“Tori, I’ve been texting you like crazy,” Erin said, her fingers digging into my upper arms. August paused a step away, looking on curiously as this crazy woman stared at me with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you answer?”
I slapped my hand on my forehead. In my rush out the door this morning, I’d left my phone at home. “Sorry, I forgot my phone. What’s going on?”
This had better not be another school prank she needed help with. I’d learned my lesson on the last one she’d roped me into. Principal Gentry had caught me red-handed with a chicken cage behind the school when my best friend decided it would be hilarious to let three chickens loose inside. For some reason, Principal Gentry had generously let me go that time. I doubted she’d be so gracious a second time. Erin and Jeremy could pull off whatever they had planned without me.
“The NHS interviews.” Erin’s gaze bounced between my eyes, making me feel slightly dizzy. Yep, she’d definitely overdosed on caffeine. “They were this morning. I guess everyone got letters this weekend to show up before school on Monday.”
My stomach sank. If everyone had received letters, that meant I hadn’t even been given the chance to interview. I’d already been rejected.
It just wasn’t fair. I’d put so much effort into my application. I’d spent my entire freshman and sophomore years bulking up my volunteer efforts just to get in—all for nothing.
“Oh, that’s okay.” My eyes burned as I tried to smile at her. No way was I going to break down crying in the parking lot before school. I’d never live that down. “I didn’t get a letter. I guess I wasn’t good enough. It figures.”
The misery building up inside of me was threatening to let loose a cascade of waterworks from my eyes. I sniffed and tried desperately to swallow down the tears, wishing we weren’t in the middle of a wide-open parking lot where everyone could see. I needed to get to a girls’ bathroom and stat. There was no better place to cry your eyes out than alone in a stall. Erin had used them often enough through her breakups. Now, it was my turn.
But before I could make a break for it, August stepped toward me, his brow furrowing in anger. His shoulders were tensed, his body somehow taking up more space as he faced Erin. “That’s absolutely ridiculous. Everyone knows Tori deserves this. I’ve only been here a week, and even I know she deserves this.”
The painful fluttering of disappointment I’d been feeling was eased slightly by the quick and strong reaction by August. He might have been a complete pain in my side, but at least he was on my side.
Maybe he could stay around a little longer.
As long as he didn’t hog the shower anymore.
“No, that’s the thing,” Erin said, glancing over her shoulder at the steady stream of students heading into the school. “I looked at the list of kids posted outside on the bulletin board. The weird thing is Tori’s name is on it. Her interview was supposed to start at 8:05 this morning. I’m not sure who’s doing it, but I know it’s in the library. That’s why I tried to text you. You can still make it.”
I’d made it? I’d made the list of interviewees? Maybe not all hope was lost. My breath froze in my lungs as I looked down at Erin’s phone. It was 8:06. My interview had already started without me. Fear paralyzed me, gluing my feet to the ground.
“Go,” August urged, putting a warm hand on my arm.
I looked up at him, unsure if I could move. This was what I’d wanted all year, but how could I possibly make a good impression like this? I was already late. My hair was still sopping wet in a messy bun on top of my head. I’d worn my oldest sweater, and my jeans hadn’t been pressed. They’d take one look at me and know that I was a mistake. That I would sully the good name of their organization. Maybe it was better just to give in. Maybe this missed letter was a sign.
“Hurry, Princess,” August said, his eyes darkening. The sincerity I saw there lit a flicker of warmth in my stomach, melting away the ice that had formed. “You can do this. I know you can.”
He was right. Of course, he was right. August was the most confident person I knew. Even more confident than Erin. And he had no reason to lie to me. If he said I could do this, I would.
I blinked hard and then started moving toward the school. It was like an out-of-body experience. My subconscious mind took over. It pushed me to move faster, and eventually, I was in an all-out sprint, weaving through the kids already peppering the hallways. Honestly, I didn’t know that I could move that fast. Maybe I’d missed my calling on the track team. Either way, when I finally skidded to a stop in front of the library, my whole body was buzzing from the high intensity of the race across campus.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” I said loudly as I yanked open the door and darted inside, searching desperately for the interviewer. The library was empty, except for one familiar person.
Greta Highlander surveyed me from the long table where she sat in the middle of the room. Her dark brows arched, and her thin lips twitched in a condescending smirk.
“Tardiness is not a National Honors Society virtue,” she said.
I froze, my body and mind suddenly not so in sync anymore. What was Greta doing here? At the high school? At my interview?
“Are you . . .?” I looked around, hoping against hope that another adult was present. No luck.
“I am a proud community member of the National Honors Society,” Greta said with another smirk. She spread her fingers on top of the table, her long, red manicure looking more like bloody claws than nails. “I was inducted in high school, and I continue to devote my time to the curation of this prestigious club. And I am your interviewer today.”
A lump of dread made its home right in the middle of my esophagus. I dropped my backpack to the ground and went to slide into the chair directly in front of Greta, trying my best not to slouch. Her eagle eyes proceeded to scan me over, taking in every little detail about my appearance, from my wet hair to the slightly worn collar of my sweater. With a displeased noise, she bent down to write something on the notepad she kept in front of her.
