Page 41 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

“Holy crap,” one of the guys across the table mumbles.

A smile breaks across Finn’s face. “Why do I get the feeling that wasn’t beginner’s luck?”

I merely shrug, and his smile broadens as he sticks out his fist for a fist-bump.

I tap my knuckles against his, and he laughs before facing the table again.

For the next twenty minutes, we continue to play. At a certain point, Wren comes to check on me but seems okay when she notes I’m with Finn and wanders off to keep an eye on Lily. I end up having to take three drinks, and it turns out, they’re not playing beer pong, but whiskey pong. I’m not a fan of that at all. My tolerance for alcohol is super low, so I’m fairly buzzed at this point.

And I have to pee.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I ask Finn, leaning in so he can hear me over the music.

He has the ball in his hand but pauses. “It’s upstairs.” He points to a stairway behind us. “Third door on the right.”

“Okay, you’ll have to find another partner to play with you.” I start to walk away, but he captures me by the arm.

“That’s okay. I need a break, anyway.” He sets the ball down on the table and backs toward a doorway behind him. “Come find me when you’re done, okay?”

I give him a thumbs-up then make my way toward the stairway, squeezing past people. When I make it upstairs, I breathe in relief at how much quieter it is up here. Sure, a few people are around but way less than downstairs. And the music is more muffled.

I find the third door on the right, go into the bathroom, and lock the door. Then I slump against the door and release an uneven breath. That was a lot of socializing for me. Way too much. I’m exhausted.

I decide to text Lily after I pee and see if her and Wren are ready to bounce. Doubtful, since it’s not even eleven o’clock, but here’s to hoping.

My fingers feel a bit numb as I message Lily, an indicator that my alcohol level is a bit too high, and that I need to make sure not to drink anything more.

Once I send the message, I head out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Weirdly, all the people who were here a few minutes ago have cleared out. The silence and emptiness has me on edge, like when I’m wandering around in the city past dark alleyways. But I remind myself that this isn’t northside, that I’m not outside, and therefore, I’m safer. But what Lily and Wren told me on the way here echoes through my mind.

“You’re fine,” I mumble to myself as my anxiety starts to get the best of me. “You’ll be okay?—”

A hand comes down over my mouth, and an arm slips around my waist. Then I’m being dragged backward toward the end of the hallway that’s smothered with darkness. Panic sets in, but I work to stay in control as I lift my leg and bash my foot into the shin of the person holding me. They grunt, and it’s definitely a male grunt. As their hold on me loosens, I take off, glancing over my shoulder as I do.

All I can make out is their silhouette, and that they’re tall. I’m not about to go check to see who it is, though, and continue barreling forward until I reach the bottom of the stairs. The room is packed as I enter it, and my gasping for air and frantic demeanor draws a lot of attention. I cringe at how many people are staring at me and suddenly want nothing more than to get the hell out of here. I’ll walk through the woods myself. I don’t care.

“Maddy?” River steps out of the crowd, takes one look at me, and worry flashes across his face. He’s dressed in a black shirt, dark jeans, and sneakers, and his hair is styled messily, wisps hanging in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

I start to nod then pause. “I’m …” I cast a glance at the stairway, my brain frantically searching for an explanation as to what just occurred. “I’m not sure.” I direct my attention back to him.

He wets his lips with his tongue then nods toward the foyer. “Let’s go outside where it’s quieter, and then you can tell me what happened.”

Nodding, I remain close to him as we weave through people until we reach the front door. There, we exit out onto the front porch and into the cool night air. Then we start down the path and onto the sidewalk.

“Let’s walk for a second,” River mumbles with a frown as he notes that everyone nearby is staring at us.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I follow him down the sidewalk until the noises of the party are simply an afterthought. The light from the lampposts cast a soft glow across us along with the silvery moonlight.

He stops as we arrive at the corner of the street where no one is around. Then he faces me. “So, what happened?”

I recline against a lamppost. “Someone tried to grab me in the hallway upstairs right after I came out of the bathroom.”

The soft glow of the lamppost reflects in his wide eyes. “What?”

“Surprised the shit out of me, too,” I say. “And I’m unsure what they were planning on doing to me, but I kicked the hell out of their shin hard enough that they released me.”

He rakes his fingers through his hair, his eyes roving all over me. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“Nah. They just scared me a bit. But honestly, I’m used to that kind of thing.”

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