Page 112 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

He mirrors my smile. “It helps that you’re a motivated student.”

“I really want to make the team.” I stare out at the track. “I like running. It keeps me centered.”

“Me, too.” A pause, and then he sweeps strands of my hair off my shoulder. “Can you see yourself out there, running in meets?”

Why does he keep touching my hair? Not that I’m complaining. It’s just confusing.

“Absolutely.”

“I think you’ll make the team,” he says with genuine confidence.

“Are you going to come watch me at tryouts and cheer me on?” I’m partly joking.

“Of course,” he replies easily.

My stomach rolls.

He frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” I shrug. “I’ve just never had anyone come and cheer me on before.”

His expression softens as he wets his lips with his tongue. For some dumb reason, my thoughts travel back to that brief kiss we shared in the rain. The one we haven’t spoken of. I’m about to ask him about it and probably ruin this beautiful friendship that’s developing between us. Fortunately, I spot something that stops me.

“What the hell is that?” I squint as I lean forward.

River tracks my gaze until he finds what I’m looking at. Confusion floods his expression. Because creeping out of the trees is a group of people.

“What the heck is going on?” I mumble when I note that the entire group is wearing cloaks. Like, straight out of a wizard academy. “River,” I whisper.

“Come on.” He snatches a hold of my hand and hurries toward the stairs, leaving all our food behind.

We both keep our footsteps light to avoid drawing attention. By the time we reach the bottom of the stairs, the group has reached the space of grass that’s in the center of the track. Shouting reverberates through the air, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.

River starts to pull me toward the gate, but getting to it will put us out in the open, so he swings around the end of the stairway and yanks me underneath the bleachers.

“We’re seriously hiding?” I question as we hike further underneath it and into the shadows.

River doesn’t respond, lowering his head to duck under a railing.

“River.” I tug on his hand. “What’s going on?”

He grinds to a halt and spins around to face me. “I think that might be the secret society.”

“Okay, but why are we hiding?” I keep my voice low.

“Because I’m worried if they spot you, they’ll do something to you.” His tone is bursting with anxiety.

“What the hell do you think they’ll do to me?” I loathe the fear slithering up my spine.

River slants to the side to get a good look at my face. The moment he does, his entire expression plummets. “Hey, everything’s going to be okay,” he assures me as he reduces the space between us.

I forcefully smash my lips together, willing myself to chill out. “Sorry, it’s just been a long damn night.”

Hesitantly, he reaches toward me and cups my face between his hands. “That’s understandable. And I shouldn’t have piled everything on you in one night.”

I shake my head, my heart thundering in my chest at the feel of his hands on my cheeks. “I’m glad you told me everything. I hate secrets.”

He gives a distracted nod, his thumb skimming along my cheekbone. “All right, I always tell you the truth.”

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