Luck (3 page)

Savannah stays in the dorm to study for a test she has tomorrow, so I just go alone. Well, as alone as I can be with somebody following me. Damon said he’s going too and will meet me there.

“I bet you think you’re so special, don’t you?” a redheaded girl, I think Camille is her name, says to me as I’m walking to join the party. “You’re dating Damon Hartley, so now you have to have bodyguards. Nobody even knows who you are. Just some random girl from Russia. You’re not even American.”

“Damon and I aren’t dating,” I tell her, not unkindly. I don’t want to pick a fight with her, even though it’s obvious that is what she’s trying to start.

“But you’re going to homecoming together,” she says.

“Yeah,” I answer. “But that’s it. We’re friends. And I don’t have a bodyguard because of him. A guy that my dad works with is…” crazy. Psycho. “Stalking me.” It’s true. “He actually followed me to America. Until he’s gone, Damon is letting me use one of his bodyguards.”

“Oh,” she says, looking deflated.

“No hard feelings,” I tell her. “But let me give you some advice. Damon might be the president’s son, but he’s a normal guy. Treat him that way and I bet you guys would be friends too.”

“Wow. Thanks. You’re not so bad. For a Russian.”

“Thanks.” I think.

“I’ve seen you running a lot with Tristan. Is he your boyfriend?” she asks.

“No,” I say, wanting to laugh, but I don’t. Dating Tristan would be like dating my brother. Kind of. Tristan is cute, but way too old for me. She can’t know that though. She thinks he’s a senior. “Tristan and I just like working out together.”

“What about those other two boys you eat with in the dining hall? The nerdy ones,” she says.

“Kaiden and Madox,” I say. “And definitely not. We’re all just friends.”

“Then who are you dating?”

“Nobody.”

“Huh,” she says. “Well, who do you want to date?”

“How old are you?” I ask the girl.

“I’m fifteen. Freshman,” she answers.

Was I that boy crazy at fifteen?

Okay, okay. So it was only a year ago, but it feels like a lot longer.

A year ago, I was following Eduard around. I guess I sort of had a crush on his best friend. I haven’t spoken to him since the accident, and I’m not sure that I want to talk to him again. It would bring up too many bad memories.

“You’re sixteen, right?” she asks.

I nod. “I’ll be seventeen in December.”

“Awesome,” she says. “I will be sixteen in March and I can’t wait. My daddy already promised he’d buy me a convertible. I’m thinking red. Do you think I’d look good in a red convertible?”

I look at the girl, wanting to tell her she’s crazy.

But she’s only fifteen. And her life is obviously a good one. She has a lot of reason to be happy.

“Red is definitely your color,” I say, noticing her red shirt.

“Thanks,” she says. “Blue is your color. But not dark blue. I saw you wearing that dark dress the other day and you totes looked like a vampire. Not that your pale skin isn’t gorgeous. But you should stick with lighter colors of blue—like your eyes color.”

Huh.

Maybe I do like her.

“Thanks, Camille.”

“No problem,” she says. “Just so you know, I’ve noticed the way you look at that Tristan guy. I know he’s, like, way super gorgeous, but hello, Damon is the president’s son. You can’t turn down Prince Charming. I know Damon likes you.”

The way I look at Tristan?

“I don’t look at Tristan in any particular way.”

“Yeah you do. Good luck with your boy drama,” she says, then runs over to a group of her friends. All of them look at me, but quickly turn their attention to something behind me. I turn around to see what they’re looking at.

Or better yet,
who
they’re looking at.

Damon walks towards me, his bodyguards following close behind. They’re all on high alert tonight, not that I can blame them. Yesterday was a scary day. Not to mention the fact that Kazimir got away. He’s probably out there, somewhere, watching us from the tree line.

A shiver runs through my body as I look at the darkness.

“Hey,” Damon says, walking up to me. He is a huge smile on his face, and I like to think that I’m the reason for that smile.

“Hi.”

“I can’t believe Tristan let you come out here tonight. I figured he’d have you on lock down,” he says.

“Tristan doesn’t know I’m here,” I say. “But it’s okay. I’ve got Marcus.”

I point to the bodyguard that Damon loaned me. I wonder if he’s going to sleep on my floor tonight. If he does, I hope he doesn’t snore.

