The momentI get out of Coach’s office, I text Savannah.
Me: Can we talk?
Princess: I’ll be home soon
Me: without Brayden
Princess: …why?
Me: Do you trust me?
Princess: You know I do
Me: Then trust me
Princess: Where should I meet you?
Me: I’ll come to you
She drops a pin with her location—the library at Morningside—and I don’t think. I just storm out of the clubhouse, get in my car, and drive.
Savannah textsthat she’s on the upper floor of the library in one of the study rooms they reserve for students. I enter the building, wondering if I need a student ID to access the library. No one stops me. Maybe they can see the metaphorical thunderclouds gathering above my head. I take an elevator up, follow various signs to the room Savannah told me.
It has a small conference table, a circle of chairs around it, glass walls. And two people other than Savannah. Both of whom are looking at me in absolute surprise. One is a short guy with auburn hair who looks caught between asking for an autograph and jumping to Savannah’s defense. The other is a Latina woman ten or so years older than I am who looks like she might faint.
“Uh, hey—” I cut myself off before I can say something foolish. LikePrincess. “Hey, Sav. Didn’t realize I was interrupting study time.”
“That’s okay.” She nods to the two people sitting next to her. “Forrest and Katia were just leaving.”
“We were?” Katia doesn’t budge from her chair.
Normally, I don’t mind thefamepart of being famous, but that’s more than I can deal with right now. I’m about to intercede—offer an autograph, tickets, possibly a trip to outer space—when Savannah nudges Forrest with her elbow. “You said you needed coffee, right?”
From the circles under Forrest’s eyes, it seems like he might need a lot of coffee.
Savannah digs in her purse like she’s looking for cash, eyeing me with a look of increasing desperation.
“Here.” I pull out my wallet and grab a couple of bills from my stash for tipping clubhouse attendants and hotel housekeepers.
Savannah gets up and takes the bills from me, mouthingsorryas she does, then hands the money to Forrest. “The usual.”
“Do you want anything?” Forrest asks me.
Savannah.“I’m good, thanks.”
Forrest tucks the money into his pocket. “You sure you’re good?” he asks her, as if he’s really asking something else.
I don’t know what I look like right now, but in my reflection in one of the glass walls, even my outline looks tense. I suck in a breath, exhale through my mouth, will myself calm or at least calm enough to convince Savannah’s friends I’m good to leave her alone with me.
“You all go ahead,” Savannah says. “I’ll meet you downstairs in a bit.”
The two of them leave, though not before Forrest gives me the eye, less like he’s jealous and more like a protective younger brother. He’s a foot shorter than I am, at least, and looks like he might try to go toe-to-toe if I step out of line.Good. Savannah should have people to stick up for her, even if those people can’t be me.
After they’re gone, I take a seat in one of the chairs then stand right back up. Energy thrums through me, along with a question.Was everything fake right from the start?
But I’ve seen the way Brayden looks at her. The way he touches her. That can’t be fake…right?
Months ago, I wanted nothing more than to break up their marriage. But if I find out that Brayden lied to her or hurt her to get her to walk down the aisle, I don’t know what I’ll do. And it’s that not knowing that scares me the most. “Coach wanted to talk to me today,” I say, “about something serious.”
