Page 40 of Broken Princess

I’m sure she did, because it’s the truth. “Did you also tell him his late ass apology doesn’t magically fix things, and he’s still not welcome here?”

“Uh…”

“Kassidy, come on. He apologizes like people give air kisses at those fancy parties in The Hollows. Fake with no intention of actually connecting with another person.”

“Which is why I told him he has to prove that he’s being sincere, and that we’re not going back to the trust I had in him before. And I also told him this is your room and until you say otherwise, he shouldn’t come here.”

Kassidy might not have been the one he targeted, but she got caught up in his game, too. She’s juggling how to keep friends she’s known for years while still remaining loyal to me. I hate that she’s stuck in the middle like this. I tell her again that she doesn’t have to let what happened to me affect her life.

“Kass, we just met, and I know you have history with a lot of students here. I won’t tell you that you have to choose me over your friends. That includes the cruel bastard behind you.”

Her eyes flick to Logan when she says, “If I decide to bless Logan with my friendship again, it won’t be me choosing him over you, and the moment it looks like he’s about to start some shit, I’ll dropkick him back to the curb. He has a lot of proving to do.” She looks back at me. “Okay?”

Logan walks over to the door and says, “Whatever you decide, Kass, thanks for hearing me out.”

When he’s gone, I slump down onto the couch. “You don’t buy that, though, right?”

She shrugs, pulling her knee up, and shifts to face me. “The thing is, when I first moved to Kingsley Hollow, I was an outsider and nobody wanted to be friends with me. The kid with the hippy mom is what they called me. But Logan was one of the first people to talk to me. This was all before high school. Before he changed. He was different then. Kind. Funny. Sweet. Those were glimpses of the guy I saw last semester when he pursued you.”

“Manipulated me. Played me. It wasn’t a pursuit. It was a game.”

“Right, but that doesn’t change what I saw and a small part of me thinks some of it was genuine.” She holds up her hand before I can interrupt. “I’m not saying any of it was right, or making excuses for what he did, and I’m still pissed about him using me to get to you. But he says he’s sorry and only time will tell if he’s being sincere or not. I choose to give him that time.”

I don’t have the luxury of time or the experiences she has with Logan. Since the first day we met, all he’s done was toy with me, my life and my emotions, and I suspect him coming here to apologize was just one more attempt to do the same. But I let the subject drop because I don’t want to influence her decision.

There’s a bouquet of flowers in front of our door when I get back to my room after class. I bend down to pick it up, parting the fragrant petals, searching for a card. The blooms are so big the plastic card holder is hidden between them. At the top of the card is a line from a Keats poem.

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art (Keats)

Jordanna,

Welcome back to school. When you look at these flowers, know that they symbolize my fervent hope that you will allow me the chance to make the worst days of this semester outshine the best parts of last.

The flowers are gorgeous, and as apologies go, this is a nice one, but I hope Logan doesn’t think this is enough to soften my heart. I place the flowers on my desk and stretch out on the bed to work on my assignments. I finish reading the assigned chapters for my Interpersonal Communications class before stopping for dinner. It’s Italian night, and I promised Kassidy I’d eat with her. It didn’t take much to persuade me. I love pasta and since my account isn’t on life support, I can eat any meal I want. I don’t because I still believe in being thrifty, but I can purchase a higher priced meal if I want to.

It’s the evening meal rush hours, which means Logan and his court are at their table. At the end of last semester, and even at the beginning of this one, I would have averted my gaze. Today, I lock eyes with each of them as we walk by. No matter what Logan says, I know they still want me gone, and it’s only a matter of time before they attack. I just hope I have everything in place before then.

Sixteen

Jordanna

Icouldn’t sleep after you left the studio that night

I blocked Logan’s number and his profile on Prospectus, but somehow he’s found a way to privately message me.

I was so hard I had to jack off just to get some relief while I sucked your taste off my fingers. I’m getting hard right now, just thinking about it.

I’m not responding to any of this, because what happened with Logan was a mistake. My head knows this. It’s my traitorous body that doesn’t care. I read the next message.

I know you saw that message from Bella, and it wasn’t what you think. This isn’t over Jordanna

Leave me alone

Never

I toss my phone on the bed with an angry huff. I know this is a game to him, but images of him touching himself are still doing a fox trot through my head. That, along with the memory of his hands on my body, and inside of me, has me slipping my hands into the waistband of my sweatpants.

Just this one time, I’ll bring myself a release while thinking of him. Then, I’ll lock it down again. I rub myself and dip two fingers inside the way he did. I’m not as full as I am when he touches me, but it’s enough to send me over the edge. I cum hard and fast to thoughts of him hovering over me. My free hand grips my sheet and I bite down on my lip, refusing to let his name roll off my tongue.

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