The Luna Choosing Game

I stared at Julian, disbelieving my ears. Did he really just ask me for a solo date?

Yet everyone in the whole ballroom was looking at us. Julian still held the microphone up to his mouth.

This was definitely happening. It wasn’t a dream.

Which meant that Julian was up to something.

“Why?” I asked, before I could think better of it.

A few girls around me gasped. Only then did I realize my mistake and covered my mouth.

Julian also looked shocked, his eyes going wide for a moment. But then, just as quickly, he burst out

laughing.

His good humor seemed to erase the surprise of the other onlookers. Everyone seemed to think I had

been telling a joke.

With the microphone lowered, he said to me, “I insist this request is genuine, Piper.”

I didn’t believe him.

Julian always played the angles. Asking me on a date had to be some kind of move for his benefit, but I

couldn’t begin to figure out how. I’d only scratched the surface of the inner politics of the royal family.

waited for my

didn’t know how, but I couldn’t exactly turn him down. He

this was a competition. I was just a pawn

said,

smiled. Into the microphone, he announced, “She

cheered. Most of the girls clapped

no longer

the center of the dance floor, Nicholas stood. His face was an emotionless

as he stared straight at

I

tell him that this didn’t mean anything. Julian was only trying to

just for the

I couldn’t reach him without publicly dismissing Julian.

need an

anymore

triggered something inside of me,

screamed to soothe away his

nothing like that

I looked at Nicholas now, that look

turned away from me and, even an hour later, had not sought me

were positively charmed by Julian and his antics. Even after

not stop telling me how funny