A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram #1)(65)

She whirled around and watched Aiden rabbit. “Damn it,” she said, practically running after him. When she caught up, managing to only take out one or two other students, she grabbed his collar and pulled.

He made a strangling sound and faced her. “What? I didn’t do anything. And I don’t know the girl.”

“Then why the reaction yesterday?”

“What reaction?”

“You do know who my mother is, right?”

He paled even further, but Cruz had walked up again, and she didn’t know if it was due to the threat or due to his presence. She needed a control group when she did stuff like that.

“I could get in serious trouble,” he whispered, his voice hissing loudly.

“I don’t care,” she said, hissing back. “What’s going on?”

He led them to a corner, glanced in both directions, then said, “She wanted me to do something for her. Said she’d pay me.”

“Really? What did she want?”

Cruz crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside Aiden. Aiden started panting as though he were having a panic attack.

“Better hurry,” she said. “The bell’s about to ring. If I don’t get an answer, I’ll go to Jacobs.”

He scraped a hand through his hair. “Okay, it was before winter break. She wanted a schedule, too. Asked me to print it out.”

“Whose?”

He licked his lips, then said, “Yours.”

“But I wasn’t going here before break.”

“Yeah, but you had registered. They’d already given you a schedule. She didn’t say why she wanted it.”

“How much did she pay you?”

“I can’t say. I’ll get in trouble.”

“Seriously? I was just curious. Now I’m really curious.”

Cruz stepped closer, presumably to intimidate him. It worked.

He gave in, exhaling sharply. “A bottle of wine from her family’s winery.”

“Really? Wine? Did you drink it?”

“Every last drop. A Moscato. Fruity and sweet. Light and yet surprisingly full bodied. How is that even possible?”

Curious about the mechanics of the transaction, she asked, “She brought it to school? Like, in her backpack?”

He nodded.

“Wow, so why did she want my schedule?”

The bell rang. “Dude, I don’t know. She didn’t tell me. Just said she needed it for a project. Can I go now?”

He asked Auri but looked at Cruz, who raised his brows in question at her.

“I guess,” she said, liking the power a little too much.

They headed to class, but Auri needed the little lionesses’ room, so she took a quick pit stop.

Unfortunately, Lynelle had the same idea. She walked in, smirk firmly in place, and walked straight up to her. Something told Auri it might be a good idea to start recording their interactions. Evidence for when she ran her over with her first car, a ’65 poppy-red Mustang with white GT 350 stripes and a honeycomb grille, later.

“What do you have going on with Cruz?”

Auri was busy applying lip gloss. “For someone who hates me, you sure spend a lot of time trying to get my attention.”

Lynelle acted like she’d slapped her, she was so taken aback.

She recovered quickly, though. Vampires often did. “My aunt went to school with your mother.”

“Good to know.”

“It’s amazing what you can learn with just the right questions.”

“I suppose it is.”

She let a grin that spelled out the word evil spread across her face. “Have a good day.”

“Yep. You, too. And remember,” she said as Lynelle walked out, “it’s never too late to seek help!”

Lynelle ignored her. It was bound to happen eventually.

She hurried out and tried to beat the tardy bell with Cruz. They failed, but only by a couple of seconds. Mrs. Ontiveros was just taking roll. Auri hurried to her seat and slid into it, then gave a quick wave to Chastity. Cruz strolled in like he owned the place, like he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Nice to see you could make it,” she said to them. “But that’s strike one for the semester. Don’t let it become a habit.”

Auri shook her head, swearing to never be late again as long as she drew breath on this earth. Cruz nodded an acknowledgment, and she sat in awe. She’d had no idea coolness like that actually existed. She’d thought it was only in books and superhero movies.

“Can I ask you a question?” Mrs. Ontiveros said to Cruz when she’d finished the roll.

He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no, either.

“Could you read your latest to the class?”

“Yeah!” Chastity practically yelled, her enthusiasm contagious, because two other girls agreed with her.

“Please,” one of them said.

His latest? How did Mrs. O. even know there was a latest? Cruz wouldn’t let Auri even peek at his work the night before, but his English teacher had front-row seats to his latest?

He shook his head. “That’s okay.”

She didn’t push it with him, but she did ask, “Then would you mind if I read it? I sent it into the contest, barely making the midnight deadline, but it’s just so beautiful, Cruz. I would love for the class to hear it.”