Adam stayed in front of us to make sure the way was clear until we reached the edge of campus. I still hated him for not telling me who was responsible for my mother’s death; the one thing that meant more to me than anything else. But in a conflicted turn of events, I owed him my thanks for not turning us over to Michael and getting me expelled from Goldshire, which meant I’d be even farther away from discovering the truth.

“Thank you,” I said as Julian and I stepped onto the cobblestones.

“Don’t come back,” Adam said.

Then he turned and walked back to his apartment.

“Charming guy,” Julian said with more than a touch of sarcasm.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. He helped us escape.”

“Yeah, but we didn’t find anything. I really think you should give up on getting into that campus.”

“Who says we didn’t find anything,” I said as I pulled Michael’s phone out of my pocket.

“You took it from off of the bed?” he asked in astonishment.

Honestly, I think he was a little impressed.

I grinned. “Yep.” I was actually pretty proud of myself for being able to snatch it while the guys were deciding over handshakes. “Now I just need to figure out what his passcode is so that I can open it.”

“I know a guy who can break into any device,” Julian said. “No passcode needed.”

I crooked an eyebrow. “Julian, what exactly have you been up to that has made you such an expert in lock-picking and shady friendships with people who can break into cell phones?”

He laughed. “You’re lucky you have me.”

Actually, I really am.

And that notion sent me walking off by Julian’s side as I tucked Michael’s phone back into my pocket.

While the smallest part of me wondered if Adam showed me the fact that he had Michael’s phone for a reason.

6

We planned to take the phone to Julian’s friend in a couple of days. It was too important for me to let it out of my sight for even a minute. Two days was the soonest that we'd be able to get it there due to an increasingly ridiculous number of required events on campus. So, in the meantime, I kept Michael’s phone charged, silent, and in my pocket at all times.

One such ridiculous event that required my attendance was the “Assemblage of Comradery,” an absolutely fake and meaningless dinner gathering between the two schools to pretend that the two elite institutions didn’t despise each other and to pose for a picture for the local press that would convince the public all was well between the warring colleges.

I started trying to get out of it as soon as I heard it was announced, but there was no budging with the Dean on this one. He was a complete traditional stickler and relished in any chance he could get to make the school look good in front of Lineage. Therefore, everyone was required to attend, except for Julian. Since he had already graduated, he couldn’t come at all.

“At least there’ll be plenty of cocktails,” he said as he tried to cheer me up about having to go. “They even had a wine fountain brought in last year.”

“I’m going to need a wine fountain in order to stomach having to look at Michael on our campus grounds,” I said.

“Adam will be there too, I’m sure,” he said.

Was that a touch of jealousy I heard in Julian’s voice?

There was no particular dress requirement for the event, so I just put on a black skirt that had pockets where I could keep both my phone and Michael’s, and a gray blouse with an open back. I tied my hair up in a sloppy ponytail out of pure spite. I couldn't believe I had to even go to the stupid event. For dramatic effect, I ran one thin layer of mascara over my lashes.

“There, done,” I announced to Julian, who was sitting on my bed watching me as if he were my own private audience.

“You know you look beautiful without any makeup on anyways,” he said.

“You have to say that,” I called from the bathroom. “You’re my best friend.”

“I don’t have to say it,” Julian said quietly. “I mean it.”

When I got ready to leave my room, Julian gave me a hug and reminded me that he’d be waiting for me here once the event was over so we could hang out and I could tell him about how tedious and awful the dinner had been.

“Be careful,” he said as he kissed the top of my forehead. “And don’t do—”

“Yes, yes, I know…don't do anything stupid.”

I rushed out the door, ready to get this over with and get back to my room so that Julian and I could continue guessing possible passcodes as we waited for the opportunity to have Michael’s phone hacked.

When I got down to the dining hall, there were already a ton of people there. It was uncomfortably strange to see Lineage students and faculty mix with our own. There was a long table set at the head of the room where all the administrators and essential board members from both schools were seated. I saw Michael’s mother there too, and that “dark” part of me that Julian had called-out the other day reared its head. I started to wish that Michael’s mom had been the one to die instead of my own.

When I turned my head to look around the room, I saw Adam walking toward me.

“Hey,” he said as he lifted my hand and kissed the top of my fingers.

“Aren’t we supposed to be enemies?” I asked. I very much still considered him my enemy, not only because he was at Lineage, but also because he was withholding information about my mother’s death. However, I also couldn’t deny the tingle that shivered up my spine when his lips connected with my skin.

“Not tonight,” he answered. “Tonight is the one night of the year that we can act like friends, and everyone will just think we were pretending for the sake of this publicity stunt.”

“What if I actually am only pretending,” I said.

He grinned. “Well then, I guess it doesn’t matter either way, then does it?”

We both sat down at one of the tables together, and a server came over to fill our wine glasses. I still didn’t see this glorious wine fountain Julian spoke of, and in that moment I found myself wishing to be bathing in one.

“How are you coming along with the phone?” he asked.

I had just put the glass to my lips and started to take a sip, nearly spitting it out at the mention.

“You know that I took the phone?” I asked.

“Of course, I do. It would have been a little too obvious for me to just hand it over to you, and I’m not sure how much I trust your friend yet.”

“Who, Julian?”

Adam nodded.

I snickered. “Well, rest assured that feeling is mutual. He doesn’t trust you at all, either.”