EVIL QUEEN - Rebel Hart Page 0,7
still really and truly himself.
“Hey, man,” he said. “I’m glad you came.”
We broke our embrace and dropped into opposing sides of the booth. “Yeah, me too.”
Kyle was my best friend. We didn’t meet until Deon came to live with me, but when he left, all of the friends we’d made together ditched me except for Kyle. He said that I was a good guy and that he liked being friends with me. Gaining and then losing Deon gave me more than a few trust issues. By that point, I already assumed that everyone who was sticking around me was doing so for some benefit, even though Kyle and Nikita both had long proven that it wasn’t the case.
Along with everyone else in The Royal Court, I’d avoided speaking with Kyle, but he was the one I missed the most. He knew me better than nearly anyone else in my life, and I think the idea that he’d see through me terrified me. It was already bad enough that Nikita was hanging around, taking care of me while still silently riddling me with guilt, and I figured that having just one of those people in my life while trying to figure out what was next for me was enough.
Just like back when Deon left, Kyle had stuck around, and he’d gotten very little from me in return. Seeing him gave me that familiar, finally-home feeling, and I hated that I’d avoided seeing him for so long.
Looking through the window to my right, I could see Gerald still chuckling with the group of people he was talking to. “I met Gerald.”
“Oh, yeah. Pop’s a really good man. He and my mom have been friends since childhood. She lived around here, growing up, but moved to South Postings during her residency, and well, that doctor’s salary allowed her to start a family down there. She always made sure to bring me around here a lot, though. This is my favorite place.”
“He’s…” There was a shake to my voice I wasn’t expecting. “I get why Deon wanted to come back here.”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah. I knew I couldn’t say that to you back then, but I got it too. My mom always talked about it. How hard it was to go from here to there. The feeling is just different. People are people up here. It’s not about how much money you make, who you’re married to, or what your affiliation is with a certain group of people. They just look out for each other. It’s really something special.”
“That’s what I always wanted from The Royal Court,” I admitted. “I wanted this warmth. I guess I just figured out that it’s not something that can be forced.”
“I don’t know,” Kyle said. “Maybe not at first, but we’ve stayed stuck to each other for four years.”
“Yeah, because I’m a piece of shit,” I replied. “Not because they wanted to be. I lied to Cherri, I blackmailed Alistair, I bribed Avery and Colette, and Jaxon came with Nikita. Let’s face it, most of you are only in it because you didn’t know what I’d do if you tried to leave.”
“Ah, so this is what we’re doing, huh? The self-loathing?” Kyle asked, sipping a cup of coffee.
“I’m just joining the club,” I replied.
Kyle took a deep, long breath. “Well, okay then. I’m your best friend, so we’ll get through it together. I expected something a little angrier, not melodramatic pity, but however you gotta get through it, I get it.”
I glared across the table at him. “Is this your version of tough love?”
“Sure,” he replied.
“Most of my friends are fabricated, I snapped and raped my ex, my mom is dead, and my dad and brother are missing,” I rattled off. “The fully-grown adults at my dad’s company keep relying on me to make their decisions, and the woman I love won’t go all-in with me because I did the one thing that she hates most. I think I’ve earned the right to be a little emotional.”
Kyle’s eyes softened. “Sorry. You’re right. You have. This side of you is new, so forgive me if I don’t know how to deal with it.”
The anger that had been growing in me dissipated. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
“I meant what I said, regardless,” Kyle said. “The part about being here for you. I’m your best friend. I’ve stuck by you through everything, and this is no different, so…” He sighed. “Please don’t shut me out for two weeks ever again. I’ve lost sleep.”
Guilt didn’t