Frankly My Dear, All's Fair in Love and War

12: The Demon and the Liar

Lucas's text came half an hour before lunchtime.

'Demon only wants to eat at Gastromaquia for lunch. You better come to the parking lot at 11:50 STAT. Nobody can get out out school without him.'

Another text came shortly thereafter.

'*Desmond* damn typo.'

Cassie giggled. She knew for sure that the typo wasn't unplanned. But she never realized that the students of St. Pulkeria could get out of the school at lunchtime. A private school of this scale could provide any kind of meal that the kids ever needed; vegan, gluten-free, salt-free, sugar-free, NonGMO, and other dietary restrictions any rich kid might have.

In fact, the security of this place was top-notch. Kids would go in at 8 at most and then they could only get out of school at 2, after all of their classes had been concluded. Kids needed special slips if they wanted to get out early, but even then, the school infirmary was great enough to handle sick kids, since St. Pulkeria had its own doctor and the latest first-kit emergencies.

Long story short: nobody would be able to get out of the school before the intended time window. Unless they're dying or dead. The principal had made sure of it.

But of course the rule didn't apply for Desmond. His great-great grandparents were the reasons why this school had been built at the first place, after all. He wasn't just a legacy, he was a Royal Legacy.

Cassie texted Lucas. 'What should I order at Gastromaquia?'

'Are you kidding me? Of course mineral water!'

Cassie surreptitiously sucked on the last sweet taste of her sugar free gum. She'd been stockpiling on these live-saver for the last few weeks. Being 120 pounds wasn't something that she could get used to. She was used to being able to eat what she wanted, to be in a certain weight that she was slightly uncomfortable with so that she could chomp down food the way she liked it.

She closed her eyes and recited her mantra. Just four months. Just four months. Just four months.

Problem arose when at 11:45, Tristan still didn't get out of the Science lab.

Cassie had been waiting in front of the lab for him. The Elites that were the People who Mattered had already scurried past her, most of them giving her an acknowledging nod or urging her to come with them.

"If you're not with Desmond when you're going out, the guard won't let you go!"

Cassie only smiled in a chagrined way and waved them goodbye. How could she be of use if she only arrived at the cafe alone, without her supposedly Great Big Love that was Tristan?

Tyra had also been texting her.

'What are you doing? Parking lot. NOW!'

An exclamation point combined with all-capital letters from Tyra spelled trouble. Still, Cassie wouldn't dare going out there without Tristan. And he was still so busy observing the bacteria under his comically big google.

From the same exact class, Desmond emerged. It was 11:47. He saw Cassie, and she was reminded by the text that he had sent her earlier. 'What are you doing with him?' Cassie hadn't responded to his text. She hadn't once responded to any of his text. It took her a mountain of willpower to do that, because how satisfying it would be to have a textargument with him. To maybe slip a little bit of her resentment towards him and let him know how hurt she had been because of him.

But Tyra made her promise to not do it. To never respond to Desmond's text. To never give him any kind of attention that he demanded.

"You're coming for lunch?" he asked. A bystander might have deduced that it was a casual, friendly conversation between two people who circulated in the same friend-circle. But there was a certain ice on his voice, a little bit of edge that clip his tone.