Ayaz shoved a second plate into my hands without looking at me. Andre’s eyebrow lifted.
“Ayaz was just telling me about his food allergies,” I said, spooning a generous dollop of yogurt on top of my breakfast.
Andre just kept staring at me.
“Is he dumb?” Trey came up behind us, grabbing the plate out of Andre’s hands. “He never talks.”
I spun around to face Trey. “Don’t talk about Andre like he’s not here. He’smute.”
“Same thing.” Trey shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth and sauntered off.
I turned back to Andre, fuming on his behalf. He shrugged his shoulders and accepted another plate from Ayaz. Trey’s comment rolled off him because he’d heard it so many times throughout his whole life, and that waswrong.
One way or another, I’m going to make these guys see Greg and Andre as people in their own right,I vowed. As if I didn’t already have enough impossible tasks to achieve this year.
Quinn walked out of Trey’s bathroom, a towel wrapped around his torso. I noticed Greg’s eyes following him across the room. Quinn leaned across the counter, plucking a cherry tomato out of a bowl and pushing it between his lips. I bent my head to my breakfast, trying not to think about Quinn’s lips on mine only a few minutes ago.There’s far too much naked testosterone in this kitchen.“So, what are our plans for the day?”
Today was Saturday, the first official day of the end-of-quarter break. We had a week off school before second quarter started. Somehow I didn’t think I’d be getting much of a vacation.
“If we’re throwing ideas around, I’d love to stay here and keep playing this game,” Greg piped up.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll play with you.” Quinn flopped down on the sofa and grabbed the second controller.
“Hazel and I need to do some studying,” Ayaz said, throwing extra chili on his breakfast. “We’ve got thatvery importantprojectwe need to start on.” He meant, of course, finding a way to defeat the god.
“Your history project?” Greg asked. “I thought you were already halfway done with that.”
“No, this is something else,” I said quickly. “And we should probably get started, so—”
“No, you don’t,” Trey said. “I need to study with Hazel.”
The two of them stared each other down. Finally, Ayaz stepped back. “Fine. But I get her when you’re done.”
“If there’s anything left of me by then,” I muttered. The absolute last thing I wanted to do was spend a single second longer with Trey Bloomberg. He confused me way too much as it was. “What do we have to work on, anyway? We’re only in two classes together and we don’t have any assignments—”
“You asked for my help for physics,” Trey nodded at me. “Well, I’m offering my assistance, but that offer is only good for today. Get your stuff. I want to get to the library before someone takes my table.”
As if anyone woulddareto sit at the monarchs’ favorite table – the one under the giant cathedral window overlooking the athletic fields. I searched Trey’s face for some inkling of what this was about – I was kicking his ass in physics class, and he knew it, so this wasn’t about studying – but he was impossible to read. “Let me finish my breakfast first,” I shoveled another forkful in my mouth. “We’ll have to go to my room for my books.”
“No need.” Trey practically shoved me out the door. Heads turned in the dormitory hall as we made our way down the marble staircase and across the atrium. Whispers followed me as I trailed behind Trey. I caught snatches of the familiar ‘gutter whore,’ but no one was brave enough to yell anything around Trey.
In the library, every table was empty except for the one under the window. A group of freshman had spread out their books and were laughing and swapping snacks they’d nicked from the dining hall. Trey glared at them and nodded toward the doors. “Go.”
The entire table scrambled to collect their books and bags. They fled for the exit with such haste that one of them left behind their slice of brownie.
Trey picked up the slice and took a bite, somehow avoiding getting any crumbs on his pristine clothing. We sat down on opposite sides of his table. He pulled his physics book out of his bag and flipped it open.
“Are we really going to sit here and study?” I demanded. “Because this is ridiculous.”
Trey slid the brownie across the table to me. “Take it. Unlike Ayaz, I’ve no interest in food.”
I shoved it aside. “Why are we here? I should be with Ayaz, trying to figure out how to get your life back.”
Trey steepled his fingers. “I’m trying to prepare you,” he said.
“For what?”
“For being a monarch. You’re wearing the Elder Sign now. That means you're under my protection, but only as far as everyone agrees that it does. I'm the King of this school, and what I say is law. But hatred for you runs deep… deep enough that my word might not be enough, not unless theybelievethat you’re one of us. And that starts by being seen with me.”
