Page 19 of Wicked Prince

Her face flashes bright red, and the girl from the party shoves me back into the sink. "Watch your mouth, trash. Unless you want to disappear before midterms."

Rage shoots through me like a bullet, and I steady myself on the edge of the sink. "If you've got a problem, we can settle it right now." I hold my hands out pointedly. "But you won't, will you? You're too much of a little bitch to fight for yourself instead of just hiding behind your scary daddy, aren't you?"

She glowers, taking a step toward me before her other friend grabs her by the arm.

"Don't bother, Tish. She's not worth it."

Tish is still glaring daggers at me, but she seems relieved her friend gave her an out. "Watch yourself, bitch. Your days here are numbered."

With that, the three walk out of the bathroom and leave me fuming. Guess Kayleigh is far from an anomaly in this place.

Man, I really need to work on that whole laying low thing. My temper has always been a weakness, but in this place, it could be a fatal one.

I have to find a way to get out of here. First, I need to find a way to actually make money, and something tells me the work-study program at Bainbridge is as corrupt as everything else.

* * *

By some miracle,I manage to make it the rest of the day without getting into mortal combat with the many charm school dropouts who populate the halls of Bainbridge. I'm starving by the time I get out of my last class and considering whether I want to risk going to the cafeteria when someone touches my shoulder.

I jump, turning around, but I breathe a sigh of relief when I see it's just Anthony. Yeah, I was kind of hoping to avoid him, too, but only because I feel awkward about the night before.

"Sorry," he says, giving me a concerned frown. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it's fine," I say, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder. "It's not you. I'm just a little jumpy today."

"Damn, is Rossi really that bad of a kisser?"

My face turns red hot and I look around to see if anyone else overheard. "Is that all over the school now or something?"

"Not all over," he says carefully. "But I have an ear to the ground for this sort of thing."

I sigh. "It's a long story."

"Those are the best kind," Anthony says, linking my arm in his. "Come on, I'll buy you dinner if you tell me."

I give him a look, but he's already leading me toward the door. "I take it you've forgiven me for bailing early."

He just laughs. "You know, you could've just said Lorenzo scared you off."

"He didn't scare me off," I mumble as we walk through the courtyard. The cafeteria is on the other end of the campus, so I assume we're going to one of the restaurants dotted around the scenic landscape.

Judging from the fact that no one else is really paying much mind, I'm going to guess the rumors aren't quite as widespread as I feared.

Yet.

We end up going to a small café that is admittedly a lot cozier than the cafeteria. Once we're settled in a booth in back, Anthony gives me an expectant look.

"Okay, dish. How did you end up making out with Lorenzo Rossi in the fraternity bathroom?"

"I wasn't making out with him," I groan, raking a hand down my face. "I wish my love life were half as exciting as everyone on this campus seems to think."

"So Tish was lying?" he asks, taking a bite of his salad. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"No," I admit grudgingly. "But she was definitely exaggerating."

"So you did kiss him."

"He kissed me," I counter. "And… yeah, I guess I kind of kissed him back, but I came to my senses five seconds later, so doesn't that count for something?"

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