Page 127 of Prince of the Palisades

“You—” He swallows. “You did that for me?”

“For us,” I clarify, then grin smugly. “Being a prince has afewprivileges.”

His lips purse. “Only a few?”

I hold up my thumb and forefinger, a tiny space between them. “So?” I prod.

Reiss gives my hand a squeeze. “Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

The new voice startles me. Approaching us, the silvery moon leading them like a spotlight, is Karan and Lo and—

I tilt my head. “Nathan?”

He beams, skateboard under one arm, his other hand gripping a violin case. All my nerves during the play made me forget he was in the orchestra tonight. “PJ! Or should I say, Mr. Green?” He does a comically bad eyebrow wiggle.

I snort despite myself.

Lo squints at us. “You two sneaking off without us?”

“I’mhurt.” Karan clutches his chest. “Betrayed by my own bestie, who didn’t even show up for my breakthrough performance.”

Lo sighs. “He’s gonna be salty about this until graduation.”

“You. Owe. Me,” Karan says, emphasizing each word by stabbing Reiss’s chest with his index finger. “What’s the move? In-N-Out? Movie night?”

He’s looking at me. There’s no resentment for what happened with Léon in his expression. We haven’t discussed it. Reiss mentioned clearing things up, but I still owe Karan an apology. Maybe not now, but soon.

I stare at Reiss.

He bites on a smile, shrugging. Anit could be funshoulder lift.

I was hoping for some alone time with him, exploring thecampus. Holding hands as we walked through quiet halls. Posing for a selfie in front of the reflective pool like Annika and Luc did. But that can wait too.

I turn to the others. “Would you like to join us on a private tour of USC?”

A beat passes.

Karan sucks in a loud breath. “I don’t know, bro. As a future UCLA alum, that’s high-key disrespectful—”

Lo elbows him hard in the ribs. “We’d love to.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Karan coughs, a mix of anguish and adoration directed at Lo. “I’m down.”

Reiss laughs into my shoulder.

In the background, I spot Nathan slinking away, chin lowered. Like he’s aware this isn’t his circle of friends. Like he doesn’t belong.

“Hey.” I catch his elbow. “Do you want to come, Nate?”

I don’t realize why his entire face goes fond, a tenderness behind his eyes, until I think about what I just said.

That I called himNateinstead of Nathan.

An unexpected grin pushes at my cheeks. “You in?”

He shakes out his shoulders. “Most def.” Then, he squeezes between Lo and Karan. “But only if I can get some audio for my next podcast. Tell me, Mr. Boddy, what’s it like being a Bruin stepping into Trojan territory?”

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