Page 91 of Devious Knight

“Good work. You can hang out here with me then.”

“Cool.”

She tosses the ends of her lilac ponytail over her shoulder and smiles at me. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay.” I’m getting tired of being in that woe-is-me state. It’s better to lie until I get my head straight.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“How are things going with Kade?”

“I’m getting by. This week, I’m doing most of my tasks during the day, so I won’t have to see him.” I figured out my schedule last night and worked my way around not seeing him.

“That’s good. Right?” She sounds like she’s checking and I know it’s because, like everyone else, she knows how obsessed I used to be over Kade.

“Yes, definitely. The less contact we have, the better.”

“As long as you’re doing what’s best for you.”

“I am. In other news, I came up with an awesome idea for my new sculpture.”

“Yayy.” She places an arm around me. “I knew you would do it. Show me the designs at our next meeting.”

“Sure. By then I’ll have a real project plan. I’m getting everything ready to meet with the new lord chancellor.”

“I know you’ll impress the hell out of him.”

“I really hope so. I’m worried about meeting him.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t know who he is, but I hear he’s a really good guy and an art specialist.”

“That’s encouraging.”

“Yes, and I have a good feeling that things will be better for you soon.”

“Thank you.” That’s encouraging, too. “What about you? Have you heard from Lucian? I bet he misses you.”

She grins and her cheeks turn rosy. “We Skype each other every day. The time difference is a pain but we make it work. Like a long-distance relationship. Not that we’re in anything of the sort. He’s my best friend.”

“Of course.” I carry on the pretense that I’m none the wiser. Judging from how she looks, I’m certain they’re definitely in a long-distance relationship. “Before you know it a year will have passed and he’ll be home.”

“I can’t wait. It’s hard to believe Lucian and I will be in senior year. It feels like only yesterday that we started here.”

“Time flies.”

“Too fast. Make sure you enjoy it, Isabelle.”

“I’ll try.”

“How about you start tonight?” Excitement lights up her eyes as she makes a point of glancing over my shoulder in a suggestive way.

I follow her gaze and find Michael standing a few paces away from us. He’s looking right at me.

Michael is the good, trusty guy. The guy I felt would have respected me if we’d been given a chance.

He’s here now and looks like he wants to speak to me. He’s the only one of the guys Kade scared away who's made an attempt to see me again.

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