Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“You didn’t see what you thought you saw,” I said, tone dead. “She attacked me first. The girl pushes women off cliffs. I had to defend myself.”
“Keep working on that excuse.” Professor Anthony disappeared through a door to the left of his desk. “You might get someone to believe it.”
“She did attack me first,” I snapped. “Unprovoked.”
“I’m sure she did.” Adonis came out carrying a first aid kit. He motioned for me to sit. “But you didn’t respond the way you did unprovoked. What did she do?”
I arched a brow, and winced. Gabriella clawed up my face pretty good. “Do you really want to know, Professor Anthony? You made it clear you don’t want to speak about anything other than this week’s writing prompt.”
Adonis gently towed me to the seat I was refusing to sit in. Ignoring my glare, he poured antiseptic on a cotton ball and started dabbing my cuts. “I’ll make an exception to the conversation ban on the day I find you strangling a student on the way to lunch. What did she do to you, Luna?” His face was so close to mine—intense eyes tracing me as he worked.
“Doesn’t matter,” I said, looking away. “You’re still going to tell the dean because Gabriella will. She’ll go running to him with a sob story of minding her own business when the Dreg went psycho. She’ll tell him you saw the whole thing, and you’ll have to say that the only part of the fight you saw was the bit where she was pleading and gasping for air. What do the details matter?”
“I don’t have to do shit.”
He dropped that so bluntly, I started.
“I especially don’t have to back up a one-sided tale by someone who’s sore because they started a fight they didn’t win.” Adonis paused, his fingers lingering on my cheek. “Now tell me.”
“She... She said...” Tears prickled the back of my eyes. “She said Winter deserved what she got. That it was all her fault for coming in and upsetting her perfect little world.”
Adonis slowly leaned back. “Luna, I can’t— I’m sorry.”
“I know all about the new T.O.D. Club now.” I spat the name. “Someone started it back up six years ago, but with a lot more planning and security so it couldn’t get found out and shut down. It’s exactly what it sounds like—rich kids getting their adrenaline junkie thrills from stealing, cheating, sex, and lies. But they had to take it a step farther and include the Dregs as entertainment.”
“Entertainment?”
My lips twisted. “They’re getting off on it, Adonis. On making Dregs do terrible things for money. On sending us after each other. It’s like fucking cock fighting. They throw lattes at me, harass me on the quad, destroy my clothes, and lure me into traps. Meanwhile, people like Gabriella get to sit back and laugh while keeping their hands clean.
“It’s what they did to Winter,” I cried. “She said it was like everyone just turned against her, but they didn’t. Why would they? No one knew the secret she discovered that set all this off. The real person after her paid Dregs to bully her, and then when she wouldn’t give in, they unleashed the worst of the Royal hounds.
“And while all this is happening, no one—no one—is doing a thing to stop it. No one warns her. No one refuses the dares and money. No one finds a shred of decency in their soul. What do the Royals care about the life of one Dreg? Dregs are their playthings.”
“Stop calling yourself that.” Adonis dropped to his knees at my feet. “You’re no Dreg, Luna.”
“No, what I am is an idiot.” Salty wetness dripped onto my tongue. I realized then that I was crying. “We’re all idiots. Here we are, wasting our lives trying to be a good person. Following the rules and doing right. And what did that get me? What did it get Winter?
“But the Royals don’t even try. They’re cruel, selfish, and self-absorbed. They take what they want, when they want it. They treat everyone like garbage. Literally call people garbage! And what do they have? Everything.
“They have wealth, privilege, and standing. They’re all a few years away from taking control of the country.”
“Luna—”
“It’s a lie, Adonis. It’s the great lie that good people—kind people will be recognized for what they do, and one day that good fortune will come back to them. While they’re sitting around waiting, people like Gabriella, Saylor, and Levi are snatching it away and laughing all the way to the top.”
Adonis cupped my cheek. “Luna, slow down—”
Lurching forward, I grasped his face with both hands. “Aren’t you fucking sick of it? You did everything you were supposed to do. You were a good son. A good brother. You worked hard and earned everything you have. You met a woman, fell in love, committed to a future with her, and where are you now, Adonis?