Did you actually just think that? A crush on the dark prince? Really?
What I had with this boy wasn’t a crush. It was something weird.
It was something intense.
Like stated, he fascinated me, but no, I hadn’t looked him up.
He saw that. His blond eyebrows actually flicked up, the surprise evident on his face.
“Another surprise, Noa Sloane,” he said, then wet his lips. He grinned. “You keep surprising me.”
He let the words fall off as he propped both arms on his knees.
“Let me give you the CliffsNotes version, then.” Beer still tight in hand, he directed a finger at the house. “This was where my uncle Charlie was murdered.”
The beer nearly slipped from my fingers he’d said it so casually.
He eyed me. “Plot twist, right?”
His chuckle was so dark as he drank again, and after finishing that one off, he opened another on his boot. I thought to say he should slow down.
Ares was right.
He wasn’t acting right. I didn’t know a lot about Dorian, but this wasn’t normal.
Then what he just said.
Dorian stretched a bit before craning those big arms back over his legs. “Don’t you want to know how it happened?”
“Not unless you want to tell me.” I came at what I said like a scared little animal.
Or maybe it was him in the vulnerable position. He was certainly the most vulnerable one.
“Surprises surprises,” he said to me, but he wasn’t smiling now. His jaw clenched. “He was shot.” Fuming, a harsh muscle feathered his jaw. “Twice in the chest. He died almost instantly.”
“Dorian…”
“Broke my mom.” He said this with a straight face. “My mom who you thought it was fun to play a joke on. She’s still having problems, you know? I’ve got to remind her of stuff. To do stuff like remember things she needs for her day.”
“I didn’t mean…” But that would be a lie. I had meant to hurt his mom because it would hurt him.
Something told me he knew that, his smile returning. His attention drifted to the home. “Charlie was having an affair with our headmaster.”
“What?”
He nodded. “Good ole Principal Mayberry. So perfect.” His fingers squeezed the bottle. “So lovely. She certainly likes to entice eighteen-year-old boys.” I frowned, and he nodded. “Their affair started my sophomore year when Charlie was eighteen. He was fascinated with her. Snuck around with her all the time. They used to meet here when Coach was out.”
My stomach twisted. “She took advantage of him.”
“He claims she didn’t.” He shrugged. “But he was vulnerable, and she was married.” His expression darkened. “To our coach at the time. Coach Mayberry.”
“Why at the time?” I didn’t know why I asked. Why I kept pushing this.
“Well, he’s not our coach anymore. Nor is he still actively married to his wife.” Ice chilled his words. “That kind of happens when you kill yourself after murdering a nineteen-year-old kid in your house.”
The breath escaped my lips.
Dorian’s head bobbed twice. “In her official statement, Principal Mayberry said Coach believed someone was breaking into his home that night. But once he realized the kid was his former player turned the gun on himself. She claimed he suffered from ‘mental problems’…”