Royally Falling

~ 26 ~

"But it's not the fact that you kissed him yesterday
It's the feeling of betrayal, that I just can't seem to shake
And everything I know tells me that I should walk away
But I just wanna stay"
Be Alright - Dean Lewis

oOoOo

(Kaden's POV)

Sunday morning comes with no response from Kate.

She hasn't answered any of my texts, calls, or Snapchats.

I don't know if she's purposely ignoring me, or if something happened to her. Either way, I hope she's okay.

She may be a liar and cheater, but I can't find it in myself to hate her.

I decide to head back to campus earlier than I planned. I'm planning on showing up at her place to talk. Since she's not answering any of my messages, I had to resort to texting Marc. He promised to let me into their penthouse this afternoon.

He doesn't know why I urgently need to come over. I'm assuming he wouldn't let me come over if he knows my plans, so I intentionally didn't tell him.

My parents drop me off at the frat house a little after eleven o'clock. I unpack my duffel bag and drive to Kate's building.

When I arrive at Kate's building, I hop out of the car and text Marc to come get me.

oOoOo

Minutes later, we're in the penthouse. I walk towards Kate's bedroom.

I hover outside her door for a moment, gaining the courage to confront her.

I take a deep breath and turn the doorknob.

I clear my throat nervously, "Hey."

Kate's blonde head whips around. She's laying on her bed, watching a movie on her computer.

"Hey?" It sounds more like a question. "I didn't know you were coming over today. What's up?"

"Um, I don't know how to even start. I have a hundred thrown out speeches I almost texted you, but I thought it would be better to do this in person. Plus, you haven't been answering my calls or texts," I ramble nervously.

Why am I so nervous all the sudden? She's the one who should be nervous.

"Oh, sorry about that. I dropped my phone in the pool yesterday. It's sitting in a bag of rice right now," she chuckles.

"Okay," I say flatly.

"What's wrong? You sound upset?"

Instead of responding, I pull the magazines my mom bought out of my backpack. I set them down in front of her.

She looks at the cover. Her face pales and she curses under her breath.

"Are these true?"

She takes a shallow breath in through her teeth.

"Yes."

I wait for more information, but she doesn't offer anything else.

I guess I'll just have to do all the work in this conversation.

"Okay, lemme get this straight. You are a princess and are engaged to Prince Xavier?"

I purposely mess up his name. I fucking hate that guy so much. Why does he get to be the one to marry Kate?

"Yes. It's actually Xander, though," she whispers, avoiding my eyes.

She really has the nerve to correct me?