Page 20 of Feed Your Fiends

“It’ll change nothing,” I say flatly.

“Nevertheless.” She turns on her heel before pausing, her gaze flickering to the bathroom door. “Oh, and I’m glad you feel that way about friendships. I mean, it’s not like I’d ask you to shift your loyalty either. Even after knowing how I feel about him and how badly it hurts, you still befriended…Your friendships are your own, so I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

I swallow hard, a lump forming in the pit of my stomach.

It hadn’t even occurred to me how my scheming with Rin could affect Aria. Here I am putting up invisible walls, and she’d been doing the same for weeks because somehow she’d found out.

We watch in silence as she disappears into the hallway. When the click of her heels tapers off, Stassi says, “What is she talking about?”

I shrug half-heartedly. “Not sure.”

Stassi doesn’t push, her tired eyes focused on the spot Aria disappeared from. “Are you ready to go?”

I nod before digging into the clear plastic bag of my belongings for the tiniest part of my costume the medical staff had taken off of me that night. I’ve been paranoid over someone stealing it, but the second a cool circle of metal slips around the tip of my finger, I know that not even Rin realised it was there.

Gant hadn’t just put a fuck ton of glass in my pointe shoes, he’d also slid a chunk of it onto my finger. Well, it resembles glass, anyway.

“Did you tell him we were coming?” I ask.

“You asked me not to. You didn’t think I’d actually listen to you.”

It’s not a question.

“Of course, I wouldn’t. He’d just tell…”

“You can say his name, Stas. I’m not afraid of it or him.”

“He’d tellGant.” She sinks onto the edge of the bed. “Look, I’ve known and loved Gant since forever, but wrong is wrong. Keeping this from him isn’t the same as keeping a secret that could ruin his life. Not like he tried to ruin yours.”

“Thank you,” I say seriously. “Can we make a stop first, though?”

“Where?” she asks, brows knitted as I show her my hand. The ring Gant gave me on the night of the play shimmers prettily on my finger.

“It almost looks real,” I whisper, trying not to get distracted by the sparkle.

“It is real.”

“Twenty seconds!” a stagehand calls.

“What?!”

“I wanted to see what the real thing could look like… one day. So I swapped it out.”

“Why would you do that? “ I gasp. “It’s just pretend, remember?”

He kisses me again. “Pretend is just a warm-up.”

I tear my gaze from the gorgeous diamond sparkling on my finger and eye Stassi’s diamond studs.

“Do you know good jewellery appraisers?”

Stassi looks at it in awe. “Are diamonds a girl’s best friend?”

Yes, because this little shiny rock is my best ally.

For now.

Elle

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