Page 65 of Wicked Knight
“The thing that’s perfect for sucking cock.” He answers the question as if he’s talking about the weather.
Like Savannah, Eilish and I are both shocked by his answer.
“You are such a vile asshole.”
“And you are coming with me.Now.”
“Where?”
“Just come.” Like a beast, he whirls around and heads back through the door.
She casts us a worried glance before she follows him.
Eilish and I look at each other again.
“Well, wasn’t that something? And very entertaining.” She chuckles. “I thought I had the crazy life.”
I smile back at her. “Apparently not. I’m definitely never bored here.”
“Me neither.” She looks me over and sets the bowl of popcorn between us. “Are you okay, Mackenzie?”
It’s not surprising she picked up that I’m not my usual self. Of everyone, we’re most similar. “I’ve seen better days.”
“You know that’s the very reason I exist as the student counselor.” She nods with enthusiasm. “But more importantly, I’m your friend.”
She’s also a psychology student. I’m sure she’d have a field day Psych 101ing me.
“I’m just going through a weird time.”
“Is it stuff I can help with?”
“Not really. It’s the kind of dark, deep stuff you wish you didn’t have to go through.”
The lighthearted glow fades from her expression, replaced by a look of seriousness that mirrors my own. “I’ve gone through stuff like that, too. Past and present.”
I nod, understanding. I remember hearing something I shouldn’t have heard once about her real family—she’s adopted. I heard that her whole family had been massacred and she was found in the house with them, hiding. When a Knight family—the family she has now—adopted her, she didn’t speak for over a year.
No one knows what happened to her real family or who killed them. It’s one of those unsolved mysteries. A little like mine.
“If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me.” She gives me a soft smile.
“I will.” I release a heavy sigh and glance at the clock. It’s ten. “I better get to bed. I haven’t been sleeping so well.”
“Go. Get some rest, then.”
I stand but turn back to face her with a question on my mind. “When did you know you had feelings for Lucian?”
Her cheeks flush, and she gives me a one-shouldered shrug. “Always.” She nods and gives me a reflective smile. “When did you know you had feelings for Dmitri?”
Her question throws me, but It’s not all that surprising. I guess it’s one of those things where it takes one to know one. She’s watched me and Dmitri all our lives the way I watched her and Lucian.
“Always,” I reply easily, appreciating the honesty and openness we have between us.
Eilish’s smile widens, and she presses a hand to her heart. “I think that counts for something.”
I answer with a little smile, then I head out of the room knowing she’s watching me. There’s so much I could say, but it’s best I don’t.
While it’s great that I know I’ve always had feelings for Dmitri, and yes, it does count for something, the difference between Eilish and me is I have no chance of a future with the boy I love.