Page 14 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 5
She rolled her eyes. “Why be normal when you can be elite?”
Was that a serious question? I didn’t want to be elite or however else she described herself. Besides, Cupcake and Felix were just as elite as her. And Kennedy’s personality was a thousand times more elite than Isabella’s.
“Come, come,” she said like there was no possible excuse to what she’d said. “And I’m sorry, Kennedy. I forgot to tell everyone and I was only able to save one seat.”
“Really, Isabella,” I said. “Monday would be better…”
“But Daddy insisted.” She stuck out her lower lip, like that would somehow affect my decision.
Ew.I heard Kennedy pretend to gag and tried not to laugh.
Isabella cleared her throat. “Trust me, Sissy. You don’t want to upset Daddy. If I tell him that I invited you to sit with me and you refused…well…you don’t want to see what happens when he gets mad.”
My heartbeat kicked up a notch. No, I really didn’t want to know what her father was like when he was mad.My father.Yeah, I was definitely going to be sick.
“You could sit with us,” Kennedy said. “There’s a seat right there.” She pointed to the one on the other side of me.
“No. I sit atthattable.” She pointed to the Untouchables’ table. And for the first time I looked over too. Matt was staring at me so intensely. The two seats across from him were empty. Which meant…I’d be sitting with Matt at lunch for the first time since we started secretly dating. And now that we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend? That didn’t seem like such a bad thing. I wouldn’t be alone over there. I’d have him.
“It’s just a table,” Kennedy said.
Isabella ignored her and looked back at me. “Last chance, Sissy. Or Daddy will be hearing all about this.”
I lifted my salad off the table. “Okay.”
“You don’t have to sit with her,” Felix said and grabbed my arm.
It wasn’t that I wanted to sit there. I didn’t. Not even if it got me closer to Matt. But I had to go. Because I was already scared of Mr. Pruitt. “It’s just for today,” I said. I looked at Kennedy and hoped she could read my mind. I didn’t want her to think I was ditching her. I’d figure a way out of this from here on out. But today? I might have to spend all weekend with the Pruitts. I didn’t want to start that off on bad terms.
I followed Isabella over to her table. She sat down across from Matt, and I sat down next to her.
Matt was staring at Isabella now. But not the way he stared at me. He looked beyond pissed off. I hoped he never looked at me like that. No one said a word to me when I sat down. And I felt myself shrinking. I focused my gaze on my salad and hoped the next twenty minutes would hurry up already.
The person next to me cleared his throat. I looked up. I hadn’t even realized that Isabella had made me sit right next to James.
He gave me a sheepish smile.
I looked back down at my salad.
“Brooklyn.” He nudged me with his shoulder. “I’m really sorry about your uncle.”
“Thanks.”I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.I hated those words. And he wasn’t sorry. Because if he was, he’d apologize for what he did to my uncle. Not apologize for his untimely death.I’m sorry? Screw you.
“And I’m sorry about what happened in the cafeteria before. I didn’t know about your mom. I swear.”
That sounded a little more sincere. But I knew the only reason he was apologizing was because Matt probably made him. And I didn’t want to play games with any of these people. I just wanted to go back to my normal seat. “Why else would I live with my uncle? Did that thought really not cross your mind?”
He ran his fingers through his perfect hair. “Honestly?” he asked, lowering his voice. “I wasn’t thinking at all. That was the whole problem.” He stared down at his food like I had been doing a moment ago.
Something about the action pulled at my heart. He was actually sorry. I could feel it. And ultimately, he was Matt’s friend. Which meant…wasn’t he going to be mine too? And maybe, just maybe, a little bit of the reason I was angry at him was because he waspart of the reason keeping Matt away from me. But that was Isabella’s fault, not his. And I couldn’t put that blame on him. I needed to stop blaming him for something he knew nothing about.
“It’s okay,” I said and nudged him with my shoulder like he’d done to me when I first sat down. “Maybe we can just start over? I’m Brooklyn.” I awkwardly held out my hand.
He looked back up at me with a smile on his face. “Deal.” He shook my hand.
“Sissy, you’re not making a good first impression,” Isabella said. “Introduce yourself to everyone, not just James.”
I let my hand fall out of James’. “Oh. Um. Hi, I’m Brooklyn.” But I was pretty sure everyone already knew me. Isabella and her minions had been trying to make my life hell ever since I started going here. Matt obviously knew me. Rob knew me. James knew me. I’d even met Mason once at a party.
