Page 81 of Wicked Prince

It's not too long before Lorenzo comes in, late as usual, and the professor doesn't bother mentioning it. This time, he actually does look my way, and his eyes narrow at Stefan. For a tense few seconds, he just stands there, staring, and I find myself wondering if he's going to start some shit in front of everyone.

I breathe a sigh of relief when he finally goes to his seat. One of his friends says something to him, but he ignores him completely. Guess his mood hasn't improved any since yesterday.

Class continues, and once again, I find that my thoughts are far away from the lesson. I should be worrying about the results of the pregnancy test, especially now that I know what they are, but instead, I'm stressing about some rivalry that really doesn't have anything to do with me—no matter what Lorenzo thinks.

When class finally comes to an end, I don't jump up to leave like I usually would. Instead, I linger, taking my time gathering my books and shuffling them around in my bag in hopes that Lorenzo will leave first and we can avoid a confrontation altogether. To my relief, he does, but when Stefan and I finally venture out into the hall, he's there waiting, leaning against the wall.

Of course he is.

I frown, but before I can say much of anything, Stefan calls, "Lorenzo!"

He's smiling pleasantly as he waves at the other man. Lorenzo seems as caught off guard by the friendly greeting as I am, and for a second, he looks like he doesn't know what to do with himself.

"Stefan," he says in a tone of obvious irritation. I'm honestly surprised he's being that civil.

"We'll be seeing you at dinner tonight, won't we?" Stefan asks.

I've all but forgotten about the whole family dinner thing until he says it. Probably just wishful thinking, considering how much I really,reallydo not want to spend yet another evening sitting across the table from Kayleigh, Lorenzo, and my family. The idea is enough to make me feel like I'm about to break out in hives.

Or throw up, and I’m always in danger of that lately.

"Yeah," Lorenzo says stiffly, glancing my way. "You will."

He seems like he's about to say something else when Kayleigh swoops in out of absolutely nowhere and grabs him by the arm.

"There you are," she says, looking at me suspiciously, as if I'm the one stalking him around campus. She smiles in Stefan's direction. "Nice to see you again, Stefan. You should meet up with us for lunch later!"

"Yeah, maybe," he says with a noncommittal smile.

Kayleigh doesn't seem to know what to make of that, but she says, "Come on, baby, we're going to be late to class."

Lorenzo hesitates a moment, staring at me as if he isn't sure he's willing to leave for some reason.

Before he can decide to cause trouble, I turn and walk the other way.

I'm vaguely aware that Stefan is following me, but I still jump a little when he puts his hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah," I answer, forcing a smile. "I'm good."

"Is he always like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Vaguely menacing and a borderline stalker."

"Oh, that," I sigh. "No. He usually just ignores me, but you're here, and for some reason, he's got it into his head that you're trying to seduce me or something. He's totally paranoid, just ignore him."

"Maybe," he muses. "But not on that count."

For a second, all I can do is stare at him. When it hits me what he just said, my face grows embarrassingly warm. "Stefan…"

He gives me a familiar look, taking a step closer. He's not anywhere near as menacing as Lorenzo, as he puts it, but I still instinctively take a step back. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, but I'd be lying if I said he’s wrong."

For a moment, all I can really do is stand there in silence like a complete idiot. I'm really not used to guys hitting on me.

Certainly not guys like Stefan, and my reaction probably makes that very apparent.

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