Bow Down To Your King

Chapter 32

JULIA POV

Point Total: 8,325

I didn't go back to my dorm until the next morning, where Katie was waiting for me with a muffin and an iced coffee.

"You didn't have to do all that," I said, surprised by the gesture. After disappearing for the night, I expected an interrogation, not breakfast.

"You had a long night," she said, smiling.

"Yeah," I nodded, "It was okay."

"Just okay? You were gone for hours. I can't even calculate how many points you got, wait—do you have the video? I can go ahead and upload it now before class."

"About that," I laughed as if it was funny and not a source of burgeoning anxiety, "I never actually started recording."

Is this when I should say that nothing happened?

"What do you mean?"

"We fell asleep."

"You slept with him?" Katie asked, her eyes wide.

"No," I tugged on my sleeves, feeling more and more like an idiot by the second, "We just slept."

Her mouth opened, then it shut, then she spoke, "That's worse than fucking him."

It is?

I shrugged, "Sorry, I was just tired."

And he wasn't interested in anything else.

Katie sighed, "Yeah, I mean, I get it. You did fuck Dorian right before." Thank god. "The day isn't a total waste at least. Here, take this, it's hazelnut."

She held out the latte and accepted the offering.

I would need a fuck-ton more caffeine to keep myself awake.

Sleeping on the concrete roof is not for the faint of heart.

"You probably have time for a power nap in between lunch and your meeting with Susanne," Katie said, turning around and typing on her computer.

Susanne?

My heart sank as the idea of hunting down Zeke and spending the day with him tucked away somewhere quiet flew out the window.

It was for the best, though, I told myself.

"Okay," I said, already slipping off my shirt and heading to the shower. "I'll see you in a bit."

***

JULIA POV

Point Total: 8,325

I pushed the leftover peas over my cafeteria tray while everyone else started to collect their things and hurry to class.

Katie had left me to ask her math professor a question before the other students arrived, and I sat at our empty table, wondering how the fuck I got myself wrapped in this mess.

I turned just in time to see Zeke smiling at me from across the room, but I looked away before he worked up the nerve to leave his table of elitists and make our relationship public.

If he did, I worried that my fellow rebels would question my loyalty.

It didn't matter what I said, dating the king would raise eyebrows, as we were actively trying to take him down.

But maybe that wouldn't be the worst thing.

Before I could give up on the day and leave the room, Piper showed up and slid her tray beside mine.

"Can I sit here?" she asked, smiling.

"Pretty sure we're above formalities," I laughed lightly, setting down my fork and giving my peas a rest.

"Maybe," she said, "I'll remember that next time."

"Where have you been?" I asked. I hadn't seen her in a few days and with all the Zeke and Dorian dates, I hadn't had the time to check in.

"Oh, I've been helping Olivia move."

"Olivia left?"

"Well, she transferred to a less religiously in-your-face kind of school."

"Oh."

Good for her.

Piper tore a piece of her blueberry muffin off and popped it into her mouth. "So, how's your little project coming?"

"It's coming," I said, trying to hide the disappointment on my face.

"Yeah, I heard that Zeke and his lackey got into a fight last night."

I nodded, "Yeah, it was something about the games."

Piper sifted through her vegetable medley, "Serves them right."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know. They'll do anything to win and it's about time that caught up to them."

I had a feeling that there was more to the story than I knew.

I stared at her.

"Like, they don't mind hurting people close to them. Just ask Katie," she said, shrugging.

"Katie?"

"Yeah, you know she is an expert on all things Jared. Especially after what he did to her."

I frowned, "What did he do to Katie?"

Piper made eye contact with me. "You don't know?"

I shook my head.

"They used to date. You know the whole, take a video and screenshot it thing? That's all him. He taught her all that."

"What happened?" I asked, but the answer came to me as soon as I did.

The guy who submitted a video without her permission. The one who broke her heart.

Holy shit.

Was I just enacting her revenge on Jared? Was Zeke even a bad guy?

My stomach churned.

"I can't believe she didn't tell you, it was a huge thing, she was basically exiled from the royals."

She was in the royal court?

"For a video?

Piper sighed, "You didn't see the video."

I shook my head and she told me to ask Katie about it, unwilling to stir the pot anymore than she already had.