“What we have? We have nothing.” I feel sick again. I’m done with this conversation. “Get out of my room, Reed. I can’t even look at you right now.”

When he doesn’t budge, I plant both hands against his torso and shove him. Hard. And I keep shoving, keep slapping at his muscular chest until I move him, inch by inch, to the doorway. The slight smirk on his face only heightens my anger. Does he find this funny? Is everything a game to this guy?

“Get out,” I order. “I’m done with you.”

He stares at my hands, which are still pressed up against him, then at my face, which I’m pretty sure is redder than a tomato.

“Sure, I’ll go, if that’s what you want.” He cocks one eyebrow. “But we’re not done, Ella. Not by a longshot.”

I barely wait until he’s stepped past the threshold before I slam the door in his face.

9

The first thing I see when I wake up is the fan over my bed. The smooth, heavy cotton sheets remind me I’m no longer in that shitty, forty-dollar-a-night hotel room anymore, but back in the Royal Palace.

Everything is the same here. I even smell Reed on the pillowcases, like he slept in here every night while I was gone. I throw the pillow on the floor and make a mental note to buy some new sheets.

Did I make the right decision coming back? Did I have a choice? Callum proved he could run me down anywhere. I made what demands I could. The hand-scan security lock on my bedroom door. A credit card in my name. A promise that once I was done with high school, the scrutiny would be lifted.

The question I should be asking myself is whether I’m going to let one guy ruin my life. Am I so weak that I can’t handle Reed Royal? I’ve been in charge for years, first taking care of my mom and then myself. The hole in my heart left by Mom’s death eventually healed over. The hole that Reed put there will heal too.

Right?

Rolling over, I spot the phone that Callum gave me lying on the nightstand. I left it behind along with the car, the clothes, and everything else I’d been gifted. But separating myself from the Royals, specifically Reed, didn’t mean I stopped thinking about him. I couldn’t leave that behind, and those memories haunted me every mile I traveled.

I grab the phone with purpose and force myself to face the mess I left behind. Seeing all the messages is bittersweet. Every other time I’ve picked up and left, no one has missed me. Mom and I never stayed in any one place for longer than a couple of years.

This time, I have more than thirty messages from Valerie, along with several from Reed. I delete those without reading them. There are a few from Easton, but I suspect those are also from Reed, so I delete them, too. The other messages are from my boss, Lucy, the owner of The French Twist, a bakery close to Astor Park Prep. Those start out with concern and end with impatience.

But it’s Val’s messages that bring an uncomfortable knot to my stomach. I should’ve said something to her. I thought about it a lot while I was gone, but I was afraid. Not just that the Royals might weasel information out of her, but also because she was a link to something I wanted to forget. I feel bad about how I treated her, though. If she up and disappeared, I’d be pissed.

I’m sorry. I’m the shittiest friend ever. Do you still want to talk to me?

I set the phone down and stare at the ceiling. To my surprise, the phone rings immediately. Val’s picture pops up.

I take a deep breath and answer it.

“Hey, Val.”

“Where have you been?” she shrieks. “I’ve called and called!”

I open my mouth to feed her the illness excuse, but her next words stop me.

“And don’t tell me that you were sick because no one is sick for two weeks and can’t even make a phone call! Well, unless she’s patient zero at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse.”

As I listen to her concerned words, I realize that this is a test of our friendship. Even after I seemingly ducked her calls for two weeks, she’s still accepting me back into her life. Yeah, she’s asking questions, but ones she deserves an answer to. She’s important. Important enough for an honest answer, no matter how embarrassing it is.

“I ran away,” I confess.

“Oh, Ella, no.” She sighs sadly. “What did those Royals do to you?”

I don’t want to lie to her. “I’m…not ready to talk about it. But I might have overreacted.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?” she asks, the hurt clear in every word.

“I didn’t think of it. I…something happened here and I got in my car, bought a bus ticket and left. The only thing in my mind was getting as far away from here as possible. It didn’t occur to me to come to you. I’m not used to relying on people. I’m sorry.”

She’s silent for a moment. “I’m still pissed at you.”

“You should be.”

“Are you coming to school today?”

“No. I got back late last night, so Callum’s giving me a day to get settled.”

“Fine. Then I’m skipping school and you’re coming over and telling me everything.”

“I’ll tell you what I can.” I don’t even want to think about the Brooke and Reed stuff anymore. I want to forget it happened. I want to forget that I opened my heart to Reed.

“I got shit to tell you, too,” she admits. “When can you come over?”

I check the clock. “An hour? I need to shower, eat, get dressed.”

“Sounds like a plan. Come to the back door otherwise my aunt will wonder why we aren’t at school.”

Val lives with her aunt so she can attend Astor Park. I’ve only met Val’s evil cousin, Jordan, and I guess the day that I play hooky isn’t the best time to introduce myself to the rest of her family.

“Roger. See you soon.”

I take a deep breath and call Lucy next. “Hey, Lucy. It’s Ella. I’m so sorry I disappeared on you like that. Can I come in this afternoon?”

“I’m sorry, too, but I can’t talk right now. It’s busy.” Lucy is curt, and I suddenly regret not going in the moment I woke up this morning. “If you can stop by before two today, I can chat.”

“I’ll be there,” I promise. I have a feeling I’m not going to like what she has to say.