Page 30 of Royally Rivalled

“I love the way you think, little shit stirrer,” Jeremy said.

He gave me a high five. I giggled. Amara was right. This would be okay.

nineteen

PARKER

After the stupid horse drawing,idiotic dance to MIDI music Niall selected, and an egg drop challenge, we were ready for what Niall called the “penultimate task.” I refrained from correcting my mate on his birthday over his improper use of that word and focused on trouncing Latte Girl in impressive style. To my surprise and horror, she was a formidable opponent and had no trouble being silly while dancing. How I'd managed to get through the dance challenge, I didn't know. I blamed it on being blazingly drunk and feeling good. Astrid colluded with Jeremy to combine efforts to succeed in the egg challenge. I was angry about it.

“Can you break them up?” I asked Niall. “It's not a group activity, and it feels unfair.”

“Does she intimidate you, Parker?” Niall asked.

“No. But it's about fairness, isn't it?”

“I have an idea,” Niall said.

He called the room to order. “Hear-ye, hear-ye! The Penultimate Task will commence. This is a team activity. The six remaining people will compete in teams of two. Team one is Astrid and Parker.”

He punished me for whinging!That bastard!

Astrid grimaced as she crossed the room.

“Sorry, Princess, I am stuck with you. You don't get to make puppy dog eyes at the politician, do you?”

Astrid grumbled, “You don't always have to be such a dick, Parker! It's notpersonal,you know? And we're not together. I don't make puppy dog eyes!“

She did. The two of them were all over one another—and had been. Jeremy saw her as a conquest before even laying eyes on her. It was all a game to him. She had no idea he was such a snake. I wish someone cared to warn her, but her friends were new, and I wasn't about to pad her landing—not after her outburst. I wasn'tthatcharitable.

“Now, the task is this. Remember when you all put topics into a hat earlier?” Niall asked. “Tasks with no context?”

We nodded. Between rounds, we'd been told to do it. We assumed we'd be assessed on our answers. At the time, before Astrid began kicking ass, I hadn’t given a flying fuck what I answered.

“Well, I will choose one. And then you will have twenty minutes to write and perform an original song about that topic.”

I grumbled. Astrid clapped her hands like a giddy child. Years of choir and piano lessons left me scarred.

Niall drew the answer. He furrowed his brow and laughed. “Parker, you cunt, I know this is yours!”

“What?”

I was pissed and unaware of what I had written in the ten seconds allotted. I'd written three things, and Niall swore he’d take only one.

“Universal Basic Income.”

“No, I'm not doing that!” Jeremy groaned.

“Why? Does it hurt your Tory heart?” I asked.

“No. I never saidIwas a Tory!”

“Don't tell Daddy, then,” Amara giggled.

“I just think it's a shit thing to write a song about. A fifteen-second diddy.”

“Well, a good musician can makeanythingwork,” Astrid said.

The girl was out for blood. Now that she was on my team, I admired her clapback. I prayed she could sing. I couldn't. We broke into groups, rushing to the piano but losing out to Jeremy and another business student.

---