“I didn’t get the letter about the interview,” I said, desperately wishing I could read her upside-down handwriting. Whatever she was writing, it couldn’t have been good. I hadn’t even been able to talk about all of my volunteer experience and exceptional grades yet.
“They were sent out last week,” she replied, not looking up at me. “You should’ve received yours on Friday or Saturday.”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, an NHS scholar is always prepared, regardless of the situation.”
The self-important smile she shot me was enough to cause that lump in my throat to sink down to my stomach and immediately grow to the size of a bowling ball. I sank a little more into my chair, desperate to change the direction of this interview. It had always been clear that Greta didn’t like me or my family, but surely she would separate her personal life from her professional one. My application had met all of their standards and more. I’d worked so hard on it, and if she asked me the right questions, I would blow her away in this interview.
All I had to do was summon a little courage.
Immediately, I thought about August in the parking lot. The way he’d looked at me with those brown eyes of his—there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that I deserved this. I just had to keep thinking about him and the words that he’d said to me. I could do this.
“Ms. Highlander, I think you’ll find that I am the perfect example of what a National Honors Society member is supposed to be,” I said in a steady voice as I leaned toward her.
This was my moment.
Even as doubt swirled behind Greta’s beady eyes, I charged forward with the talking points I’d rehearsed endlessly with August over the weekend. I borrowed his snobbishness, if just for a moment, to fill my voice with all the confidence I was lacking. And as I continued on, Greta abandoned her pen and sat back to listen, her attention fully focused on me.
And for the first time—I let myself believe that I was good enough.
11
August
I couldn’t concentrate all through first period.
Nor, through second.
By the time lunch came around, I was positively vibrating with nervous energy. Tori had been absent from the hallways. I’d even taken an alternative route between classes to pass by her locker, but she wasn’t there. And as such, no news of her interview had reached my ears.
I was feeling quite put out. The fact that Tori had nearly missed the interview was bad enough, but I’d been a heel to her that morning. If it hadn’t been for me, she would’ve arrived at school looking immaculate and put together as usual. And she would’ve been totally ready to crush this impromptu meeting. But no, I had to go and irritate her, just to further drive home the point to myself that Erin’s matchmaking scheme would fail.
It was no wonder she thought I was snobbish.
I’d already joined the overcrowded lunch table I’d taken to sitting at during our mealtimes, but I couldn’t concentrate on the conversation swirling around me. Every few seconds, I would glance at the doorway, expecting to see Tori striding through. And every time a different girl strolled through, I was thoroughly disappointed.
“Any news on our girl?” Erin asked as she squeezed herself between Jeremy and me. She wore the same wide-eyed, hopeful look that I no doubt wore as well. Folding open her miniature carton of milk, she took a long draught and then harshly set it down on her tray.
“Nothing yet.” I swirled my ketchup with an overcooked chip, unsure whether I even had the appetite to eat.
It was strange. I’d teased Tori mercilessly this past weekend about her obsession with this interview, but now I was the one obsessed with the results. Never before had I cared about such mundane things. And I certainly hadn’t come all the way to Sweet Mountain to turn into a bore, like my brother. No, that wasn’t me.
I had to get out of here.
But just seconds later, Tori marched into the cafeteria, and my rear end became planted once again to my seat. She paused by the door, her gaze darting across the room before landing on me. Her jaw was tense, her posture rigid. I attempted to read her expression for some clue. Anything that would let me know how this morning had faired. The moment her lovely face broke into a victorious smile, all the tension I’d been carrying today was melted away.
Tori hurried across the room toward us. The boys sitting across from me slid over to make her some room, and she planted herself before us.
“You guys, I think I nailed it.”
Erin squealed and practically launched herself over the table to give Tori a hug. I had to admit that in that moment, I would’ve liked nothing better than to do the same, but I held myself back. It was doubtful that she wanted me to come within a foot of her. Just like this morning, when she’d stiffened under my arm at the bus stop. It was obvious what she thought about me. I was just an annoyance. At best, I was a useful tool to help her grandfather’s career. She wasn’t my friend, and she most definitely was not interested in anything more.
Not that I wanted anything more.
But watching her lean into Erin, a strand of hair falling elegantly from her normally perfectly styled hair and into her heart-shaped face, was doing strange things to my gut. The soft curve of her pink lips was as perfect as a portrait. And when her blue eyes flicked to mine, I got a shot of electricity straight to the chest.
This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
This called for the most desperate of measures.
I dropped the crisp I’d been fiddling with and held up my hand as I’d often seen the footballers do when celebrating a win. Nothing said bro-zone quite like this gesture of humanity. “I knew you could do it! High five!”
Both Erin and Tori blinked hard at me. Apparently, I’d missed my moment. Erin sat back down, and Tori returned my high five with a lackluster one of her own. Lowering my hand, I bit hard on the inside of my cheek and tried to shake off my foolish sensations.
“You’ll never believe it, but the interviewer was Greta Highlander,” Tori said, snatching a fry from my tray and tossing it in her mouth. She grinned at me in a completely adorable manner before she stole another and then reached inside her backpack for her notebook. “She says that I should’ve got the letter about the interview in my email and at home this weekend, but I have the feeling both were conveniently lost in the mail.”
