
The problem with the Ashcrofts is they don’t often take these things into account. I’ve seen it with Zara mainly, but the others occasionally. They don’t realize actions have consequences because they literally own the school.” Gracie paused to accept the cup of water Raina was holding out for her. “Blake never thought he would be punished for stealing chemicals. I’m sure he never even considered I could get in trouble, too. I also have no idea how he was allowed to transfer here, you know, considering hestole from the school.”
“His father is the literal principal, so that might have something to do with it. If you want my opinion, I’d say he knows that he was in the wrong and regrets dragging you into it.”
“Yeah, but does he regret doing it?”
Raina shrugged, taking a tupperware of green beans out of the fridge and spooning some into a bowl. “That I can’t answer. I won’t even pretend to understand the relationships between the Ashcrofts. They’re all so complicated; it’s like unknotting a ball of yarn.”
“So do I accept the apology?”
“Yes, but be careful around him,” Raina said. “Take the same advice you told me about Nicole—he can play nice, but until you see real change, don’t trust him fully. He’ll let his guard down at some point, and then you’ll know what he’s really feeling.”
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?” Gracie joked. “No, I see what you’re saying. I don’t trust him anymore, and I don’t think I will anytime soon. Especially not after how he treated Zara.” She shook her head sadly. “I ignored everyone’s warnings because I thought he could be different.”
“There’s no point in trying to change the past. You can forgive him, which I think will help both of you, but don’t forget it.”
Nodding slowly, Gracie helped Raina return the rest of the green beans to the fridge. Carrying her bowl and a box of crackers, Raina and Gracie returned to the dining room. Dean, Jesse, Theo, and Zara had their heads bent together, pointedly ignoring Blake, who was extremely focused on spearing a piece of chicken. At the girls’ approach, the Ashcrofts sprung apart, the conversation stopping instantly.
“I have decided to accept your apology, Blake,” Gracie said. “But don’t think that things can go back to how they were.”
An expression flashed across Blake’s face, too quick for Raina to catch. Remorse? Hope? Smugness? All could be possibilities.
“I won’t,” Blake promised.
Gracie nodded. Across from her, Zara glowered at her least favorite cousin, but Gracie didn’t seem to notice.
“I heard about your dad’s hotel,” Blake said, turning to Raina. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Raina eyed him warily. How had Blake known about the hotel? None of the Ashcroft cousins would have told him. Why would he be even remotely interested in helping?
“Really?” she asked cautiously.
“Yes, really,” Blake insisted. “I am genuinely sorry for hurting Gracie, and I would like to make up for it by helping save your dad’s hotel.”
“It’s not his hotel. He just works there.”
“Details, shmetails.” Blake waved the fact away carelessly. “How much more do you need?”
“A little under ten thousand dollars.”
