Postings was a beautiful city tucked away in the mountains of Maine about two hours north of Portland. The city was almost a perfect square and was divided into thirds. North Postings was where I was born—the slums, filled with run-down homes, low-funded schools, and tons of crime. The neighborhood I lived in wasn’t as bad as some of them, but trouble was always just around the corner. People didn’t often escape North Postings. It was a trap. It was difficult to thrive, so it was difficult to get out.
Postings Proper was the center third and was where the thin middle-class population lived. It was also where most of the major malls, schools, and entertainment was located. There was a Postings Proper shopping district where my friends and I often spent our time, and our high school, Postings Proper High, was right in the middle of it.
South Postings was where I lived currently. It was the ritzy district, where only the wealthiest lived. The entire area was overseen—not on paper, but in some unspoken code—by Nathan’s dad, Connor. He was the wealthiest, most powerful man in Postings, close to the top in all of Maine. There weren’t many places in the entire state where people didn’t know him by name, and there were none in the city. That was probably why no one seemed to mind that the Loche Estate sat directly on top of the highest hill of the city, looking down over it like some gilded castle.
Gold-plated gates wrapped around the entire property, and the big, white-tipped roof and marble pillars constituted the welcoming facade of the main house, not to be outdone by the smaller versions of the house to the east and west.
As I approached, I could see that the manicured lawn to the left side of the estate had been paved over and turned into a parking lot, exactly like former years. Eight of the spots were a regal blue, with minimalist symbols on each to designate where the members of The Royal Court could park. I drove up to the manned security station, and Reynoldo, the security guard, quickly recognized my car and waved to me with a smile. The gates roared and parted to allow me through.
I pulled my car into the parking lot and over to the blue spot with a crown matching the one on my steering wheel. I parked my car, seeing that all seven of the remaining spots were already taken, and the ninth member of The Royal Court, Nathan, was parked in the family driveway, away from the rabble. I climbed out, grabbing my bag as I went, pressed the button on the outside of my door handle to lock it, and then started off down the temporary white brick path that led around the main house and toward the expansive yard behind it where the party was held.
Music met me first, followed quickly by the sounds of hundreds of voices. Splashes indicated that people were already enjoying the pool. At the end of the path was an archway laced with white calla lilies. It was an odd aesthetic for Nathan, but I didn’t question it. I never wasted my time trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. I started ruffling around in my bag as I passed through, looking for my phone so that I could locate Avery, but when I passed under the arch, the music stopped immediately, and the entire party started to applaud.
I looked up, shocked, and I could already feel my face warming with embarrassment. I was the Queen of The Royal Court, but I’d never received this kind of reception at the summer party before.
The condensed crowd of people in the huge, Olympic-sized pool parted, and a whizzing sound cracked through the air. I glanced around for anyone I knew that could help explain what was going on, but after a few seconds, I needed to wonder no longer. Where the pool’s inhabitants had parted, a clear platform started to crawl up from under the pool. When the platform reached the height of the water, it stopped with a defending click, and then none other than Nathan Loche came sauntering out onto the platform from the other side of the pool.
As angry at him as I was, I had to admit he looked good. He wore white slip-on Vans, pale blue boat shorts, and a white tank top. His brown hair had been cut since the last time I saw it, and he now had shaved sides and a faux-hawk, which he’d brushed forward so that the front curled up at his forehead. He was known for his thick, full lips and rugged five o’clock shadow, and when his green eyes landed on me, they shined in the sun.
He flung a hand out toward me and used the other to set a microphone to his lips. “Here she is, everyone! The woman of the hour, my queen, Cherri!”
The crowd started to cheer, and it was only at that time that I noticed the motif of the party. The lawn had little white crowns on sticks, all of the food was adorned with crowns, and there was even a huge, three-tiered cake, atop which was a, most likely real, jeweled crown. More than just the arch I’d stepped through which had calla lilies. They were everywhere—in vases near all the lounge chairs, floating in the pool, and Nathan was holding a huge bouquet of three dozen or more in his hands.
I swallowed hard as I realized that the party was for me. The queen crowns were meant to represent me, and the calla lilies were a failed attempt at decorating with my favorite flower, which was actually white tiger lilies, but he at least got close to the right kind of flower, so I put it out of my mind.
“Come here, beautiful,” Nathan beckoned.
There were hundreds of eyes staring at me, but I would have given anything to see Avery’s amongst them. Wherever she was stashed away, Nathan had likely done it on purpose to keep her from interfering with his grand display. Despite not really wanting to, I took a few cautious steps toward the platform hovering in the middle of the pool, and when everyone started to clap and goad me on, I stepped with more confidence until I was in the middle of the platform with Nathan. He handed the bouquet to me and pulled me into a kiss. Once he pulled away, he brandished a rectangular leather case from his pocket and tipped the cover back. Inside was a diamond charm bracelet with small, cute lizard charms on it.
My favorite animal was a chameleon, but again, he was close. Still, I couldn’t help but think that he could have just checked with Avery, although she probably wouldn’t have helped if he had. He pulled the bracelet from the case and laced it around my wrist, then kissed the back of my hand, and the crowd cooed.
It was a good play. I had to give him that. Theming the end of the summer party after me and making a huge, public display of our love as a way to try to corner me into taking him back—it was smart. Nathan Loche was many things, but stupid, he was not.
He pulled the microphone away and leaned in close enough so that no one could hear us. “What do you say, baby?” he asked. “Forgiven? I promise, from here on out, you’re the only girl for me.”
For a few minutes, I didn’t say anything and calculated the benefits. Had I ever truly been in love with Nathan? No. For a little bit, right after we started dating, I actually developed something of a crush on him, but when I realized he was kind of an ass, I became uninvested. Our relationship had always been political, at most, but I still demanded respect. If I was going to be his girlfriend, I was going to be the only one.
He was a serial cheater, and the lizards and calla lilies were a clear indicator that he didn’t actually pay all that much attention to me, but at the end of the day, he was a better choice than some. Our group of friends was more cohesive when he and I were together, and he was gorgeous, after all. On top of that, the last time I tried pouring everything into someone, he disappeared. I didn’t want to be hurt like that again, so it wasn’t likely I’d go for that kind of relationship again anyway. I didn’t have much to lose by being with Nathan, but there was a lot to gain. People wouldn’t tell their children our story like the greatest love story of all time, but maybe a few people would remember it.