“I told him he could screw all the girls he wanted but he wasn’t ever getting another go at me.” She sweeps her hair back in a careless gesture, but her hand is trembling and her eyes are glassy with tears.

“His loss, you know that, right?”

“I keep telling myself that, but I don’t feel any better. Part of me wants to steal Jordan’s car and drive up to State. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I get there. Either kick him in the balls or kiss him.” She shudders and then peers at me out from under her eyelashes. “I kicked Reed in the balls for you, by the way.”

“You did?” A wild laugh escapes as I envision tiny Val kicking giant Reed between his legs. “What brought that on?”

“His mere existence. His smug face. His refusal to tell me where you were.” Val throws herself at me and hugs me again. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Ahem.”

I look up to see Easton standing there, smirking at us.

“I thought you guys wanted to talk. If there’s going to be girl-on-girl action, I’m available.”

“You tell that to every female from age two to eighty-two,” Val grumbles.

“Well, yeah.” He gives a faux offended look. “I don’t want anyone to feel left out.”

He pushes away from the door and waltzes in, settling on the other side of Val. “Dude trouble?”

Val drops her head into her hands. “Yeah. My boyfriend decided we need an open relationship.”

“So he wants to eat out and still come home for dinner?”

“Yup.”

“And you’re not down with that.”

“Um, duh. I prefer guys who are faithful. You Royals might not understand that.”

“Ouch, Val. What did I ever do to you?” He rubs his chest in mock pain.

“You have a penis. Therefore you’re automatically on the wrong side.”

He waggles his eyebrows. “But I do great things with my penis. Ask any of the girls at Astor.”

“Like Abby Kincaid?” Val challenges.

I jerk my head toward Easton in shock. “You hooked up with your brother’s ex?”

He slumps into the cushions, his cheeks reddening. “So what if I did? I thought you hated Reed.”

Wow. It’s one thing for the Royal brothers to fight at home, but this kind of public dissension is new and…uncomfortable. And as mad as I am at Reed, I don’t like seeing this rift between the brothers. It makes me awkwardly sympathetic toward Reed, which, dammit, he does not deserve.

I try to change the subject. “Besides assessments, what’s going on at school?”

“Tomorrow’s Halloween, but Beringer doesn’t let anyone wear costumes to school.” Val shrugs. “But there’s a party at the Montgomery house after the game on Friday. Everyone gets kitted out.”

I make a face. “Pass.”

I’m not a big fan of Halloween. My mom worked nights at the clubs, so growing up I never got to go trick-or-treating like a normal kid. And I hate dressing up. I did enough of that when I was working the clubs.

“What else?” I ask.

Val points an accusing finger at Easton. “Well, the Royals can’t stand each other anymore and Reed can’t be bothered to keep the crazies in line. And anyone else with a conscience is too lazy or afraid to say something, so Astor Park has gone to shit. Every day, it escalates. I’m actually afraid someone’s going to get physically hurt.”

So this morning wasn’t an anomaly. I frown at Easton. “What’s going on?”

“You go to school to learn, right?” he says carelessly. “Well, one of those things kids need to learn is how to take care of themselves. The world is full of bullies. They don’t go away when you leave high school. Might as well learn those lessons now.”

“Easton. That’s terrible.”

“What do you care?” he accuses. “You left everyone behind. So what if the rich little boys and girls at Astor are feeling the sting of not having a Royal in charge? Aren’t you happy that the place is turning out exactly like you thought it would?”

Truthfully, I didn’t spare Astor Park Prep a thought when I left, but now that I know people are getting hurt, the whole thing doesn’t sit well with me. “No, that doesn’t make me happy. Why would you say that?”

He turns to look at the perfect lawn while Val shifts uncomfortably between us.

“Just let it go, Ella,” he says finally. “You can’t change anything. The most you can do is keep your head down and survive.”

11

The bakery is quiet when I arrive at two. I wanted to come sooner, but Lucy would’ve been busy. I’d like for her to yell at me, get it out of her system, and then tell me to grab an apron and get behind the counter.

Easton wanted to come in, complaining he hadn’t eaten in the last two hours. After a bit of pleading, he agreed to wait in the car.

“Is Lucy here?” I ask the barista at the register. The tall, gangly boy is new, and I have a sinking feeling he’s my replacement.

“Lucy,” he calls over his shoulder. “Some girl’s here to see you.”

Lucy sticks her head out of the back door. “Who is it?”

He jerks a thumb in my direction.

Her pretty face darkens when she spots me. “Oh, it’s you, Ella. Give me a minute. Why don’t you have a seat over there?”

Yup, getting fired.

The cashier gives me a sympathetic look before turning to the next customer. I grab a seat at a spare table and wait for Lucy.

She doesn’t take long. After a minute or so, she bustles out of the backroom with two mugs of coffee. One she sets in front of me, the other she sips from before setting it down.

“Two weeks ago, Reed Royal showed up here looking for you. The next day your guardian, Callum, called to let me know that you were very sick and would be out for an undetermined time. Fast forward and you’re here, looking healthy, albeit thinner than when you left.” She leans forward. “Do you need help, Ella?”

“No. I’m sorry, Lucy. I should’ve called, but I wasn’t able to come to work.” The lie doesn’t sit easy on my tongue. Lucy’s a super nice lady and I love working here. I tell her so. “I love it here and I know you took a chance when you hired me.”