Page 80 of Depraved Boys

“How?”

“I don’t know. By then, I was so thoroughly fed up with Corrine and her games, I stopped engaging with her. I even left Advanced Calculus.”

“And she left you alone?”

He blinked as though trying to clear his vision. “She followed us everywhere. Not even Bianca and Geraldine’s taunts could get rid of her.”

My brows drew together. “Did you help Corrine?”

“If I had known how far she would take her madness, I would have reached out, but I kept thinking about that rape accusation. If she hadn’t been so erratic and forgotten about alibis, all three of us might have been arrested.”

By now, I swapped the gin and tonic for amaretto and coke. I drank the sweet, cool liquid through the straw and pondered his words. His situation mirrored my troubles with Ashley, who I had now wiped clean from my heart.

Ashley hadn’t even told me about her intentions to sell the house, and I didn’t even want to think about the queens’ initiation and its aftermath.

The butler approached and asked Prakash if he needed a taxi home. He ran his hand through luxuriant, dark hair, and said, “You’re right. I’m in no condition to drive.”

“Should I make the call, Mr. Kashaayah?”

“No, thank you, but I would like another round of drinks.” He pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Leo has two healthy legs. He can drive us back.”

I chewed my lip, trying to work out the logistics. By the time a taxi drove from the nearest village to the academy to pick up Leopold and drove to Carlisle to deposit him here, the club might close, and we’d be out on the street.

“Sorry I didn’t stay with you in the hospital after you awoke.” Prakash slipped the phone back into the pocket of his blazer. “I didn’t think you’d want to see anyone after what happened.”

Warm gratitude spread through my insides, and I clasped a hand to my chest. No matter how many times I thought about that night, it filled my heart to know that he had searched the mountains for me. “How did you find me?”

“Just before curfew, I heard some of the girls talking about game theory. Do you know about the prisoner’s dilemma?”

“Where two accomplices are sent to separate cells and are offered a bargain?”

“That’s the one,” he replied. “If each prisoner stays silent, they serve a year in prison, but if one accuses the other, he goes free, and the other gets three years.”

Nausea crawled up the back of my throat as I remembered Bianca offering Ashley a sister’s dilemma. “And if they both accuse each other, they both get two years?”

Prakash nodded. “The girls argued that Bianca and Geraldine’s sister’s dilemma was faulty, as there was no option for neither sister to participate. When they mentioned Ashley’s name, I strode over and demanded details.”

“That’s how you discovered what had happened?”

“I grabbed as many blankets as I could find and drove to Hard Knott as quickly as I could in the dark and searched the area.” He swallowed hard. “When I found you, you were cold and unconscious.”

Gratitude swelled in my chest, and a lump formed in my throat. “I can’t thank you enough. Who knows what might have happened if you didn’t come to find me.”

“You would have died of alcohol poisoning, exposure, or choked on your own vomit.” His hand closed around mine. “If there’s anything I can do to help you leave the academy, just ask.”

My heart deflated. I had hoped Prakash would like me enough to want me to stay. A tiny part of my mind wondered if Prakash was just helping me because he hadn’t been able to help Corrine.

I stared at our joined hands. Both Prakash and Cormac had mentioned that Corrine had followed the kings around. Had someone gotten rid of Corrine because she had become a nuisance? I shook off that thought. Alcohol sure made me jump to crazy conclusions.

“Why would you go so far for a stranger?” I asked.

His lips curled into a little smile, and he raised his other hand to the side of my face. “We sit together in Advanced Calculus, which makes us practically best friends.”

A laugh huffed out of my throat. “But we’re the only people in the class.”