Page 10 of Wicked Dreams (Fallen Royals 1)

She shrugs. “Arguably. Let’s go check out the makeup. I loved that lip stain you wore the first day.”

I follow Riley from store to store, and the hours creep past. I’m hesitant to spend the money the Jenkinses gave me, but in the end I cave. I walk out of the shoe store with new sneakers and boots, tossing my old sneakers in the trash and lacing on the boots.

They feel like my old pair, immediately soft and comfortable.

“Ready to eat?”

“Only if we can get froyo after,” I say.

For the first time, I feel light. I make a mental note to call Claire and Hanna, to make sure they’re okay. It’s been a week, and I don’t even know where they might’ve been placed.

“Do you ever think of seeing your dad?” Riley asks.

We grab food and find an empty table.

“No.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Okay, that was a snappy answer. So, you’ve obviously thought about it.”

I lift one shoulder. Mom’s been MIA for years, and I’ve known exactly where Dad is… until he gets released. And then I’m assuming he’ll be in the wind, too. “I don’t want to talk about this. Sorry.”

“Uh-oh, Margo,” Riley says. “Incoming.”

The temperature in the room drops by ten degrees.

I twist in my seat, staring at the escalator. Four gorgeous boys lean on the railings, in various poses, on the way down. Liam, Eli, and Theo are joking around… but Caleb’s already found me.

Somehow.

His eyes bore into mine, and I’m surprised at how much it hurts.

I turn back around, focusing on my food, and hold my breath.

It’s unnecessary, because they quickly join a group of girls. I zero in on Caleb again, who lifts a pretty blonde out of her seat and puts her on his lap. My heart spasms.

“Is that—”

“Savannah Dunley? Yep.” Riley sounds pained. Maybe because Eli is glaring at her, and Caleb is now completely ignoring my existence.

“She and I—”

“Used to be friends? I guess that was one of the rumors that was true.” She gives me a half-smile, shoving a bite of food in her mouth.

“Her and Caleb?”

“They used to date,” she says, covering her mouth with her hand as she chews. “It was a quick thing. Kind of unmonumental, if you ask me.”

I shift. “I haven’t seen her. Since I’ve been back.”

“I heard she was gone last week.” Riley shrugs. “Her family goes on random, luxurious and spontaneous trips. She’ll be back on Monday spinning stories of swimming with dolphins or having a private tour of the Taj Mahal.”

“That’s…” I wrinkle my nose. “Lavish.”

“She’s one of the lucky ones.” Riley sighs. “Trust me, if my parents could donate a building to the school, I’m sure they’d let me go for weeks at a time, too. She does half of her coursework online. Just watch, she’ll be here maybe four days of the five, every other week.”

“Why doesn’t Caleb do that?” I ask. “It’d certainly make our lives easier.”

I can’t help but turn and watch him. He leans in, talking in Savannah’s ear, and her cheeks are a pale shade of pink. Whatever he’s saying, she seems almost embarrassed by it.

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