Page 96 of A Vicious Rumor

LILY

I wasn't sure if I felt bad or not. I'd avoided Tyson all week. I'd even asked our Science teacher if I could switch lab partners citing that we'd had a disagreement. It's not that I didn't want to talk to him, it's just that I didn't know how I felt about the whole thing.

On the one hand, he'd told me about the trouble he'd gotten himself into over the summer. He'd admitted that was the motivation behind pushing me away, and it turned out that maybe he'd been right to do that.

Yet, at the same time, even though I knew he was trouble, even though I knew him walking back into my life had upended everything, even though he still hadn't said that he loved me, I still had feelings for him. But, seeing him passed out on the ground like that wasn't something I wanted to put myself through again, and if he was going to insist on continuing in this life the way he had been, for my own sanity I knew I couldn't be a part of it.

Even if it was really hard to walk away from him.

Paper's revelation had shocked me to my core. I'd never suspected something like that. His mother was a well-respected fashion designer and he'd always maintained that his father died when he was very young. I'd never thought to question it. He asked me to keep his origins a secret, and I knew better than to refuse a request like that.

On Friday, after the doctor looked at both Tyson and Zachary, Paper went into a back room with Zachary and in a situation that completely shocked me, completely lost his temper with him. I could hear it through the door. It was warranted, to be sure, but Paper raising his voice at all was always a surprise. It just didn't fit his style.

Zachary had gone storming out of the room without saying another word to either of us. I knew I couldn't go back to living at his place, and Paper seemed to understand that too, so he'd invited me to stay in his home until I figured out what I wanted to do. He assured me my scholarship was safe, assuming I wanted to continue at the Academy.

The thought of going home and leaving all of this behind was very enticing. I missed my old life, but I also knew that college applications were due soon. Having King's Academy on my resume would be a huge boost. If I could just hold on for the rest of the semester, until I got into a school, then I could think about transferring back home to finish out the year. Or, even better, I had enough credits to graduate after the fall. I could take off and get a job to save up some money.

There were so many thoughts swirling in my head as I sat in the room I'd been assigned at Paper's lavish mansion. My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket.

"Hello?"

"Lily, it's Sharon, at the Senior Center."

"Hey!" I said. "What's up?"

"I got someone who wants to talk to you."

"Hey Sweets!" Ronny all but yelled into the phone.

"Hi Ronny!" I said, happy to hear his voice. Talking to Ronny always made me feel better.

"I'm just here to pass a message along to ya."

I narrowed my eyes. "Okay."

"The boy asked me to ask you to go to your favorite place."

"Ronny, did Tyson come to visit you?" I asked him in complete shock.

"Yeah, he was here," he said.

"And you actually talked to him?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You've really softened me up over these years, blue eyes. You can tell me you're sorry next time we see each other in person."

I laughed. "You're better this way."

"I know," he said, his voice reflective. "And it's all thanks to you. But just do me a favor, and meet the boy, will ya? I think he's trying really hard for you. It's not easy to come talk to someone like me, after all."

"I dunno, Ronny."

"You've never said 'no' to me before."

"That's not true!" I scoffed. "I say no to you all the time!"

"Ha! Then you're overdue for saying 'yes.'"

"You can't see me, but I'm rolling my eyes at you," I said with a laugh.

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