Page 60 of Ruthless Legacy

I ignore the looks I get as I lower myself into my seat. There are different faces here from winter break. The nudging and side eyes start first, then the whispering. I wonder how long it’ll be before someone grows a pair and says something.

Eloise’s buddies cuts their eyes at me, not bothering to hide their contempt. Like it’s my fault I’m in the one place neither of us wants me to be. I fought it for as long as I could, but every time I said no, I earned the equivalent or a legacy promotion. Lord only knows what would happen if I said no to this, too.

Besides, the seating arrangement is temporary. I have zero plans of conforming or assimilating,ever.This is the only way I can make sure somebody’s working on getting answers for me about my attack. If sitting here gets me the proof I need against her, I’ll suffer through it.

I lean back in my chair, letting everyone at the table see I don’t give a fuck about what they think. They might not want me here, but the big scary secret society does. I keep my face blank, projecting an air of don’t give a fuck-ness. Deep down, I’m seething. Sitting here puts me on display, and I’m hating every single minute of it.

I’m almost finished with my breakfast when they walk in with their entourage. The tension in the room amps up as soon as they step through the door. Holden looks stressed. What the hell could have happened between waking up this morning and walking from the dorm? His gaze bounces around the dining hall. When they land on me, his posture changes. Ah, so it was all about me looking like I was flaking on our deal.

He leads the way over to the table and slides into his seat. The girls who are already here are practically bouncing in theirs. They turn expectantly towards Eloise. Excitement pours off of them, as they’re finally given the moment they’ve been waiting for.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I ignore her question, but one of her little cronies answers, “We told her she couldn’t sit here.”

They didn’t. Oh, the looks they gave alluded to that being what they were thinking, but they never opened their mouths.

“Lower legacies sit three tables over, newb.”

Several people nod, one even points at something behind me. I’m assuming it’s the table I’m supposed to be at. The guys never said which table I had to sit at. They’re the ones insisting I be on this side of the velvet rope and didn’t say anything when I sat here before. Was that just because most of the students were off campus? I wouldn’t put it past them to fail to mention that there are assigned tables based on your legacy status, just so it could lead to this shit. Pax and Eloise are a team, after all.

I force myself to swallow the last bite of my eggs and finish my coffee before slowly climbing to my feet. Eloise’s parting shot is, “Don’t even think about sitting over here again unless you’re invited.”

I count to ten. Our agreement is not pushing back in public. She’s the top of the female legacy food chain, so by deductive reasoning, that agreement extends to her. I want so badly to hand her, her ass, but I need to play the long game here. If ever there were a time to pick my battles, this is it.

As I walk out the door, I remind myself, her time is coming.

* * *

Finn

I heard Thea’s door close when she left this morning. She’s avoided us for days. When I walked her back to the dorms on Saturday, she said she still planned to honor our deal, starting today.

I couldn’t deviate from our normal routine. That meant letting her leave for breakfast without me. She left even earlier than usual today, and was already finished eating by the time we got here.

Any happiness I felt seeing Thea at our table evaporated the minute Eloise opened her mouth. She’s like a black hole sucking the joy out of the room. I hate that I couldn’t interrupt the power struggle happening at the other end of the table. I promised Pax that I’d let things play out, no matter what people said.

Nobody uttered a word during winter break. They wouldn’t without an audience present, but I knew Eloise wouldn’t let the chance to embarrass Thea slip away. She wasn’t even saying anything untrue. Lower legaciesdosit three tables behind us.

We weren’t specific about the seating arrangements when we made our agreement. I didn’t think about it. I doubt Holden did either, but Pax is smirking. He knew we left out a crucial detail and that it would lead to a confrontation. Is he hoping she gets into a fight and embarrasses us, forcing us to call off our deal? Is he and Eloise still in cahoots to torment my girl?

I stare at the door as if I can will her to come back inside.

“She’s fine, Finn.”

I flick my blade open and closed. “How do you know?”

I turn, giving Pax my full attention. “Any one of the people in this room, at this table, could have been there that night, and we’ve tied her hands. We’ve told her she can’t fight back. That she has to be united with the legacy families, who haven’t received the same pep talk. They can do and say what they want because they’ve never done or said anything against us. Eloise just ordered her to sit somewhere else, to put her in her place, and let her know that even with her family’s status change, she’s still beneath us. So, how do you know she’s okay?”

“Because Thea wants answers. She could have reacted to Eloise the same way she has every other time they’ve clashed, by hurling insults of her own, or using you as a pawn. Instead, she chose to walk away, and it’s not because she’s scared.”

My girl definitely didn’t look scared, but it could’ve all been an act. Thea wouldn’t want to appear weak in public. Neither would I. It’s just asking someone to fuck with you. “I should go check on her.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket as I rise from my seat. When I hit the link on the text message, a video of Thea walking towards the math building appears on my screen. Looking across the table, I ask, “When did you do this?”

Holden doesn’t answer. I don’t need him to answer. I’m just glad he’s as worried about her safety as I am. She slips through the doors of the building, ending my show.

I feel better now, and happily dig into my food, joining in the conversation with the people on my left. Eloise was too busy going after Thea to claim a spot next to me. Now it’s occupied.Good. I don’t want to be anywhere near her conniving ass. It’s safer for her if I’m not. With the way I’m feeling, I’m likely to ignore the rules that govern our companionship. Rules that prohibit me from maliciously spilling her blood.

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