Chapter 45 : Fitting room

MAXINE. Seeing Yelena’s face drop is almost worth it. Almost. Ajax touches my shoulder, smiling down at me, and I can’t even say anything. I can’t move. I don’t think I can even breathe properly. All I can think about is the fact that now I have to go to the ball, and my date would be Ajax. I’m not saying it’s a bad choice. It’s just… so strange and so sudden. He turns around to leave, but I follow him. “Ajax.” My voice sounds strained and strangled but he turns around anyway. “Yes?” Why is he being so casual about this? I don’t remember this being arranged. He’s acting like I was in the know for the longest time, and I simply am not. I didn’t even know there was a ball tonight. If I did, I wouldn’t have chosen this day to go back to school. “What was that about?” I ask him. “I never agreed to be your… date.” My face heats up at the word alone. I’m a mess. “I mean, I know that, but now that we’re in this situation, we might as well go through it,” he says simply. “So you’re j