Page 154 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

But in the end, I’m selfish, and I rush after her.

Maddison

Ifeel like a stupid idiot as I powerwalk down the hallway. I never should’ve trusted him. He was so sweet and nice—so pretty. Maybe the last one is the issue. Pretty faces can be misleading.

“Ugh,” I mumble as I shuffle down the hallway.

I want to bang my head on the wall, but that doesn’t seem like a good idea, considering my concussion?—

Smack.

I run so hard into someone that I grunt. I’m one step away from falling onto my ass, but hands land on my arms, steadying me.

Noah.

He’s wearing his typical outfit—dark clothes and a hoodie that covers his short, brown hair.

“Watch where you’re …” Noah trails off as I look at him. “Oh, it’s you.”

The corners of my lips twitch up but then tip downward at the sight of his puffy, swollen cheek and the bruises blooming on his jawline.

“They hit you? Noah, I’m so sorry.” The urge to touch his face rises through me, but I resist it.

He promptly shakes his head. “Don’t apologize. You were just trying to help me.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t do a very good job.” I press my hand to my forehead as another spout of dizziness swirls through me.

Worry fills his eyes. “Are you okay?”

I nod, lowering my head. “I just have a concussion.”

His brows quirks upward. “Just a concussion?” He shakes head. “You’re so weird.”

“Um, thanks?” I say it more as a question.

“I didn’t mean that in a bad way.” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “I just … I don’t know. You’re just different from what I’m used to.”

“I’m not surprised by that.” I pause, eyeing him over. “Are you okay?”

He gives a dismissive nod. “I’m fine. I got hit in the face, but it’s not the first time that’s happened. Plus, it could’ve been worse. You’ve talked to River, right?”

I nod, my stomach clenching at the reminder of the pretty guy I think I may have been starting to fall for. “He’s lucky he’s okay.” Not wanting to talk about that, I divert the subject. “Did you at least get the thing you were after?”

With his lips smashed together, he shakes his head. “No, but you don’t need to worry about that.” As a guy walks by us, staring at Noah with a smirk, Noah visibly stiffens. “I have to go.” He bolts off before I can utter another word.

I turn and look at the guy who’s watching Noah walk away. Then he turns around and heads down the hallway, retrieving his phone from his pocket. That can’t be good at all. But if Noah won’t talk about it, I can’t help him. Then again, maybe I should stay out of it since my attempt at helping last time turned out awful.

Sighing, I start forward, unsure where I’m heading since I can’t get into my dorm. After wandering around for a while, I end up outside on a bench, lying down underneath the shade of a tree. The warm air feels amazing against my skin, and I damn near fall asleep when, suddenly, I feel someone sit down by my feet.

I have my arm draped over my eyes and lift it up to see who it is. Finn is sitting there with a smile on his face. Wisps of his blond hair dance in the wind, and he has the sleeves of his shirt rolled up.

“What’s up, pretty boy?” I ask. “And what’s with the cheeky smile?”

He chuckles under his breath. “Glad to see you’re feeling a bit better.”

“I napped for a bit.” I sit up and lower my feet to the ground. “Have you talked to River at all?”

He shakes his head, a divot forming between his brows. “Why?”

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