Eden

She snorts. “I hadn’t thought about it that way, but I guess you’re right. It’s apparently all or nothing with me.”

The elevator dings onto my floor, and I step out into the hall.

“How often do you guys get to see each other?” I ask as I walk to my door.

“Titus has been trying to pop in every other weekend or so,” she says. “He wants to take me on a trip, soon. Just the two of us. He said I can pick the place. Wherever I want to go.”

“What are you thinking?”

“To be honest, I’m torn between Tokyo and Paris. I want to see both cities so badly, and it’s really hard to choose between them.”

“Well, just think of it this way, whichever one you don’t choose for this trip, I’m sure Mr. James would be more than happy to take you to your second destination another time.”

“I just don’t do this kind of thing, you know,” she says. “Jump into a relationship so quickly.”

I reach my door and unlock it.

Letting it swing open, I say into the phone, “Just be yourself. That’s what you’re always telling me…”

I trail off as my eyes land on my prom dress—or rather, what’s left of it.

It’s been destroyed.

“Mallory? Are you okay? Did I lose you?”

I can hear Carley’s voice, but I’m struggling to comprehend her words.

“I’m … I’m fine,” I manage to mutter. “I have to go, Carley. I’ll call you a little later.”

“Wait, Mallory, you have to tell me what’s wrong, I—”

I end the phone call in a daze without replying to her and stare down at my ruined dress. Someone’s ripped it to shreds. Who would do this?

My first instinct is Laurel as I creep across my room toward the dress. I drop to my knees and begin scooping up the pieces when I realize there’s a sealed envelope among the wreckage. Carefully, I pick it up and rip the top open, pulling out the piece of paper inside. It’s not really a letter, more like a note. There are only three words written in bold black ink across the page.

CALL YOUR MOTHER.

Shit. I should’ve guessed it was Nora. Laurel’s not smart enough to break into my room. There’s a phone number written below the command, and I grab my phone and dial it.

It’s answered on the second ring, and I’m shocked when Nora herself, not Ghost, is on the other end.

“I told you to stay the fuck away from Saint Angelle,” she snarls, not even bothering with a “Hey, how are you.”

“You told me a lot of things, Nora,” I reply. “This one has been particularly impossible. It’s hard to avoid Saint Angelle when he refuses to ignore you.”

“Well, I suggest you figure out a way to convince him you’re not worth the trouble,” she snaps. “I don’t think you’ll like the consequences if you don’t do as I tell you.”

“Nora, I…” I trail off when I hear a noise in her background.

Someone’s crying.

Another moment, and I recognize Je

“What have you done to her?” I demand.

“Calm down,” Nora huffs. “She’s out of her medicine and she’s throwing one of her fits, but she’ll be fine. You on the other hand? Ghost will pick you up tomorrow. You and I need to have a chat face-to-face.”

The phone clicks, and I’m met with total silence. She hung up on me. Shaken, I drop my phone onto the rag pile that was once my beautiful gown. My promise of normal.

Any optimistic thoughts I’d had that I could experience one thing like any other high schooler are completely gone. I’ll never have a normal moment so long as I’m here, and I can’t even blame Saint for it. Not really.

In the end, he’s really just another pawn in Nora and Jameson’s game. It’s not his fault that my life is a raging dumpster fire.

And now, I have to go back and convince him that I hate him all over again.