Page 79
Story: Princes of Chaos
“He’s a peon,” Nick says, frowning. “Don’t insult him by not allowing him to do his chores.” He nods over at Danner. “Plus, shouldn’t he be the one wiping your ass—” Lavinia sharply clears her throat and Nick’s mouth clicks shut. “I mean… mouth?”
Remy jerks his chin. “He’s just here to make sure the Princess doesn’t fall on some premium West End dick and get knocked up by the wrong frat.” He says this casually, like my cheeks aren’t flaming red.
“I’m pretty sure he’s making sure we adhere to the rules of the negotiations,” Sy says, giving me a kind smile. “Porterfield, take the Princess’ plate.”
“I’ve got it.” I say, jumping up and stacking his plate on top of mine. I could use some space. That’s the thing about DKS. There’s no filter with them. Ever. Normally, I’m used to it. What I’m not used to is being the focus of the talk. I walk toward the massive tub for dirty dishes, but halfway there, I’m blocked by a guy, his frame wiry but muscular. Startled, I look up into Ballsack’s eyes.
“Hey,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I just wanted to thank you for helping me out.” He looks like he took eight rounds in the ring with Nick. It makes it hard to hold his gaze, knowing that the men responsible have touched me. Been inside. Left parts of themselves there.
And that I’ve let them.
I look away. “I didn’t do much.” And it certainly wasn’t intentional. No one even knew he was missing, least of all me.
Shrugging, he offers, “You opened the door. God knows how much longer they would have kept me there.” He holds up his hand, fingers still taped together. “Or how many nails I would’ve had left.”
“I’m glad I was able to help provide the opportunity.” I give him a smile that feels forced, realizing I’d missed the sounds of his own laughter during dinner. “How are you doing?”
“Okay.” His gaze darts around the room behind me, and I notice his eyes are a little haunted. “Those Princes… they’re more than what they seem, aren’t they?”
“They’re… complicated,” I admit, and maybe my eyes are a little haunted too, because his mouth twists at the word.Complicated. Understatement. “Just like any Royal, right?”
His eyes dart over my shoulder where I know Danner is waiting. “Are you safe there, Ver?”
It’s strange to hear the question from a guy like Ballsack. If the Dukes are like big brothers to me, then Ballsack is our wily nephew, always a little too eager to serve the frat. I thought the worst part of this visit would be facing the people who don’t care about me anymore, but I was wrong.
The worst part, by far, is facing the people who still do.
“Nothing I can’t handle.” The assurance feels a little more natural here than it did with Lavinia. I guess that’s how it goes. Lies take practice. Unfortunately, Ballsack doesn’t look convinced, so I swiftly change the subject. “Everything still good with you and Laura? I was looking for her earlier but haven’t seen her.”
“Eh,” he rubs the back of his neck. “Not sure.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
He shrugs. “When I got back from my… uh, trip? She was gone.”
“What do you mean gone?”
“Like, she ghosted me. Hard. Haven’t seen her around here either.” His shoulder lifts again. “Maybe she’s mad about me taking off? Or just used it as an excuse to bolt. Who knows? Chicks are crazy.” He makes a face. “Present company excluded.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I’m sure she’ll be back. Maybe she just went on a trip or something. Or back home to her parents.”
“Yeah, maybe.” He looks a little sad, so I let the topic drop. I feel bad for the guy. It was obvious he really liked her, and I’m not sure how to tell him that Laura’s always been kind of a free spirit. Maybe she took his absence as a chance to get some space.
I linger by the kitchen for a minute longer, making small talk with some of the guys. The girls have gone back to their dismissive, icy demeanor, which isn’t a surprise. Although Lavinia has some sway with the cutsluts, there’s only one person who truly leads them.
My mother.
Taking a deep breath, I cross the room and approach her office. The door is open, but I knock, tapping on the glass window. “Whatcha need?” she asks, not looking up, and I freeze.
What do I need?
I need someone to talk to who won’t feel guilty about how grisly the truth is. I need someone to tell me it gets better. I need to cry and vent and punch out all the rage I’m feeling over having all autonomy over my body stripped from me, day after day. What I need is my mother, but this isn’t something we can sweep under the rug. I know it before I say, “Just checking in.”
“Oh,” she says, glancing up over the top of her glasses. She folds her hands on her desk. “Are you still the Princess?”
And there it is. “Yes.”
“Then we don’t have anything to talk about.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213