Royals

Chapter 34

I turned 16 on Tuesday!

There still hasn't been any sign of her.

It was Wednesday and no one had heard from her.

I texted and called numerous times each day, making sure to leave her a voicemail that lasted until the robotic voice told me that I had met the maximum length allotted.

On another note, Brandon hadn't spoken to me either. I wasn't sure if he was giving me space to deal with the Lillia dilemma, or if he was still angry about this past weekend. Either way, I had been given the silent treatment.

At the same time, I hadn't exactly tried to contact him either. Maybe that was what he was doing: relying on me to text first. Hoping my accusation was correct, I sent him a quick text.

Tonight we--minus Lillia--were flying to New York City for a cocktail party with a few business people. If I was dreading it before, just imagine how I felt having to go without my best friend.

Part of me was half-convinced that she would show up at the party in New York. She had a super close relationship with her mom and, given how much this event meant to her mother, I didn't think Lillia would even dream about missing it.

Of all of Lillia's qualities and attributes, you would never be able to describe her as selfish--especially when it came to her family. If I knew my best friend, she would show up. If she didn't, then that would officially make this the maddest she has ever been.

Apparently I was overthinking so much that I didn't even hear the bell ring. Watching my classmates scurry out of the classroom and into the busy hallway, I slowly gathered up my belongings. When I was packed up, I walked through the doorway, nodding in the direction of my science teacher who, by the way, was still having cat issues.

While making a sharp turn into the hectic corridor, I ran square into a hard, sculpted chest. I began to apologize profusely when I was interrupted by a deep chuckle.

"Stop fussing; it's no big deal," he assured, sending a heart-warming smile in my direction.

"Okay, good," I awkwardly concluded, laughing to fill the awkward pause.

"I was actually just looking for you," Jared said, resting his hand on my elbow to keep me from running away.

"Oh?" I hummed, already knowing where this was going.

"So, I'm having this party tonight..."

He trailed off, not needing to say anything more. "Why are you inviting me? I didn't even know you knew who I was," I blurted, not realizing how lame that sounded until after I said it.

"We have Spanish together," he reminded me. "And lunch. Don't tell me you forgot about the time I spilled that pitcher of lemonade all over myself!"

"I remember," I said with a smile, reminiscing over the event. He was in a hurry to ask a girl to homecoming, and one of the lunch ladies crashed into him. One of the pitchers of lemonade was defeated by gravity, contributing to a pile of liquid, ice cubes, and glass. The other, as Jared mentioned, traveled down the length of his body.

Jared, sticky and soaking wet, apologized generously, promising to repair the damages. In the meantime, he proceeded to head over to that girl's table. Although the chocolates were now moist and the flowers drooped over the side, she still said yes.

I mean, if someone went through all of that public humiliation for you, how could you even think about saying no?

"That was so embarrassing," he admitted, shaking his head as he laughed. "But, all jokes aside, I hope you can make it. You seem really interesting."