The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy
Chapter 0427

Jesse laughs, coming over to us, his backpack slung over his back. "Rosie's all ready for you, June," he says, grinning and patting her on the shoulder. "Says she's giving you a makeover."

Juniper groans louder now, tilting her head back and venting her rage to the sky. I can't help but laugh, but I don't miss that Rafe doesn't join in on it.

"What?" I ask, turning to him. "What's wrong with mom coming to school?"

"Something's up," he murmurs with a shrug. "She wasn't planning on it this morning. Something...changed."

"No point in worrying on it," Jackson murmurs passively, turning his eyes from the helicopter to frown at Rafe. "She'll tell you when she wants to, not before."

"I love this attitude," Jesse says with a happy sigh, grinning at my mate. "Your tacit nonchalance in the face of Sinclair chaos is why you fit in so well, buddy."

Jackson huffs a laugh and sends a grin Jesse's way, but down our bond I can feel that Jesse's words touched him quite a bit. Jackson - he's laughing it off like a joke, but he likes very much being told that he fits in with us, I think especially because he feels like such a mismatch.

Juniper whips her head back up at Jesse's words, a wicked grin taking over her face. I turn to her in surprise, wondering what the hell she's got up her sleeve.

"Yeah, well, Jesse's not the only one noticing that you're fitting in." Juniper quips, gleeful. She reaches into the little messenger bag she's got slung over her shoulder.

I lean towards her, taking the bait, desperate to know what's going on. "Wait," I say, frowning, "who else is noticing?"

"The press," Juniper says, whipping a skinny tabloid magazine out of her bag and holding it out for all of us to see. I gasp, grabbing the paper out of her hands, my mouth falling open with shock and a little bit of delight when I see that the cover is pasted with pictures of Jackson - Jackson walking with our group out of the train station, Jackson standing with mom on one of the palace balconies, Jackson helping Jesse and Rafe haul in yule logs from the truck outside, even one of me and Jackson standing close, chatting, laughing with each other. God, when had the press gotten that? And more.

"Oh my god!" I whisper, reverent, staring at them. But I burst out laughing when I read the hot-pink headline emblazoned over the top.

WHO'S THE HUNK!?

"Ohhhh my god!" Jesse gasps, leaning close to me, his face the mirror image of mine. "This is - this is amazing -"

"What is it?" Rafe asks, frowning, trying to get in to see. Jackson likewise peeks.

"No worries!" Juniper quips, thrilled, pulling more copies out of her bag and handing them around. "I have enough chopper reading material for everyone!"

I look worriedly up into Jackson's face as he takes a copy from my sister's hand. He frowns for a moment, but the second he realizes that it's him on the cover he goes pale, his mouth dropping open, and then he blushes scarlet when he, too, reads the headline.

I squeak, unable to help it, and immediately rush for him, wrapping my arms around his waist and looking up into his face, my magazine copy still gasped in my fist.

"What...what is this?" Jackson murmurs, passively folding one arm around me while he stares at the magazine cover.

"Looks like an expose," Rafe says cheerfully, looking up at Jacks with half humor, half worry. "The press got curious about you hanging around with the Royals all Midwinter break."

"And the theories abound," Jesse says, flipping through the magazine with wide eyes. He bursts out laughing, looking at Jacks. "Everything from a new plain-clothes bodyguard to Mark's boyfriend."

"Mark's boyfriend?" Jacks asks, kind of appalled, frowning at Jesse. "He's like...a million years younger than me."

"Plus, straight." Juniper chimes in, still delighted at her revelation.

"Is he?" Rafe asks, curious, looking at our little sister.

"Mark's not-so-secret p**n collection under his bed would suggest so," Junie says with a sigh, like she'd much prefer that he either be gay or that she hadn't stumbled upon that particular collection, making us all burst into laughter.