The Rejected True Heiress (Liora) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

He was…clearly avoiding me.

And doing a stunningly good job at it..

The whispers followed me everywhere, snide comments, stifled laughter, and more than one accusation that I had somehow seduced him into chaos and was getting what I deserved. Bianca, of course, was thriving. Her

corner of the cafeteria had become a shrine of glittering eyes and fake laughs, the kind of environment where girls wore matching bows like gang symbols and planned the downfall of their enemies over low–fat yogurt.

By the time the final bell rang, I was one sarcastic comment away from snapping in half. It had been a long day

with no wins in my court.

I wandered behind the east wing of the school, where the shade was quiet and the gossip didn’t echo so loudly.

Dropping my bag, I slid down the brick wall, knees bent, head tilted back, letting the exhaustion pool in my

limbs.

Two girls passed nearby, walking slow enough to make sure I’d hear them.

“I heard Callum’s family already picked out the ring,” one whispered with a giggle. “They gotta be announcing the engagement next week!”

Next week. Homecoming.

I didn’t even roll my eyes. That would have required more energy than I had. I closed them instead, breathing in

the smell of warm concrete and bitter disappointment.

If he was avoiding me… then it was him. Right? What other reason could he-

And then a soft thud landed near me.

Not footsteps–more like something had fallen from above.

I looked to my right, plucking up the red fruit. An apple?

“Wow,” said a voice, amused from above. “You look like you got tackled by a vending machine and lost.”

I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it was, flicking some spare food from my hair. “Go away, Zane.”

“No can do,” he said, and then promptly dropped beside me, in a flurry of leaves, his elbow knocking into mine

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Chapter 44

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like we were old friends at a sleepover. “I’ve been up in that tree for ten minutes waiting for my cue. Thought you’d do something poetic, like look up dramatically, or sigh with meaning.”

“What’s up with you and trees?”

“Good vantage point, I see all kinds of drama. But you, you walked right under it like a tragic, brooding heroin in a sad indie song.‘

“I need you to stop saying odd things.”

“I’m hurt!” His hand covered his heart. “You didn’t even notice me up there! I will say I’m looking extra handsome today, no?”

I peeled open one eye. He was grinning, his hair nearly white blonde hair sticking out in five directions and a

leaf stuck in the hood of his sweatshirt.

“You were in a tree, Zane. Not heaven.”

“Same thing when I’m looking down at you, sweetheart.” he said, unbothered.

I let my head fall against the wall again. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. I’m your favorite. Temporary favorite. Until you remember how hot you are and go back to plotting vengeance like usual.”

I didn’t respond right away, I was too busy pretending I didn’t enjoy the distraction.

Zane was a pain–a cocky, playboy idiot–but with him, there was no pressure. Nothing between us. It made

talking to him feel… low risk. Like a break from everything else.

“Want a snack?” he asked after a minute, digging into his hoodie pocket. “You could eat that apple I dropped,

or…”

He held out a fistful of gummy bears.

I stared. “Are those… loose?”

“Define ‘loose.“”

“As in not in a package?”

“Depends on your definition of packaging.”

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Chapter 44

“Gross,” I muttered, but I reached for his hand anyway.

And it was… nice. In a weird way.

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“So, princess,” Zane said, his mouth fighting to chew the stale candy. “Tell me, what’s going on between you and Callum?”

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