Page 75 of Heartless Legacy

“Why is everyone so damn sure that I’ll be dominating the scores next month? Huh? Do you have some inside knowledge that I don’t know about?”

Who is everybody?Him. “Did that fucker tell you that? Did he say that he had some inside knowledge to help you get ahead? If he did, he’s lying.”

“So what if he is, Finn? Isn’t that what we’re all doing? Lying and manipulating each other so we come out on top?”

“Yeah, but-”

“But? But what?”

“But I don’t lie to you, Thea. I never have.”

Her expression hardens. “What do you want, Finn? Why are you talking to me when I think my actions have made it clear that I don’t want to talk to you? I’ve even told Holden to pass on just how much I don’t want to deal with any of you. But I guess you need to say your piece, so hurry up and spit it out.”

I heard all about the conversation she had with Holden, and she’s delusional if she thinks we’re letting her break up with us. Being on a break is one thing. Breaking up. That shit’s not happening. “I just wanted to make sure you’re alright. I know things might seem different since you came back.”

“Thingsaredifferent, Finn.”

“With Pax and Eloise, sure. But Holden and I haven’t changed our minds. Our plans were put on pause because you were detained.”

“Detained.” Her face scrunches like the word leaves a bitter taste on her tongue.

“Is there another word you want me to use to reference your incarceration?” Gravel crunches behind us. I turn before she answers and see a golf cart carrying several council members coming our way. Thea takes advantage of the distraction, climbs into her car and drives off, spinning up dirt and gravel in my face.

My attempts to talk to Thea were derailed outside of The Tomb. Then, we had a challenge last weekend. I don’t even want to think about how awkward that shit was with Pax trying to run the show and Holden and I ignoring him. We completed the challenge and scraped by in first place. The second-place team had a lot to say about that.

Today is the first chance I’ve had to talk to her again. She’s ignoring my Prospectus messages, and since she no longer lives in Vale Tower, I can’t just jump over the balcony to see her. Her current dorm room is in the middle of the hallway and doesn’t have a balcony. There’s also a new set of guards sitting at thefront desk who are a little too diligent in their duties. They won’t allow visitors in the dorm past the lobby, unless the resident you wish to see has already entered your visit in the guest book or comes down to get you.

“Good Afternoon, Pet.” I greet, sliding into the seat beside her. I ignore the scowl she gives me, and the fuck off attitude she’s projecting. It’s time for us to beusagain. Waiting for her to change her mind about this so-called breakup is taking too long, and it’s boring. Plus, I want to know why she’s mad at me. I’ve been on my best behavior while she was gone. The bestest. There has never been and will never be anyone more behaved than I was. Which brings me to what I want to talk to her about.

I smile, twisting in my chair to face her. “Did you sleep well?”

“No.”

No? Looking closely, I notice the bags and dark shadows under her eyes. Her cheekbones are also more prominent than I remember. Is she on a diet? I hope not. I liked her just fine the way she was before. Maybe she didn’t get enough to eat in prison. I know they say you get three meals a day, but institutional food is just so… institutional. I doubt cheese fries were on the menu.

“What’s wrong?” I ask when she pinches the bridge of her nose.

“What do you want, Finn?”

“Nothing.” She gives me a side eye so I say, “I want something, but not right now. In fact,Ihave something for you.”

“Something like what?”

“A gift.” She stares pointedly at my empty hands, causing me to smile again. “I can’t give it to you here.” I purse my lips, wondering if maybe there was a way I could have brought it to class. I guess it’s possible with help, but this is my gift and I don’t want anyone else seeing it and trying to take it, or take credit for it. “You ready?” I ask, getting to my feet.

“Ready for…”

“To go see your gift.”

“Class is about to start, Finn.”

“So…”

“So, I’m not ditching class for you to show me this so-called gift, which I’m pretty sure I’ve seen before.”

Now, she’s staring unimpressed at my dick. I palm it, readjusting myself because yes, the thought of giving her my gift makes me hard. “It isn’t this gift, and you know I wouldn’t feel the need to leave class to give this to you. I’d whip it out right here, and let you play with it.” Reaching for the waistband of my sweatpants, I ask, “Do you wanna play, Pet?”

Facing forward in her seat, she responds, “Can’t. I’m too busy learning. Guess you’ll have to play with yourself, Finley.”

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