The Princess and The Jester - A.D. McCammon Page 0,48

beautiful. You’re attracted to girls like Arwen.”

Her comment throws me for a loop. I met Arwen less than two hours ago, and she can’t possibly know that.

“Arwen? What are you—”

She pulls away from me. “Shane told me you left the party with her.”

God, I hate that asshole.

It’s always been obvious to him how I feel about Gwen. He might’ve even seen it before I did. Him telling her I left the party with another girl is his way of screwing with both of us.

“Yeah? I bet he left out the part where she kneed him in the balls and left him crying on the ground like a little bitch.”

Some of the life returns to her eyes as they shoot up to meet mine. “Really? Why?”

“I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, we need to talk about you. How long has this been going on?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Because I’m trying to decide if I need to tell your parents about this.”

She gasps, her head shaking. “No, you can’t. Please.”

“What I can’t do is sit back and let you do this to yourself. You’ve got to promise me, Princess. Promise me you’re going to stop this shit.”

She nods, big tear drops falling from her eyes. “I want to be better. I don’t like feeling this way. It’s just…sometimes I hate myself so much and want to crawl out of my own skin. When I make myself throw up what I’ve eaten, it gives me a sense of control. Like I can change the way my body looks. Like maybe I won’t be the pathetic fat girl forever.”

The huge lump in my throat makes it hard to take in air, my head dizzy as I fight back my own emotions. “There is absolutely nothing fucking wrong with you. Do you hear me?” Her pretty hazel eyes lock onto mine, the sorrow in them piercing my heart. “Your body is perfect. You. Are. Freaking. Gorgeous.”

She gasps at the raw sincerity in my voice. I’ve always been careful about what I say and how I say it. Those words were too honest, too revealing of my true feelings about her. But right now, I don’t care. She needs to hear it. It’s taking everything in me not to say more, not to confess how completely crazy in love with her I am.

Gwen has hearts in her eyes as she opens her mouth to speak, and I jump off the bed.

I don’t trust myself right now. There needs to be some distance between us for a few minutes.

“Where are you going?” she calls out as I head for the door, her voice frantic.

“I’m going downstairs to change and get us some snacks,” I answer, keeping my back to her. “I’m sleeping in here with you tonight.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Present

COLE

Shane’s Tesla weaves through the traffic with no regard for the other people on the road. The prick even drives like an asshole. He hasn’t made it easy to tail him all day. I’ve been following him, waiting and watching for the perfect opportunity to strike. This motherfucker never should’ve come after Gwen. Big fucking mistake.

Entitled lowlifes like him are the reason I started all the Westbrook Three shit with Arwen and Thatcher. We were tired of watching them use their wealth, status, and power to hurt other people. Including us.

Thatcher received the worst of their tormenting and bullying. He’ll always be scarred from the sick things they did to him. It’s not likely he’s the only one suffering from that trauma.

We knocked all of them off their thrones, one by one, using the same tactics they used on others. No one saw it coming. The three of us were an unstoppable force.

Some were simple. All it took was a little seduction. It’s amazing what you can find out about a person when they let you get close enough. Especially if they don’t view you as a threat. Others required a heavier hand.

Thatcher becomes a bit of a beast when he unleashes all that fury penned up inside of him.

When neither of those strategies worked, that’s where my hacker skills came into play. It’s so easy to get dirt on filthy people. They all have something out there that could ruin them. This is where we’d broker a deal. As long as they didn’t cause trouble for anyone, we’d let them keep their skeletons locked away.

I’ve never once felt guilty for the things we’ve done. Each and every one of them deserved what they got and more. But it