Page 149 of Kings & Corruption

“There you are!” Claire said.

“Wow, it’s crazy in here today,” I said.

“Everyone’s psyched for Saturday,” Quinn said from across the table. She looked gorgeous as always, her curly hair pulled back from her forehead by a colorful scarf.

“Plus it’s getting colder,” Erin said.

“True.” I shrugged off my jacket and glanced at the Kings’ table, then wished I hadn’t when I saw that the blonde was back and draped over Neo’s lap.

“What are you going as?” Erin asked. Her wide, elfin eyes always made it seem like she was super eager to hear the answer to any question.

“Couldn’t tell you,” I said, cracking the cap on my water.

“I don’t blame you for keeping it a secret,” Quinn said. “Some of these bitches would copy every look in your closet if you told them where you’d bought it all.”

I laughed. “No, I mean, I can’t tell you because I don’t know.”

“The Kings have chosen for her,” Claire said with a suggestive lift of her eyebrows.

Quinn smiled her approval. “Brave. I like it.”

“But what if you don’t like the costume?” Erin asked. “Like, what if it’s ugly or something?”

Claire rolled her eyes. “We’re talking about the Kings. It’s not going to beugly.”

Erin looked wounded, and I hurried to smooth things over. She was definitely the downer in the group, but she also lived for Claire’s approval, and Claire, god love her, could be a real bitch.

She wasmybitch, but still.

“It’s definitely a risk,” I said to Erin. “But honestly, I’ve just had so much going on. I’m relieved to let someone else deal with it.”

Erin smiled gratefully and cut a glance at Claire. “It makes sense when you put it like that, and Claire’s right, the Kings have amazing taste, and you’re, like, one of them. They’re going to make sure you look hot.”

“But not too hot,” Quinn said knowingly. “I heard a rumor that Professor Ryan’s face had a run-in with Neo’s and Rock’s fists at Ruby’s.”

Claire bit her lip, trying to hide her smile. “I heard the same rumor.” She looked at me. “Care to comment?”

I shook my head. “I think I’ll pass.”

Claire laughed. “Good girl. Anyway, Quinn’s wrong.”

Quinn balled up her sandwich wrapper and tossed it onto the table. “Seems to be my forte. What am I wrong about now?”

“I’m just giving you a hard time,” Claire said. To her credit, she sounded like she meant it. “But the Kings aren’t going to play Willa down. They’ll make sure she’s the hottest girl at the dance, then kill anyone who dares to look at her.”

Everyone laughed like it was a joke, but I was starting to wonder if it was the truth.

We talked some more about the Bad Ball — Quinn and Erin were going as a couple of the Manson girls, which was dark even for me — and then moved on to midterms.

We left together for our next classes, shoved through the masses, and parted ways outside the admin building. Erin was right, it was getting cold, and I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jacket on my way to English 101, then felt my fingers brush up against a piece of paper.

I pulled it out, expecting to find a long-forgotten receipt, and saw that it was a folded piece of white printer paper.

I stopped cold when I opened it and saw the words printed on its surface.

Meet me at the old hunting cabin at midnight during the Bad Ballif you want to know what happened to your sister.

YOU CAN’T TRUST THE KINGS.

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