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“Artemis,” Allegra sings, drawing out my name in a way that makes me want to throw my phone into the lake or her faces.

“What?”

“Answer the door.”

“No.”

Another knock rattles the door.

When I don’t answer, a familiar voice calls out for me.

“Artemis?”

Stephen.

Why?

Why did he have to come knocking on my door now?

The room quickly explodes.

“OH MY GOD!”

“THAT’S HIM!”

“THAT’S THE GORGEOUS RAPPER, RIGHT?”

“UGH, YOU’RE SO LUCKY!”

I want death.

Immediate death.

Merciful death.

Just so I can avoid dealing with this.

Stephen’s voice comes again, a little closer this time.

“Princess, I know you’re there.”

“Did he just call her princess?” That was Poe.

“Aweee.” And that comes from my sister. The hopeless romantic fool.

I close my eyes, take a deep breath and rub both hands down my face.

My brain nearly short-circuits trying to come up with an excuse to keep him out so these blood thirsty hyenas don’t get more leverage against me.

But then the door creaks open and Stephen pokes his head inside. He makes it approximately two seconds before freezing. His gaze lands on the laptop, then on me and then back on the laptop.

I watch the exact moment realization dawns across his face.

Oh, poor man.

Five women stare back at him from the screen. Five pairs of eyes. Five entirely different expressions of barely contained excitement.

And not a single ounce of mercy among them.