The petite powerhouse of a lawyer had handled my admissions too, speaking to Dean Levy on my behalf and arranging for my readmission to the school. Part of me had hoped after having seen the video the Princes had played in front of half the school, the dean would refuse to allow me to come back. But if he had tried to go down that road, Erin must’ve talked him out of it.
I was pretty sure none of that was included in her usual job description, and it made me wonder all over again who was paying her, and how much.
The anxiety churning in my stomach ramped up a notch as I considered the possibilities, so I forced that unanswerable question out of my mind and tugged the worn stack of papers from my backpack. I’d bought a little, black leather-bound journal too, and a small flash drive to store digital files on. Releasing the tray from the seatback in front of me, I started the process of transcribing my notes.
The truth was, even as my stomach had dropped into a bottomless pit when the judge had pronounced the terms of my trust fund release, a little thrill of something like victory had gone through me too.
I didn’t want to go back.
I never wanted to see the Princes’ beautiful, cruel, too-perfect faces again.
But I would never be able to hurt them from a distance the way they deserved to be hurt. I needed to get close to slip the knife blade between their ribs.
I’d learned that lesson from them too.
So as the plane barreled through the air, eating up miles like a rumbling monster, I carefully went through every sheet I’d printed out, making notes on Mason, Finn, Elijah, and Cole. They each got their own section, and even though I couldn’t fill up the pages with what I had so far, I knew more was waiting for me in Roseland.
And I’d be there soon to find it.
As I wrote, my hand slowly stopped shaking and my breathing evened out. I gathered every ounce of courage I could, letting my anger fuel it like a propane tank.
The Princes would do everything in their power to make me regret coming back—I knew that. I was prepared for it. But I wouldn’t let them win this time. I’d keep my heart on fucking lockdown, and I would fight back tooth for tooth, eye for eye.
As the plane changed directions to land at LAX, the ocean came into view in the distance, and I pressed my nose to the small window. I hadn’t missed much about California, but I’d missed that.
After grabbing my bags from the carousel, I made my way to the pickup area. I walked right by the place Jacqueline had picked me up a year ago without slowing my steps. I didn’t want to think about her or Philip. If they never even learned I was back in town, it would be fine with me. My grandmother had promised I’d never get another cent of her money, and I didn’t want it. Thanks to Erin, I’d never need it.
I called an Uber and waited at the designated pickup spot, then waved the guy off when he scrambled out of the car to put my bags in the trunk.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it.”
Everything I had wanted to bring from Sand Valley had fit into two large suitcases and my backpack. I’d ordered new uniforms and had them sent to my room at the school, and I needed to get a laptop too. I heaved both suitcases into the trunk, and the driver shut the lid before slipping back behind the wheel. He made an attempt at conversation, but after a few of my half-assed, muttered responses, he gave up and turned the music up a little louder.
I couldn’t stop staring out the window, watching the southern California landscape roll by as if it was all a dream, a mirage. I’d forgotten how bright it was here, how blue the sky was.
School had started already—the emancipation process had taken long enough that Oak Park was starting their second week of classes—but I’d been assured by Erin that it would be fine. The teachers knew to expect me in class tomorrow, which gave me the rest of the day to get settled in.
As the Uber driver pulled through the black metal gates onto campus, I clenched the door handle so hard my knuckles turned white. I had the strongest urge to dig through my backpack and pull out the little black book in there, as if it could provide some kind of shield to keep me safe from the Princes.
You have to get close to slip the knife in, Tal. This is good. It’s how it has to be.
The student lot was full, but the driver pulled around to the south side of Craydon Hall. “Here you go. Need help with your bags, or you got ’em?”
I didn’t answer. My gaze was locked on the large white building with the red tiled roof. Two other buildings ran perpendicular to it on either side, forming a rough U-shape. It was all so familiar, yet somehow foreign, as if I’d visited this place in an extremely vivid nightmare. As if the Talia Hildebrand who’d gone to school here last year wasn’t actually me, but someone else.
“Um, you good?”
My hand was still on the door handle, but I couldn’t move.
“Miss!” The driver sounded slightly concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” My voice was thick, but I nodded on autopilot. “I’ll get my bags. Thank you.”
He nodded, shooting me a curious look as I finally pushed the door open and stepped out. The warm, hazy California air hit me again, and I let it bolster me as I dragged my bags from the trunk and pulled them up the stairs and into the building.
I went right to the registrar’s office to pick up my class schedule, ignoring the startled looks I got from the few students passing by. It was mid-afternoon, and eighth period was in session, so I didn’t see any of the Princes, Leah, or Adena and her crew, but my skin still prickled with every new gaze that landed on me. By the end of the day, I was sure everyone at Oak Park would know I was back.
The woman behind the desk handed me my schedule and room key, and I took them both and hustled across campus. Since I was late again this year, my dorm was in the Wastelands just like last time, but as far as I was concerned, that was perfect.
My uniforms were sitting in the closet in my bedroom, a perfect row of white dress shirts, red ties, navy jackets, and matching navy skirts with white bands around the bottoms. I unpacked the rest of my clothes in a hurry, then carefully pulled out the worn stack of papers from my backpack and slid them into the bottom desk drawer.
I left the black leather notebook where it was. It was small enough to fit in the side pocket of my backpack, and I wanted to keep it nearby at all times.
When I glanced up, my heart suddenly slammed against my ribs. Classes must’ve ended while I was unpacking, and now the Princes strode across campus, shoulder to shoulder, just like I remembered them. I could feel my pulse in every part of my body as twin desires to fight and flee raged through me, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from them—not even when Mason’s head turned toward Prentice Hall, tilting slightly.
When they disappeared into their dorm, I let out a heavy breath. Then I snatched up my phone and called for another Uber.
I’d only been on campus for thirty minutes, and already, I was itching to leave.
The driver texted me twenty minutes later to let me know he’d arrived, and I grabbed my small purse and made a beeline for the door. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go, so I just had him drop me off near a strip of shops in Roseland. Erin had been able to successfully argue with the judge that in addition to my tuition, I’d need a reasonably high disposable income given the cost of living in Roseland, so I had more money in the bank than I’d ever had in my life. And that was only a small portion of what the trust my mom had set up contained.