Page 2 of One Lovely Lie

“Levingson and Black?” Avery says, dramatically wrinkling his nose as he scratches the side of his red-haired head. “Don’t think I’ve heard of those names.”

Of course he hasn’t. His family barely has any money to speak of. It’s stupid that they haven’t taught him about the other families who belong in their circle of wealth. I’m not trying to be a dick, but shit, like…this is going to come up at charities and galas that he should be attending. When no one speaks up, I decide to.

“Our families own two of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. We’ve been onTimemagazine and Forbes’ 100…we even had dinner with the president once.”

Magnus shoots me a look. I know I’m bragging, but I can’t help myself. The words just come out like vomit—elitist and cruel vomit—but I’ve never claimed to be a saint.

“Oh, that’s cool,” Avery replies, completely unaffected with his goofy smile and slightly wild green eyes. “I’m new to all this stuff.”

“You don’t say,” Ozymandias mumbles under his breath, turning the page of his book slowly as he lets out a deep sigh.

“Don’t mind him,” Carter says, eyeing Ozymandias with a look that could kill. “Oz is a royal prick simply because he’s the richest one here. Next time, just tell him to fuck off.”

Magnus chuckles next to me, obviously amused by all this awkwardness. He thrives in the chaos of social-class battles, but I do not.

I’m not ashamed to say I don’t like confrontation.

“I see this compartment is filled with more dicks than we thought,” Magnus snorts, shaking his head at Ozymandias. “Tell me,Oz. How does it feel to have that silver spoon shoved up your ass?”

Oh god, why does Magnus do this shit? Why can’t he just let thingsbe? I have no doubt that Ozymandias and his connections could cause a lot of issues for the Blacks if he really wanted to. Our families don’t fear much, but you don’t fuck with a Clark.

What I don’t expect is for Ozymandias to crack a slow smile, set his book down, and lean forward. “Magnus Black. I think this is the start of a long and incredible friendship.”

“Run while you can,” Carter mutters, scoffing at the two of them as they shake hands. “Oz will just end up ruining your life—get his daddy to buy your company out.”

“Admit it, Carter, you’re just pissed because Everett Incorporated had a shit quarter. It’s not my fault my family’s this close to buying you out.” Ozymandias turns to Magnus. “What do you think of that, Black?”

“Please, I hope your family buysusout,” Magnus snorts. “Save me the misery of going into the family business.”

“See,” Ozymandias says, slapping Carter’s back a bit too roughly. “The start of a friendship. Next time you want to share some brilliant piece of advice, Everett, just jump off the train instead.”

This wisecrack triggers a myriad of curses between the golden boy, Clark, and the seething Everett. Magnus, of course, just sits back and enjoys the show.

For some fucked-up reason, probably stemming from codependency, I feel insecure without his attention solely focused on me. He’s always been focused on me, and with these new friends, my skin turns cold at the realization that it really won’t just beusanymore.

“So, you excited?” Again, Avery is trying to make conversation, but I’m not a social creature by nature. Being put on the spot makes my hands all clammy.

“Yes,” I say timidly. “What about you?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Avery practically shouts, his mop of red hair bobbing with every shake of his head. “My parents were a little freaked out about the whole situation. They’re worried about whether boarding school is the right choice after going to public school, but I managed to convince them I’m down for an adventure.”

Public school? Kill me now.

“Do you know how the halls work?” Avery asks.

I nod. “Yeah, there are four separate wings of the boarding school. It’s like a cohort. You get randomly put in a hall and have all your classes with the same group. It’s meant to promote bonding—”

“It’s meant to promote competition,” Magnus cuts in with a roll of his eyes. “Come on, Daniel. You know better. When you’re trying to raise sharks, you throw chum in the water.”

I gulp. There’s no guarantee that Magnus and I will be in the same hall. This is the one thing that money can’t buy at Armory Prep. The thought of not being around him twenty-four-seven makes me queasy. The idea of having to do this all on my own gives me a headache.

Magnus, as always, can sense the change in me. He scoots closer to me and gently grabs the back of my neck in an all-too-familiar way.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispers with a reassuring smile. “Remember, no matter what, we’ll always be cradle to grave.”

I like the way that sounds. Cradle to grave. And no matter how many times I’ve heard it before, it still makes my heart flutter. We’ve been together since the start, and we’ll be together until the very end.

So, I grab the back of his neck to mimic his gesture—a habit we’re accustomed to when those three little words are spoken—and press my forehead against his.

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