Page 117 of Vexatious Queen

“Thank you for being you.”

“Come on, I stole some brownies from the cafeteria for us. I’ll even let you take the one with frosting,” Ren said, making me smile.

“You’re such a rebel.”

Grabbing Ren’s hand, I let her ground me. I was so used to being the rock that it felt odd to be on the receiving end.

Ren squeezed my hand, and something around my heart released, something I hadn’t noticed was wound tight enough to snap. I’d been pretending I had a grip on everything, pretending I wasn’t slowly unraveling. But Ren had just pulled me back from a dangerous edge. And what scared me most was that I needed her more than the control I’d spent a lifetime mastering.

FEBRUARY 11 – WEDNESDAY 12:45 PM

Ren

Phys Ed was still a no-go with all the balls flying around. So I’d started using the training center a couple of days a week at lunch. Theo had his meeting with Dean Henry today about his switch to Stanford. Myles was at Golden Oak to sit in on Lip’s therapy session. Liam was swimming, while Blake used the treadmill. I had no idea where Nash was, but he had mentioned making some calls, and I hadn’t seen him since.

I’d decided that the elliptical was my new best friend. It gave me the same workout as the treadmill, but my head didn’t hurt after. Hopping off the machine, I sprayed it down and then went to check in with Blake. He looked at me and pulled an earbud out.

“I’m going to shower and then head to one of our rooms to study,” I said.

“Okay, I’d better hit the shower, too, but we need to find someone to walk you back to the dorms.”

“I can take her,” Rory spoke up from the machine beside Blake.

“I don’t want to be a pain,” I said.

“It’s no bother. I don’t have class so I was just going to hang out in my room anyway. I’ll make sure you get where you’re going,” he said.

“Okay.”

Rubbing the back of my neck with my gym towel, I walked into the locker room and picked up my shower stuff. No one was in here, and I could never decide if the quiet was a blessing or creepy. The water was hot and perfect on my sore muscles. I rinsed and turned off the taps just as voices filled the room. I groaned, picking out a few of Vicky’s followers.

Grabbing my bag, I quickly wrapped a towel around my head and another around my body. I wasn’t in the mood for a confrontation with the bitch squad, so I stayed close to the wall and moved quietly to my locker which was out of their line of sight.

“You’re such a fraud. All this time you had us backing you up and hating on your sister,” Jennifer said, stopping me in my tracks.

What the hell?

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Vicky growled. “And you better get back in your place.”

“My place? Do you even know where your place is?” Jennifer snarked.

“Yeah, Vicky, we all heard your father say that Ren is his heir. You’re a sham, a charlatan, a wannabe.”

That didn’t come from a voice I recognized. How many girls were in here?

“Oh, please, do none of you have siblings?”

Vicky’s retort was quick, but not as biting as usual.

“Yeah, but we don’t sic all of our friends on them, act like we don’t know them, and pretend to be something we’re not. Jennifer is right, you’re a fraud, masquerading as a queen. I, for one, am done with it,” Raquel said.

Shit.

“You’re supposed to be my friends. What the hell,” Vicky asked.

“You don’t know the meaning of the word friend,” Jennifer said.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped around the lockers and realized the entire cheerleading squad had cornered Vicky. Their eyes widened, and their mouths snapped shut. Vicky spotted me, and even without her saying a word, I felt her anxiety from across the room.