Page 1 of Broken Princess

Prologue

Winter break went by faster than I imagined and once again the first day of a new semester looms before me. I started my vacation in a dark place, but the weeks I spent on the beach have helped me heal. I'm stronger now, ready to face them. To facehim.

They played their twisted game, and I lost. But only because I didn't know there was a game to be played, or the rules of engagement. I do now.

I left school a broken, empty shell of myself. Last semester, the only thing I wanted was to get away from Van der Borne University. Now I'm going back to reclaim my dignity from the beautiful bastards that sought to strip me of everything good in my life because it amused them.

I finger the key on the thin silver chain around my neck that was delivered in a sapphire jewelry box on Christmas Eve. Inside was a note card written in an unfamiliar scrawl.

The missive gave my mind something else to focus on other than the pain. I buried the note in the bottom of my suitcase so mom and Summer wouldn’t see it.

Know thy self, know thy enemy, it said. The BP’s are my enemies and according to the writer, this shiny piece of cut metal is a clue to dismantling their secrets.

I guess, in a way, I should thank Logan and his friends for what they did. I’m stronger now, and I have a new purpose for showing up at school. Round one definitely went to theBeautiful People, but round two clears the board for new players.

They destroyed the naïve charity case they toyed with, along with her virginal innocence. The stage is reset for a new game. I want them all to pay, and there’s only one rule.

Audentes Fortuna Iuvat.

One

Jordanna

“Honey, I wish you’d tell me what happened between you and Robbie.”

My mother’s been hounding me, the entire break, trying to figure out why we broke up. I didn’t realize she was such a fan of our relationship, seeing how she used to tell me we spent way too much time together.

“Mom, there’s nothing to tell. The distance was too much, so he moved on with somebody else.”

“Almost two years and you just call it quits when it gets a little hard?”

If only it were that simple.But I can’t tell her what really happened. That finding Robbie with Simone set me on a path where my vision was so out of focus, I couldn’t see I was being played.

“Is the breakup the only reason you’ve finally stopped trying to get me to let you transfer back to Carryville?”

More like the mess I got dragged into ruined my chances for going back. A member from the scholarship committee was at the auction and saw Logan’s sculpture.

My stomach roils at the memory of when a private moment between us became public. No. She canneverknow any of it. Mom has enough to deal with. Step-doofus’ trial is coming up, and I don’t want to add another embarrassing scandal to the mix. I guess I have VDU’s history of secrecy to thank for why what happened at the auction isn’t front page news.

It’s time to distract her from this line of questioning. “VDU raised my scholarship amount. Besides, students who graduate from there have job opportunities at some of the top companies in the world. It’s like you said, I should focus on how lucky I am to have this chance.”

“Your time at the beach has done wonders for your mood.” Her smile matches the joy in her voice. “You were so morose when you came home at the start of the break.”

Two heartbreaks in under six months will do that to you.

I watch her transfer items from one purse to another. “Are you sure you want to head back to campus so soon?”

Avoiding the inevitable won’t make this any easier. “I’m sure. I wanna take my time unpacking and getting settled back in before the first day of classes.”

She flicks off the light in the kitchen and tells me she’ll meet me in the car in ten minutes. Summer’s at a friend’s house, so it’s just the two of us on the ride to school. Mom spends most of the drive talking about her latest client, and I’m happy to let her prattle on about her vision for their master bedroom, because it means she’s not asking me any more questions that I can’t answer about my personal life.

I had no expectations for what I would see when I got back to campus, so I’m not sure why I feel a sense of disappointment when I realizenothing looks or feels differentas we pass through the golden gates of my academic cage.

I grab my luggage out of the trunk, say goodbye to my mother at the curb, and promise to call more often than I did last semester.

Making my way across the lobby of my dorm, I bypass the line for the elevator, heading directly for the back staircase; not wanting to be out in the open any longer than necessary.

“New year. Same dorm. Different bullshit.” Kassidy says, greeting me at the door. “But one bright spot is you and I are still roomies.” She pulls me in for a hug. “Jordanna, I can’t tell you how happy I am you came back. I wasn’t sure you would even after the reset.”

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