The Heir

Chapter 15

"What the hell is your problem?" Hannah's voice cuts through my sleep like a knife.

I groan and roll away from her, pulling my pillow over my head in the process. Look, I knew someone was going to bring it up. You know, the whole punching Noah square in the nose and then fleeing thing. But I wasn't expecting it to start before I'm even out of bed.

"Stop yelling," I mutter.

"No," she rips back my blanket and tosses it to the floor.

"That's cashmere," I frown.

"What is wrong with you?" Hannah props her hands on her hips. "Why the hell did you punch Noah?"

"I don't like surprises," I say, tossing my pillow at her. "He scared me, that's all."

"Well your dislike for surprises put him in the infirmary," she states. "You broke his nose."

"I didn't mean to," I half heartedly defend myself, making a mental note to visit him there later.

"Well you did."

I glance at the clock on her bedside table, "I'm sorry. I need to go to ballet."

"Not until we finish talking about this," she exclaims as I climb out of bed.

"There's nothing to talk about," I insist as I begin digging through my wardrobe. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

"You didn't even stay for the party," she says dejectedly. There it is; the real reason she's upset.

"I appreciate the gesture," I say, looking over my shoulder at her. "But surprises are not my thing."

"God," she groans, plopping down on the edge of her bed. "I should've listened to Ryan."

I quirk a brow and she continues, "he told me you'd hate it. He told me not to throw the party."

"You're right," I say as I peel off my pajamas. "You should have listened to him."

"What has gotten into you?" she tosses her hands up.

"What are you talking about?" I roll my eyes.

"Why are you so on edge lately?" she asks. I can see it in her face; this question goes beyond our current fight. She's actually worried about me.

But I can't tell her the truth. I can't tell her that I have cultivated the perfect lie here. I can't tell her that my brother is threatening to unravel the strings that hold it all together. I can't tell her what will happen if my brother exposes us. I can't tell her about my fight with my dad. I can't tell her anything.

So, I settle for a feeble lie, "auditions for the fall show are coming up. It's my last year to make an impression."

"You care way too much about something you can't even make a career of," she scoffs.

I start pulling my hair into a bun and take a steadying breath. I know I'm not perfect, despite my best efforts, but I'm damn good at what I do. It would be nice if she could support me the way I support her and all of our friends.

"It's important to me," I mutter, slipping a sweatsuit over my leotard.

"We should be important to you," she insists, jumping off the bed. "Do you know how much time and effort I-"

"Not everything is about you," I finally snap. Hannah blinks hard, maybe a foot away from me at this point.

As much as I love her, she's easily one of the most self absorbed people I've ever met. Every boy that approaches me is somehow her newest crush. Every race Lina enters she finds a way to enter as well. There is a difference between the two of us that needs to be pointed out.