AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What do you mean?”
The wind picks up, causing the water to mist on us.
“I’m only telling you this because he’s your best friend here. And I have a feeling he won’t let you go, even when the show is over. See, Tucker used to be my best friend. Until he spoke his feelings for me. I couldn’t return them and things got ugly, but Tucker… he’s good. One of the only good ones in this world. His demons are deep, raw, and ugly. His dad is an ass. Constantly beating Tucker for not being perfect.”
My chest cracks and squeezes, hurting with a raw pain that I can’t fix. For Tucker.
A tear slips down my cheek as I watch Kalisha. Her eyes hold pain, sorrow, and misery.
I can tell she cares. She misses him.
“Who else?” I ask softly.
She snorts, wiping a tear from her cheek.
“Who not, is the question. Tori, that miserable bitch, has a ton of issues.”
I nod. “I figured. She's just so hateful. And in my experience, you project what you feel inside.”
“Right. Tori's mom is a retired Miss America and has been the winner of Beautiful Woman of the Year five times in the last decade. She’s constantly tearing Tori down, telling her how she’ll never be as beautiful as she is. After a while of being told something, you start to believe it, you know?” I nod. I know all too well.
We both get into an upward-facing dog position. Which is my favorite.
“Hey, can I see your necklace?” she asks.
I smile, coming to crouch in front of her.
Her eyes narrow as she looks at it, before snapping to mine. “Where’d you get this?” she whispers softly while making sure the cameras aren’t too close.
“I umm… my birth mom, I think. It was found with me when I was left at the orphanage.”
She continues to stare at it, her eyebrows drawing together.
“Why?”The look on her face has me curious. I’ve never seen the symbol before—no one had—but she looks as if she recognizes it.
She shakes her head before looking at me, smiling. “No reason. It just looked familiar.” But she must be lying because her eyes break contact with mine way too fast.
I settle back into my yoga position. “Should you be worried you just aired everyone’s laundry on national television?” I ask her, jerking my head to the cameramen.
She looks over to them. “Nah, they’d never make us look like anything besides privileged brats. Plus, you don’t air out The Children of Nobility’s secrets and live to see another day.”
Her statement sends shivers down my spine. I can’t tell if she is joking, but the sheer seriousness to her voice gives me a hint that she isn’t.I know The Children of Nobility is a group of powerful people, but maybe they are something more…
* * *
As Kalisha and I approach the campsite, I hear screaming. Something about poisoning someone’s body with drugs. It sounds serious so I sprint ahead.
Justin is in Tucker's face.
“No offense, dude, but the steroids are way worse than some damn weed brownies,” Tucker spits, shoving at Justin’s chest. I go to break them up when a hand grabs mine, pulling me down. Branson is watching them closely.Cameras circling around them as they face off.
“Shouldn’t we stop them?” I ask, worried. I have no clue who would win, but Tucker is my best friend. I feel a primal need to protect him.
Branson twirls a lock of my hair. Whispering, he says, “It’s an act. They’ll just shove each other around and then it’ll all be back to normal.”
Justin’s fist lands under Tucker's jaw, upper cutting him. Tucker falls to the ground and Justin delivers a sickening kick to his face.
“That doesn't look like an act to me,” I growl, about to get up, when Emerald runs, pushing Justin out of the way.
