Page 55 of American Royals

“Congratulations,” she forced herself to say, looking down the mountain at Jeff. “It would appear that I owe you a dare.”

Wrapped in a fluffy white towel, Sam padded toward the indoor hot tub, which was built into the side of the house, bordered by floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the mountains. There was an outdoor hot tub too, of course, but Sam’s every muscle felt sore, and she didn’t want to keep running out into the cold to reset the jets.

She turned the corner, only to realize that she wasn’t alone.

“Oh—sorry. Never mind,” she said hesitantly.

Teddy stood, shaking his head. “Please, don’t let me scare you off. There’s plenty of room.”

It was true; this hot tub had been designed to accommodate fifteen people. But wasn’t it a little weird for her to be out here alone, with the guy her sister was dating?

Then again, Sam realized, she hadn’t heard Teddy mention Beatrice’s name all weekend.

She reluctantly dropped her towel and lowered herself into the water. She was wearing a bright fuchsia one-piece, which technically might not qualify as a one-piece at all given how many cutouts had been strategically sliced into it. It was the kind of thing she couldn’t wear in the summer, because the tan lines it left were too weird.

“Besides, you probably need the hot tub more than I do, after that wipeout,” Teddy went on, and ventured a smile. “Has Jeff decided on your dare yet?”

“Not yet. He’ll have to come up with something really great, because this opportunity won’t come along again. I don’t usually lose to him,” she boasted.

Teddy chuckled. “As long as you guys don’t freeze my long underwear.”

“I can’t make any promises.”

Sam drifted so that her back was over one of the jets. She forced herself to look out the window, because otherwise she would be staring at Teddy—at his muscled arms, the fine line of stubble along his jawline. Steam curled around his hair, making it a little darker than usual, the color of fine-spun gold.

“Samantha.” Teddy cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I was out of line.”

“No, you were right.”

Sam was as shocked by her answer as Teddy seemed to be. She glanced down at the surface of the water, biting her lip. “Unlike Beatrice, Jeff and I have no defined role or purpose, no job we’re being trained for. We just … exist.”

Teddy shook his head. “Sorry to break it to you, but you aren’t boring or lazy enough to just exist.”

Sam felt curiously grateful for his words. And perhaps it was the sympathetic glow of his eyes, or the delicious warmth of the hot tub, but she felt lulled into admitting the truth. “That isn’t the only reason I’m dragging my feet about college,” she said slowly.

“What do you mean?” A bead of sweat slid down the curve of Teddy’s neck to settle distractingly at the hollow of his throat. His lashes were spiky and damp.

Sam tore her eyes forcibly away from him. “Beatrice hated Harvard. Not the academics, but the social aspect. She always felt like she was isolated, like she wasn’t really part of it.” She gave a half smile. “I know I put on a good show, but I don’t actually have many friends.”

“Really? Not even the girls who went to your school?”

For some reason Sam thought of elementary school, when some of the girls used to steal things that belonged to her or Beatrice and sell them online. Their old name tags went for a hundred dollars; anything with a signature on it, like homework or tests, even more. When the palace found out, Beatrice had just grown even more quiet and reserved, while Sam responded by ignoring her female classmates altogether, and hanging out with Jeff and his friends.

Come to think of it, that was probably the beginning of her reputation as a flirt.

“Those girls aren’t really my friends.”

“Why do you say that?” There was no challenge in Teddy’s tone, just curiosity.

“Because a real friend forgives your faults, and those girls store them up, to spread around as gossip items.” She rippled her fingers over the surface of the water, letting out a breath. “I only have one true friend, and that’s Nina.”

“You’re lucky to have a friend like her.”

Sam nodded in agreement. “Still, I have this fear that going to college will only highlight how lonely I already am. And I’ll spend four years being just as miserable as Beatrice was. Except probably worse, because I’m not the academic star that she is.”

“You could try talking about this with Beatrice, you know.”

“Beatrice doesn’t have time for me these days.”