“Hey, sleepyhead,” Avalon teases, munching on an apple. “How did your exams go?”
“They were fine,” I sigh, yawning, and sitting up to stretch. “I did well.”
“Of course, you did,” Grace snorts, fixing up her headphones. The background is black, and I recognize it as her bedroom. I don’t know why she decided to paint all of the walls pitch black, because I sure as hell would never be able to rest properly in such a room. “But that’s not why we’re calling.”
“What is it, then?”
“We’re coming back tomorrow morning,” Lila piques, a wide grin on her face. I make a mental note to talk to her about everything Avalon told me during the Christmas party, since it’s not something that I should discuss over the phone. “And we’re going to be throwing a little party.”
“Oh, fun,” I beam. “When, and where?”
“I was thinking in the woods behind the church,” Grace offers. “We can play loud music without getting caught immediately.”
I blink, a little surprised. “It’s January.”
“So? Just dress warmly.”
“Let me repeat,” I deadpan, “it’s January, Grace. It’s snowing like crazy, and you know that it's bound to be terrible in the woods. I’m not going to be freezing my ass to death just to drink.”
“What about a bonfire?”
“And risk getting expelled?”
“Oh, relax,” she rolls her eyes. “We’re in our last semester. I highly doubt anyone would expel us.”
“I’d rather not stress myself out unnecessarily. Besides, why not create a small get-together in your dorm, or mine?”
“Our dorms are too small,” Lila sighs. “Although, do you know what’s big enough to fit at least fifty people, and will not have anyone inside during the night?”
“Oh, don’t say it,” Avalon groans.
Lila grins. “The church.”
My shoulders slump, and I rub my temples. I’m too tired to be dealing with this nonsense. “Fine, the church is better than outside.”
“What? No!” Avalon protests with a loud groan, slamming her head against the table. “Please, I need one of you to be rational here.”
“Says the girl banging the Dean,” Grace scoffs. “You’re not that rational, either.”
Avalon takes a deep breath. “Don’t you dare bring that into this. It’s not relevant.”
“It is,” Grace whines. “I’ve been begging for information. I’m so fucking curious how it started, Avalon. Please?”
“No,” Avalon chuckles. “Some things are better kept a secret.”
“Meaning, she just doesn’t want your babble mouth knowing,” I point out, smirking.
Grace flips me off, and I laugh. It’s at that precise moment that my phone rings, and the email notification pops up. Dread fills me, and the moment I spot the name Sinners and Saints, color drains frommy face.
There’s been no emails since Astrid shared that photo of Soren and me. From what Lila has told me, people have seen it, and they’ve been talking about it. It’s just that it’s still the break, and I haven’t caught anyone. But as soon as the semester starts, I’m dreading the gossip and all the whispers.
Mainly because I used my connection to Aria to have it deleted. Unless Astrid has some copy hidden away, ready to be used again, I doubt it will resurface. But I can never be too certain.
“Oh, here we go again,” Lila sighs. The screens go hazy as each of them opens the email, and I follow suit, my hand trembling.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” I read the headline out loud, scrolling down a little. “Looks like the family rivalry has come to an end. But what does this mean for the business? And more importantly, how will S&S react?”
I take a deep breath, pausing for a moment. I’m perplexed as to what this means, but I’m not an idiot. S&S is referring to Soren and me, and the family rivalry further gave it away.
