Page 18 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

Her eyes remain wide as she bobs her head up and down. Then she flicks a dirty look at her brother. “You seriously need to be more careful when you’re driving, River. I know you like to race, but save it for the track.”

The muscle in his jaw ticks. “Okay, I’ll try.”

“Not try. Do,” she stresses firmly. With that, she turns away from him. “One of the movers delivered a box of yours to my room by mistake. Let me grab it.” She walks away and into her room.

River immediately hisses, “Why the hell did you lie to her?”

I lift my brow. “Why the hell did you lie to her? Because I was just rolling with your lie.”

His eyes darken. “You didn’t have to add the part about the car.”

“And you didn’t have to lie to her in the first place,” I quip. “So, maybe you should just tell her the truth.”

“I don’t want her knowing I was in jail,” he stresses while fiddling with his tie.

“Why?” I wonder curiously.

“Because,” is all he says. Then he shifts his weight, giving me a once-over. “Why are you even here, anyway?”

“Why are you here?” I throw back at him.

He stares at me for a beat. “Because my father forced me to go.”

“Well, I didn’t get forced by anyone to go here,” I tell him. “And I’m sure you can put two and two together and figure out that I’m a scholarship student, considering I’m pretty sure you overheard my conversation on the phone with my mother about my finances.” I know he did because he and Finn looked at me with pity in their eyes after I was done, which is daunting right now since he appears only to be annoyed with me.

“How did you get the scholarship?” he asks. “That’s not typical for here. Usually, they don’t even allow that sort of thing.”

His comment irks me, as if I shouldn’t be allowed to go here.

“Oh, you know, I did the normal thing any northside girl does to get what she wants,” I say in a sugary-sweet tone. “I slept with a bunch of rich dudes until I could convince one to pay my tuition. It was really exhausting, let me tell you, because I had to wait around for all of that Viagra to kick in.”

He gives me a dumb sort of look that is so gratifying. Then, as an extra bonus, his sister returns then, so the conversation ends on that note.

“Here’s your box.” She presents it to him as if handing him a Christmas present.

A few items are sticking out of it. They appear to be trophies with a metal running man at the top.

Wait … Is River a runner?

Ugh, does that mean if I make the cross-country team, I’ll have to see him on a daily basis? Blah, even if he is cute. Then again, he’s my roommate’s brother, so crossing paths with him will be inevitable.

He frowns at the box. “I don’t know why Mom thinks I need to bring my trophies to school.”

“Maybe as a reminder of how awesome you are?” she suggests with a shrug.

“Doubtful,” he mutters, and I sense some tension in that statement. Shaking his head, he clears his expression and focuses on his sister. “Don’t be late for orientation.” He flicks a glance at me before leaving the room.

Lily huffs out a dramatic breath before turning to me. “Sorry about that. He can be so moody sometimes.”

“No worries.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“No. Sometimes I wish I did, though.”

“I wouldn’t wish that hard,” she informs me. “Okay, well, maybe having siblings isn’t so bad, but having three older brothers sucks big time.”

“You have three older brothers?” I ask with wide eyes.

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