Series: Cobalt Empire Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 234
Estimated words: 226965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1135(@200wpm)___ 908(@250wpm)___ 757(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 226965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1135(@200wpm)___ 908(@250wpm)___ 757(@300wpm)
I’ve never asked.
I don’t want to know.
Since she answered my question with a question, I decide to keep the trend going. “Did Easton or Xander invite you here?”
She looks pissed.
Vada isn’t usually hotheaded. Winona is the firecracker. But Vada—she’s a ball-busting, loyal friend who will take the heat but never start it. Our family says Winona is the one who leads, Vada follows, and from my perspective, that is true.
It’s also been true that Winona has always followed me, and I stopped letting her. Honestly, I didn’t consider what that meant for Vada. How she’d be affected, but I should’ve. It’s just another domino I’ve struck down. Another person I’ve hurt.
I try a new question. “Are you Easton’s date?”
Blush ascends her cheeks, but I can’t tell if it’s from embarrassment, bashfulness, or ire. “Why do you care?”
I nip this really fast. “I’m not jealous of him,” I state flat-out, point-blank. “Easton or Xander—whoever brought you here—should not have. You’re a high schooler.”
“You were in high school not that long ago. Why are you acting like you’re so much older?”
I grind my jaw. Because I am, I want to say.
Because Winona, Vada, Kinney, and Audrey are young. And I don’t just mean their ages. They are the youngest of our families. We’ve all sheltered them in different ways.
I’ve loved that Winona sought after it. Reveled in it. Felt freer under the protection our families gave. I’ve wished my little sister felt the same, but she’s counting down to eighteen like every year beforehand is a ball and chain.
I don’t know what Vada hopes for. But I’m trying not to patronize her. She’s gone through shit I wasn’t around for, but I still don’t know why she’s here. It puts me on edge.
“So it was Xander?” I ask her.
Her reddened cheeks give her away. It was Easton.
I nod a couple times.
“I’m friends with Easton,” she says with visceral heat. “Actual friends. The kind that call and make sure we’re not dead.”
Confusion draws my brows together. “When did you get so angry?”
“You think you’re the only one who gets to be mad? I didn’t have the luxury of expelling my rage on Tate’s cunty face.” She steps back in hurt, and I grab her wrist before she can bolt.
Her shoulders slacken, and she waits for me to speak.
“I’m sorry, Vada,” I say. “I’m so fucking sorry. I’ll say it a thousand times until it means something to you. I shouldn’t have gone radio silent last year and left you and Winona to deal with those assholes.”
She breathes heavily. It takes her a minute to reply. “They’re cunts,” she mutters. “Not assholes. That’s way too nice.”
“Yeah, I’d call them that, but you’ve pretty much trademarked that swear word in the family.”
She stares down at her Converse shoes, still upset.
So I ask, “How’s boarding school?”
Her eyes well as if she’s surprised and grateful for the question.
“Better, I think,” she says more softly. “But our school is right next door to Faust, and those guys are next-level egomaniacs. Very dickish. I cannot believe your dad went there.”
My brows rise like seriously. Her lips lift into a small smile the same time as mine do.
“Fine,” she sighs, “that sounds just like him.”
I nod more heartily.
She stares at her sneakers again, then scuffs the corner of the rug and sighs out heavier. “Okay, I have a confession to make.” Vada can’t meet my eyes. I’ve known her to be shy at times. So this isn’t that odd.
If she were Harriet, I would say, eyes up here, Friend. I’d probably tilt her chin up, maybe even hold her cheek. There are signals I never want to send to Vada, and I overthink my interactions with her to where I end up doing nothing.
“Easton told me about the Halloween party and said how he heard you were invited too. The next day, I asked him if I could be his plus-one.”
“You invited yourself,” I realize. “Why would you…did Winona—”
“I’m not here on Winona’s behalf. She’ll be upset I snuck out without her, but she’ll understand why I did.”
“Why?”
“Audrey wanted me to. I’m here for her.”
Jesus. I rub hard at my temple. “You’re spying on me for my little sister?”
“She just wanted to know if you had a ‘tragic demeanor’ or whatever. If you still seem happy in New York. I’m supposed to relay that back to her.”
“Yeah, and what will you be relaying?”
“That you’re more pissed off I’m here.”
“Perfect.” I run my fingers through my hair again. “Maybe she won’t get any ideas.”
Vada chokes out a laugh. “This was her idea. She has the wildest plans.” She smiles afterward. The tiny gap between her two front teeth caused a lot of teasing when she was younger. Winona used to get in fights with guys over it. To which I would bail her out of and do my best not to throw a punch at those pricks.