Crushing on Royalty (The Cuttings #1) [To Be Reconstructed]

17 | Exes and Ohs

Natalie Wattson took the gold at being an evil witch. Oh, she didn't humiliate me or say anything bad at all, but there was something in her eyes that held the word danger and her kind voice hid the word cold animosity. I could tell.

Viv and I could fake our kindness when we didn't like someone, so it was pretty easy reading Natalie's expression.

She was good at playing fake -- that, I had to give her credit for. But her being too friendly in front of the public here at the Rigbys' garden party, in front of aristocrats and highly regarded people, was something that I couldn't handle very well.

It was, like, you thought she was the most beautiful angel you'd ever seen in your whole life, but once you saw what she was truly like deep inside, you'd think she was the very devil herself.

Right now, in the giant white tent of Lord and Lady Rigby, I wanted Kimberly to shoot me. Natalie was Michael's ex-girlfriend! I was sure that she still wasn't over him if she taking some effort being super civil to me like we were in some kind of play.

And her brother was ten times worse because he wasn't doing anything.

Well, except for the part where he greeted Kimberly and me. He also introduced himself to me in that distinguished, posh accent of his. Truth be told, he was actually pretty nice, but I really wasn't going to fall for his easy charm and friendliness. Just looking at his sister made me feel all awful inside.

So back we go:

"So you must be Michael's fiancée," Natalie said in that terribly sweet voice of hers.

"Um, yeah, I am."

And then I answered about ten seconds late after her brother introduced himself to me.

Natalie smiled. Too brightly. "Now I know why that boy's been gone for two years -- it's because he's found someone to entertain him!"

Anthony Wattson coughed, covering his mouth with his fist. He shot his sister a look that clearly said she ought to stop, but she only grinned wider, flashing white and straight teeth.

I could feel Kimberly fidgeting beside me, waiting for something to happen before she covered for me. Or maybe she was looking for Michael. She was looking from side to side every now and then.

"By 'entertain,'" I asked, slightly irked at her forwardness, crossing my arms, "you mean something lighter than that original meaning of yours, right?"

She blinked her round, catlike sky blue eyes, looking very innocent. "Well, yeah. I was only saying that Michael's been gone for two years because he met you, and you've been the center of his universe ever since."

Yeah right, I wanted to scoff, but stopped myself short.

Michael was counting on me to make people believe that he and I were a truly engaged couple. I couldn't let him down.

Plus, I'd totally like to see Natalie feel a little miffed when I mentioned something romantic -- or at least somewhat romantic -- about me and him.

I couldn't deny this, but yeah: I wanted to make Natalie Wattson jealous of us. Not because I only wanted her to be irked, but because I wanted her to see that my former archenemy and I were getting a long pretty well now.

I smiled smugly. Seeing my smile like that, Natalie frowned slightly.

"We met two years ago," I began, forcing some extra chirpiness into my voice. "Michael was a new student at my school back then, but we didn't talk to each other. Then one day my best friend Viv, and Michael's cousin Frederick, set us up on a blind date."