Broken Kingdom (Royal Hearts Academy #4)(35)

Sawyer’s always been a softie, but seeing how distraught she is over this has me wanting to throw my arms around her.

Dylan’s face falls. “We were trying to protect you.” Reaching over the table, she squeezes Sawyer’s hand. “We hope you can forgive us.”

My heart sinks. Even though I’m still upset with them, I know their hearts were in the right place.

“I forgive you,” I tell them. “Just don’t lie to me again, okay?”

Dylan’s face lights up. “Deal.”

Sawyer blows her nose. Loudly. “I’m so sorry.”

I can’t help but laugh as I wrap her up in a hug. “God, you’re such a mush.”

She sniffles. “I hate knowing I hurt you.”

I pick up another napkin and wipe the mascara streaks staining her cheeks. “You didn’t do it on purpose.”

I’m taking another sip of my macchiato when the flashback I had last night flits through my head.

Now that we’ve made up, I’m really hoping they can fill in some gaps for me.

“So,” I begin after Sawyer’s settled down. “I’ve been having some flashbacks.”

Dylan and Sawyer exchange a glance.

“What kind of flashbacks?” Dylan questions.

I fiddle with the croissant on my plate. “Ones involving Oakley.”

It’s obvious I was obsessed with him even though he kept turning me down.

Nonetheless, I can’t help but wonder why we were in the car together.

Did I need him to save me from another cliff incident?

Were we driving to the store?

Running away together?

The last one is highly doubtful given he hated me and all, but still.

The possibilities are endless, and I can’t stand not knowing.

“Do you guys know why I was in the car with him that night?”

Sawyer shakes her head. “I have no idea.”

Dylan looks down at her coffee.

“Dylan?” I prompt. “What do you know?”

She blows out a heavy breath. “I care about you, Bianca, but it’s really not my place to tell you certain things.”

“What things?”

She closes her eyes. “Look, we weren’t friends then, so you never told me anything about your relationship with Oak, and he hasn’t told me all that much either.” Leaning back, she folds her arms. “But even if he did, it still wouldn’t be my place to spill. It’s his.”

“Well, it’s not like I can ask him anything since he refuses to talk to me,” I point out.

Frowning, she peers down at her coffee cup. “Maybe that’s for the best.”

I vehemently disagree.

“Or maybe you can persuade him to stop being so stubborn and speak to me?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

She can’t be serious.

I grit my teeth, failing to hide my irritation. “Let me get this straight. You won’t answer any of my questions, but you also won’t ask him to talk to me? I thought we were friends, Dylan?”

“We are.” Her forehead creases. “And as your friend I don’t want to lie to you. Therefore, I can’t answer questions about your history with Oakley. He’s my cousin and I love him, but I also love you and Jace which puts me in a very difficult position given your brother hates him and he’s responsible for your accident.” She looks down at the table. “I’m really sorry, but it’s exhausting being pulled in three different directions all the time, so it’s best I don’t get involved.”

I hate that she won’t give me anything, but it’s clear she’s not going to back down so I have no choice but to respect her wishes.

“Fine.” Turning to Sawyer next, I utter, “We were close back then. What do you know about my relationship with Oakley?”

Sawyer nearly chokes on her coffee. “Nothing.”

Exasperated, I look up at the ceiling. “For fuck’s sake, Saw—”

“I’m being serious,” she states. “You never said a word to me about it.” She takes another sip of her coffee. “Trust me, I was just as surprised as you were to find out about you two.”

Once again, I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round that doesn’t end. “Find out what about us?”

“I don’t know,” Sawyer insists. “I mean—I once overheard you two arguing about you sneaking into Oak’s bed in the middle of the night and him turning you down. But other than that, you never confided in me about your relationship with him.”

It’s all I can do not to scream. I knew the old Bianca was private, but not divulging anything to Sawyer—or anyone for that matter—about Oakley has seriously screwed me.

That’s when it dawns on me. Sawyer might not know about my relationship with Oakley, but maybe she knows about my friendship with Hayley.

Specifically, why I hated the girl so much.

After taking a lengthy sip of my macchiato, I decide to hit them with it.

“Oakley situation aside, there’s something else that’s been bothering me.”

Dylan stops eating her muffin. “What’s up?”

“I only get bits and pieces from my random flashbacks, but the few pieces I have make it clear I didn’t like Hayley very much and I was blackmailing her for some reason.”