Page 86 of Colton

“The sky,” she jokes, and I roll my eyes. “I spoke with Lila.”

“How did it go?”

“Terrible,” she murmurs. “She shot me down pretty much immediately. You know what she’s like, she knows all of our secrets, and we know none of hers.”

It makes me pause, a scowl appearing on my face when the information settles. It is true — while Lila’s always been there to support us, to lend a listening ear, she never told us a secret of hers. Somehow, it doesn’t feel good.

“Let’s just give her time,” I sigh. “It wasn’t easy for me to tell you guys about… well… you know. She’s probably struggling with her feelings. She’ll come to us when she’s ready.”

“You think?” Grace pushes the door of the classroom open, and I step inside. “I’m just worried she’ll do something stupid.”

I roll my eyes. “She won’t do anything stupid, she isn’t a child.”

“I know that,” she scoffs. “She’s just… the softest one, you know?”

I take a seat, and Grace sits behind me.

Lila is the softest one. She doesn’t speak much, and it took her a while to get comfortable with the three of us. There’s always a small smile on her face, and you can tell it’s not fake. It’s just who she is — she cares about people deeply, and I’d say she’s an empath to the point of it affecting her emotionally, too. I think it’s taking a toll on her, and she isn’t the best with words, hence, she can’t open up easily.

“Hey, so,” Grace speaks, and I roll my eyes.

I love the girl to death, but her inability to keep her mouth shut, even in class, is getting on my nerves. We have history lessons, my favorite, and I want to be able to follow along and not be nagged by her the entire class.

“Yes, Grace?” I drawl.

“Can I borrow a pen and paper? I didn’t bring any.”

“Do you ever?” I deadpan, but rip a sheet of my notebook, give her a spare pen, and watch as her eyes light up. The chances of her using up the material I gave her are slim to none. Best case scenario, she’ll doodle Kenzo’s dead body.

“That’s just my charm.”

I roll my eyes. “Speaking of charm, where’s your future husband?”

Grace’s smile turns sour immediately, and she flips me off. “Do I look like I care?”

“Still on terrible terms, huh?”

“Obviously,” she says, sarcasm coating her tongue. “Honestly, if I never see him again, it’ll be too soon.”

“Dramatic much?”

“Ugh, why did I have to sit behind you? Stop nagging me.”

“Alright, alright,” I chuckle. “But seriously, if you want to talk about it, you know I’m always here to listen, right?”

“I know,” she says, her voice suddenly sounding small. “It’s just… the longer I pretend it’s not happening, the more I can prolong my sanity. Deep down, I know this is real, and that there’s nothing I can do that won’t hurt me in some way later on. So, I have to force a smile on my face every time my father calls me, and act like a happy bride-to-be whenever my mother asks about wedding details she’s planning.”

“It’s happening soon?”

Grace nods. “I’ll know more when I go home for the break, but yeah. By the end of next summer? For sure.”

This isn’t just about the fact that she’s marrying a man she despises, it’s the fact that the choices are terrible. She can marry him and likely live a miserable life, or she can say no to all of this, run away, or do anything equally as drastic, but it would only mean that she’s getting disowned, cut off, and blacklisted. It will be the end of her life as she knows it, and given the luxury and power she grew up with, I don’t blame her for being hesitant to say no.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, taking her hand in mine.

She offers a smile, and it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. In fact, if we weren’t in class and the professor wasn’t about to come in, I’m pretty sure she’d cry. But she puts on a brave face, takes in a deep breath, and swallows down tears.

“It’s okay. I’ll figure it out, I always do.”