Page 27 of Underground Prince

He skimmed over me once, then again. “Scarlet! What are you…?”

“I’ve been forced out,” I said and jerked a thumb behind me. “Verily used her feminine wiles on me.”

“No, but really.” He leaned in. “What are you doing here?”

“Um.” I spread my hands, indicating the entire bar. “This was my hangout, remember? I know I’ve been lax lately—”

“Almost two years, actually,” he corrected.

“Okay. So what? I came here long before you did.” My skin bristled at his reaction. “In fact, you discovered this place because of me.”

“You’re right,” he said, so fast he clipped through my words. His drink orders were dropped in front of him and he grasped both like lifelines.

“So what’s the problem?” I asked him.

“I figured you didn’t come here anymore and so I’m always bringing—”

“Babe, what’s taking so long?”

A tall, statuesque brunette stepped between us, her hair wavy and shining, and her cheekbones shimmering with just the right amount of golden highlight to her skin.

“Oh—uh—just—there was—” He gestured over her shoulder to me. “Girl from class—”

A tiny piece inside me, a residue of morality that was somehow surviving despite my deliberate starvation of it, whispered.

Here his girlfriend was. Beautiful, graceful, and had the expression of someone sincere.

“Hi!” she said, turning to me. “I’m Marissa.”

“Scarlet,” I said, taking her hand.

“Verily,” Verily said behind me, and Marissa smiled at her.

“Babe, we gotta go,” Matt said behind her.

“No need to be rude,” Marissa said. “Sorry about him. He’s like a baby needing his bottle after class, only instead of milk, it’s—”

“Beer,” I said, forcing a laugh. “Yeah, I get it.” I made sure to include Matt when I said, “Go on and feed him.”

“Nice to meet you!” she said, weaving her arm through Matt’s. Matt shot a look of abject apology over his shoulder, which I didn’t return. I twisted back to the bar, but unfortunately, Verily was already primed.

“You have got to get rid of that turd. He has the nerve to introduce you two like you really are a random chick from class and he doesn’t think that his girlfriend is gonna pick up on the vibes—”

“I get it,” I said, holding up my hand.

“And you,” she said. “You can’t do this. Or be this. Look at that girl! She seems so sweet and completely undeserving—”

“I know.” I allowed the tiniest amount of shame to trickle into my voice.

“Then why?” The bartender came to take our order, but Verily waved him away. “Why, Scar?”

I could only shake my head.

“You’re my best friend.” She motioned in the direction Matt and Marissa went and almost nailed the guy behind her with her thumb. “But when you do this crap and act like you don’t give a flying fuck about anyone else but yourself, I don’t know what to do with you.”

“It’s not about me,” I whispered.

“What?”

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