Page 25 of Vicious Desire (Fallen Royals 4)

“Oh, yeah, you’re just a few streets over from me.”

Leah is nice. They all are at surface level—even Skylar. It’s not the surface level I’m worried about—it’s digging deeper that usually presents a problem.

“Practice is going to be brutal today,” Skylar says.

I take my lunch out of my bag and start spreading the items around me. A pang hits my chest every day. Margo and I used to swap items. It was our thing, and now the ache of missing her rises my throat.

“I heard they hired an assistant to help us,” Erin says. “Coach Lennon was worried about our paces.”

“What’s the assistant going to do, run next to us with a stopwatch?” Skylar scoffs. “They’re taking this sport seriously.”

“It’s because we have a chance of going to State Championships for the first time like, ever.” Leah leans forward. “Do you know how bad Coach wants this?”

“More than me,” Erin says on a laugh.

“Just think of the recruiters at that meet,” another girl adds. “I hope we get to State, because I need a scholarship.”

I straighten. Scholarship? Recruiters?

We’re not bad off, but with Mom’s cancer and Noah’s issues, there’s no more college fund. Not a substantial one, anyway. Dad already told me to look forward to state schools—but that’s not going to happen.

Running can get me into NYU, or maybe even somewhere else.

Somewhere better.

I have the grades. I could muster up the ambition…

None of the girls direct more of the conversation at me, but it’s nice to listen to their banter. And surprisingly, I know what they’re talking about. No one mentions the cheerleaders three tables over, and no one brings up the transfer student.

I meet back up with Parker for our last two classes of the day. She bounces on her heels, unusually cheerful, and explains that she talked to one of her teachers. They suggested she try out for the cross-country team.

“Do you like running?” I ask.

She shrugs. “Not particularly.”

“Then…”

“I know.” She sighs and tucks her hair behind her ear, revealing a row of piercings. “I’m thinking I’ll do the debate team or something instead.”

Debate team. The blood drains from my face.

The throwaway lie I told Margo jumps to the forefront of my mind. She asked why Eli hated me when we first met, and I couldn’t tell her the truth—that back then, things were complicated.

Hate wasn’t everything.

But at the same time, it was the only thing that grounded us.

Riley

Three Years Ago

“I don’t know you,” a girl says to me. “And that’s unusual. I know everyone.”

The music is loud, and the only way I can really tell what she’s saying is because her lips move in an almost exaggerated way. Maybe that’s how people at parties talk—not loudly, just with more flair.

“I’m new.” I shrug and glance around.

It was Noah’s idea to come to a party. He had heard about it only because soccer practice began early. This is the last weekend of freedom before high school starts, and even though we were new, we were determined to make the most of it.

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