The thing is, I’m scared to death. I’m scared that agreeing to an article might expose me to more abuse, and I’m scared that if the article says the wrong thing it might trigger the royal family into getting me farther away from Rose, and I’m scared that if I say nothing at all, people will fill in the blanks about me, and I won’t like the story they assign on my behalf.

But what I do know is that the media and the tabloids have used me as a chess piece in their war against Rose for months now. I’m so sick of hiding from it and hoping it goes away while article after article calls me all kinds of names, and speculates on what I do in private, and what kind of person I am. If I keep letting them talk about me, instead of to me, nothing’s going to change. I don’t know what’ll happen if I make a move for once. But at least it will be my move. At least, if people hate me, they’ll hate me for something I can actually own, instead of nasty things they heard about me from some bully.

Hiding and trying not to bother anybody won’t stop people from talking about me. Maybe I didn’t learn that lesson the first time I was meant to learn it, last year. But I think, maybe, I finally have.

Like Rose said. If I don’t take a step, I’ll stay where I am forever.

When I’m called out of class by the headmaster’s personal assistant on Monday morning, instead of assuming he’s finally checking in on my well-being after being outed a week ago, my first thought is he’s found out I’m working with a columnist on an article.

He’s waiting for me when I arrive, wearing all black, suit, shirt, and tie. I almost ask him if he’s just been to a funeral or something—because I’m so full of adrenaline I’m losing my entire mind—but I manage to shut myself up just in time.

“Danni, good morning. Take a seat.”

Does he want to tell me I can’t mention the school in the article? Or maybe he wants to shut it down altogether. Or maybe it’s unrelated to that, and the faculty’s been receiving some of the same death threats I’ve been getting or something.

“I apologize for taking more than a week to meet with you regarding the events of last weekend,” he says. “I’m sure you can appreciate, there were some discussions that needed to be had behind the scenes as we took stock of where we stood.”

“No, I get it,” I say.