He smashes his lips together, on the verge of smiling again. “You’re fine, Maddy. I’ll see you later, okay?” He wavers then spins on his heels and walks off down the hallway.
I watch him walk away, convincing myself that I’m not staring at him for that long.
But the truth is, I am.
The brutal truth is, I think I might like River Averson. And that makes me uncomfortable, more than even the note on the door.
CHAPTER 17
RIVER
I’ve felt lonelymy entire life, even when I’m with my brother or with friends and family. Because I’m the firstborn.
Yeah, Finn and I are twins, but I came into this world first. So, I’m officially the heir to my family’s fortune and business. I’m also obligated to marry whoever my parents want. Sure, I could deny them, but that would leave my family’s fortune and business to fall apart. And that would leave my siblings with nothing. I can’t do that to them, so I live this life where I have no say in anything I do.
And I feel alone.
But then I was in jail, and I saw Maddison talking on the phone with her mother, and I felt this connection, like this beautiful girl was in the same boat as I’ve been in my entire life. The one where I had to take on too much responsibility at a young age. The one where I feel broken but do my best to keep it together.
I’ve never felt that with anyone ever. And I never thought I’d feel it with a girl from northside. The problem is nothing can come out of this other than a friendship, even if I find myself staring at her long legs and beautiful eyes far longer than I should.
She’s so beautiful it’s insane. But I can’t act on it.
My arranged marriage may not take place until I’m twenty-one, and my parents never set a rule where I can’t date until then, but what would be the point? I date and what happens if I fall for someone? Then I break their heart, and mine, and I spend the rest of my life aching with the memory of what I lost.
No, things are much better this way.
“So, I heard a rumor about you.” Finn appears in my line of vision as I’m lying on the bench, about to lift a set of weights.
The sound of clanking weights fills the air, along with the stench of sweat.
He has his blond hair pulled back, and he’s sporting a T-shirt with the Royal Academy Ravens football team logo on it.
I grip the bar. “Isn’t there always a rumor going around about me?”
He moves around and stands near my head to spot me. “Sure, but this one was more interesting than any other I’ve heard.”
I grunt as I lift the weight. I already know where he’s going with this, so I don’t even bother asking before I lift.
“And it has to do with a pretty northside girl who’s got more snark than anyone I’ve ever met.” His hand follows the bar as I lift it up and down. “She plays a mean game of whiskey pong, too.”
I lift one more time before setting the bar down. Then I sit up and grab my bottle of water. “You shouldn’t have talked her into playing that. She ended up getting sick.”
He frowns. “Really? She didn’t drink that much. At least, while we were playing.”
“Yeah, but she told me she doesn’t usually drink a lot.” I reach for a towel to wipe the sweat off my head. “And to you, a little bit to drink is a lot for most people.”
He rolls his eyes. “Only you think that.”
I could argue with him, but I have more important things to talk to him about. “Whatever.” I swing my leg over to the side and sit on the edge of the bench. “Off the subject just a little, but last night, while Maddy was leaving the bathroom at the party, someone grabbed her.”
“What?”
I twist the cap back on the bottle of water. “She got away and everything. I actually ran into her like a minute after it happened, and it’s part of the reason why I walked her back to the dorm.”
“Sure it was,” he says, like it’s not the reason at all.
He could be slightly right, but I won’t admit that aloud.
