Chapter 3 Invitation
Aellorah
Max’s large form towered over me, and I instinctively shrank back a few inches.
“You might have famous parents and more money than most, but you’re not above me. I can have you rapped around my finger in a moment if I want to, and you know it.” I couldn’t tell if that was an arrogant assumption or a threat.
“I don’t think I’m better than you, Max,” I replied solemnly. “I don’t think I’m better than anyone…” I couldn’t hide the hurt in my words. Everyone always assumed that I was stuck-up just because I was rich. “It has nothing to do with what I think of you. It’s just… no good comes from being in any part of my life, okay? I don’t really know you, but I wouldn’t want to see you hurt.”
My words caught him off guard, and he froze, trying to decipher my meaning. “Hurt?” he repeated incredulously, before letting out an amused chuckle. “You think I’d get hurt by you?” His eyes searched mine for something, but I wasn’t sure what he expected to find in them. “I don’t think anyone can hurt me, little mouse. I’m too powerful, unstoppable.”
He sounds sure of himself, but I can see something in his expression, a flicker of doubt, unease.
“Everyone in my life gets hurt, Max,” I replied, turning away from him. “You would be no different.” I pressed the button on my phone and restarted the music, taking position and beginning my routine again, ignoring his presence entirely.
“If everyone close to you gets hurt, then you must have a pretty painful existence…” he replied, his voice barely audible above the music. I continued to dance, trying to ignore the painful nerve his words struck. I couldn’t afford to let him see how wounded I was beneath the surface. I couldn’t let anyone see...
When I looked up again, he was gone, but I still felt unsettled, like his green eyes were still following my every move.
For the next week, I dove into my schoolwork. Most of my classes were general education and fairly simple. Boring, even.
When I wasn’t studying, my thoughts flickered between my family, whom I was avoiding at all costs, and Max, whom I was also avoiding at all costs.
His final words to me in the studio that night lingered, replaying in my head like some kind of broken record.
Max
“Bro, you’re staring again,” Hayden lectured, tossing a fry at me as we sat in that same booth in the food court.
She was sitting across the wide space with two other girls. But Aellorah didn’t seem to be paying any attention to the conversation. Her eyes were fixed on the thick book in front of her as the other girls giggled and glanced around the food court.
I ignored Hayden’s comment, my focus fixed on her face. God, for an annoying little mouse, I couldn’t deny she was pretty. Aellorah was sort of fascinating. She was completely absorbed in her book, unlike her two companions.
“She’d got a way of shutting everyone out, doesn’t she?” I mused, more to myself than to my friends. “Makes me wonder what she’s got going on behind those beautiful grey eyes of hers…”
I flicked the fry back at Hayden.
“Or you’re just wondering what she’s got beneath those clothes,” Jax teased, making the other guys snicker. I shot a withering look at him, irritated.
“It’s not her looks, you idiot. I mean, sure, she’s pretty. But something is intriguing about her; it’s the whole package.”
I leaned back against the booth, my eyes still fixed on her form across the food court. “There’s something there, hidden beneath the surface. Something that draws me in despite myself. And I intend to find out what it is, even if it means playing her games for a little while.”
“You should invite her to the homecoming party at our place,” Hayden suggested with a grin. I smiled thoughtfully. There was an idea. We had a house just off campus; half the school was going to attend. It was due to be the biggest party of the year, aside from graduation.
“Now that is an idea worth considering,” I replied, rubbing my chin in thought. “Imagine having the Blackwood Princess at our party, among Harrow Wood’s elite…” I glanced at Jax and Killian. “Alright, I’ll invite her. But we aren’t going easy on her. I want to see how she handles herself in shark-infested waters. And maybe I’ll get a chance to peel back those layers and figure out what makes her tick…”
With a waggle of my eyebrows, I rose from the booth and made my way across the food court, halting beside her table. The two girls went silent, flushing as they realized who I was. I cocked an eyebrow.
After a long pause, Aellorah finally noticed that her tablemates had gone silent, and she glanced up from her book.
“Well, if it isn’t the king of campus,” she remarked dryly. I flashed her a charming smile, unfazed by her disinterested tone.
“If it isn’t the enigmatic Aellorah Blackwood,” I replied smoothly. “I’ve got an invitation for you, Princess. We’re having a party tomorrow night; I think you’d be the perfect addition to the guest list.”
I leaned over the edge of the table. “It will be a chance for us to get reacquainted, under different circumstances. What do you say? Will you grace us with your presence, your highness?”
Her friends gaped, stunned. It wasn’t often that I invited new people to my parties, especially not freshmen.
“I have to practice…” she replied, casually declining the invitation.
My lips curled into a smirk at her weak excuse. “Practice, huh? On a Saturday night? I doubt that,” I teased. “Alright, I’m not one to pressure a lady. If you change your mind…” I winked at her before turning to leave. “Come find me.”
“Are you insane?” one of her friends whispered. There was a long silence as I headed back toward our booth.
“Max!” her voice rang out suddenly, and when I turned around, she was standing. “What time?” she asked anxiously, nibbling on her bottom lip.
“Ah, now we’re talking,” I replied, sauntering back over to her. “Party starts at nine, but you can come a little earlier; we can… catch up.” I handed her my phone expectantly, watching as she entered a number. When she handed it back, I pressed the call button, nodding when her phone lit up. “I’ll text you the address. See you tomorrow, Princess.”
