just fall | ✓

13.

I improved over the following few days so much that Clara felt that it was no longer necessary for our late night lessons to continue, and quite honestly, I wasn't upset about it – the poor princess had to worry about helping her brothers with the competition along with her own studies and projects. I was just thankful that she'd been willing to help me even though she knew that she already had far too many responsibilities for an almost-sixteen-year-old.

I still spent plenty of time with her, even though we no longer met up every night so that I could learn about the fifteen utensils I really don't need. This was the princes' competition, sure, but Clara still sat with us in the Women's Room and went out with all of us for walks around the palace or the garden. She was just as diligent as her brothers (although noticeably more so than Alexander in particular). Although she spent time with the other Selected, the amount of time that she spent with Aquia and I was noticeably greater than the time she spent interacting with the others. And she was telling us more than she probably should have. I had a sneaking suspicion than Clara was attempting to sway the competition, but there was no hard proof of this. 

Aquia and I sat together at all meals and often got ready together for different events. We got along a little too well – something that Mason was always quick to remind me of, usually accompanied by a quick grin, a flash of a wink, or a small laugh. Aquia was the friend that I had never had, a friend that wasn't acquired through violent or otherwise unsavory means. We didn't discuss any sort of illegal plans or plots of vengeance, and although it had been a long time since I had had discussions with someone my age of anything other than that, I found myself growing more and more accustomed to it.

Mason and I got on well too, and although we could both acknowledge that the other was attractive, all compatibility ended there. We laughed about it often, how the two people that everyone seemed to want to push together wanted nothing more than to be pushed towards someone else. We didn't share nearly as much as Alexander and I, but we made more than enough off-handed sarcastic comments and dark, terrible jokes for the other to put together bits and pieces of the other. I thought that we got along so well because of this awful sense of humor. At least we both agreed that bad jokes and a mutual agreement that the other was hot weren't the makings of a good foundation for a relationship.

It was Wednesday, and the Angeles heat was oppressive. Mason and I were seated beneath the trees near a lake, sweating our asses off but happy for some semblance of privacy.

"Has Aquia said anything about me lately?" He asked. He had originally tried to be more subtle, asking if anyone had said anything about him since our previous date. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for him, I quickly figured out who anyone was and started answering only for her. His attempts at denial had been unsuccessful, so we went with it.

I rolled my eyes. "She can't stop talking about you. She's absolutely crazy about you. Maybe you should spend a little more time with her."

"I want to," he said, looking off towards the water, where two birds were basking in the water. "But I can't, you know? My father's already gotten on my ass for spending too much time with you two. He's gotten on all of our asses, actually. He doesn't think that there's much worth in spending so much time with you two when neither of you are exceptionally beautiful or connected to anyone useful." He said it sourly and even threw in an eye roll for good effect. "Considering he married my mother because he loved her and not for any of that bullshit, you'd think he'd be a bit more understanding."

I tried for consoling. "Parents are tough."

"Yours aren't."

"Well, to be fair, I only have one." It didn't earn a laugh like I'd hoped. "My mom was tough on me too, you know. The first year or so after my dad died was hell. She was always on my ass about something. Now it's always about my job. It brings in money, but she hates it."