At least Tristan isn’t sleeping on my floor. That would be awkward. At least all of Damon’s bodyguards are all old enough to be my dad and I definitely
don’t
find any of them attractive. Like, at all. Yuck.

Except Camille was wrong. I don’t find Tristan attractive. Well, okay, he’s attractive. In a hot older guy kind of way.

Suddenly, I think of Dimitri and Elana. He’s twenty two and she’s eighteen. Not much difference between Tristan and me. But that doesn’t matter, because Damon is the guy that I like. I’m excited to go to the dance with him next weekend.

Also, Damon is here with me now. And he really likes me. I know that he does.

“I would get onto you for leaving your dorm and not telling Tristan, but I’m glad you’re here,” he says. “Does the fact that I’m not forcing you go back make me selfish?”

“Naw. You know I’m too stubborn to go,” I say.

“That’s true,” he says. “Plus, you could probably kick my butt. Which is sad to admit out loud. My future girlfriend is a better fighter than me.”

I grin at his future-girlfriend comment.

“Maybe we can try for three miles this week,” I say. “Then you’ll only be two miles away from training with us.”

“Maybe,” he says. “I just worry that my presence will be a distraction for you when you’re training.”

I laugh, knowing he’s joking.

“So, I noticed you didn’t roll your eyes at my future girlfriend comment,” he says. “Does that mean that maybe you’d consider making it official?”

“Damon Hartley, you haven’t even taken me out on a date,” I say, putting my hands on my hips. “I’m not going to be the girlfriend of somebody that I’ve never even been out on a date with.”

“Can I?” he asks. “Take you out on a date, I mean.”

He actually looks nervous, which makes him ten times more adorable. There is no way I could say no to him. Not that I want to.

“I would like to go out on a date with you.”

He smiles big and his grey eyes light up, like maybe he wasn’t sure if I would say yes. But how could he not see how much I like him? I’ve been attracted to him since I first laid eyes on him.

My brother Eduard always told me that I wear my heart on my sleeve. I think he said that because he knew I had a crush on his best friend. But maybe since Eduard died, I don’t express my feelings as well. Something in me changed the night I lost him and I know that I will never be the same girl I was before. I’m not sure I want to be the same girl. That Katerina was a normal sixteen year old. She giggled a lot, spent way too much time on social media, and thought boys were everything. Now I realize that life is complicated and hard. Things don’t always turn out like you expect them to, and sometimes people die unexpectedly and way too young.

But I’m not going to go back into the hole of depression that I was in for the first couple months after he died. I’m going to enjoy every second that life gives me. I will miss him, but I have to keep moving on. That is what Eduard would have wanted.

His death changed me, but I like the new me. My only wish is that Eduard could see the girl that I’ve become. I think he’d be proud.

“So when are we going on this date?” I ask him.

“Well, homecoming is this week,” he says.

“Weekend,” I correct.

“Well, it kind of lasts all week. It’s spirit week,” he says.

“Oh, right,” I say. “Savannah said something about how there should be a Star Wars day. But yeah, I was wondering about pajama day. Who wants to wear their pajamas all day?”

He looks at me, like he’s trying to figure out if I’m joking.

“Katerina, you are one weird girl,” he says.

“Well, you asked me out. What does that say about you?”

He grins. “It says that I like weird, but pretty, girls with Russian accents.”

“Still, I don’t understand. Why would you guys want people to see you in your pajamas?” I ask. “I would be embarrassed.”

“Why?” he asks.

“Well, I wear sweat pants to bed. I would never, ever wear them in public.”

“You know the school banned sweat pants, besides on pajama day, because the girls would wear them all the time,” he says. “No leggings, sweat pants or yoga pants allowed during school hours. Ever.”

“I wish they’d ban skinny jeans,” I say.

He laughs. “You and me both. If they did that, half of the student body would have to go buy pants because I doubt they own anything else.”

“Savannah included,” I say, thinking I haven’t seen her wear anything else.

“So, you won’t participate in pajama day?” he asks. “I mean, you don’t have to participate in anything, but it’s fun.”

“What are the other days?” I ask.

“I can’t remember. But I know there is 80’s day. We have to dress up like they did in the 80’s,” he says.

I try to remember American fashion in the 80’s, but I have no clue. “I guess I will participate for everyday except pajama day. I don’t care if everybody else wears their pajamas, there is no way I’d do that.”

