Royals

Chapter 45

*If I were to write a dystopian novel next...would any of you be willing to read it?????*

In Dallas and Vegas, we were temporarily relieved from the cold. We spent as much time as possible outside, tanning until the sun was no longer present. Even in Seattle, it wasn't too cold, much to my surprise. It wasn't hot enough to be running around in shorts and a tank top, but it was enough to go outside with only a light jacket.

However, in Bloomington, Minnesota, we were embraced with the cold weather once again. It was a solid twenty-three degrees, and due to the chilly temperature, our plans were limited to visiting the Mall of America, the largest mall in the United States.

Ashlynn, thoroughly impressed with the trip, proved my point: this lifestyle was contagious and addictive. She adored the jet, staying in a different hotel each night, playing dress up as if she was a living Barbie doll, exploring the different states, and attending the prestigious parties. More than once, she dropped a not-so-subtle hint indicating that she wanted to attend a cotillion.

Penelope and Thomas failed to attend any day of White Week aside from the event in Georgia, and I didn't blame them. The actual events were quite lackluster, and the day didn't get interesting until afterwards, when we were free to explore.

I hadn't gotten much sleep at all this week, even after Joey and Allison finished their calls at night. I actually spent most the nights thinking about what Joey said to me.

When you love someone, you make sacrifices for them.

I guess, in a way, I did that by failing to show up at Central Park on Black Friday. I sacrificed my happiness for his, and in the meantime, I tried to convince myself that I wasn't in love with him anymore.

Which couldn't have been farther from the truth.

I must say, now that I was admitting that my love for him had existed all along, things felt much easier.

"Did Joey tell you?" Lillia mumbled into my ear from behind.

"Tell me what?" I asked, spinning around to face her.

"I'll take that as a no," Lillia sighed, shaking her head.

"Tell me what?" I persisted. I took a gulp from my champagne, feeling comfort in the bubbly sensation numbing my stomach.

That was one thing Ashlynn hadn't gotten used to yet. On Tuesday, she refused to drink alcohol, opting for water. I couldn't blame her, though. I mean, after all, her parents would drop dead if they ever found out. However, each day after that, she had taken a single sip from one of our drinks.

At first, she would scrunch up her face as though we were forcing her to sniff the air of a garbage dump. However, today she managed to swallow down a single gulp without making a face. In fact, she even asked if she could have one glass for herself. "One and only one," she had emphasized.

"I really shouldn't be the one to tell you this, but--" she stopped dead sentence, averting her eyes to the door.

Really, another surprise visitor?

Lillia whispered, "I'm so sorry," before spinning me around to face the entrance of the room.

I locked my eyes on Joey, who made his way to the door with a grin. He welcomed our visitor with a sloppy kiss and a quick embrace. He said something to her, she replied, and then they both laughed.

"Ugh, Emily!" Lillia screeched, dragging me towards the side. Apparently I had been squeezing my glass of champagne and had crushed it into a million pieces. I looked below me at the scattered shards of glass and the nearly translucent liquid that had formed a puddle at my feet.