Page 31 of Wicked Dreams (Fallen Royals 1)

I force myself to laugh, even as a lump forms in my throat. We dart between students to grab all of my things, but everything is too scattered. By the time Riley and I have gathered everything, the hallway is deserted.

“Shit,” she mumbles. “We’re going to be late.”

“Go,” I tell her. “I…” I heave a sigh. “Honestly, I’d rather just—I should’ve expected her to retaliate. I didn’t even do anything.”

She squints at me. “No?”

I shrug. “You’ve been with me every day. I would’ve mentioned if I had a vendetta against Savannah or… Ah, fuck.”

Caleb and his crew saunter down the hall in our direction. Theo and Liam are in front, arguing about something. Their heads are turned in, toward each other, and they pass us without pausing.

I blow out the slightest breath.

Eli takes Riley’s arm, pulling her along with him.

And Caleb stops in front of me.

“You enjoyed that, didn’t you?” He raises one eyebrow. “The showdown?”

“No.”

He leans in like a co-conspirator. “You’re not going to thank me?”

“We both know all you did was open a can of worms for me,” I say, stuffing the last of my papers in my bag. “Before, it was mainly just you. Now it’s you and them, and then it’ll be everyone else, too.”

He straightens, his eyes wide. “Excuse me?”

“You didn’t want the cheerleaders to hate me?”

“I wanted you to stand up to Sav.”

Once I start laughing, it’s hard to stop. Oh, the nerve of this boy. “That’s not how this works,” I tell him. “That’s not—” I squeeze my eyes shut. “You kissed her in front of me.”

He touches my cheek, once, fleeting.

I open my eyes.

“I don’t really give a fuck, Sheep. Not about you, not about her. You’re interesting. She was… but now she isn’t.” He lifts one shoulder. “This isn’t personal.”

Oh, how I hate him.

I give him my best glare, but it ricochets off his armor.

“You’re lying,” I declare. I’m bluffing, but the surprise on his face makes me think I might be on the right track. “You do care. You love the mind game and you love seeing how people react. Is that it? My reaction?”

He lazily starts walking. “Your reaction? Perhaps you’re onto something there. Everything I do is because of you. Oh, please, Margo, forgive me. All I wanted was to get a reaction from the high and mighty Margo Wolfe.”

He sneers, and I feel like I just walked myself into a spiderweb.

“Is that what you wanted me to say?”

I stare straight ahead and follow him. He’s in my next class, anyway. What choice do I have?

“Ooh, the silent treatment.” He stops and turns around, using his body to back me against the lockers.

It happens too fast for me to avoid it. One minute we’re walking, the next he’s looming over me. Excitement races through me. We’re in the middle of school—between two classrooms, for God’s sake. What’s the worst he can do?

“Answer my question,” he demands.

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