When We Were Young

Twenty-four:

Twenty-four:

Alina had changed her outfit several times, and now she was now pacing back and forth playing with her phone. Genya lay on her bed, flipping through a magazine, periodically looking up at her with an obnoxious, knowing look on her face.

Alina glanced over to her. "He wouldn't tell me anything about where were going."

Genya looked up and pushed her magazine off to the side. "Who didn't tell you anything about where you were going?"

"Aleks," she said, "Morozova. Satan. Whatever you want to call him. All he said was that we were going out tonight. He said nothing about what to wear, about the weather, no information at all! Who even does that?"

"Aleksander Morozova," Genya told her, "Because he thinks the world revolves around him, and he's from the world that sort of makes it true. Unfortunately."

Alina sighed. "I shouldn't have agreed to this. Going somewhere with someone I barely know who has been known for messing with people I'm friends with for their enjoyment? This is a very, very dumb move. I shouldn't go. What if someone sees us? What if---"

"Relax," Genya told her, "This is going to be completely fine, okay? Lina, I know you don't like letting new people in, but it's going to be fine. I promise. He isn't trying to use you. He wants you. He told me he said that he told you that he was taking this seriously."

Alina plopped down on her bed with her hands laced behind her back. "Yeah, he did. I mean, he's said that he's serious, but this is how things have gone my whole life. Someone claims they want me, and then it doesn't work out..."

Genya sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "Look, when I was in private school, people hated me because I was cousins with Nikolai and Vasily. Everyone knows they're ex royalty, and their father is one of the richest men in Ravka, and there was that whole scandal with one of their sisters. My Dad is one of the ambassadors. Nobody wanted to talk to me, and Aleksander didn't care. He became friends with me anyway because that is the type of person that he is. He's not going to do anything to hurt you, Alina. All you've got to do is let him be himself, and he'll give you the world if you ask for it."

Alina pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly. "What if I ask for it, and this is just because he wants to sleep with me? Or worse, it really does turn out that it is all about Mal? I don't want to be someone that's just used by people. Everyone thinks because I'm an orphan, they can tell me what to do and I won't do anything. And I guess that's true but I..."

Genya got up from her bed and walked over to where Alina sat on hers, sitting down next to her. "He's not gonna hurt you, babe. If that were his end game, he wouldn't have made the bet last so long. He's in this, totally and completely. Would I lie to you?"

Alina smiled. "No. I trust you. Besides, you're coming on the away game with me, right? Maybe that will give me some time to clear my head."

Genya coughed. "Yeah, I'm totally going with you to the away game. As long as nothing else comes up."

"As long as nothing else comes up?" Alina said.

"You know, life. In general. Don't worry, I've got you Alina and---"

There was a knock on the door, and Genya let out a squeal before she bounced up and opened it. Genya frowned. "Nikolai?" she tilted her head to the side. "What are you doing here?"

"Is Alina here?"

Alina heard her name, and she walked over to the door to peak over Genya's shoulder. "Hi, Lantsov. What are you doing here?"

"So um," Nikolai ran his hand through his blond hair, "something came up. I was sent here to tell you in person, because Aleksander wasn't able to text."

Alina frowned. "Something came up? Is Al---is Morozovoa okay?"

"He said to tell you that it wasn't what you thought. He wasn't backing out because of Mal, but we got back today from practice, and his mom was there. They had a fight about something, but I couldn't make out what it was about. Either way, she dragged him out of the frat house, and he said he wouldn't be back until next weekend for the game. She wouldn't let him take his cell phone, either."

Alina frowned. "Why wouldn't she let him take his cell phone?"

Nikolai and Genya exchanged looks, that Alina didn't like. Genya turned back to face Alina. "Aleks and his mom have a complicated relationship. She's not the most loving of mothers. She has certain expectations of him, and Aleksander has decided that he wants nothing to do with her expectations. She has a private investigator follow him to make sure that he does what she wants, and if he doesn't...he gets one of these visits."

"What didn't he do?" Alina asked.

Nikolai shrugged. "No idea, but um...he might be a little messed up when he comes back. So, it's not you, okay? It's him."

"Right. Um...if he doesn't have his phone, what about his e-mail? Something where---"

Nikolai shook his head. "He'll be back, okay? But just...give it a minute."

"A minute," said Alina, "right...that's going to be a very long minute." There was worry in her voice, and she slumped back to her bed, where she crawled up in a ball and didn't move until the very next morning despite Genya's many attempts to cheer her up.