Page 44 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

“Maybe, if I don’t have to walk through the woods.” I yawn. “I’m exhausted, honestly. I don’t drink a lot, either, so my body’s not used to this.”

He rubs his lips together. “I can walk you back to your dorm.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ve already ruined too much of your night.”

“Trust me; you haven’t ruined anything. Like I said, this isn’t really my scene.”

“Why are you here then?”

“Appearances,” he says flatly. “I’m obligated to because of my last name.”

I wrap my jacket tighter around myself as the wind picks up even more. “Are you in the frat?”

“Technically. But I barely associate with it unless I have to.” He dazes off momentarily before blinking and returning his gaze to me. “Let me walk you back to the dorms. You really shouldn’t be wandering around at night by yourself.”

His words strike me hard because he’s right. I probably shouldn’t, and yet that’s all I’ve done since I was four years old. It’s tragically sad in a way that makes my chest ache.

“All right, gothic prince, you can walk me back to my dorm.” I smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Gothic prince?” he questions as we start to walk in the direction of the woods.

“What? It seems fitting.” I retrieve my phone and send Lily a quick text about what’s going on. “The first time I saw you, that’s kind of what I thought. Although, you were dressed a bit differently then.”

“That’s because Finn and I weren’t hanging out in Royal City, so I felt more comfortable being myself.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you still looked wealthy,” I say as we step onto the path that snakes through the trees.

“Really?” His disbelief is absolutely adorable.

“Yes, really.” I playfully bump my shoulder into his. “That leather jacket and fancy watch outed you.”

He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “I guess I didn’t really think about that.”

“I’m surprised you weren’t robbed.” I swing around a bush in the path we’re heading down.

With the branches canopying above us, the moonlight has slipped away, giving the surroundings an ominous sort of vibe. I become highly aware of how dumb of an idea it was to consider walking back by myself. Crossing my fingers, too, that River is a trustworthy person.

He frowns as if this just occurred to him.

I cover my mouth to hide my impending laugh. He totally notices, though, and narrows his eyes at me.

“Are you laughing at me?” he questions. He’s not angry, though. Honestly, he appears slightly amused.

“Sort of.” I lower my hand as my smile breaks through. We’ve reached the end of the path, and I’m grateful as the dorm building comes into view, because I’m feeling a bit dizzy from the alcohol. “I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s cute how naïve you are about certain things.”

“I’m not naïve,” he argues. When I raise my brows, he sighs. “Okay, maybe I am about northside, but here, I’m not.”

“Fair enough.”

“And maybe you’re naïve in this world.”

“Maybe.” I probably am, honestly. But I’m not about to give him that.

We fall into silence as we make our way down the sidewalk and toward the entrance of the building. The sprinklers are on, and the light spritz is the only sound that can be heard, except for crickets. The sidewalks that cross the academy yard are a series of crisscrosses and mazes, yet he appears to know exactly where to go, veering left then right.

“Maybe we could trade secrets,” he suggests as we reach the door to the main building. He digs his phone out to scan the code to get inside. Once it buzzes open, he holds the door open for me, and we walk in. “You know, like you teach me about northside, and I’ll teach you about the ins and outs of the academy.”

My shoes squeak against the floor as we start down the hallway lit up with faint lighting from a few chandeliers that have been left on.

---