Page 8 of Kings
Her phone was buzzing and she knew it was probably Bishop. She doubted even Axel was foolish enough to try getting into contact with her right now, but she wouldn’t have put it past him.
She turned off her phone and flung it onto her dresser before crawling under the covers to disappear from the world for as long as her schedule would allow.
Hell, she was already considering not going to class. How was she supposed to look anyone in the eye after what Axel had done to her in the middle of the damn school?
As exhaustion overpowered her, Ella made a promise to herself that it would be the last time she ever cried herself to sleep because of Axel.
* * *
Morning came, and while Ella was nursing a serious sadness hangover, she no longer felt vulnerable and hopeless like she had the night before.
No. Now she was just mad.
Mad at Avery, certainly, and downright furious at Axel, but mostly at herself.
She should have known better than to think she could trust anything in these walls. From the moment she’d been taken into the colony, it had been just her. Why she’d thought she would be less lonely as the Empress, even if it was only subconsciously, she had no idea.
Bishop…Sterling...Axel...
They all held a piece of her heart she’d never meant to give away, and she was going to take them back. The marking would make that more difficult, but she told herself she had to put distance even between her and Bishop. Sooner or later, everyone proved the cruelest voice in her head right. Maybe it was time she started listening to it.
While Ella had entertained the idea of skipping class the night before, in the light of day, she had found new boldness. If she went back to hanging her head in shame, every bit of progress she’d made would be undone.
Axel and Avery had made a fool out of her. Fair enough. What she wasn’t going to let them do was make her a coward.
After showering and scrubbing off her smeared mascara, Ella put on enough makeup to resemble someone who hadn’t spent the night crying her eyes out, donned her uniform, and took off for her first period class.
She got the usual amount of staring from the others lingering in the hall, but a bit of icy eye contact put that to rest. If she’d realized all it would take to clear a path was being a bitch, she would have signed up a long time ago.
By the time she entered the classroom, Avery was sitting in her usual spot. She looked hopeful, but Ella ignored her and walked past her to take the other empty seat in the room.
Axel wasn’t present, but that was no surprise. He cut class enough under regular circumstances, and the Academy just allowed it. The rules were different for him.
She hoped he enjoyed it while it lasted, because once her ass was on the throne, he and his ilk were in for a rude awakening.
She managed to make it through the rest of the class period, and the day, without running into him. She doubted he had the shame to avoid her, but what if she was wrong? The thought would have bothered her once, but not now. It was more than time for him to be the one who hid for a change.
Ella wasn’t going anywhere.
“Ella!”
The familiar call came just before she’d dared to celebrate her victorious day without being bothered. Bishop had asked her to lunch, but he’d been characteristically understanding when she told him she just wanted to be alone.
Evidently, Avery hadn’t gotten the memo.
Ella turned to face her, keeping her books to her chest and staring the other woman down, waiting for her to say something.
When Avery seemed to realize Ella wasn’t going to be the first to speak, she asked, “Can we go somewhere to talk? Please?”
“Talk,” she said, shrugging. “I’m staying here.”
Avery nodded, a look of defeat on her face. “I know you hate me. You have every right to. Hell, I’d hate me,” she murmured.
“Yeah,” Ella agreed. “What you did was pretty fucking hateable.”
Avery sighed. “I know it probably doesn’t mean anything, but I need you to know I meant what I said. At first, I was just hanging out with you because Axel asked me to, but then, I actually got to know you and realized you’re not the person everyone said. I really do care about you, Ella.”
“Then you should have told me,” Ella said, refusing to let her heart soften. She told herself Avery was probably lying now, too, and she couldn’t trust the instincts that told her she was telling the truth.
