Rich Prick – Tijan Page 0,52

behind, but never quite in sync with my class. Most were turning eighteen. Most were starting to feel like adults, and I had just turned seventeen two weeks ago.

Another way I’d never been normal.

I thought Nate knew, but it happened when he wasn’t talking to the family. It could’ve been overlooked and forgotten to fill him in because it was so normal when he started talking to us again.

I had to stop this conversation.

I didn’t want Nate alarmed. I didn’t want him calling our parents.

“You’re going to be alone the day Owen would’ve graduated, aren’t you?”

It was too late. He was going to call them.

“Don’t say anything. Please.”

“Aspen.”

I could hear his disapproval, but even worse, I heard his pity.

I couldn’t stand his pity.

“Please. If you call Mom and Dad, they’ll come back. I don’t want them to do that. It’s fine.”

“No, they won’t. They’ll understand.”

He truly didn’t know. That was okay, though. That was better.

“You don’t get it, Nate. I can’t go there.” I couldn’t sit in those chairs. “I can’t wait for the moment when they would’ve called his name.” When instead they’ll call mine.

He was quiet for a long, long time.

I waited, scarcely able to breathe.

“Okay,” he finally said.

My hands shook. My arms trembled. My knees were boneless.

“Thank you.”

“What are you going to do instead? You shouldn’t be alone, Aspen. I get not wanting Mom and Dad there, but what about your older brother? I can fly back. I can come early. It’s no problem. I have a buddy I can see in LA during the week too.”

I opened my mouth to tell him no, but then I thought about it. Blaise would be graduating that day. Blaise was popular. There’d be parties galore for him.

If Nate were here with me, Blaise could go without me, and he could party. He could come to me that night.

So, why not? “That actually sounds good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I felt tears on my cheeks. “I’ll see you on Sunday?”

“I’ll book a flight and let you know when I’m arriving. We’ll do brother-sister stuff all day. Sounds good?”

“Sounds great.”

“Okay. Love you, Aspen. I mean that.” Another beat. “We should do these calls more.”

“Agreed.” I smiled, and we hung up not long after that.

Well, go me. This was progress.

I think…

26

Blaise

It was the end of the day, and I’d just turned in my last project.

Tomorrow was a skip day for all seniors, so we were done. I never kept anything in my locker except what I needed for class, and all those notebooks had been tossed. I could grab a pen and not come back till Sunday for graduation.

“Heard about your showdown with Daniels.” Zeke fell against the locker next to mine.

I frowned at it, realizing someone must’ve used it, but I’d never seen them. Then a guy stopped, looked at Zeke, and turned to go.

“Hey,” I called after him.

I didn’t know the guy. He was smaller, and wearing the old uniform, though it wasn’t mandatory anymore. He looked at me, but didn’t come over.

I gestured to Zeke. “That your locker?”

The guy swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “Yeah.”

“You need in there?”

“Uh...” He tugged at his collar. “Yeah.”

I smacked Zeke on the shoulder. “Move. The guy needs to get into his locker.”

Zeke’s eyebrows rose, but he moved to my other side. He leaned around me as the guy cautiously came forward to open his locker.

“Sorry. I didn’t know.”

The guy stared a moment before stammering, “Yeah. Cool. Yeah.” Then he ducked inside his locker. He grabbed two things and dropped one of them. He scooped to grab it, stuffing it into his pocket before I could see what it was, and slammed his locker shut.

He started off, but stepped back. “Hey. Nice knowing you. You’re going to Cain next year?”

I frowned. “What? No. I’m going to Columbia.”

He seemed confused by that. “Really?”

“Uh. Yeah?”

He shrugged. “Okay. Well, have a good one then.”

Zeke and I watched him go. He glanced back over his shoulder a time or two, his eyes getting big until he put on a burst of speed and turned the corner.

“That’s the first time you’ve seen him all semester, isn’t it?” Zeke said.

“Yep.”

He barked out a laugh. “Classic.” He punched me in the arm. “Columbia? For real? Fucking come to Cain. Everyone’s going to be there.”

“Everyone? If you’re hoping to entice me, you’re falling short.”

“Oh.” He fell silent. “Well, I’ll be there. Why Columbia, though? Who’s there?”

Well, shit. I hadn’t thought about it until now, but that could be the reason Griffith was in