Elite (Empire High, #2)(25)

“Just tell me something about you. Anything.”

He pressed his lips together.

“Please, distract me from whatever hell I’m currently living in. Like how you ended up working for the Pruitts of all people?”

“It’s good money. And I’m saving up for college.”

College. So that made him what? Eighteen? It was older than me, but only by two years. He acted like we were a whole lifetime apart. “Surely there are other high paying security jobs in the city.”

“Not this good.”

“Why?”

He took another bite of his ice cream as he thought about the question. “Because it’s the Pruitts.”

“Yeah. But this city is full of wealthy families. Like the Hunters and the Caldwells. The Greens and the Dicksons.” I wasn’t sure if Felix and Cupcake’s parents were as wealthy as the other families I’d mentioned, but surely they could afford the best security. Hell, most of the kids at my school were from families as wealthy as the Pruitts. “What’s so special about this gig?”

Miller finished his ice cream and put his elbows on the table. “Higher risk means higher salaries.”

“Higher risk?”

“Because of Mr. Pruitt’s line of work.”

I just stared at him. “What’s his line of work?” I didn’t know anything about the man I was living with. I hadn’t had an opportunity to ask. The only hint I could even think of was that when I first met him, he’d asked if I’d ever picked up a newspaper.

“I also get paid to keep his secrets.” He smiled.

“Really, what does Mr. Pruitt do?” If he was in the paper, that made him…what? A writer? Or maybe someone that graced the pages of the local paper. A politician?

“I’ve already said too much. Now back to you. Are you sure you don’t want to call Matthew Caldwell back? He keeps lighting up my phone.”

“No.”

“No you aren’t sure? Or no you don’t want to?”

“Both.” I took a bite of my ice cream. I didn’t want to talk about me. I wanted to talk about Mr. Pruitt’s secrets.

“The whole staff heard the argument at dinner. Did Isabella really pour milk all over you at lunch?”

I nodded. But I couldn’t tell if he believed it or not. He was just staring at me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve.

“Why didn’t you tell me when I asked you what happened to your blazer?”

“Because I wasn’t sure if I was going to tell anyone. But then I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get Isabella to explode and get me kicked out of the house. My plan kind of backfired though. Now her mom hates me as much as she does.”

“Yeah, you really don’t want to be on Mrs. Pruitt’s bad side.”

“Now you tell me?” I said with a laugh.

He smiled.

“It doesn’t seem like she was really open to getting to know me regardless.”

“The circumstances are pretty uncomfortable. Besides, did you really expect for it to be an easy transition with people like this?”

People like this. I smiled. He didn’t think I was one of them.

“Just a little tip for you when it comes to Mrs. Pruitt. Don’t back down from her. It’ll make it worse.”

I nodded, even though I didn’t really know what he meant. It was her house. Her rules. What was I supposed to do?

Miller let his spoon fall into his empty bowl and then stood up. He grabbed my bowl too and I watched him silently do the dishes.

“Thank you for letting me have some of your ice cream,” I said as he placed the last dish in the dishrack.

He folded his arms and leaned back against the counter behind him. “No problem at all. I hope it helped.”

“It did.” Just knowing that there was one nice person in this apartment meant a lot to me. More than he probably knew.

“Tomorrow will be better,” Miller said.

“Will it?” I wasn’t so sure.

“At least Isabella and Mrs. Pruitt won’t be here. You’ll have some time to get to know your father.”

That wasn’t time that I wanted. But instead of saying that, I just nodded.

“It’s getting late. I should head to bed.”

“Okay.” My voice sounded so small. I was about to be alone in this horrible house. A shiver ran down my spine.

He walked over to the door but then stopped and turned around. “For the record, a guy who doesn’t stick up for you isn’t someone who’s worth your time.”

I felt frozen under his gaze.

“Goodnight, Brooklyn.”

“Goodnight, Miller.” His last name felt weird on my tongue. Even though it seemed like he was on my side, the use of his last name was like a line in the sand. He was hired to keep Mr. Pruitt’s secrets. And I knew that meant he’d keep them from me too.

For a while I just sat there. Going to my room meant another sleepless night staring at the ceiling. But when the clock ticked closer to midnight, I finally got up. I made my way through the creepy house and up the stairs. I looked right at the top of the stairs, down the hallway where the real family slept. Was Mr. Pruitt awake right now? Was he wondering how the hell he wound up in this situation too?