“Did you tell my dad about Hershey?” Any heroism he may have shown I threw out the window at the possibility, and such an act seemed just dark enough he’d actually do it. He’d been right that day in the hall when he let into me. I didn’t know him.
Royal got to his back, coughing as he shook his head. “Of course I didn’t. The reason I’m here is for her. I’m why she’s here and not at a pound.”
None of that made sense. How would he know Hershey was even at the pound to get?
“Mira,” he let me in on. “She gave your dad an anonymous tip at his office. I guess she saw us that night at the pumpkin patch. Her dad’s the other owner, and though she doesn’t live on the property, she happened to be there that night. Fuck, she probably watched us the whole goddamn night.”
The disgust of that I ignored for the red I saw. “She told?”
“Yeah, caught her bragging about it to some of the cheerleaders.” He rose up, dangling muscular arms over his knees. “After I heard, I called around, and when I figured out where Hershey was, I had my uncle come and get her. This is his vet clinic. I was coming to get her now to take her to Windsor House. I figured, better than the damn pound.”
“Why?” My throat was thick again, tight. “Why would you do that?” He’d been ignoring me, made others ignore.
He faced me. “Because I’m putting my neck out for you for some reason. Because I keep putting my neck out for you, fuck.” He forced fingers through sooty blond hair. “It’s like I’m a goddamn glutton for punishment or something, helping you out as some sick way to do right by Paige and take care of her sister while she’s gone or something…”
He’d ranted, that I knew.
But that didn’t stop the fact that he said it.
Royal Prinze had spoken his truth, and I’d been completely there for it.
I dampened my lips. “So was screwing me looking out for me too?”
Royal’s eyes flashed like he just realized, like everything he said he was suddenly there for too. “December…”
“No, it’s fine.”
“December. Em—”
He grabbed my arm, but I pulled away.
“You don’t call me that,” I said, shaking my head. “Only my sister calls me that.”
His lids lowered. “December, let me…”
“No,” I gritted and reaching into my pocket, I took out the ring I found on the tracks. I threw it at him, and of course, he caught it easy. My jaw worked. “I found that on the tracks that day at Route 80. It’s evidence I’m not the only one who thinks you and your Court are a bunch of assholes.”
He said nothing as he’d been lifting up the ring, and by that time, the fire trucks and EMTs had finally come. The building burst into flames behind us, a manifested end to the fucked-up-ness that was my start with Royal Prinze.
Twenty
Royal decided to opt out of going to the hospital after getting checked out by the EMTs. He’d been deemed fine and had no reason to stay, so he didn’t. He left so quick, in fact, I’d barely seen him leave, and just as well. He was the last person I wanted to see right now, and though I’d been told I was fine too, I did decide to go to the hospital. It’d give me more time to figure out what I should do now that I was homeless and with a little dog. I’d also been told they’d have someone come to the hospital to check Hershey out since I inquired, and I wanted to make sure she was good too. They let us ride in the back of the ambulance and everything, but any thrill that might have come from that burst into fiery flame just like the vet clinic that burned when we ventured away from it. I had no idea what’d been up with the fire or how it happened, but it sure did expose a lot of bullshit. I wanted to leave it and everything about this place behind, and now that I had Hershey back, there was really no reason to stay.
I dangled my feet for a long time as I sat on a white hospital bed, my arm covered in a white bandage. I’d caught an ember or something trying to escape the fire, and the doctor here wanted more of a look at the work the EMTs did on me. While I waited, my puppy currently had the time of her life in the children’s ward of the hospital. She’d also been given a clean bill of health by a local vet they brought in. The only reason she wasn’t here now was because the nurse wanted to show her around to some of the kids who wouldn’t be getting out of here tonight for various ailments. It gave Hershey something to do and me a minute’s ease to get my head together. I basically had no choice but to go back to my aunt after this. She’d been called and gave me an earful for running into that building after a dog. She was happy I was okay, though, and after I begged to go home, she said she’d look into getting Hershey and me a flight. Aunt Celeste had several dogs growing up, so she said the new addition would be okay. She just wanted to make sure I was sure about coming home.
I hoped I was.
After the doctor gave me the all clear, he stepped out for a second, and that’s when half the basketball team came into the room, Birdie ahead of them. Several nurses attempted to fight them all back, but Birdie was able to make her way through as the staff said, “One at a time.” It turned out she was that one, and after waving off the team, Shakira and Kiki amongst them, Birdie joined me near the examination table, nothing but a wild panic on her face.
“Holy hell, girl,” she said, noticing my arm immediately. It looked worse than it actually was, a first-degree burn. “Shit. It’s true. You and Royal were in a fire? What the hell?”
“How did you find out?” I asked, actually happy to see her despite how she and the others had been ignoring me. I guess I couldn’t help but long for friendship in a time of vulnerability.
“The news,” she said, looking up from the bandage to my eyes. “You two are all over it.”
I forgot they’d been there, asking questions I didn’t want or know how to answer about the fire and ones Royal had flat-out refused to answer. He’d been on the other side of the lot, but I’d watched as he held a hand up and washed his hands of the media. He’d zoomed away in his Audi quickly after that, nothing more than a bandage to secure a cut on his forehead, and his thoughts definitely hadn’t been on me. He’d left without checking to see if I was okay.
Again, all as well.