Page 31 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

I expect him to ask me how I got one here, but he just says, “What was your scholarship for at the community college? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“You’re fine.” I do my best to disregard all the staring that happens the instant we step foot into the hallway. “It was for cross country, track, and my excellent academics.” I throw him a grin because, while the scholarship did get revoked, I had to kick ass to obtain it.

His brows shoot upward. “Really?”

I nod, slipping the heavy bag higher onto my shoulder. “Yeah, really.” I playfully nudge him with my shoulder. “You don’t need to seem so surprised about it. North-siders can kick butt, too.”

“I’m not surprised because you’re a north-sider,” he explains as he stuffs his hands into his pockets while sneaking a glance around at the people nearby. A frown pulls at his lips, but it fades when he returns his attention to me. “It’s just that getting a scholarship like that is difficult. I know because I got one here. They actually don’t give out money for that due to the fact that, well, you know.”

“Almost everyone here has money.”

“Yeah. But, anyway, it gave me a secured spot on the team because, like Lily said, it’s hard as hell to get on any athletic team at the academy. And honestly, when you asked me to give you some pointers on how to get onto the team, I assumed you were just a normal runner who wanted to make the team. So, the surprise comes from the fact that you’re clearly not the average runner.”

“If I was, I probably wouldn’t have asked you.” I inch closer to him to move around a group of guys loitering in the hallway. “I’ve read all the info on the website, and I could tell it was going to be a pain to get on the team. Not impossible, but I’m definitely going to have to up my training until tryouts, which is in a few weeks, right?”

He nods, slowing to a stop in front of an arched doorway that appears to lead to another hallway. “I have class this way, and I have to hurry because I need to talk to the professor before class starts, but I’d be more than happy to help you. Just get my number from Lily and text me a bit later today, and we can meet up somewhere and go over stuff.”

I’ll admit, I’m a bit excited about this. Although, being who I am, a trace of suspicion resides inside me as to why he’s so willing to help me.

“Awesome.” I start to back away from him. “You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were going to be a total douche. And when we first met, I thought, Yep, nailed it. But you’re not so bad.” I smile so he knows I’m playing.

Well, sort of.

He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, as if biting back a smile. “Gee, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” I wink at him then spin around, feeling lighter than I have in a long time.

Of course, as I’m heading back to my room, my phone rings with an incoming call from my mother, which sends me into a mood dive.

“No,” I mutter, silencing her call. “I won’t let her ruin this for me.”

She calls me again as I’m entering the my room. This time, I allow it to go to voicemail on its own as I kick the door shut behind me.

Lily isn’t back yet, so I get a cup of water before heading to my room. I brought a few snacks with me when I moved in, and I mostly plan on eating in the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch, and dinner since my scholarship covers that, but I need to pick up more snacks when I head into town to work this weekend, particularly ones that have high protein in them. Although, those are generally expensive.

What I need is a better, closer job, but that would mean having to apply to jobs in Royal City, and I highly doubt I’ll get hired for those?—

Ping.

Apparently, my mother left me a voicemail. I have no desire to listen to another one from her. However, I must be a glutton for punishment since I press play, anyway, as I flop down onto my bed.

“Hey, sweetie,” she says. “I was just calling to see where you are. I’d like to get together soon and talk about some stuff. I think you might be ignoring me, and I’m guessing it’s because I borrowed that money, but honey, I needed it for bills. You shouldn’t have ever hid it from me. And you got out of jail, anyway, so I don’t get what the big deal is.” She sighs. “Can you please call me back? Maybe we can get together after you work on Friday? You’re still working Friday shifts, right? Let me know. Love you.”

My fingers curl around the phone for some many different reasons, one being how she blamed me for her taking my money. But that’s not the worst part. No, the worst part is the giant red flag laced in her words—her eagerness to know if I work on Friday.

I’m not positive, but either she wants to make a sporadic visit to blindside me, or she’s attempting to get my location for someone else, like Drew and his gang.

“Shit.” I sit up and press the heel of my hand to my forehead as my mind begins to spin.

Not a ton of people are aware that I work at that café, so I wasn’t too concerned about going to work. Now, I’m freaking the hell out, because I have to work. But if I go, I could end up getting caught by Drew and his friend, and then what? I don’t know for certain, but it won’t be good.

The only silver lining is that my boss already let me switch my schedule to Saturday and Sunday, something my mother isn’t aware of. Still, I need to look into getting another job.

Shaking my head, I lie back down on my bed and stare up at the pretty ceiling. Everything is so beautiful, pristine, and nice, to the point of near perfect. Light, that’s what I think of when I look around at my surroundings. And yet, my life is clouded with darkness, proof that I can take myself out of northside, but I can’t take northside out of myself, even if I desperately want to.

Maddison

Ifeel defeated for the rest of the day. Like broke-the-hell-down-on-the-side-of-the-road-with-no-money-in-the-rain-with-a-stalker-lurking-the-bushes kind of broke the hell down.

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