Page 55 of All That Glitters

“You weren’t allowed to bring in your phone, but I snuck mine in to get proof of everything. The founder of the place caught me with it.” I huff. “He stole my phone right out of my hand and deleted all the photos. He even thought to erase my recently deleted folder.”

“Who’s the founder? Do we know him?” Saylor asks, resting her arms on the coffee table and her chin on top of her arms.

“His name is Hayes Rosewood,” I say, and Aurora lets out a half scoff, half laugh as she brings her coffee into the living room. “You know him?” I ask her.

She sits down to my left, putting her back against the arm of the couch so she can face me.

“He’s in one of my classes. Spends all of his time flirting instead of taking notes.” Aurora rolls her eyes.

“Wait, he’s flirted with you?” I ask.

Thinking of a guy as dangerous as Hayes setting his sights on Aurora makes me uneasy. It’s not like he hurt me or Jameson, but there was this aura around him. He had a look in his eye that said he thought he was untouchable.

“All the time. It’s some kind of game to him.” She takes a sip of her iced coffee before continuing. “The other girls in class fall all over him because he’s rich, but no amount of money can cover up his narcissism.”

Him being rich would explain why the basement looked more like a speakeasy than a frat house last night.

“Well, it’s probably for the best to stay away from him,” I say to her. “He wasn’t evil or anything, but I don’t trust him.”

“You’re just mad he sabotaged your story,” Jasmine says, bumping my shoulder. “Though I have to agree that someone running a fight club doesn’t sound like a good fit for Aurora.”

“I appreciate the concern,” Aurora says dryly. “But as I said, I don’t like him. He asks me out, and I turn him down every time and will continue to as long as he acts the way he does.”

“What if he turned into a nice, genuine guy?” Saylor asks. “What would you do then?”

Aurora smirks. “Then I guess I’d learn what it’s like to date a billionaire.”

I gape at her. “Aurora!”

“What? He’s attractive. If he wasn’t an absolute idiot, I’d consider him.”

Jasmine laughs. “Fair enough.”

“Even though he runs a secret fight club?” I ask her.

She shrugs. “As long as everyone is there of their own will, I don’t see why it’s a big deal. My little brother is super into boxing, and so is my dad.”

I rub my temples. “Is no one going to hate him on my behalf? Does he really get an excuse because he’s pretty?”

Jasmine throws an arm around me.

“We’re on your side, Marigold. Aurora isn’t going to date Hayes because it doesn’t sound like he’s changing his ways any time soon.”

“So we can add him to the list of enemies we’d like to throw rocks at?” I ask with a smile.

“We don’t have a list like that!” Jasmine laughs.

“Give me a few minutes and I can make one,” Saylor says, and starts to riffle through a pen pouch. “What color should I use? Red seems too basic. What about silver, to represent the rocks?”

“Sure,” I say at the same time Jasmine says, “We do not need a list of enemies.”

“I disagree. I think it’s a healthy coping mechanism.”

Saylor holds up a pen. “It has glitter.”

I point at her. “Glitter. We’ve got to use it.”

Jasmine shakes her head, but then a mischievous look comes over her.