use of the term “we” had thrown me a bit. I knew he and Finn wanted to try to make amends—or at least, they’d claimed they did—but I wouldn’t have thought Mason or Cole would be on board with that.
They all stood together though, a united, single force once again, like they had been when I’d first met them.
My head dipped in a jerky nod. “I—I will.”
As the four boys returned to their table, the volume of conversation around us seemed to swell, and I couldn’t tell if it was because I’d been so distracted I hadn’t heard it before, or if the whole room had quieted while the Princes and I spoke.
Like a dam breaking, everyone at my table started to speak at once, their voices low and intense.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Are you really gonna let Finn drive you?”
“Are they serious?”
I scrunched up my face. “I don’t know. Yes. And… I don’t know.”
Leah shook her head at me, her auburn bob swaying. “Girl, I’m just saying—”
“I know.”
“After last year—”
“I know.”
She didn’t know about the little black notebook that sat in my backpack though. I hadn’t told her the long game I was playing. You have to get close to stick the knife in.
“I dunno.” Maggie looked thoughtful as she glanced furtively over at the Princes’ table. They sat in their usual spot, talking quietly amongst themselves, their faces serious. “This seems different somehow.”
“What?” Leah turned to her with wide eyes, and I couldn’t help my own surprised look at Maggie’s words.
The blonde girl shrugged. “It doesn’t seem the same. That was public, all for show. And they sort of like, adopted you. They made you come to them. This time, they’re coming to you. Which gives you the power, right? And then there was that whole thing with Cole and…” Her gaze flicked to Dan, and she trailed off. I was glad she didn’t mention Oliver, but I knew exactly what she was talking about. “Anyway, it just seems like they’re not doing it for show now.”
“Yeah, or maybe they’re just the best actors in the history of the world,” Leah said pointedly, and I huffed a humorless laugh, inclining my head toward her.
Hearing her and Maggie debate was like hearing the two sides of my head and heart go back and forth.
Round and round.
As it turned out, I saw Finn before three o’clock. Several times, actually. He was already waiting in the dance studio when I arrived—he always beat me there, since it took me longer to get changed—and he watched me practice my audition piece with a curious look on his face.
“How do you come up with the moves?” he asked when I took a break to reset and make a few notes on the choreography.
I glanced at him. His head rested against the wall, tipped back slightly so he could meet my gaze.
“I don’t know. I just sort of feel my way through it. I do one movement and see where that puts me, and then do another. When I’m first choreographing, I just let myself try whatever I want. Go wherever my emotions take me.”
He chewed on his lip, considering that. “It’s cool. It’s like language, almost. Like, I could swear you’re speaking, but you’re not. You’re just dancing.”
A small smile tugged at my lips. “That’s how it should be.”
He fell into silence again after that—he seemed like he was still trying to keep his promise that I’d barely even know he was here—but I felt him watching me as I resumed dancing, and for a little while, even though only music filled the room, it felt like I talked and he listened.
The last few classes of the day seemed to drag as I got more and more antsy to get to the hospital. It didn’t feel as urgent as it had the day before, but I wouldn’t be able to relax until I saw Philip for myself. “Better” could mean so many things, and part of me worried that Doctor Garrett was just trying to make sure I didn’t panic.
But when I got out of my last class, I didn’t have to wait. Finn was standing just outside the doors to Craydon Hall, and he started moving almost as soon as he saw me. We crossed the quad toward the parking lot quickly, and he held my door for me before sliding in behind the wheel.
When we pulled up outside Roseland Medical, I gripped the door handle, then hesitated. “Do you want