The Fated Fire Princess

The Golden Boy

Jack’s POV

It’s been a few weeks since Dad hit me, and he hasn’t so much as looked at me since, but he also hasn’t hit me again, so I’ll take it.

I wouldn’t say things are good, though. 

I think Logan Townsend is getting ready to make his move.

“Logan won’t stop staring at you,” Effie whines to Harper. We’re at lunch, sitting by ourselves, as we always do. Logan, as he always does, is at the cool kids’ table—the jocks and cheerleaders, most of which are complete assholes to me most of the time.

“That’s not true,” Harper says, not bothering to look up. She loves to pretend Logan doesn’t have a crush on her, despite the fact that we all know it. “I’m sure he’s looking at you, Ef. You’re way prettier than me.”

I try not to cough on my Coke in my disdain for that suggestion. Granted, Effie is extremely beautiful—much more beautiful than she thinks she is. Her long, bright, red hair is as striking as her mother Lana’s, and she’s got her tall, slender physique, as well.

But Harper…

Well, there’s no comparison. No comparison to anyone. She’s the prettiest girl in the world.

Effie pouts, not denying Harper’s statement. “I think he’s going to ask you out soon. You should come up with a strategy to turn him down.”

If I wasn’t madly in love with Harper, I might have been annoyed by that comment. After all, Effie shouldn’t just assume that Harper’s going to turn the guy down because she herself has a crush on him. Harper should be free to live her life.

But I am madly in love with her, so naturally I, too, would like her to turn him down.

“That’s never going to happen,” Harper tells her. “But even if it did, I wouldn’t need a strategy. I’d just tell him I want to be friends and nothing more.”

“Really?” I can’t help but ask. “You’d turn down the golden boy of the Academy?”

Those unbelievable silver eyes of hers turn to meet mine then, and for a second, I swear that connection I feel is undeniably mutual—like she must, on some level, feel the way I do.

But then she looks away, leaving me just as uncertain as I always am.

“Yeah,” she says shortly. “I would.”

- - - - -

“Hey, Broomstick Boy. Mind cleaning up this spill?”

I roll my eyes and try to shove past Rex Nielsen, the jock asshole who loves to give me s**t whenever possible. But he catches me by the arm, stopping me.

“You should stay away from the Fire Princess if you know what’s good for you,” he hisses into my ear. “If Logan wants her, he’s going to get her. And if you’re in the way…”

He clucks his tongue, but I barely hear it. I’ve always let guys like Rex push me around for my parents’ sake—if I get expelled, they’ll have to move away to find me a new school to attend—but I draw the line at being told to stay away from Harper.

I also hate when people call her the “Fire Princess.” Mostly because I know she hates it. Despite her being the reason they're all here on Earth instead of Farnethia, she hates the spotlight. She just wants to be normal.

Which is ironic, considering I just want to be anything but normal.

“She’s my best friend,” I growl at Rex. “I will do no such thing.”

“Your best friend,” he repeats, and laughs out loud. “Please. It’s embarrassing, how hard you try with her.”

I know he’s just a dumb jock asshole, but his words sting, all the same. Is it really that embarrassing? Do I embarrass her?

“Rex.” A new voice, but one I know well—Logan’s. “Leave him alone.”

Rex releases my arm instantly, smiling his best fake smile at his QB. “Just giving the dork a bit of friendly advice, man.”

Logan rolls his eyes and offers me a friendly smile. “Sorry, man. I’ve tried telling him to stop being such an ass about ninety times, but it never works.”

I really wish Logan wasn’t so nice. It would make it so much easier to hate him.

“Just looking out for you, bro,” Rex tells Logan. “Dude’s a major c**k-blocker for you. Who knows what kind of lies he’s feeding her about you?”

“That’s not true,” I hear myself telling Logan. You really are a p***y, I think grimly to myself. “I haven’t said one word about you to her.”

“I know.” He smiles at me again. “Rex is full of s**t. I know you wouldn’t do that, Jack.”

Between his smile and his use of my real name, rather than Broomstick Boy, I almost—almost—find myself liking him.

But then he goes and ruins it.

“I’m making my move soon,” he tells me, offering me a friendly fist-bump. “Wish me luck.”

I bump his fist a whole lot harder than I need to.

- - - - -

I was supposed to join Effie and Harper for coffee after school at the Farnethia Café—another important staple in the HQ—but I’m so shaken up by my conversation with Rex and Logan that I end up bailing.

What are you doing? I can’t help but think as I trudge past my house and out toward the woods. Why are you wasting your time pretending she might ever go for someone like you over someone like Logan? She’s so out of your league, it’s not even worth the consideration.

She’s one of the most famous people in the entire world. She’s hands-down the most powerful person in the entire world. She’s easily the most beautiful person in the entire world. And, to top it all off, she’s smart, funny, kind, and caring.

Why, in a million, trillion, gazillion f*****g years, would she ever choose to be with someone like me?

I take a reluctant seat at the bank of the creek, pulling off my shoes and dipping my feet into the water. It’s dirty and murky, but the feeling is soothing. I’ve been coming here for years—whenever I need alone time. The water has always calmed me.

The calming effect, unfortunately, becomes very quickly negated by a very familiar voice.

“Hey.”

It’s her.