“Probably lost in Greta’s trashcan,” Erin grumbled, her eyes narrowing with anger. “I swear, one of these days, Jeremy and I are going to egg her house for all the times she’s treated you like crap.”
Alarm shone in Tori’s eyes. “No, please don’t. The interview still went really well. Greta was . . . civil, surprisingly. There’s no way I won’t get in. Not unless someone does something to really make her mad at me.”
It was utterly amazing to see Tori with so much confidence about the interview. I’d been listening to her talk about it for days on end, and she had a way of doubting herself that drove me crazy. But this, confident and excited Tori, who wasn’t concerned about failing—this was a girl who really shone.
Erin smirked at her friend’s swift dismissal of her plan. “What about a bag of dog poop on her porch?”
“No.”
“A crank letter from a secret admirer?”
“Definitely not!” Tori laughed and opened her notebook. “Now, leave me alone. Both of you. I have an algebra test coming up next period, and I totally forgot to study this weekend because I was so worried about this interview.”
As she buried her nose in her notes, I couldn’t help but smile at her. Maybe this wasn’t the letting loose idea I’d had for my hostess, but it was certainly nice to see Tori unencumbered by her worries. There was something magnetic about the slight upward curve of her lips and the slow, purposeful way she reached up to tuck the stray strand of hair behind her ear.
I had the sudden desire to reach out—to run that silky strand of hair through my fingers and tuck it gently for her. Maybe even run the tips of my fingers down the side of her face. I would bet anything that her skin was a soft as a down feather.
But then my phone began to buzz in my pocket, breaking the strange spell I’d been under. Saved by the bell, as my American classmates would say. I excused myself from the table and hurried toward the hall. Henry’s private number flashed on my screen. He’d been calling me occasionally over my lunch hours to catch up. The last time he’d called, he’d droned on and on about a new bill Father had introduced to increase tourism. It’d been an absolute bore, but still, I was always grateful to hear from Henry. As much as I loved it here, I still missed my family. Not that I’d ever admit it to him or Father.
I answered the phone and held back a grin as I heard my elder brother’s voice come through the speaker.
“Have they thrown you out yet, brother?”
I laughed and kicked at a mark on the floor. It was the first question he asked every time he called. “Better question is—have you prepared to lose your dapple-gray to me yet?”
Henry harrumphed good-naturedly. “You’ve only been there for a week, August. It does not bode well for you to be so cocky. And besides that, isn’t my horse a little safe for your taste? I seem to remember you liking something with a bit more horsepower. A little more fun. I’m sure you’ll be bored with her in a fortnight.”
“Well, maybe my tastes have changed,” I joked with him.
Immediately, an image of Tori flashed in front of my eyes. It was from this morning, the moment when I’d opened the bathroom door and found her standing in a monstrous pink robe, her eyes flashing with frustration. I’d set out to pay her back for a full weekend of interview practice, but in that moment, I’d felt something else—an urge to pull her into my arms and cover her lips with mine.
It had been a similar urge as the one I’d had at the lunch table just now. Something had changed for me. For worse or for better, I couldn’t be sure. But there was no doubt about it; Tori was better than me in every way. She
was intelligent, kind, and knew her own mind. Not to mention, beautiful as the darkening blue sky when the sun cascaded below the mountainous Valtanese horizon.
There was not a chance that she felt the same urges as me. Not for the wild prince that she had to babysit to keep out of trouble.
Silence followed my proclamation through the speaker. For a moment, I thought I’d lost the call. But then Henry chuckled and cleared his throat.
“Whatever could have brought about this transformation, brother? I’m certain Father would be more than happy to hear that himself. Turns out, his plan to send you to America wasn’t as lunatic as I originally thought. The Prince of Valta might surprise us all upon his return home. Will I even recognize you?”
I groaned and smacked a hand to my forehead. Why did he have to go and make a thing out of a silly joke? “I’m still me, Henry. Nothing’s changed. I said that in jest.”
“Hmmm. And how are the Americans treating you? Have you made any long-lasting connections?”
I looked up through the doors of the cafeteria, where I could see the side of Tori’s head. She was still deep in her studying, but she’d emerge every few seconds to laugh at something someone said at the table. It caught me off guard to realize that of all the connections I’d made at Sweet Mountain, the connection with my sassy, strong-willed hostess was proving to be the strongest.
And the most dizzying.
“I believe so,” I said.
“That’s good. Father will appreciate such a report.”
I smirked. Of course, with Henry, it was always about what Father wanted. It was yet another reminder of the type of life that awaited me back at home.
“Good luck running a country,” I said. “I’ll just go back to actually having a life.”
Henry laughed into the phone, and I could almost imagine the pitying look he would’ve given me if we’d been in the same room. “Brother, someday you will learn that serving others is one of the best lives you can lead.”
My Royally Cute Enemy: A YA Sweet Romance (Sweet Mountain High, Year 2: A Sweet YA Romance Series Book 3) Page 9
