Page 339 of A University of Betrayal

Chapter 60

Emely

Elastic Heart – Cover

Bryson Andres

Whoever had been playing a joke on Harlow, my uncle had been the only one with a grin on his lips when the hacker had made the announcement.

Father hadn’t liked it at all because someone had obviously gained access to the IT security rooms, orworse,managed to breach the Vanderwood security network.

But Alarik had thought that it was only a prank, and Father had left it at that because a much bigger problem had entered the ballroom:The DeLoughrey clan.

Father had wanted to send Nash, me and the Rolanows home, but no one had left yet.

They were all staring at the man with the scarred face, who was standing at the other end of the ballroom with his clan members, also staring at us, as if we were their goddamn prey.

And me? I tried to ignore this unpleasant situation, distracted by even more unpleasant, even more painful things.

I stood there like an idiot. Maybe that’s what I had been the whole time. But now it was official.

The one person I had hoped wouldn’t leave me alone tonight was dancing with someone else.

Julian had given me a single glance and then disappeared for a moment. He had then come alone towards us, where he had spoken to his father for a moment. Afterward, my father had spoken to him and my heart had stopped. The color had drained from Julian’s face, but then my father had gone back to the Rolanows, and I had finally been able to concentrate on Tania again, who had already lent me the second dress.

I was hopeful that this one would survive the evening. I had also been grateful that she was here. But now she was engrossed in a conversation with Mica, who, by the way,hateddancing.

And so, I stood here alone, like an idiot, staring at Julian, who looked like he had just found out the day he died. I had wanted to go to him because I was tired of waiting for an apology. I had wanted to clear the air, to forgive him, but thenshehad shown up.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like Bayla, but she wasalwayswith him and took away my chance to be alone with him. I felt bad that I wished she hadn’t been there, or had never come to Blairville in the first place, because I had seen her look at me, and then she had said. “You should dance with her.”

Hope had spread through me. But then he had turned away from me and pulled Bayla onto the dance floor.

He wasstillangry, and he knew how to get revenge for things. He avoided me. And now he was dancing with Bayla Adams, a Quatura who obviously held nothing against me.

I didn’t understand it. Nothing about their behavior made sense to me.

The lump in my throat seemed to get bigger, and I stared at Julian, who was looking in a different direction on purpose.

It would have only taken a second longer, and I would have been on the verge of tears, but something snapped me out of my misery.

Someone gently grabbed my waist and pulled me to the side, which threw me off my feet.

I immediately turned around, expecting to see Mica, who had perhaps changed his mind after all, but it wasn’t Mica.

Diamonds

Hannah V, Joe Rodwell

My heart skipped a beat.

Startled, I stared at Miles, who pulled me further onto the dance floor so fast that I didn’t have time to react.

Stunned, I stared at him, but there was no emotion on his face. Neither the usual scorn nor mockery. There were only his brown tourmaline eyes, which made me stare.

I was annoyed that I couldn’t read his feelings and thoughts, as I could with the members of the pack, if they would let me. In that moment, he was more Ruisangor than usual. He was unreadable.

He pulled me further and further into the hall, past Julian, who was now – after all – looking at me and Miles.