Saint (Angelview Academy #1) - E.M. Snow Page 0,69

by looking at the outside is going to be way too expensive for me, and hurry inside to find my friends. They’re already there, sitting together by the wall of floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the water. Loni catches my eye from across the restaurant and waves. She doesn’t look pissed, which I take as a good sign. I make my way over to them with a wide smile on my face that I hope hides my panic.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late,” I say as I slide into the seat next to Loni. I hide my wince as the parts of me that are still sore this morning press against the hard chair.

“Oh, no worries,” she replies. “We just got here a couple of minutes before you.”

“Great.” I release a breath of relief when the server appears to take our drink orders. She gazes at us with uncertainty, and I wonder if she can tell we’re from Angelview. I smile at her and try to be as friendly as I can, and she visibly relaxes. Once she’s got our drinks written down, she walks away to give us a few minutes with the menus.

“Oh my God, guys, I’m so glad that’s over,” Loni gushes. “Thank you both again for all your help. I couldn’t have pulled it off without you.”

“No problem,” I say, my smile more genuine. Maybe Saint hasn’t said anything yet? Or maybe it just hasn’t reached these two? Whatever the case may be, I should probably just relax and enjoy their friendship while I still have it. “It ended up kind of being fun, in the end.”

“Funny you should mention that…” Loni trails off as the server returns for our food orders. We give them to her, as well as the menus, and she leaves us again with a parting smile.

I open my mouth to ask Loni what it was she was going to say, but Henry beats me to the punch.

“Did you guys hear about the shit that apparently went down with Saint and his parents?”

My stomach drops to the floor, I swear to God it does.

“Um … no,” I mutter, sounding all sorts of guilty. “What kind of drama?”

“Saint and his dad got in a fight in the parking lot before his parents left yesterday,” Henry explains with the biggest grin I’ve ever seen on his face.

“Whoa, like a fight, fight?” Loni asks.

“Nah.” He shakes his head. “Though that would’ve been fucking epic. It was an argument, but it apparently got so heated, Saint shouted at his dad to, and I quote, get his crazy ass off the fucking campus before he put him in a body cast.”

“Holy shit,” I say on a sharp breath that hurts my lungs. That must’ve been why Saint showed up to my room so drunk last night. I wonder if that’s a common thing between him and his dad? If it is, I could almost feel sorry for the guy.

Almost.

Loni makes a face. “Well, his parents have to be crazy, I’ll give him that. What the hell else could possibly explain Saint?”

I decide it’s best we change the subject away from him.

“Hey Loni, you were going to say something before the server arrived, I think?”

Her face lights up as she remembers, and she sits up a little straighter in her chair. “Oh, yes! You’re right. Thank you, Mallory, you beautiful Southern belle, you.”

I narrow my eyes. “What do you want?”

“Can’t I compliment my friend without an ulterior motive?” she asks, her face the picture of innocence.

“We both know you can’t,” I deadpan.

She releases a dramatic sigh. “Okay, here’s the thing. We had such a good time planning Parents’ Weekend, that I thought we’d keep the ball rolling right into the Halloween Masquerade Ball?”

“The what?” I ask. How many fucking events does this place have?

“The Halloween Masquerade Ball,” she repeats. “It takes place every year right before Fall Break. Since we did such a great job with Parents’ Weekend, the planning committee wanted yours truly to take on the ball as well.”

“And of course, you said yes,” Henry says in a dry voice, but it doesn’t carry to his eyes. Like always, the guy stares at her like she hung the moon, and I can’t help wondering if she’s ever noticed.

“Of course!” she declares. “The Ball is one of the highlights of the year. I wasn’t going to turn down the chance to make it my own spectacular extravaganza!”

I can’t help but laugh. Loni is so full of energy, she should