“I guess our date will have to wait until after homecoming,” he says. “Don’t make plans for the weekend after homecoming. I want to take you out on a proper date.”

“And what does a proper date entail?” I ask.

“You’ll see.”

I can’t wait.

Damon Hartley has managed to steal my heart.

Too bad my dad wants to kill him.

THREE

Nerdy Monday.

I actually Googled “
how to dress like a nerd
.”

The first thing I found is that you need fake glasses. I was going to skip that step, but not so surprisingly, Savannah told me she had an extra pair that I could borrow. She gave me the purple ones and she is using some neon yellow ones.

I also wear a high wasted purple, plaid skirt, I tuck in my plain white t-shirt and put on a pair of suspenders. I wear knee high argyle socks with my converse.

“Is this nerdy enough?” I ask Savannah.

“How do you look cute, even as a nerd. So not fair,” she says. “Maybe put your hair in two pigtails. Then you’ll be set.”

“Okay,” I say, then quickly fix my hair. I’m not sure I like it like this, but it’s just for one day.

Marcus, my bodyguard who thankfully doesn’t snore, says I totally look like a nerd.

And he said it just like that too.

“You totally look nerdy.”

I raise an eyebrow at him.

“I have a niece who is thirteen,” he says, like that makes the fact that he used the word “totally” less weird.

Tristan was quiet on our run this morning. I think something is bothering him, but he’s not saying what. I just hope that he’s not keeping information from me—maybe information about my father or Kazimir.

Or Dimitri. What if he found out Dimitri decided to join my dad’s ranks? I mean, he was pretty sure he’s going to, but I’m hoping he won’t. Maybe Tristan knows his decision and doesn’t want to tell me because he knows it will hurt me if Dimitri decided to join in.

When I walk into the dining hall for breakfast, Damon walks up to me.

“Wow. You’re hot even as a nerd,” he says.

Damon isn’t dressed up like a nerd.

“Why aren’t you participating?” I ask.

“I didn’t have anything to wear,” he answers.

“I’m sure there is a mall somewhere close by.”

“Yeah, I hate shopping. People are always staring and taking pictures,” he says. “I try to avoid going out in public as much as I can. That’s why I like spending so much time abroad. I don’t get recognized nearly as often when I’m in another country.”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot. President’s son,” I say. “I can’t imagine being famous. It must suck.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to be. But my dad never asked my opinion when he ran for office,” he says. “Is it bad that I didn’t want my dad to win the election? If I would’ve been old enough to vote, I would’ve voted against him.”

“That’s so mean,” I say.

He doesn’t respond. He just shrugs.

We get our food and then head to the table. Savannah, Kaiden and Madox aren’t in the cafeteria yet, so we sit at the table alone. All six of Damon’s bodyguards stand close by.

“They have a very boring job,” I say, nodding to the group.

“Yep,” he says. “I figure my dad must pay them a lot. Four of the six have kids that they hardly ever get to see because they’re here with me.”

“Your dad loves you. He’s trying to protect you.”

He snorts. “My dad doesn’t even know me.”

“What do you think your dad would say if he knew you were friends with me? You know, since it’s my dad who wants you dead,” I say.

He frowns. “I haven’t even met your parents yet and they already hate me.”

“My mom won’t hate you,” I tell him. “I don’t know if you’ll get to meet them for a while. Well, probably never my dad. But the rest of my family. I wish my family was normal. I wish that you could come to Russia with me and meet them.”

“Me too,” he says.

“I don’t even get to go home alone for Christmas.”

“Good,” he says. “Is Tristan going with you?”

I nod. “Apparently I have to pretend that he’s my boyfriend. It’s going to be so awkward.”

“Why does he have to pretend to be your boyfriend?” he asks, looking a little pale at the idea.

“Because I can’t exactly be like, ‘Hey, Dad. This is Tristan. He’s my bodyguard, making sure you don’t go psycho and kill me.’ So, it’s the only option, really,” I say. “I wish there was another way.”

“I do too,” Damon says, now frowning.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I just don’t like the idea of Tristan going home with you pretending to be your boyfriend.”

“I’m not into Tristan,” I tell him, grabbing his hand. “I’m into you. And only you.”