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“If you saw what I saw, you would know that they genuinely care for you. I’m telling you, Phoenix, Chad’s lying.” Her phone pings, and she picks up it up. She snaps a few pictures of herself and sends it to whoever is on the other end.
I stare down at the three black roses. Then I close my eyes and silently hope that Chad was just trying to get a rise out of me.
As we pull up to the hotel, I can sense the lights and flashes going off from people around us taking pictures. But my mind’s too preoccupied to notice much else. Liz grabs my hand, and we walk through the lobby and into the ballroom.
When we get in, my eyes finally make out my surroundings, and I come out of my haze.
It’s beautiful. Large crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Beautiful, dark wooden exposed beams run along the ceiling. Tables are scattered throughout with expensive rose centerpieces at each table. Engraved in the silver vase is our school crest. Off to the right there’s an archway and a backdrop for us to take pictures at. And a giant wooden floor in the center of the room for us to dance on.
“Wow. This is amazing,” I say in awe.
“What? You never went to a dance before?”
I shake my head. “No, but they held them in our gymnasium. And I saw that every day. It was nothing special. They taped a couple balloons to the bleachers and a spinning light by the DJ. This … this is beautiful.”
She tugs on my arm. “Come on. Let’s go find your men. We can settle this crazy once and for all so you can enjoy it.”
We start to walk around the ballroom in search of the kings. You would think that people would be buzzing about them coming solo to a dance, but no one has even mentioned them since I walked in. As we walk past the dance floor, the whispers start.
“Oh my god, look at them.”
“Fuck they are so hot.”
“I’d give anything to hang off of the Kings’ arms.”
“The queens are so lucky.”
Wait, what?
I turn in the direction from where we came, and my entire world at that moment stops spinning. The wind’s knocked out of me, and I’m pretty sure I let out a loud gasp as a result.
I can’t believe my eyes.
Daxon, Mason, and Colton come sauntering into the ballroom, each with aqueenat their side. Bianca is hanging off of Daxon’s arm smiling up at him. Mason’s arm is wrapped around Tiffany’s waist, and Colton has his arm around Jacklyn’s shoulder.
No!
I look at Liz, and she looks at me; her face has gone pale. She shakes her head at me and then turns back towards the Royal Court entering the dance.
No, no, no. This can’t be real. They asked me. They were supposed to go with me. I close my eyes and open them again, hoping that what I saw was a dream.
But it’s real.
As if they can sense me, all three kings’ eyes find me. They start to make their way over to me, and I’m too frozen in place to make a run for it. Their gazes lock in on me, and I can’t read a single one of them.
“Aw, sweetie.” Bianca’s voice is like a knife to my ear drum. “Did you actually think that they would go with you? How cute.” She smiles at me, on the verge of laughing. The three kings stand there, stoically, not saying a word but staring at me with not a single emotion in their eyes.
“What? What’s going on? Daxon, please talk to me. This is a joke, right? Mason, please.” I look at Mason and then Daxon, but they say nothing.
“Oh, it absolutely is the best fucking joke ever. You really thought that if you spread your legs for them, they would all fall in love with you?” She cackles loudly. “Best part is you had no problem spreading it for all three at once.”
“Let’s go, Phoenix.” Liz pulls on me from my left, but I’m frozen in place.
“It’s cute that you think you had a chance.” She places her left hand on his chest, and that’s when I see it.
A giant diamond ring on her finger. My mouth drops open and the tears fill my eyes. And then I see all three of the queens have diamonds on their hands. I shake my head. No, this isn’t real.
“They have always been ours. Our families have had this lined up since we were kids. Now, we aren’t that cruel. We let our fiancés have a little fun, but I think it’s time they stop playing with the trash of Darkwood. Don’t you think, ladies?” The other two nod in agreement.