Chapter 6: Ride-or-Die

I climbed over the crown prince’s palace wall and found Aubrey in a side room.

She was sitting among the wreckage, bawling her eyes out. Mascara streaked down her cheeks, and her sobs echoed off the marble walls.

I went over and patted her. "Hey, everyone’s gone, who are you putting on a show for?"

Aubrey wailed even louder, pointing nearby.

A pair of giant eyeballs was floating in the air.

Jeez! I knew the crown prince was weird, but not this weird.

He actually left his eyes behind to watch Aubrey 24/7!

I hugged her and started crying too. "Aubrey! Our lives are so miserable, men are the absolute worst, I swear…"

Then I whispered in her ear, "Aubrey, I think Caleb wants to kill me."

Aubrey shivered and whispered back, "Derek wants to secretly lock me up. That psycho."

"Looks like there’s only one way out."

"To die."

We exchanged a knowing glance—instant agreement.

It was the kind of moment you could only share with someone who’d seen you through every disaster, every heartbreak. Ride-or-die, literally.