THE HEARTBREAK SOCIETY

➶ 10

"ARE YOU TWO seriously throwing me into the den of wolves right now?" I gaped in disbelief, feeling betrayed. They turned down the invite from Nicolas' mother and had decided to spend the night out together after I agreed to go. Making matters worse, I'd somehow found myself forced to attend with Nicolas.

Letting Asra do my makeup, Zavian was seated on my bed playing Tetris, often complaining of how rigged the game was. Seeing them was a regular occurrence, and they spent more time in my dormitory than theirs. "We would love to keep you company, but being with rich people exhaust me," he brushed off casually. Dressed in loungewear with a pair of my pink slippers and sipping on a glass of lemonade, Zavian looked he was at home. With how often we argued as children, it came as a surprise that we got along now. And although he must have woken up from a nap not too long ago, I envied how quick it took for him to fix his hair into a pompadour.

"Amen," commented Asra, and I took the time to acknowledge her makeup that flattered her almond eyes. Having her family thrive in the fashion industry was beneficial for me in times like this. Though, I hadn't expected her to pull out a gown from her mother's unreleased gown collection. A sixty-three thousand dollar dress and Asra had the nerve to let me wear it like it was nothing. Tossing it toward me like a game of catch, I nearly felt my heart spring from my chest when Zavian's drink spilled inches away.

The daily life struggle of a rich person—to throw a sixty-three thousand dollar dress and remain unfazed when it's on the brink of being damaged.

How on earth did Asra think this was a good idea? Merely staring at it was enough, but to wear it was a whole another story. Made of a high-quality dark grey inner layer of chiffon, detailed with intricate French lacings and a handcrafted diamond leaf accessory at the waist that pulled the gown together, it was enough to pay half of my academy tuition.

After arguing for a cheaper dress and failing miserably, I settled for the dress and promised to put my life on the line to bring it back safely. Although I had laughed jokingly, I was rather serious about protecting it.

If it weren't for Asra, I would have pulled my wavy curls into a messy ponytail and called it a day. A thirty-minute lecture on the delicacy of hairstyles had me allowing her to do as she wished, which we ended up compromising and agreed to have my hair straightened.

Beauty was a pain in the ass. But for some odd reason, I didn't mind dressing up at all, and I blamed my best friend for being the culprit. "I haven't seen you in a dress since you were thirteen. How unsettling."

"I preferred pants, so I could kick Zavian and Dionte's ass when they pissed me off." I smiled cheekily, laughing as Zavian flipped me off with a dry look.

"How is Dionte?" he asked, kicking the duvet around like a ragdoll. I'd initially met Zavian through my older brother, so it didn't come as a shock when we hated one another.

While keeping in touch with my parents daily, Dionte joined the calls whenever he was home visiting. "Probably somewhere Los Angeles on set,"

"Can you tell him to get an autograph from Leonardo da Vinci?"

I blinked, "Do you mean Leondardo DiCaprio?"

"Tomato, tomahto," he waved off, "My cousin is in love with him, and I just want to rub it in her face." And I realized why Zavian and I didn't get along as children.

Ignoring his absurd request, I hesitated to face the oversized body mirror hung on the wall by the vanity. Despite the ridiculous amount of time used, I was in awe of my appearance. Perhaps I should listen more carefully to what Asra would lecture me next about.

Receiving a call from an unknown number, I wasn't surprised to find that it was Nicolas. Without bothering for greetings, he demanded that I meet him at the academy doors. Although my parents owned a villa nearby, it was also half an hour away. He had offered to pick me up from home, but I'd refused and insisted I would stay in the academy. Things would be complicated if he suspected my situation.