Page 15 of Wicked Prince

"I would be if I wasn’t gay," he shoots back, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

"God. Sorry," I mumble, burying my face in my hands. "I'm not really used to people around here being…"

"Not douchebags?" he offers.

"Friendly without an ulterior motive," I say, choosing my words carefully.

"Yeah, that's Bainbridge for you," he says with a heavy sigh. "The guys are all dicks. Especially the hot ones."

"Yeah, I've noticed that," I say, thinking back to my weird encounter with Lorenzo. I don't think anyone else noticed, but for all I know, that's what made Anthony want to invite me in the first place.

I'm nothing if not a cynic. Guess I get that from Dad.

"So, what's the dress code for this party?" I ask.

"Dress code?" He laughs, giving me a curious glance. "Just don't wear the uniform and I think you're good."

"Right," I say, feeling like a dweeb as he gets up and collects his stack of flyers. "Well, thanks for the invite. And the welcome."

"Don't mention it, Amelia Donovan," Anthony says, flashing me another movie star grin before he goes off to recruit more "interesting" party animals.

It only takes a few seconds of being alone to second guess my decision to accept the invitation. Maybe I'm making a mistake, but what the hell? It's not like my social life can get any worse.

I hope.

I toss out my empty coffee cup and head back to the dorm. I need to put my things away and get a head start on organizing my notes before the party. I still have a few hours to kill.

The dorm lobby is full of life when I walk in, and there are students gathered around the fireplace in the main room. There’s no sign of Kayleigh, which is a good thing. Hopefully she's not going to be at this party, since laying low seems like my best bet right now. I'm sure she'll move on eventually. There's no way I'm the only person she hates around here.

I go over to my closet and sift through the pitiful selection. Despite Anthony's insistence that anything will be fine, I'm sure there are high standards for Bainbridge parties if I got the evil eye just for walking around campus dressed the wrong way.

It takes me a while to finally settle on a black skirt and a shimmery silver top that feels dressy but casual enough not to be overkill. It's not like it's a dinner party or anything. I decide to wear my hair down since that seems to be the style here, pull on a pair of comfortable heels, and head out the door to attend my first big college party.

I should be excited, but the butterflies in my stomach feel more like an omen than anything.

ChapterEight

AMELIA

I'm not sure how far off campus the address on the flyer is, but it can't be too bad of a walk. The lawn is still full of activity, but I don't see any sign of the Lorenzo, which comes as a relief.

Yeah. A relief.

Once I get past the front gate, I check my phone and pull up the address on my GPS app. It's only a couple of streets down, and it's no surprise the stately houses in the surrounding area could be mansions in their own right. I assume some are student rentals like you'd find outside any normal college campus, but others seem to be family homes. Judging from the uniform black SUVs and sedans sitting in the driveways, this is mob territory.

When I arrive at my supposed destination, the house is no exception to the lavish neighborhood. There are at least a dozen cars out front, and I can both hear and feel the pulsating bass of the music coming from within, so I know it's the right place. I still feel like an intruder as I walk up the stone walkway to the front door.

I linger on the front steps, having a flashback to that disastrous family dinner that feels like another lifetime ago. But before I can talk myself out of knocking, the door opens and a familiar face greets me from within.

Anthony has traded his unorthodox uniform blazer for a sleek white button-down that looks even more chic. One glance at the crowd in the room behind him and I decide I really am underdressed.

"You made it," he says brightly, hugging me before I can respond. "Come on, I'll show you around."

And just like that, I find myself ushered into the walkway of what I'm pretty sure is some kind of fraternity house. There are no Greek letters or anything, but there's a literal keg in the living room and the hooks on the wall are covered with way too many jackets that really don't look like Anthony's style. The house is packed, so I guess he succeeded at finding some more interesting folks to invite, but a quick scan and I realize I don't recognize anyone.

"You live here?" I ask, stepping aside as a couple of girls walk in behind us. They make a beeline to join their friends across the room.

"Me and about eight other guys. Not as fun as it sounds," Anthony says with a mischievous smirk. "It's a fraternity, if the red Solo cups weren't enough of an indication. Delta Epsilon."

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