Page 68 of Cruel Elite (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 3)

Then I close the book, leaving my phone shut between the pages, and stride out of class.

When I get to the Eastside girl’s bathroom and reach for the handle, I hear voices on the other side.

I hesitate, listening.

“Wow, even demons have to pee. The bathroom really is the great equalizer, isn’t it?”

“I’d suggest you wash your hands—who knows where they’ve been or what they’ve been doing—and get moving before I have to break a promise.”

I recognize Penny’s voice, the nasally one she uses when she’s being pissy.

“What promise?” The other voice is muffled by the sound of running water.

“Do you really think I’d divulge any details about my lifeto you?The bathroom isn’t that great of an equalizer. Just fuck off, okay?”

“Oh, I see,” the other girl says. “You’re waiting until I clear out so you can drop to your knees and spew your lunch. An eating disorder—how original.”

Penny doesn’t answer.

“Well, don’t mind me,” the other girl finishes. “I’ll be going now.”

I hear footsteps across the tile. I just have enough time to spin away from the door and lean lazily against the brick wall when the door opens and Haley steps out of the bathroom.

She jumps when she sees me and then narrows her blue eyes.

“Noah?”

I give her a casual nod, but I can feel my face warming. “Hey.”

“What are you—” Haley looks back at the bathroom, suspicion in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Avoiding pre-calc. I’m shit at math.”

“Okay, but why—” She starts to ask the question and then stops, shaking her head. “I have to get back to ceramics before my clay dries out. I’ll see you later.”

I lift my hand in a wave and watch as she walks down the hallway, looking back once before she turns the corner.

Even then, I wait another thirty seconds before I go into the bathroom.

Penny is sitting on the white counter, her back against the mirror, her legs dangling over the edge.

She has a high-waisted mini skirt on—this one maroon corduroy—with black sheer tights, black high-heeled boots, and a deep v-neck white sweater tucked in.

Her hair is pulled back in two braids with the long, curled ends spilling over her shoulders.

She looks fucking perfect.

Like a teenage boy’s schoolgirl fantasy.

“Before you say anything, Haley was the one harassing me,” she says, smoothing a finger over her bottom lip to smooth her lip gloss. “I did as you asked.”

I did as you asked.

The words shouldn’t turn me on as much as they do, but with her outfit and the way she’s perched on the edge of the counter, one leg crossed over the other, it’s nearly too much for me.

“What else will you do if I ask?”

She arches a blonde brow and then shakes her head. “No, Noah. Not today. Not again. Last time was a mistake. I can’t be caught doing anything like that in a school bathroom. My mom would… well, she’d be pissed.”

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