The Wind and the Horizon (Book 2 in the Starborn Series)

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Do you think we should go talk to her?"

"And say what?"

May sighed. "I don't know but personally, I'm kind of sick of everyone being cagey about Jeremy's attitude problem. Let's just see what she says. Even if she isn't honest about anything at least we can say we tried."

Em thought about it for a moment and nodded. "You know what? Yes, let's. I want to hear what she has to say about all this."

They crept down the hallway, pausing to listen at the door before knocking.

"I'm good," Priva called.

May looked at Em.

Em's expression was determined.

"Glad to hear it, P," she replied. "But we're not. Can we talk about what happened?

There was a groan, the sound of creaking bedsprings. Priva opened the door with a scowl.

"What's wrong?"

"That's what we were wondering." Em raised an eyebrow, a sure sign that she wasn't about to back down.

"That fight," May said in a tone far less confrontational than Em's. "Was it about us?"

Priva licked her lips and glanced between the pair. "Honestly, you don't need to worry about it. It's just J being J."

Em wasn't having it.

"Cut the bullshit, Priva."

"Emanthy," May hissed.

"This isn't the first time he's gotten pissy at or because of us," Em barrelled on. "And quite frankly, it's making an already tense situations worse than it needs to be. What are we doing wrong?"

"You're not..." Priva looked past them, brow furrowed and gaze unfocused. "It's complicated."

"It always is." Em folded her arms. "But resentful members of this little family we may be, I think we deserve to know if we're doing something to rock the boat."

Priva gave a resigned sigh and retreated back into the bedroom, motioning for the girls to follow. She collapsed on the bed, miserable, and May and Em tentatively took posts on either side of her"

"Jeremy and I are dating," Priva told the ceiling. She didn't seem ready to look at either of the girls. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" May questioned, careful to make sure her tone didn't come across as judgemental.

"If I'm being honest, I think it's pretty one-sided." Priva twisted at one of the coils from the half of her hair that hadn't been carefully braided into tight rows across her scalp. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm still trying with that boy. He's never going to love me back."

"Why do you say that?" Em asked, trying to keep her expression neutral.

"For starters, I'm not fucking stupid." Priva grumbled. "But also because he's still in love with someone else."

There it was; a massive truth dropped so casually that May almost wondered if Priva might have been talking about someone else.

"Who?" Em pushed, waiting for more.

Priva sat up. "This is the worst part - and honestly, just thinking about admitting this makes me feel like a bitch: he's in love with a dead woman."

Em nodded at the duvet she had been picking at to avoid looking Priva in the face. "That's rough, buddy."

"Ha, that's putting it lightly." Priva agreed.

"So, why are you with him then?" May asked. "Has he always been this angry?" And, when Priva raised an eyebrow at her, added, "Or, uh, maybe it's just me."