Page 102 of Snitches and Serpents

“And you’re right,” Elle finishes.

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Tilting my head, I look down at her face. She cranes her neck, meeting my gaze as well, while her hand still remains on my chest.

“Sorry doesn’t fix anything,” she says. Her deep brown eyes are serious as she holds my gaze. “So, what can I do to help?”

A whole storm of emotions whirls behind my ribcage, but I manage to reply at least somewhat casually, “There’s nothing anyone can do now. That scholarship is long gone.”

Her brows furrow slightly. “But you’re still here. How did you get the money?”

Hesitation blows through me. I glance away. “It doesn’t matter.”

A jolt of surprise shoots through me as she reaches up and grabs my chin, turning my face back to hers. Her eyes are as serious as ever when she locks them on me once more.

“It does to me,” she says.

I clear my throat, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Back when we were in high school, I was incredibly self-conscious about the fact that I was poor. About just how poor I really was. And it still makes me uncomfortable to talk about money. Especially with someone who’s rich.

But after everything Elle and I have been through at this point, I suppose admitting just how poor and fucking desperate I was back then is a trivial thing in comparison.

“I, uhm…” I begin. “I borrowed it. From Rob Bracken.” At her confused look, I clarify, “The leader of the White Serpents.”

Her eyes widen. “Borrowed it? In exchange for what?”

An embarrassing image flashes before my eyes. The image of the gangly, nineteen-year-old version of me, wearing a faded shirt and jeans that were an inch too short, getting down on my knees and begging Bracken for help, swearing that I would do whatever he wanted.

I clear my throat. “Servitude.”

Shock crackles across her face.

“I’m working off the debt,” I elaborate. “Until I can pay it back.”

“How much do you owe him?”

“The full tuition cost for all four years. Plus the expenses that cover my room and board here.”

She stares at me.

I shift my weight, making the bed creak a little, and quickly add, “I’ll be able to start paying it back once I graduate and get a real job.”

Her eyes seem to burn through me, and I shift my gaze up to the ceiling because I suddenly feel incredibly self-conscious again.

For a few seconds, she says nothing.

My heart continues slamming hard against my ribs. Fuck, I hate being this vulnerable.

“So,” Elle slowly begins. “What you need is money. Which is something I happen to have.”

Alarm pulses through me, and I snap my gaze back down to hers. “I won’t take your money. I will not owe you anything.”

She scowls at me as if I’m being deliberately stupid. “You won’t owe me anything.”

“If I borrow money from you to clear my debt with Bracken, then yes, I will owe you something.”

“I’m not suggesting that I lend you money. I’m suggesting that I give it back.”

Now, it’s my turn to frown in confusion. “What?”

“I took away your scholarship.”

---