Page 33 of Rivals

Unlike Nina, whose discomfort in this crowd was evident, Daphne belonged with these people. She should be circulating through the party, trading favors and gossip, instead of standing here with a nobody who had nothing to offer.

Yet she didn’t move, and neither did Nina.

“So. You used to spend time in the tree house?” Daphne meant it as an innocuous question, but habit won out and it sounded more like criticism.

Nina’s reply was equally biting. “I did. This may shock you,but I came to a charity event at the library because I actually care about the library.”

“You have no idea what I do or do not care about. For your information, the library matters to me, too.” Daphne let out a breath. “I also love that tree house. I used to climb up there and read whenever I couldn’t bear to be at home. Which was often.”

Nina seemed startled by that admission. Daphne gave a breezy laugh, trying to recover. “If I have to do charity work during this joke of a gap year, then the charity work should at leastmatterto me.”

“What do you mean?” Nina asked, angling away from the rest of the room. “You don’t want to take a gap year?”

Daphne hesitated. She hadn’t meant to let that slip, especially to Nina. She’d done such a good job convincing the world that this was her choice.

What hurt was how deeply unsurprised everyone had seemed by her decision. They probably all agreed with Daphne’s mother, and assumed she was just waiting around for her royal boyfriend to propose.

Jefferson was the only one who’d really questioned her. “Are you sure?” he’d asked when she broke the news. “I thought we wanted to start King’s College together.”

“We’ll still be there together! Just a year later than we planned,” Daphne had exclaimed, her voice falsely bright.

The prince had dropped a kiss on her brow. “Okay. As long as it’s what you want.”

“It is,” Daphne had assured him. Pretending, pretending, the way she always did, as if her life were nothing but one great performance.

But there was no need to pretend anything right now. She’d shown Nina her true colors long ago.

“It’s complicated,” she said, and sighed. “Let’s just say that my family can’t afford to send me to college anymore.”

“I thought your family was rich,” Nina argued.

“We’re titled, but that definitely doesn’t mean we’re rich. Money has always been tight.” Daphne leaned her elbows on the bar, then tucked one stiletto behind the other. “Whatever money we did have, my parents spent long ago. Or my dad gambled it away.”

“I’m sorry.” Nina sounded like she actually meant it. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m in a similar situation. The school’s board of trustees has pulled my financial aid.”

“What? That’s awful,” Daphne was shocked into replying.

“I know. I actually just found out,” Nina said flatly.

“Are theyallowedto do that? Did they say why?” Daphne seriously doubted that Nina was failing any of her classes. She felt surprisingly outraged on the other girl’s behalf.

“They didn’t say, but I know why. Gabriella Madison.”

“Gabriella?”Daphne was so startled that she blurted out the name. She winced and lowered her voice. “How is she involved in any of this?”

Nina’s face hardened. “I should have known she’s your friend.”

“Absolutely not. I hate her.” It was such a relief to admit that aloud. “But what did she do to you?”

Nina launched into a story about how she’d insulted Gabriella at a tailgate for being rude to Jefferson behind his back. “She threatened that she’d make me regret it, and it turns out that she was right,” Nina said bitterly. “Honestly, I just can’t believe she got her father to have the board of trustees pull my financial aid. Who does that?”

“Gabriella doesn’t have a conscience.”

“As if you do.”

There was something different about Nina this year. A new spiciness to her comebacks, a brazenI don’t careattitude that Daphne curiously admired. Ever since Ethan had goneabroad, there was no one for Daphne to contradict, topushagainst.

Sparring with Nina, she felt more like herself than she had in months.