Page 236 of Haunt Me

And that’s exactly what I do.

Eden’s Phone

*incoming call from Olivia*

Olivia: Hey, Eden. I thought I’d check in. How are you doing? Are you safe? How are you handling the new reality?

Eden: I was literally about to send you the exact same question. Dude, you are a literal queen. How areyouhandling the new reality?

Eden: Wait, I shouldn’t have addressed you as ‘dude’. I’m so sorry.

Eden: Is someone coming to arrest me right now?

Olivia: Please call me ‘dude’ at every opportunity. Very few people do anymore. Actually, very few people have, ever. My new reality is hard work and then some more hard work. And to top it off, guess what?

Eden: Hard work.

Olivia: Bingo.

Eden: It must be so challenging, Olivia. I can’t even imagine.

Olivia: Actually, I love it. I love it so much, every aspect of it. I am just so fulfilled, so… It almost feels like I was born to do this.

Eden: It shows. Every photo I have seen of you lately, you just… glow. You queen.

Olivia: From one queen to another.

Eden: Haha I don’t think so.

Olivia: I do think so. I know so. Talk to me about your situation, En.

Eden: I’m back home with my dad and my sisters right now. I took some time off school. I didn’t drop out completely, but I… I wasn’t handling it too well. I am trying to be kind to myself, but all I keep thinking is that I’m letting everyone down. Disappointing everybody.

Olivia: Is your dad disappointed? Any of your sisters?

Eden: No. They keep telling me how proud they are of me, but they don’t need to, honestly. I can tell.

Olivia: Well, is your Isaiah disappointed in you?

Eden: He is not ‘my’ anything anymore. Didn’t you see those live interviews he did? He was just so… clear.

Olivia: I did watch a clip, and honestly, I hadn’t realized how absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous he is up close. I mean, was that a cathedral building or his cheekbones?

Eden: Erm… Olivia?

Olivia: Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. Don’t tell Marco I said that. Or that. Anyway, everyone in the palace legitimately stopped what they were doing—state affairs, might I add—to watch your pop prince on the TV. They were that mesmerized. They say he might have never done an interview before.

Eden: He hadn’t.

Olivia: Wow.

Eden: Yeah. He was that determined to get his message across.

Olivia: What message?

Eden: That he wants nothing to do with me.

Eden: I mean, it was a little too much, but whatever. I told him I needed some time, and then we didn’t talk for a few weeks, and all of a sudden, he goes on national TV and does that.

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