From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace novel Chapter 42

Laurinda had been to plenty of school galas before. She quirked an eyebrow, not especially interested. She’d already played piano and violin on stage, so there wasn’t much else she wanted to do.

“I think I’ll skip it this year,” she said.

The girls around her looked disappointed. They’d been hoping to see Laurinda perform again, almost as if they were waiting for magic.

“That’s really too bad, Laurinda. You don’t even know, as soon as sign-ups opened for the New Year’s show, someone uploaded your performance from last year to the school website. Every year you do something amazing. It’s impossible to forget.”

Laurinda looked at her friends’ faces, all dreamy and starry-eyed, and tapped her fingers on the table, letting out a soft laugh.

“You’re making it sound way bigger than it is. I’m not that impressive. And right now, things are complicated for me. Even when I try to keep a low profile, people still gossip about me. If I step into the spotlight again, I’ll be front and center in the rumor mill. I’d rather just keep things quiet for a while.”

She picked up some spicy beef and put it into Shirley’s bowl. Shirley took a bite, then shook her head.

“I think you should just do whatever makes you happy, Laurinda. Those people are jealous and don’t want to see you shine. You should live your best life and show them that even without the Austin family, you’re still Laurinda—the Laurinda we know. No matter what, you’ve still got us.”

“Yeah, you’ve got us,” another friend chimed in.

“We’re always here for you. Our friendship isn’t going anywhere.”

Everyone started talking at once, eager to show Laurinda just how much she meant to them.

Before, when Laurinda never mentioned the Austin family, nobody dared bring it up. Now that she did, they still didn’t ask questions. They just wanted her to know they’d always stand by her, no matter what happened.

Laurinda felt her heart soften. In all three years of high school, these girls had never tried to get close to her for her status, and they never looked down on her after she was forced out of the Austin family. She realized this was what real friendship felt like.

By the end, everyone was getting emotional. If they hadn’t been in a restaurant, they might have cracked open some drinks.

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