Empire High Elite (Empire High #2) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,96
had done to James? The least I could do was cheer him up with a dance. I looped my arm through his and the smile came back to his face.
A slow song cut in as soon as we walked onto the dance floor. He pulled me in a little closer. Too close. I could smell his cologne and the mint on his breath. Why was he so close?
“Is Rachel here?” I asked.
James’ hands settled on my waist. “What do you think?”
“Well…if you’re anything like me…you haven’t spoken to her all week.”
He laughed. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
I looked up at him. There was nothing I could say. If Matt was telling the truth, Rachel had come on to him. Not the other way around. And I didn’t want to ask James about what he thought actually happened. It would just make everything worse. “So you aren’t speaking to her. Or Matt?”
“Or Mason.”
I nodded. “Or Mason. Aren’t they your best friends?”
“Best friends don’t fuck their said best friends’ girlfriends.”
Fair enough. “Congrats on being homecoming king.” It was a terrible segue, and we both knew it.
He laughed again.
It was so strange hearing him laugh. I liked the sound. I wished he’d do it more.
“It was rigged,” he said. “The homecoming king. I’m sure Mason won. Everyone actually likes him. Well, except for all those girls he screwed and dumped.”
“I think they make up enough of the student body that he wouldn’t have won.” But now that I thought about it, Mason was the one always high-fiving people in the hallway. He was usually smiling. He wasn’t nearly as silent and brooding as James.
James shrugged. His expensive tux felt like silk against my forearm. “It was still rigged, trust me. Isabella found out she was going to win queen, by threatening someone I’m sure. And then she manipulated it for me to be king.”
“I’m sure she didn’t.” Although, I wasn’t so sure. That sounded a lot like something Isabella would do. Threats and manipulation were her first language.
“No, she told me as much.”
Oh. “I’m sorry.”
“Why? I’m the freaking king.” He didn’t look so happy anymore.
“Well, it looks good on you.” I reached up and straightened his crown for him.
“It looks better on you. The tiara I mean.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. But I could feel my cheeks blushing. And I realized my hand was still on his crown. I moved it back to his shoulder.
His eyes traveled to my flushing cheeks and he smiled.
For some reason it just made me blush more.
“You know…” he said, his voice trailing off as his eyes drifted to mine. “I was thinking. Maybe there is a way I could get over Matt being an ass.”
“Yeah? And how would you do that?” I wanted James to be happier. I didn’t want to have to worry about him. And he had such a nice laugh. It would be nice if the world could hear it more often.
“For starters, we could fuck.”
I stopped swaying back and forth. It took every ounce of restraint not to slap him. I knew he was up to no good. Asking me to dance so he could prove some kind of point to Matt? Screw him. “I don’t think that would fix anything, James.”
“Really? I think it would fix everything.”
I stared back at him. “How would that fix anything? You’re dating Rachel. And I’m dating…” Who the hell was I dating? Felix? Miller? Matt? God, was I kind of dating all of them? I’d had zero punch and my head was still spinning.
“You know, this summer I told Rachel I’d give everything up for her. All this shit I don’t care about. That I’d pass on Harvard. That I’d renounce my inheritance. I’d give up all my responsibilities. That we could run away together. And she got mad at me. Furious, actually. That was the night Matt screwed her. And all I keep thinking about is that my mother was right. That Rachel just likes me for my money. Rachel thought I was going to give it all up so she hopped in bed with someone else. I don’t want to believe that. But…” his voice trailed off and he shook his head.
“I’m sorry that you’re hurting.” I truly was. This was one of James’ nicer moments. And all I could wonder was if Matt was right. If he was hurting so much that he might do something to himself. He wouldn’t, right? He couldn’t.
He smiled. “Then how about you make me feel better?”