Free So Into You [The Jane Austen Academy Series #2] by Cecelia Gray Page A

Lizzie yanked aside the privacy curtain. "Are you hurt?"
    "No."
    Lizzie grabbed her hand and looked at the Band-Aid. "Oh, this looks tiny."
    "It is tiny."
    "But the nurse’s proctor said you were out for the rest of the day."
    "Just a precaution."
    "Kind of overkill." Lizzie dropped Ellie’s hand. "I have real pain, Ellie. Dante’s parents hate me."
    Ellie tried not to bristle as Lizzie brushed her problems aside. "I’m sure they can’t hate you."
    "They can." Lizzie sat on the bed next to her. "They know."
    "Who told them?"
    "Who do you think?"
    Ellie gave it a second’s thought. "Bergie?"
    "Obviously. Oh, they pretended they didn’t know. In front of Dante and Georgiana they were all, Nice to meet you, Lizzie. What are your interests, Lizzie? Oh, you want to go to Georgetown, Lizzie? How interesting, so does Dante. " Lizzie mimicked them with sarcasm and spite. "Then the second Georgiana is out of the picture and Dante walks away for two seconds, they say they’re not interested in hearing from me about the school; that the reason they hired Headmistress Berg was to ensure continuity of management so they wouldn’t have to come forward publicly as the owners because we’d have someone else to talk to."
    "It seems reasonable," Ellie said. "I mean, they have a board of directors for a reason."
    "It’s not at all reasonable," Lizzie cried, throwing up her arms. "Why even buy a school if you can’t be bothered to run it? So then they say they’re so pleased that Dante’s made a new friend but they hope I know what’s good for my friends . It was so mafioso —like they were threatening me."
    "I doubt Dante’s family was really threatening you."
    "They were saying something between the lines, trust me. A reporter always knows these things. I was going to give them a fair shot to go public and come clean, but they’ve left me with no choice."
    "No choice but to what?" Ellie asked warily.
    "I can’t accept the path the universe sets for me, Ellie. I just can’t—it goes against everything I believe about being a reporter. Everything I believe about being a human being."
    "But what can you do?"
    "If Dante’s parents want privacy, then we have to threaten them with their worst nightmare—publicity."
    "But you quit the Gazette ."
    "No—not that publicity." Lizzie’s eyes sparkled. " Real publicity."
     
    * * *
     
    Ellie made her weary way back to her room. She looked forward to peace and quiet and the place all to herself since Emma was in Los Angeles.
    To curl up in bed and finally cry herself to sleep thinking about how embarrassed she was over Edward.
    Worse yet, she couldn’t even share how embarrassed she felt, because it had been so stupid of her to assume that he liked her. He’d never said he liked her. He’d never made her any indications or promises. He’d pulled away every time they’d gotten close.
    He’d been thinking of Lucy every time. He’d probably been embarrassed for Ellie—embarrassed that she was so obvious and he didn’t know how to make her go away.
    Oh, she hated herself! She hated that she was so silly and ridiculous.
    How could she have imagined it?
    She pulled at her hair as she hurried down the hall. How could she erase this ache, this utter humiliation? How could she wring the feeling out of her body so she never felt this way again?
    Maybe Lizzie’s determination to pull Jasta into a publicity stunt was just the thing to distract her from heartbreak.
    Besides, Lizzie needed Ellie to calm her down. Lizzie was half-convinced they should duct tape themselves naked to the flagpole.
    She’d resolved to come up with something less drastic.
    Ellie decided to throw herself into work, the academic scholarships, and Lizzie’s plans. Anything to keep from thinking about Edward.
    She finally reached her door and, with a deep breath, stepped inside.
    Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she noticed a small lump in Emma’s bed.
    "Hello?" she said as she crossed the room.
    She saw