From Pawn To Queen: A Love Story

gh the motions of preparing for Atheria, ordering supplies online, and talking to my parents ab

gh our small, affluent circle like a virus. It was the main topic of gossip at the count

After all the Miller

as over some g

ust be de

reparations. But it was impossible to avoid completely. Especially

d his arm slung casually around Emily' s chair, and Noah was leaning in, hanging on her every word. Emily, for her part, was playin

painful. I quickly turned my head, ducking into a nearby bookstore before they could see

n, came over. She found me in my studio,

eeting. "The three stooges holding court

r expression a mixture of anger and sym

ke I' d been holding for days. "I don

arasites. Your family gave them everything, and they toss it all aside for what? Little

ing noble," I said, the

ent your entire summer-job savings to buy Noah that specific set of German oil pain

ugged me and promised he' d never forget it.

Sarah continued, her voice rising. "An internship that actual professional artists would kill fo

t part was their complete lack of remorse. They caught

atch up. Noah and Emily were trailing a few f

I said, not

wanted to clear the air. We know you' re upset, but this isn' t about you. It' s

o gave a small, sad smile. T

t felt... tired. A deep, bone-weary exhaustion. It was like watching a bad movie for the second

mmer this time. There was no need for a

," I said,

by my lack of reaction.

I have

s on my back, confused and maybe a little annoyed that I wasn

inst their world. I didn' t want to see them, hear them, or think ab

community college and

hat their lives looked lik