Page 110 of Broken Princess

Forty-Two

Logan

She played me, and I never saw it coming. How could I have been so caught up in her that I didn’t know she was faking it the entire time? One side of my brain says I’m an idiot, the other side says there’s no way she faked her reaction whenever I was inside her.Thatpart was real. She even said as much. But how did she go from loving me to wanting to destroy me in the span of a few months? Shouldn’t some of what she felt last semester have still been there?

Tabitha and I are alone in the coffee shop. There’s a larger fracture in our group than before, because I’m having trust issues. More than usual. Once again, Bella was at the center of blowing up my life.

“When did Bella start following Noel and Sterling around?” I ask, staring into my coffee cup. I’m wishing it was whisky, but finals are coming up and I need to be sober.

“You’re looking at this all wrong, Logan. I don’t think they’re who she was stalking. Bella’s had it out for Jordanna since the beginning. She was still trying to dig up dirt on her even though we agreed to let it go. Now the question you have to ask yourself, is why.”

“I know why. It’s because she’s a vindictive bitch who gets off on making people miserable. She had proof Jordanna was playing me and she chose to keep it quiet until it was too late.”

I cut my eyes at Tabitha when she says, “You should never have taken that stupid bet.”

“It’s-“

“Come on, admit it. It was stupid.” She prods. “I mean who cares that Jordanna was a virgin and wrote an article that locked up a thief? Be honest. Was it so bad that shehada moral compass before she came here?”

“You’re saying what Jordy did is my fault?”

“Keep up. You’re pissed off that she played you, and your feelings are valid, butthisconversation is about Bella. How is it that you’re no longer King of the school? You and Jordy hooked up again, and I know it was way earlier than you let on. If anything, Bella should’ve been going after the VP spot, at McKay Media.” She raises her glass. “Instead, we coronated her as the new king.”

I lower my drink, mulling over Tabitha’s words. “You don’t think the VP spot was the motivation behind the original bet.” Hadn’t I thought that same thing for a brief second? Why didn’t I follow up on that?

Tabby shakes her head. “I think running VDU for a year sets her up for a better future than the VP spot at Davis’ company ever could. Think of what you did, and how long it took for you to move all the pieces around before you took a run at Noel.”

I studied him on campus for months, to find his weakness, but my plan was years in the making. I just sped up my timeline because he’s an ass and it was time for him to go. “This would have to go back to before Jordanna ever showed up on campus. There’s no way Bella pulled this off in a few months, so she’d have to have been plotting this for a while.”

Tabby nods. “That’s what I’m thinking.”

I cringe as a sharp pain stabs through my chest. “Are you also thinking Jordy was in on it from the beginning?”

She turns her head, meeting my eyes. “I don’t know. She was hurt, and she wasdefinitelylooking for payback, when she came back to school. I’m your friend and I admit, we wereallguilty of putting her in that position last semester. But, as a woman, I think a little retribution was justified. Jordanna’s probably not the first person to feel that way, she’s just the first person I’ve seen bold enough to try to get it. As for whether or not she was in cahoots with Bella?”

She squints her eyes, giving a small shake to her head. “That girl had a target on her back before we ever met her. Sure, she could have been in on it. But that’s a lot of shit to endure for nothing. I mean, if she was playing the long game, what did she really get out of it other than embarrassing you in front of the school?”

“I’m not the one who was embarrassed. My ass wasn’t on display.”

“No, but your heart was. And for us Logan, that’s worse. The only person who’ll likely give you a straight answer to your questions about how involved Jordanna and Bella really are,is Jordanna, because you know Bella’s gonna lie through her perfect white teeth.”

I do know that, which is why I haven’t moved from my seat. “But what is your gut telling you?”

“Logan, you don’t-”

“Tabby, you know I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t really wanna hear your unvarnished thoughts. Break it to me hard and fast.”

“I think at some point Jordanna was in love with you. It’s only that type of heartbreak that could make her as bitter as she was the day she said Bella could have you.”

“When she came back to school, she kept telling me how much she hated me, and then…”

“Then she stopped.” She concludes.

“Obviously, it was a game to reel me in.”

“Or maybe she was just as conflicted about you, as you were about her.” She sighs into her cup, then takes a drink. I watch as she picks up a scone, chewing thoughtfully. “Unpopular opinion Logan, you need to talk to Jordy, which is exactly what you should’ve done the moment Bella approached you with that article.”

“Oh, I plan to talk to her all right.” I’m already planning on how to make her pay for making mefeelthings, and making a fool out of me, for being so chummy with Noel, and for costing me my throne.

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