Page 96 of Cruel Prep (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 1)

They’re so mean to each other sometimes. It’s hard to understand how they’re friends at all. I can’t decide if it’s a boy thing in general, or a Golden Boys thing in particular.

“Do you want a drink?” Finn whispers in my ear.

He has been keeping a small wedge of space between us all night. He stands just close enough that I can feel his warmth leaching into me, and feel his breath on my neck.

But he won’t touch me. Not even to dance.

I shiver at his nearness and shake my head. “No, thank you.”

“I tried to spike the punch bowl, but Mr. Woodson is guarding it like his life depends on it,” Viktor says.

“It probably does. He is a middle-aged PE teacher. What would he do if he lost his job?” The cheerleader on Viktor’s arm sneers in Mr. Woodson’s direction, clearly disgusted by him.

When she turns to me, the expression doesn’t fade, and I understand immediately where I stand. The rich kids in this school view their teachers as servants.

They view me as whatever’s lower than that.

Her eyes catch on the lock around my neck, and I can practically see the gears in her mind turning, wondering how I ended up here with Finn Foster.

Noah joins the group, head down, shoulders slouched like he wishes he could disappear.

Caleb throws his arm around Noah’s shoulders and pulls him in close. “My fellow stag. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one avoiding a ball and chain.”

Viktor puts a hand to his mouth and whispers loudly, “The difference is that Noah didn’t even try to get a date.”

Caleb punches him in the shoulder and then smiles like nothing is wrong.

It is surprising that two members of the Golden Boys are dateless, yet Finn asked me to accompany him. It wouldn’t have been weird for him to come alone.

So, why did he ask me? The answer to that is especially elusive since he won’t even touch me.

I try to shift my weight slightly to lean into him, but he steps away and shoves his hands in his pockets.

The saving grace of the entire evening is that the venue is beautiful.

At my old school, dances were held in the gym with cheap string lights and a few panels of tulle hanging from the ceiling.

But at Ravenlake Prep, it feels like I’ve walked into a fairy-tale realm.

Fabric drapes from the center of the ceiling out to the edges of the room and then down to the floor, making it feel like we are in a tent. Large chandeliers hang from the ceiling like glowing clouds, and every table has a glowing paper lantern in the center of it. The room is all soft light and lush fabrics and beautiful people.

Finn is the most beautiful of all.

He looks unreal in his suit. The material is tailored to his exact specifications, so I can see the taper of his waist and the strength of his thighs. It makes it all the more difficult to not be able to touch him.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Finn mumbles. I blink, realizing I’ve been staring at him for far too long. Though, he isn’t cursing because of me. No, he is looking over my shoulder.

I turn and see Cora walking towards us, a leather-clad man on her arm.

The guy has to be at least twenty. His hair is long on top with the sides buzzed, and tattoos creep up his neck from beneath the white collar of his shirt. The purple devil on his shoulder is on full display.

“She brought a Hell Prince?” Caleb asks, cracking his knuckles in his palm like we are in a 1950s gang movie and about to get in a rumble.

“Who?” Viktor spins around to look. When he sees Cora in her long slinky dress with her arm through the biker’s, his face sours noticeably.

Finn told me Viktor and Cora used to date. I can’t imagine any of Finn’s friends actually having legit feelings for a girl. Especially not a girl like Cora. They all seem more like the type to mark their territory and get mad when anyone infringes on it.

But then again, I couldn’t imagine Finn having feelings for a girl either. And I wouldn’t say he has “feelings” for me, exactly.

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