Page 28 of Broken Princess

“What are you doing here?”

“I went to your room, but when you weren't there, I figured I might find you here.”

I was expecting to have this conversation in the doorway, but he waves the drill he’s holding motioning me inside. He goes back to the sculpture he's working on. I watch as he applies an anchor to one of the joints.

"Wanna drink?" He asks, setting the power drill to the side.

I should say no, but maybe a drink will help calm my nerves. “Sure.” He’s removed the stools and the easel I used to sit at. His sculpture takes up most of the space in the middle of the floor, so I take a seat on the only surface in this place, where sitting is possible.The bed.

He passes me a shot of something clear, and I begrudgingly clink my glass against his before gulping it down, exhaling breath as the warmth of the alcohol settles in my stomach. I slip my hat off my head, letting my hair tumble around my shoulders in a wild tangle of waves and curls. Today, I have a turquoise streak in my hair, and my nose ring in. Logan’s the first person other than Kassidy and Noel to see my hair and nose ring. He stares so long I feel self-conscious about it.

"You don't like it."

“I do. With your hair like that and the new bling, I think you look incredibly cool. And sexy.”

I smile shyly at the compliment as he pours himself another shot of whiskey.

“Did Noel like it?” He asks before tipping his glass to his lips. He swallows, then reaches his hand out for my empty glass. He turns his back to me, setting the glasses on the table in the corner. “I know the two of you were at the golf course with his daddy the other day. Looks like you're solidifying your place as the teacher assistant's pet.”

I hear the malice in his voice and those nerves I was feeling abate. What am I doing? I don’t give a shit what he thinks, and getting his approval about my new hairdo isn’t why I’m here.

“Noel and I are friends and he’s helping me meet people so I can apply for a new internship. I didn’t get the last one, remember.”

“Friends, huh? Is that what you call it?”

I can see now that Logan’s in a pissy mood. I stand, grabbing my hat off the bed. “It was a mistake coming here.”

“Was it? Because you never actually said why you came here to begin with.”

I pull the red-foil wrapped box out of my bag, smooshing it into his chest. "I didn’t know what to do with this, and I’m tired of looking at it. It was before everything went down."

He tears through the foil suspiciously, pulling out the shirt I picked out the day he took me shopping. I felt weird letting him pay for my clothes, so I brought the shirt with my own money when he wasn’t looking. I move towards the door, having spent all the time I can stand in his orbit. My chest hurts like I’m trying to squeeze myself through a barbed wire fence laced with razor blades and spikes.

“Jordanna, wait.” I stop in the middle of the floor expecting a thank you, or a fuck you. Either seems plausible where Logan’s concerned.

“I have something for you too.” He digs around in the dresser and pulls out a box wrapped in pink glitter paper. “And it was before… you found out the truth.”

Exchanging gifts feels weird, but my curiosity gets the better of me. I take it and unwrap the paper, finding a pouch with ceramic handled brushes. It’s like a chainsaw has been added to the blades and spikes. My chest is on fire, and I’m struggling to breathe.

His voice is soft when he says, “You said you can never have too many.”

I clutch the box to my chest. A sense of warmth slides over me. It’s unexpected and unwanted. Logan put some thought into this gift, but that doesn’t change the truth. The fact of the matter is he’s a bastard and I can’t trust anything he says or does. This is who he is. Making you feel special is what he does, and in five more seconds he’ll do something cruel. I need to get out of here before that happens.

“Well, Merry Belated Christmas.”

I hurry towards freedom and I’m almost there, but the moment my hand touches the doorknob, he blurts out, “Jordy, I miss you.”

“What?” My throat constricts over the word.

“I miss having you here. I miss talking to you, and I’m pissed that you can barely look at me when you see me in class or pass me on campus, and I don't know what to do about that.”

Turning to face him, I narrow my eyes at his words. “You really expect me to believe that? Every time I’ve seen you, you’ve threatened me or assaulted me. You’re always warning me about how much damage you can and are willing to do. And let’s not forget, you made achoiceto bet on me with that sick game you played with your friends.Thisis the outcome you wanted. So congratulations on your big win.”

“You’re right. This is what I thought I wanted when I took that bet, but what if I was wrong?”

“What if? You still can’t see the problem here, Logan. What you didwaswrong.”

Glancing away he says, “I know that Jordanna. God, I know that, and I’m sorry.” He turns back to meet my suspicion filled gaze. “I know I never said it, and I should have. But yes, I’m so fucking sorry that I hurt you like I did. You may not think so, but I’m paying for it. I wish I would’ve just taken a minute and stopped things before they went too far. I wanted to, but…”

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