Page 132 of Spearcrest Knight

“Let me go, you big oaf!” he hisses.

I release him and he pushes me away, straightening his blazer with as much dignity as he can muster.

“I take it you did well?” he asks, cocking one jet-black eyebrow.

I nod and grin at him. “I mean, I definitely passed.”

“Well,” he says with a slight smirk. “Let’s hope Sophie’s good work didn’t go to waste, huh?” Zach gives a sudden smile. “Right, Sophie?”

My head turns so fast that my entire body spins with it. Sophie, slinging her backpack over her shoulder, emerges onto the lawn. Her hair is knotted at the back of her head, and she’s wearing her summer uniform impeccably. I take in the sight of her like I’m dehydrated and she’s a glass of ice-cold water: her long legs, her pretty features and dark eyes, the loose strands of dark hair framing her face. She raises her eyebrows at me as she approaches.

“Well,” she says imperiously. “How did you do?”

“I think I did pretty well.”

“He told me he thinks he definitely passed,” Zach adds.

I throw a kick his way, which he gracefully side-steps, but Sophie laughs and says, “Oh, that good, huh?”

“Couldn’t let you down, could I?”

“Can’t believe this might be my greatest professional achievement and I’ve not even started my career yet.”

Her tone is aridly dry, but there’s a smirk on her face that’s so sexy I have to clench my fists to resist the urge to grab her and kiss it off her face.

“How did you do, Sophie?” Zach asks.

“Not too bad,” she says. “And you? Full marks?”

He shrugs, hiding a smile. “Mm, we’ll see. Are you coming to the lake on Friday?”

On the last Friday of the last year at Spearcrest, it’s tradition to have a party by the lake. The lake lies at the northmost end of Spearcrest, past a forest of firs and oaks, and is normally strictly forbidden to students. But on the last day of the year, since everybody is leaving or about to leave, the Year 13s gather by the lake for one last party. I stare at Sophie, ready to get on my knees and beg her to go if I have to.

To my surprise, though, she nods. “Mm-hm. It’s tradition, after all.”

Gathering my courage and speaking before I can think better of it, I ask, “Wanna go as my date?”

She looks at me, and even though her expression gives nothing away, a faint cloud of pink blossoms at the surface of her cheeks. “I’m going as Audrey’s date but… you can get me drinks and I won’t be mean to you.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.”

“No matter what I do?” I ask, tilting my head.

She meets my gaze boldly and gives me a slow smile. “Mm-hm.” And then she turns away with a wave. “See you both there.”

Ispendthefirsthalf-hour of the party with my friends, thinking about Sophie the whole time. She’s sitting down by the jetty with her friends, and I’m too scared of bothering her and inducing her friends’ ire to go over.

As I sit amongst the other Young Kings of Spearcrest, I look at them one-by-one: Luca is sitting a little away from us, staring out absent-mindedly at the lake. We’ve not spoken much since our fight. Our friendship doesn’t feel either alive or dead. It feels like something that never really existed. Séverin and Iakov are reclining in the grass. Iakov is showing Sev something on his phone, but Sev seems distracted, as if he’s waiting for someone to turn up.

As for Zachary, he is under the trees having some sort of heated exchange with Theodora—whether they’re arguing or flirting, it’s always hard to tell with them.

How often will I see them after this week? Probably not all that often. I’ll keep in touch with Zachary regardless of where we both end up. Iakov and Sev are headed back to Russia and France respectively, and although I’m sure we’ll all text at first, they’re equally as bad as I am when it comes to keeping in touch.

As for Luca, I don’t think he’s someone I want in my life going forward. Somehow, I’m pretty confident he won’t want me in his.

Why did I ever worry so much about what these guys would think of me? Looking back, I can’t help but feel a mix of wry amusement and regret. I wasted so much time worrying about what they would think, what they would do, but that’s all it was: a waste of time. Because this whole time, I could have been making the most of my time at Spearcrest, my time with Sophie.

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