The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 53

Jesse is really nice to me for the rest of the morning, slinging his arm around my shoulders and cracking jokes all the way to breakfast. Even I can’t help laughing, even as a deep pool of dread forms in my stomach, because I have absolutely no control over how Luca is going to react to any of this.

My mind keeps running through scenarios – is he going to storm in demanding answers? Is he going to declare to the entire Hall that I’m a girl? Is he going to just pull me aside and-

“Hey,” Jesse says, using the arm around my shoulder to tug me incrementally closer. “Whatever it is, Ari? It can’t be that bad.”

“What?” I ask, looking up at him as we walk, glancing at Rafe, who chats amiably with Ben as they walk down the hall ahead of us.

“Whatever drama went down last night in your little dream state?” Jesse says, raising an eyebrow at me.

I

gape at him – how did he…!?

He just laughs at me, my face making the admission even if I don’t confirm with words.

“Seriously, Shrimpy, it can’t be that bad. You’re going to get through it! Don’t worry so

much.”

—-

I sigh, hanging my head back and leaning against him, more relieved than I thought I’d be that he guessed and I have someone to talk to about it.

“I’m just…I have no idea how to handle this, Jess,” I murmur as we walk into the Hall. “You’re more experienced than me, how do you handle…” I glance again at Rafe, lowering my voice, “romance drama?”

“Well, in my experience, you just gently dump them and move on the moment things start to get even remotely complicated,” Jesse says, his voice breezy.

I gasp and gape, looking up at him. “Jesse!” I scold, aghast.

“What!?” he says, grinning at me even as I shove him away. “I enjoy other people’s romantic drama, not my own. Plus, I said gently –

24

“I didn’t know you were a heartbreaker,” I growl, glaring at him. “And also! This advice does not apply to me!”

“I know, you poor thing,” he murmurs, laughing at me a little. “None of my methods will suit you, you should probably just call your mom –”

“We don’t even have phones, you idiot,” I groan, shoving him away from me further, disappointed that he is so nice to me but also so useless. My eyes scan the room, going first to our usual table and then into the room at large…

not here yet. I let out a

smiles at me, kind, and pulls out my chair for me before going to sit next to Ben, deliberately leaving the seat next to me open. I

the coffee pot from the approaching waiter, murmuring his thanks.

around the table. The waiter delivers my plate of eggs and sausage and I do my best to lose myself in Rafe and Ben’s conversation about fighting techniques for smaller bodies, but I keep losing track of it and instead just concentrate on drinking cup after cup

down on that, Shrimp,” a voice

as I turn my face up towards Luca, who

says, lifting

him, my breath coming short as I wait to see what the

next.

Jesse calls from across the table, friendly. Ben and Rafe also smile at him, saying their goodmornings as Luca

Chapter 53

a bite.

of a waiter and orders more coffee

says, and my eyes whip to him as I hear the mischief in his voice.

+5

murder in my eyes. If I were closer and it wouldn’t absolutely

comes back with the coffee pot. “Completely

eyebrows going

draw breath as I just

is he playing

remember

he just playing

him when he turns to frown at me, looking me up and down. “Seriously, Shrimp,” he says, completely casual. “You’d better eat,

baffled as to

me to my Marksmanship class, which begins at roughly the same time as the Warrior–track training. He made us leave breakfast a few minutes early so that he has

་་་པ་་ 30

the way to class, Rafe babbles on about some kind of sporty nonsense – fighting techniques, how to throw a

about Luca’s

mind just spins

+5

mean, yesterday, when he just suspected something was up, he was moody all day and basically had a meltdown at breakfast. But today, when he finds

hell is

why didn’t I get stuck

sleeve. “Stop – we’re here.”

fall back a step, realizing I walked right past the

I say, my shoulders bunching