“Hey, who’s that girl? Have you seen her before?”
“She’s probably lost or something.”
I laugh to myself as the girls dismiss me and continue chatting about the party and what they’ll wear.
Vain.
Self-absorbed.
Delusional.
Or maybe that’s my jealousy talking. Who knows what I would have been if my heart was functioning properly?
A group of jocks laugh and toss a football amongst each other. One of them locks eyes with me. I recognize him as a frequent user of the app. He especially liked asking for pictures of Miss Jamieson.
I hold my breath, wondering if they’ll say something to me.
But they don’t.
I am absolutely invisible.
“No wonder you blended in so well, Cadence,” I mumble, skipping freely amongst the students.
I don’t have a problem flying under the radar, but I do find it funny that Redwood Prep has no idea the anonymous poster they all love and loathe is walking among them.
As I near the chem lab, I hear my name, and my ears perk up.
“Why hasn’t Jinx updated yet?”
“I have no idea.”
“Did you notice Zane took down that video about Miss Jamieson going missing?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Have they found them?”
“If Jinx doesn’t know, how the hell am I supposed to know?”
“I hope they haven’t. I’ve had a crush on Dutch since forever.”
“Same. I spent so much money subscribing to Zane every time he went live.”
“Dutch and I hooked up once. I think I have a chance.”
“Zane and I didn’t, but if he comes to school today, I’ll make sure he doesn’t feel lonely.”
They giggle and walk off.
I have to admire their persistence. They know how to play the game. In a kingdom, all it takes is being chosen by the king to completely change the trajectory of a girl’s life.
Royalty can have as many concubines as they wish, but the problem is they have their eyes set on the wrong royals.
Dutch and Zane have no desire for anyone but their wives.
I wish I could let the girls know.
Inspired, I take out my voice recorder app and speak into my phone as I take the stairs to the second floor.
