Exaltation (Insight #11)(50)
Raven wanted to crawl into a ball. Soren turned sideways in his seat and leaned into the aisle, not to talk to Raven but in some way to block her view of Rydell. Raven felt a wave of vim encasing her and glanced to Soren.
Soren was usually mellow in school, lost in his own world, but today he was all too aware of his surroundings. He mouthed the words. “Got you,” to Raven.
She guessed he thought his vim would protect her from humiliation. And sadly he was wrong.
Something clicked in Kimberly’s eyes as they shifted between Rydell and Dagen then to Raven. The bell rang and she turned around stiffly in her seat.
Five minutes later when the teacher had her pass back papers she handed Raven a note that read :OMG I SO did not mean to embarrass you! But now I HATE you. Dagen and Rydell are the top two on the girls’ hot list —meaning untouchable list! P.S I heard Soren would be on that list by the end of the day—him and some other new guy that Stephanie saw in the office this morning.
Before the day was over Raven figured out she had every class with Rydell except for fourth and sixth. He was even in Berries’ class.
Conveniently, Raven remembered why Berries’ class gave her the creeps. He had cameras! Not ones that were recording his lecture but ones that were aimed at the class—too weird.
The rest of the week went by in a haze, mainly because Raven was knee deep in make up work. Berries must have sent a lynch mob after the twins and her.
Some of the classes they traded were the same courses but different teachers, and the teachers were not fond of the fact the girls had pulled one over on them.
Of course Berries was the worst. Every lecture he would stop a few sentences in and ask Raven a condescending question as if she was too ignorant to know what he was talking about.
It was in his class that Raven actually loosened up around Rydell. He was bold when it came to Berries. After the first day he started answering the questions before Raven could. Berries would turn beet red, obliviously furious at Rydell but he never reprimanded him. Instead he would make comments like, “Miss BellaRose do you know the answer or should I ask your boyfriend again?”
The girls along with Soren had been on edge all week. Raven asked them over and over if they felt prickles and they said they didn’t but they felt them coming, as odd as that sounded.
Ash was on the hunt. She claimed something had changed from last Friday but she didn’t know what. Apparently the worst vibe she felt was Monday morning, but it had been fading ever since then.
Raven only had two shifts that week at the rink; one was Thursday and the other was Saturday. Raven had never been so happy for Thursday in all her life.
The rink always closed an hour earlier on Thursdays to get the center ready for the weekend. Soren was her ride there. The twins were doing ‘research’ meaning they were hanging out with Miss Sherri. Miss Sherri never meant to gossip but if you managed to get her to talk about the ‘old days’ you were in for a wealth of info.
She was Miss Thelma Ray’s cousin—so the girls had it in their head she was around when Berries was, and they wanted all the dirt they could find on that man. As far as they were concerned he crossed them and now they were building their deathblow up.
It was slow, so it took Raven no time at all to finish her work up at the rink. Soren still had a good two hours. He and some other boys were building a new ramp in the auditorium. Which meant Raven had two hours to skate and blow off some steam—and hopefully find her happy place. Bliss bubble here I come.
She turned the lights down, then found a slow haunting playlist to blare simply because that was her mood. It didn’t take her long to lose herself. She moved through an entire track of music and felt the weight of school falling behind her. Along with the other dark drama about her past and future.
She heard a slow clap as one of the songs was ending and glanced over her shoulder, expecting Soren to skate up to her at any second but it was Rydell.
Her heart stopped. She had been less than innocent during her last dance, and now she was only wearing a sports bra and short shorts. Once again she’d managed to look like someone she wasn’t around him.
“You want some skates?” Raven quipped.
A boyish smile came to him as he looked away.
Rydell was still trying to figure out what to do with this girl, if he had a fever or mercy for her. She was innocent…killing her would not be easy. If it wasn’t for his people, if it was just him, the decision would be simple—let her do what she needed. Revelin was an evil bastard who needed to die—she was pure joy, bliss, salvation. What the world needed.
“Not scared are you?” Raven teased.
“Actually I am. I like a strong footing,” he said with a disarming smile.
Raven didn’t get him. One second he looked lethal and the next like a shy fun loving boy.
“It’s all about balance.” Raven rolled right up to the wall he was leaning over.
“What are you doing here?” Raven asked.
“Dagen and Kade are practicing out back. Took a chance on you being in here, though I didn’t see the Jeep.”
“Girls are studying.” Not quite a lie. “I’m waiting on Soren.”
His eyes narrowed. “Rumor has it that he’s into Ash. That true? Or do I have competition?”
“Are you competing?” she asked with an arched brow.
“Maybe. You’re the one that kissed me.”