Page 12 of Broken Dream (Steel Legends #3)

Chapter Eleven

Angie

Lab Canceled , the sign on the door to the anatomy lab says.

The door is locked, but through the small window, I can see our cadavers sitting on the tables, covered.

A wave of relief flows over me.

I don’t have to cut into a dead body today.

I also won’t be seeing Jason today, and as relieved as I am about the lab cancellation, part of me is disappointed.

Really disappointed.

I can’t get that kiss out of my mind.

It was a good kiss.

A really good kiss. The best kiss I’ve ever had.

“Bummer,” a voice says from behind me.

I turn.

Ralph.

Just the person I don’t want to see.

“I suppose,” I say.

“Yeah.” He crosses his arms. “You can’t see your boyfriend today.”

I glare at him. Seriously? We’re in medical school, not middle school. And this guy is at least ten years older than I am. Does he still have the brain of a teenager?

“Just shut up already,” I say, brushing past him.

But he catches up to me, walks next to me. “You can deny it all you want, Angie. I know what I saw.”

“When was the last time you visited an eye doctor?” I ask. “I think your eyes are playing tricks on you.”

“You think I should change my focus from surgery to ophthalmology?” He rolls his eyes.

“This is only our second semester of med school,” I say. “I’m sure we’ll all change our focuses many times before we get to internship.”

He sneers. “Really? I got the idea yesterday in class that you’re completely sold on psychiatry. Because of your famous aunt.”

I raise a hand in front of his arrogant face. “You don’t know anything about my aunt. You don’t know anything about my family. You don’t?—”

“I know a lot,” he says, interrupting me. “I know you didn’t get that uppity townhome in a gated community by working for it. That’s for sure.”

“So I have a trust fund,” I say. “And yeah, it’s a big one.”

“I’m sure it is. While the rest of us are taking on hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, you basically get a free medical education. And you’re not even going down a path worth taking.”

I grit my teeth. “Psychiatry is a worthy pursuit.” I stare straight into his eyes. “ You sure as hell could use a session or two, I’m sure. And why is my life any business of yours anyway? I’m paying my tuition.”

“With Mommy and Daddy’s money,” he says.

I’m so tired of this. I’m so tired of explaining to people that it’s not my parents’ money. It’s my money. It’s been my money since I was born. That’s when the trust funds started, for my brothers and sister and all my cousins.

I don’t blame them for not understanding, but I’m sick and tired of it. I was born into riches. Born into the Steel dynasty. I’m done apologizing for it.

“It’s my money,” I say succinctly. “And this conversation is over.”

“So what’s it worth to you?” he asks.

“What is what worth to me?” I say, my voice on edge. Here we go again.

“For me to not go to the dean about you and Jason Lansing making out?”

My heart nearly stops.

Blackmail now? Extortion? It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened to our family. But it is the first time it’s happened to me.

I hold my ground. “Since the kiss you’re talking about never happened, it’s not worth a damned cent to me.”

“What if I said I had evidence?”

I do my best to keep from reacting. “You don’t have any evidence. To have evidence of something, it has to have actually happened.”

He curls his lips. “I may have just snapped a photo with my phone.”

My flesh goes cold. Still, I’m convinced he’s bluffing.

“Show me.”

He exhales sharply through his nose. “No. I think I’ll let you squirm a little.”

“Squirm? Why would I squirm? There’s no evidence because you don’t have any. Because nothing happened.”

Besides, even if he does have a photo, I can claim it was manipulated with AI or something. Who’s going to believe him? Jason and I will both deny it.

“Tell you what,” he says to me. “It won’t cost you a cent, Angie. All it will cost you is information.”

I drop my jaw. “Information about what?”

He grins. “So you do have something to hide.”

“I have absolutely nothing to hide. And I don’t even know what kind of?—”

“Hey, guys!” Tabitha scurries up to us, Eli with her.

And I silently thank the universe.

“We just saw the note on the door that lab is canceled,” Tabitha says. “Of course I came all the way here before I realized that Jason had sent an email as well.” She shrugs. “I guess we’ve got a free period.”

“And I have to wait another week to cut,” Eli growls.

Tabitha turns to me, her expression sympathetic. “I guess that makes you happy.”

“Or does it?” Ralph says, arching his eyebrows.

Tabitha gives him a curious look. “What’s that supposed to mean, Ralph?”

“Why don’t you ask lover girl here?” Ralph smirks.

“What the hell?” Tabitha gives Ralph a punch in his arm. “Be nice. Angie’s my lab partner.”

“Oh, so you’re best friends now?” Ralph says.

“Maybe we are,” Tabitha says. “What the hell is your problem, anyway? You left our study session last night, and now it looks like you’re being a dick.”

“Ease up,” Eli says. He turns to Ralph. “You having a bad day, man?”

“My day is just fine,” Ralph says. “I’m going to go read up for my next class. Ciao.” He ambles off.

I’m still breathing quickly, but I force myself to calm down.

“What the hell was that all about?” Eli asks.

“I don’t know,” Tabitha says. “He’s your friend.”

“He’s my lab partner,” Eli says. “I hardly know him.”

I stare down the hall, making sure Ralph has safely ducked into the library. “He’s just a dick.”

Tabitha lays a hand on my shoulder. “What did he do to you, Angie?”

“Nothing. He’s a dick. He acted like a dick. That’s what dicks do.” I draw in a breath. “You want to get a cup of coffee?”

“Actually, I have to do some reading up for my next class as well.” She pats my shoulder. “This lab cancellation is actually a godsend. I’m so behind.”

Eli widens his eyes. “I’ll get a cup with you.”

“Sounds good.” I purse my lips. “But I don’t want the cafeteria coffee. Let’s go to Starbucks.”

“Crap,” Tabitha says. “In that case, I’m coming along. I’m a sucker for a triple mocha.”

The three of us leave the building and walk a block to Starbucks.

“I’ll have a grande dark roast,” I tell the barista, “and whatever the two of them want. It’s on me.”

“Thanks, Angie!” Tabitha’s eyes light up. “Grande mocha with an extra shot, please.”

“I’ll have an Americano,” Eli says. “And a blueberry scone.”

“You want that heated up?” the barista asks.

Eli grins. “Obviously.”

“Coming right up,” the barista says. “What’s the name?”

“Tabitha on the mocha, Eli on the Americano,” Tabitha replies.

The barista types the names into her console. “Those will be right up.”

I scan my card while the barista pours my coffee and hands it to me.

Some of the comfortable seats are open, so Eli takes a chair while Tabitha and I sit down on a fluffy couch. I take the lid off my coffee, and the steam swirls upward.

“You don’t take cream or sugar?” Tabitha asks.

“Nope. I’m a purist.” I set the coffee down on the table to cool, still watching the steam swirl into the air.

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on with Ralph?” Tabitha asks.

“Like I said, it’s nothing. He’s just being a dick.”

I grab my coffee, take a sip.

And fuck.

I burn my tongue.

The same tongue that was swimming in Jason’s mouth yesterday—the first day of lab.

Because what Ralph says is true.

We did kiss. We kissed hard.

And I have a feeling that moment may just haunt the next three years of my medical education.