Page 102 of Broken Prince

“Fine. I’ll tell Logan about it,” he mutters.

The mention of his name makes my heart clench.

Putting a bit of shampoo on my palm, I rub my hands together before running my fingers through my hair. “How is he doing?” I ask, dreading seeing him tonight.

“I’m gonna be honest, Laney, not so good.” He sighs heavily. “Thankfully, Stacy changed her mind about keeping him away from Benny.”

A heavy feeling settles over me as I finish scrubbing my hair before stepping back into the spray and rinsing it out.

“You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” he questions.

“About what?” I pause, heart thundering in my chest as I scrub my body.

“The sudden change of her mind?”

I bite my lower lip, rinsing myself off. I can’t tell him because then I’d be asking him to lie to his best friend.

Grabbing my towel, I wrap it tightly around my body before stepping out of the shower.

Justin is sitting on the bench. He’s respectful, keeping his eyes away from me, and doesn't make one of his normal playful comments.

“I have no idea why she would change her mind,” I murmur, going over to my things.

“I know she doesn’t like you. I know she slapped you because she thought something more was going on between you and Logan. I might act like a dumb jock, Laney, but I’m not.”

“Just let it go,” I warn him, grabbing my clothes.

“What did she do? Is she the reason why you moved out?” Justin asks, searching my face.

“I said, let it go, Justin. Please,” I hate the pleading in my voice.

“She did, didn’t she!” he growls. “That woman is a menace to society.”

“All that matters is Benny is back with Logan.” I slip into the stall and get changed.

“And what, you have to give everything up? He told me he’s been trying to get ahold of you, but you’ve been blocking his calls and ignoring his texts. He’s freaking out. He thinks he pushed you into doing something you regret. The man confessed he wanted you, and you just ghosted him. I like you, Laney, but Logan is my bro. If you’re going to do something to keep Stacy happy, you need to at least let Logan know that it wasn’t him that sent you running.”

My gut turns as tears sting my eyes. I want to cry at the idea of hurting Logan like I did.

“I didn’t want to hurt him,” I whisper as I step outside. “But I know Benny is his life. I won’t apologize for doing something to keep the two of them together.”

“Is it worth losing Logan?”

“Yes,” I answer without hesitation. “Because it’s not about me or my happiness. It’s about Benny. Logan will move on; he will find someone else, someone better.” The idea makes that ache in my stomach grow.

“What makes you think Stacy isn’t going to do what she did to you to that new girl? The issue isn’t you being with Logan; it’s Stacy being a monster and trying to control every aspect of Logan’s life.” He steps closer to me. “You need to think. Would it be better to be by Logan’s side and fight with him or watch from afar while he struggles to keep his head above water?”

He turns around and leaves the bathroom. I stand there, tears spilling down my face.

“Fuck!” I shout, kicking the lockers before snatching my things and storming out of the bathroom.

“Everything okay?” Winter asks. She’s sitting outside my dorm room, getting to her feet when she sees me coming.

“Everything is so fucked up,” I half sob as I throw myself into her arms.

“Oh, babe.” She rubs my back. “Everything will be okay.”

“No, it won’t. Because she won’t let it.” I pull back, staring at my best friend with tear-stained cheeks. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with her for most of your life.”

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