Broken Trust: A Dark High School Romance(64)

Huntley was desperate to secure their second vote.

Beck looked extra pissed and disgusted then. “I’ve called the cleanup crew,” Dylan advised, distracting us. “I’ll wait here until they arrive. You two should get to school.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “Just ... go to school after someone tried to murder me?”

Beck nodded. “He’s right. If Katelyn had anything to do with this, we want to see her reaction when you turn up alive and well.”

I gaped at him. “But what if one of you guys were the intended victim?” I changed my story. “It was your car he was hiding beside.” I might have just been the unlucky one to come out first.

“True, but considering all the threats sent to Delta recently have been centered around you, it’s a pretty safe guess that this was an attack on you.” Dylan shrugged like it was so fucking common to get death threats—or attempts.

“Wait, what?” I blurted, “All the threats? There have been more than one? What the Hell, Sebastian? You told me about one!”

Dylan grinned at us both. “Sounds like you two are back on good terms, Sebastian.” He dodged just in time to avoid the punch Beck was about to deliver to his midsection, and backed up a few steps—still smirking. “Go on, I’ve got this handled here. You two sniff around Ducis and see if any blondes are acting suspicious.”

Without really giving me any opportunity to delay further, Beck did a quick check of his car, and then had me bundled into it and out on the road in no time. The short drive to Ducis Academy gave me just enough time to reel at what my life had become. It wasn’t even nine in the morning and already I’d fought off a drug hangover, seen a totally naked, totally gorgeous man coming out of my shower, had a coffee, been almost murdered, and seen a guy shot.

“Fuck,” I swore as Beck parked in front of the Academy. “I forgot to do my English assignment.”

Beck just shot me a puzzled glance, and I burst out in borderline hysterical laughter.

Someone had just tried to kill me and I was worried about my English assignment.

Yep, another one on the list for my future therapist.





26





School passed uneventfully again. Katelyn didn’t seem to register any shock at seeing me alive so she was either the best actress in the world, or innocent—in this case.

I did, however, get called in to a meeting with the academy guidance counselor just before the end of the day.

“You’re failing,” she told me, when I sat down in front of her.

I blinked a few times while this sunk in. “Sorry, what?”

“You’re failing,” she repeated, slower this time, like I was an idiot.

“How?” I demanded. “I know I’ve missed a couple of assignments and taken some time off but you don’t understand everything that’s—”

The guidance counselor held up a hand to stop me. “Miss Deboise, you’re absolutely right. I don’t understand what’s going on with you, nor do I want to understand. The mere fact that the teachers here have been paid an exorbitant ‘bonus’ to give you passing grades regardless of attendance is enough to tell me I don’t have a single clue about you or your life.” Her lips pursed and she frowned at me. “I could be fired for even having this conversation with you, but I’m going out on a limb here, Riley. When you arrived at Ducis Academy, your grades were stellar. For all intents and purposes, you seemed to be a model student. Now...” She shrugged, looking severely disappointed. “I’m taking a chance here that I’ll still have a job to return to tomorrow. But you needed to be aware that despite the fact that you will graduate—your family’s bribes have seen to that—you don’t deserve to. Not the way things are right now. Is that what you want?”

Was it? Hell no! I’d always been so proud of my GPA, of the fact that I’d been on a track for a decent scholarship. But when it came down to it, staying alive had become more urgent than learning trigonometry.

“Thank you for letting me know,” I replied in a shocked whisper. “I had no idea about ... the bribes. I’m sorry that you feel threatened, and I assure you that I won’t tell Catherine about this.”

She nodded, her gaze wary. “And your school work?”

Sucking a breath, I released it in a heavy sigh. “Honestly, I want to tell you that I’ll do better, and that I’ll spend the rest of the school year making up for it.”

Her brow arched. “But you won’t?”

I met her gaze head on, going out on a limb like she had for me. “Last week a group of boys here at this school dragged me into a classroom, beat me, and tried to gang rape me. Almost two months ago I was in a plane crash and nearly died. This morning, someone again tried to murder me. It’s not that I won’t try. It’s that I physically can’t.” The guidance counselor’s face was pale and drawn, her eyes full of fear and pity. “I’m doing my best, here, but I’m not Superwoman.”

We sat there and stared at each other for a long moment before she cleared her throat and looked down at her hands. “Yes, well. I’d say you’re coping better than Superwoman.”

Her genuine compliment brought tears to my eyes, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep them at bay. “Thank you for your concern. I really will try harder, when I can.”