Page 70 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

“Right, cool. That’s nice.”

“Yeah.” I sling the strap around my neck and rise, leaving my bag tucked under the bench. I ignore her, taking a few test photos and adjusting my settings. The lights flicker on around us, changing everything again. In a few more minutes, the sky will be completely dark.

“Emery-Rose players are so hot,” she says.

I jerk around. “Huh?”

“I have a crush on the whole team. I know we’re rivals, and none of them would pay attention to us, but still.”

Us. She’s grouped me in with her: another invisible girl.

Just wait.

I shrug and raise my camera to my eye. “Speak for yourself.”

She disappears after that—at least, I think she does. I move to the white line and check my settings again, fiddling with a dial. Our football team rushes out, and the crowd on my side cheers for them. I’ll have to duck over to the opposing side at some point, capture the sea of black and purple.

We’re like a bruise.

I can’t help but focus on the Emery-Rose Elite team when they come out the other side. They all run in a big unit, a show of force. Their side cheers and yells—it’s a good turnout for a game in the middle of the season. But since our towns are so close to each other, it’s easy to know why they’ve all flocked here.

The cheerleaders bounce alongside them.

I spot my sister waving her pom-poms in the air, a plastic smile in place. I focus in on her and snap some shots. The gold and white of her uniform gives her skin a sun-kissed tone, even under the strong lights. I ignore the twinge of jealousy.

My sister gets to live at home, be popular, have good, clear skin. She doesn’t fry in the sun like I tend to do.

One of the Emery-Rose players breaks off and takes a step in this direction. I narrow my eyes, recognizing him immediately. Theo Alistair.

It wasn’t too long ago that he paced Lion’s Head’s halls—and now he’s there.

“Slut,” someone coughs behind me.

My cheeks flush, but I ignore the insult. I turn away from Theo and focus on my own damn team.

Soon enough, the players return to their sides. I check my phone, the sparse notifications on my photography social media, type out a quick text to Amelie. I doubt she has her phone on her, but maybe she’ll appreciate me reaching out… My thumb hovers over the send button.

“Shouldn’t she be on the other side?”

My shoulders stiffen. They’re talking about me—they’re always talking about me. Never about Theo, or any number of people who seem to ignore the rivalry between the two schools. Never about the two boys who left Lion’s Head to play football—and lacrosse—for Emery-Rose.

“You belong over there, traitor.”

The two boys move past me, and I let out a slow breath. The game begins, and I cast a glance over at the Emery-Rose stands. So much gold and black, an overwhelming majority of their school colors. Not for the first time, I wonder if it would be different if I attended that school. If, there, the Page last name would protect me.

If Amelie would even take me under her wing.

Who knows, she might leave me to the wolves.

I do my job for the rest of the game: I stay out of the players’ way and take as many photos as I can. I’ll go home after this and select the good few, edit what I can, and then send the selection to the newspaper editor—one of the senior girls who works with the English teacher.

There’s a break after the third quarter, and I hurry to the bathroom. The whole game, I’ve blocked out the comments of the people behind me. It’s usually not a big deal, but tonight… maybe it’s because my attention keeps drifting to Theo, and they can feel it. They’re as affected by his gravitational pull as I am.

“Luce?”

I step out of the stall and eye my sister.

She leans against the door, blocking anyone from coming in. “They’re talking about you.”

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