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Chapter Twenty-Two

"Any big plans for the day?" Addison asks as she flops down on my bed. "Because I have nothing." 

"I'm supposed to be seeing Cameron tonight." 

"Well, duh. You see him every night. I meant besides that." 

"Well, I was actually planning on taking a trip down to the kitchens later, probably sometime after lunch," I say as I walk over to my vanity. 

"Why?" 

"I asked some of the kitchen staff the other day if it would be okay for me to make something, and they told me today would be the best day to come since there are no events going on right now." 

"What are you planning on making?" 

I start straightening the papers on the desk. 

"Oh, nothing important." 

"Then you should have no problem telling me what it is," she says, and I sigh. 

"Fine. But be honest with me. If you think this is a stupid idea, tell me," I begin. "I wanted to make Cameron a batch of cinnamon rolls. He's been really stressed lately. These past few days have been hard on him. The advisors are making him pay for dismissing London, but also at the same time wanting him to keep cutting the numbers down. Saying that a smaller group of girls is going to be better for him to manage. That's why he sent Macy and Kira home this week, and they didn't exactly take the news of their leaving very well. And he hates thinking that he's responsible for their pain. He's been so busy that we've barely seen each other. We've been able to share a few quick words here and there in the hallway right after meals, when he can even make it to those. So, tonight is the first time in a couple of nights that we actually have time together. And I thought that since cinnamon rolls are his favorite, that maybe they would cheer him up a little bit." 

"Wren, that is literally the cutest idea ever." 

"You think?" 

"Of course! Trust me. He's going to love it." 

"I hope so." 

"Would you like a helper while making them?" she asks. "Because I am so tired of sitting in the Women's Room, day in and day out." 

"Sure, I could use the company." 

"Great!" 

I walk over and flop down on my bed next to her. We both lay there, staring at the ceiling in a comfortable silence for a while. 

"So. We're down to 15 girls now." 

"I know," I mutter. "It feels unreal." 

"We're so close to being in the Elite. Do you think that's what his advisors are pushing him to get to?" 

"Probably. But I think he's reluctant to reduce the numbers down to ten so quickly." 

"Why do you think that?" 

"I don't know. Just that we said that we would give this whole relationship thing time. Time to truly get to know each other and possibly fall in love. And I think that when he cuts it down to the Elite, it makes the whole thing a lot more real. And the country will expect him to pick very soon after that. Even though he can take all the time he wants, there are a lot of people that are going to expect him to not waste time. Being in the Elite also means more preparations for us to learn how to be Queen, and he knows how insecure I am about that part of it. I think he might be scared that once all of the Queen stuff is thrusted upon me that I'll run," I explain. 

"Will you?" she asks. 

"I'd like to say no. I really, really like Cameron. But being Queen scares me. And I don't know how I would react when all of the expectations of the title and crown are placed on me. But I don't want to run away. I want to give this whole thing a fair chance. That means being Queen as well. I don't want to give up at the first sign of discomfort."