“Yeah, I remember. But… this building, Cadee. It’s been in the works for a while.” I decide not to tell her the strawberry champagne story my father told me. Who knows if that’s true or not. But I can tell her some of the other things. “I mean, I get it. My father is a powerful man. He grounded a commercial airline flight I was supposed to be on at the beginning of summer. But a four-story building in the middle of the woods?” I shake my head. “That place was planned. And his story about dedicating it to your parents, well. I can’t speak to that. But even if it was bullshit, saying it to everyone was a gesture you can’t exactly ignore.”
“He called me a legacy, Cooper. Do you think that’s weird? I mean, my parents didn’t want me to go to High Court. Even though I could’ve. They never told me they were students there. Why keep that a secret?”
“I dunno. Maybe… maybe they were like Victor, ya know? I mean, obviously they didn’t have money like the other families. And we both know that Victor has put up with some shit to drag his ass through that fucking school. Maybe they had high aspirations for you and didn’t want you stuck on that campus your whole life.” This is suddenly starting to make sense to me. And I can see that Cadee is thinking the same thing. “This is probably why Victor is living in the gardener’s cottage, right? He’s going to work here. Forever, Cadee. Maybe all those scholarship kids, maybe that’s their lot in life. Just like your parents. And they wanted more for you. So they kept you out of it.”
She thinks about this for a little while.
I pick up her bookstore bag, take the socks out, and dangle them in front of her. “These are damn cute socks, Cades.”
She cracks a grin.
I pull a little yellow miniskirt out of the bag and hold that up next. “Fucking hot.”
She covers her mouth and laughs.
Then I pull out a white shirt and a cropped hoodie. “What the hell? You bought a whole outfit?”
“Please don’t judge me, Cooper. Because I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I have had fantasies about wearing this stuff. And when I was a kid, I stole a uniform from the lost and found and I used to wear it when my parents weren’t home. I used to pretend I was a High Court Prep student.” She sighs. “It was all I wanted growing up. And I know wanting in is stupid. Especially when all you guys wanted out. But it drove me crazy not to be a part of High Court. And this morning, I don’t know. I felt like I was finally living my dream.” She shakes her head. “And now… I don’t know.” She looks up at me, her eyes glassy. Like she’s ready to cry. “I get it. There is a building with my name on it. On campus. I was honored this afternoon with a welcome ceremony as I stood next to Mona Monroe and Sophie Bettington. The real legacies. And even though it was all very confusing, I was excited about it.” She shrugs. “I was.”
And there it is. Proof that my father was right.
About one thing at least.
She wants this. She really does.
And the only reason she’s having these doubts is because I planted them there.
“Oh, hey,” I say, wanting to make her happy again. “I got sidetracked with the thought of your gold-tassel knee socks, but I came up here to tell you the real reason why my father came by.”
“Oh?”
“He wants me…” I hesitate. I never wanted this. I never wanted to run the summer rush or be some kind of symbol for the college. But I don’t like seeing Cadee all upset. I just want to make her smile. I want to make her believe that it’s all OK. I want to make her dream come true. I think she’s earned it. “He wants me to move in the new dorm.”
She shoots me a sidelong look. “And be the King? You’d hate that.”
“Yeah.” I breathe out. “Normally. Maybe. But… with you as my Queen?”
“I hope you told him no. I don’t want you to do that for me.”
“I told him yes, Cadee. And yes, I’m doing it for you. A little bit, at least. But mostly I’m just doing it for me. I think it’s been well established that I’m a pretty fucking selfish individual.”
“Liar.”
“No. Really. I want to live there with you. I want the fantasy. I’ve been pushing it away for three years now because the fantasy was conditional. And Isabella Huntington is a nice girl and I really do care about what happens to her, but she’s not my Queen. You are.” I take her hand and lace our fingers together. “Can you imagine how much fun it will be up on that roof, Cades? With the forest all around us. And all our friends in the same building.”
“Is Ax going?”
“No.” I sigh. “He says he’s staying here. He wants to fix the place up for you.”
“I can’t let him do that!”
“Why not? He wants to do it. It will give him… direction. Build some character.”
“Like he needs more character. People say a lot of things about Ax, but they almost never get him right.”
“I agree. Which is why you shouldn’t worry about Ax. And just… be happy about your new opportunity. It’s your first real year in school, Cadee. I really want you to enjoy it. It’s gonna be fun. So what do you think? Should we move in to the Cadee Hunter building tomorrow?” I hold up the socks. “I’ll let you wear school spirit.”
She giggles and her face lights up.
I owe her this happiness.
I offer her my hand and she takes it with a sigh, allowing me to pull her off the bed and lead her out of the room.
We go downstairs and join Ax out back for an impromptu barbeque. We drink beer and kick back on the ruins of the small amphitheater and watch the lake as the sun goes down.
And then later, when she’s in the shower and Ax is in his room, I text my dad.
Throw Lars out before I get there tomorrow and I’ll be your stupid King.
I don’t want to fight with Lars. I don’t want to give him up that easily. So I don’t want to be the one to force him out of the new position he accepted.
My position.
Because regardless of what anyone else thinks, I’m still the same old coward I was three years ago.
It takes my father a long time to respond, but finally he texts back, Done.
And then it’s settled.
I am the King.
CHAPTER TEN - CADEE
Walking from the parking lot to the new Hunter Building is like a fantasy coming true. I can’t stop smiling and my whole body is tingling with excitement. Even the woods have a shimmer to them. It’s just the sunlight filtering past the leaves at the top of the trees, but there are birds singing, and rabbits scurrying in the underbrush, and even a few butterflies.
“I feel like Cinderella,” I murmur.
Cooper has a hold of my hand and when he gazes down at me to smile, he gives it a squeeze. We were woken up this morning by a pair of men knocking on the door. They were sent by the Chairman to help us move our things. We don’t have a lot and the dorms are furnished, so we just brought our clothes. But it’s nice to be taken care of like this. Not something I’m used to.
A lot of the other Fang and Feather kids have already moved in, but there are a few stragglers like us too. And the entire building is practically bursting with activity. It feels like every kid from school is hanging out in the woods to gawk at the new building.