Along with a slip of paper.
You are coming to the winter formal with me.
Bastard.
If blackmailing me about my family’s true origins isn’t bad enough, this son of a bitch is now resorting to taking degrading photos of me. I swallow hard and stuff the photo back into the envelope just in time, as Camilla sneaks up on me.
“What you doing?” she asks.
I shake my head. “Just grabbing a book I need to study.” I slip the envelope under a pile of books and pull out the book I need for my assignment. “You?”
“I’m bored and have a free period. Do you want to hang out?”
I glance at the book in my hand and then at Camilla. “In the library?” I suggest.
She rolls her eyes. “You are too much of a nerd. How did I ever become friends with you?”
I laugh. “I’m sorry that I take my studies seriously.”
Camilla sighs. “It’s because you are actually training to take over your family business.” There’s a sad look in her eyes. “My father intends to sell me off to the highest bidder, and that’s my only purpose in life.”
“That can’t be true,” I say, knowing that her father, despite being a cold and calculating man, cares for Camilla. I’ve met him and seen the way he dotes on her.
“Believe me, it is.” She looks me in the eye. “My cousin Imalia ran off with one of our enemies and it sparked a debate between my father and his sister, Imalia’s mom.”
I’d heard about her cousin running off with Spartak, the pakhan of the Volkov Bratva. It was news across the country, especially amongst the Russians. “What kind of debate?”
“A debate regarding arranged marriages. My father insists he will arrange one for both me and Mia.” She twists her thumbs together. “I overheard him telling our aunt.”
I wrinkle my nose. “That sucks. Mikhail would never force me into marriage.” At least I hope he wouldn’t. I can’t deny that for a while now I’ve had a nagging feeling that there’s no way I can truly rule the bratva without a man by my side.
“That’s because your brother is cool.” She links her arms with mine. “Okay, let’s study in the library like a couple of nerds.”
I laugh. “You can’t distract me, though.”
She pouts. “What’s the fun of going to the library, then?”
“To get work done. You can do what you do best.”
“What’s that?” she asks.
“People watch.”
Her face lights up and she nods. “Good idea. I love people watching.”
“You are an odd one, you know that?”
She nods. “Of course. All the best people are odd.”
We fall into amicable silence as we head toward the library. It’s crazy how my friends can so easily drag me out of a slump and tear my mind away from the hell Elias is putting me through. Although, it never lasts long. My troubles always resurface and the photo in my locker plays on my mind.
Once we get to the library, I’m thankful after a quick scan that Elias isn’t in here. I’ve been bumping into him in the library far more often than any other year, and I fear it’s because he enjoys playing with me here, on my turf.
“Usual seat?” Camilla asks, glancing over at the corner table I always select.
As I look at it, all I can see is Elias sat next to me, his hand up my skirt as he pushed me over the edge. “Sure,” I say, shrugging. I can’t let him get into my head like that, no matter how much he’s already slipped under my skin.
Camilla slumps down in a chair and rests her head back. “Just being in the library tires me out.”