Calore Dance Academy// Red Queen AU

Chapter 17

Stop it. Just . . . stop it.

"You know I have my reasons for why I don't like you buying all of this for me," I say, straightening my spine and bringing my heels up off the ground to get my mouth closer to his ear. The words are spoken quietly, though the people around me could care less as to what I'm talking about. "I'm not used to this sort of life for one, and—"

The red hand flicks to a white walk sign, and I start across the street, a pace ahead of Maven. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, how much about my life I want to reveal to the boy I met, truly met, this morning. I already told him how I ran away from home.

Curse my legs, because he's by my side again in the blink of an eye.

"And you're proud," he states plainly. "You like to do things for yourself."

Yes. Mom's had to ask Will for an extension on rent payments more times than I can handle remembering, my family can't afford to take Gisa to the hospital for her wrist, and my pickpocket "salary" makes up a good percentage of the Barrow family income.

I don't mind taking a hack at Tiberias Calore's bank account. Well, however many accounts he has. But Maven's called me out. It stings my pride to accept all these pretty shoes and shirts conscious of the fact that I could never buy them for myself. He's rich; fortunate. I'm penniless; unfortunate. In allowing Maven to take me out shopping, I'm acknowledging a great divide between us, being dependent on somebody else.

Though I've had more fun today than I've had in a long time, a jaded, shriveled-up part of me is crying out to drop the bags right here.

Instead, I clench my fists around the straps as we reach the other side of the intersection. "You'll never know what it's like," I whisper barely loud enough for him to hear. "To worry about money."

I don't know how much Cal's told Maven about me. My partner hasn't mentioned my bad habit of pickpocketing or my sister's incident on Wall Street, though he'd be a fool to reveal Cal shared such intimate details with him. So for now, I'll keep it there. That money's an issue, that money's a sore spot.

"Oh, never say never," he returns, gazing up at the buttery-yellow buildings lining this block and those after.

Skeptical, I raise a brow. I almost stop in the middle of the street, even busier than it was this morning, if only to make a point like Ann did in the lobby. But cement sidewalk pounding at my feet, I allow Maven to keep walking towards the Academy's front doors, waiting for him to finish his train of thought.

"Empires rise and fall. It happens in fairy tales, it's happened plenty in history, and it happens every day in New York City. Stocks crash, owners make bad investments . . . businessmen are ousted for fraud. Not saying my father is one, but I'm just . . . saying. Don't think that any of our fates are sealed. Your's certainly isn't."

Maven gives me a wink as we step under the marquee. I travel ahead of him for the revolving door, but not before I half-turn my head over my shoulder. "You've been reading far too much classic literature, Maven."

A faint chuckle sounds behind me as I use my fists to propel the door forward, bunched around straps of bags.

I can't disagree with Maven, though I must say that the chances of his family going bankrupt are pretty low. Yes, it does happen, but it's hardly the sort of thing Maven could predict. Then again: I never could've guessed two weeks ago that I'd soon run away from home to chase my idiotic dream of dance.

The Academy's round-the-clock current of air conditioning doesn't fail as I step fully inside, greeted by an empty and quiet lobby.

Home.