Page 70 of Wicked Games (Fallen Royals 2)

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Margo

Winter has arrived early, it seems. Not in snowfall—luckily what little we had melted over the weekend—but in windchill. The temperature has dropped into the teens, and the ground is frozen solid.

Lenora puts a hat on my head, patting my cheeks and smiling faintly. She opens her mouth to say something, then seems to think better of it.

Robert drives me today. He gets to go straight to his classroom, while the students have been shuffled from the courtyard to the cafeteria before school starts. He waves goodbye at the door.

Someone’s feeling a little cheeky.

The cafeteria is a place I like to avoid. In the back, toward the windows, are the popular kids. Amelie is noticeably absent, but Savannah is there with her cheerleaders, leaning against one of the football player’s arms. She looks at me and then away, and it’s… message received.

The downfall of Amelie a success—albeit a temporary one—and Savannah is back to being a popular girl.

It’s fine.

I search the room for a friendly face, but Riley hasn’t arrived. And Caleb hasn’t, either.

I’m still hunting for either of them by the time the bell rings.

First period, no Caleb.

Second, nada.

Between second and third I find Riley. She almost doesn’t see me, walking by with her head down, so I grab her and tow her into the nearest stairwell.

“Where were you this morning?” I ask.

She widens her eyes. “I’m sorry. I overslept, and then Eli picked me up. He’s back, did you notice?”

“Yeah, but Caleb isn’t here, and Savannah is back to…”

“The top of the pyramid, so to speak?” Riley shakes her head. “I thought I heard that. There’s a cheerleader in my first period class, couldn’t stop talking about how Amelie had run back to France until spring semester.”

“It didn’t sound that bad,” I mumble.

“Well, Sav left out the part where she told everyone Amelie was shitting herself on some diet.”

I cover my eyes. “Stop.”

“Yep. So much for Ian taking credit.”

I drop my hand. We’re going to be late. “Have you seen Caleb? Or heard anything?”

She hesitates. “No.”

Why is she lying to me?

I stare at her for a minute, then decide to drop it. “Okay.”

“I’ll see you at lunch,” she says, rushing away.

I hurry to my next class and keep my head down. I still expect Caleb to magically appear in the hallway, dodging students and sauntering up to me. I crane my neck trying to see past taller students, but he’s nowhere to be found.

And it’s daunting.

Right before lunch, I spot Theo. I rush up to him, stopping right in front of him.

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