Chapter 88

By the end of the first day, I’m exhausted, and my mind is spinning with possibilities, desperate for some way to right the wrong that was committed against me. I’ve already got a head start, my summer plans unfolding into glorious action. But not yet. Not quite yet.

I head for The Mess, taking a seat by the window at the table I used to share with Miranda. We have pretty different schedules this year it seems, so if she wants to find me, this is her chance. I’m not going to chase her, not if she isn’t ready.

So I sit down, ignoring the stares and the whispers, the way the Idols’ table goes silent as I pull out a journal (not my revenge one, a different one), lay it on the table, and leave it there while I check the menu. After I’ve placed my order, I hunch over and begin to write.

It takes all of two minutes for Tristan Vanderbilt to make his way over to me.

“You’re not allowed in here this year,” he tells me, voice as smooth as silk. I can practically feel