Chapter 12
R en
My pen tapped silently on my leg as I waited for Blake to arrive while keeping one eye on Vicky and her crew.
She hadn’t said anything to me yet, but knowing Vicky, she was planning another announcement.
This time it would be that I was a slut and a man-stealer or something ridiculous.
If she only knew I was a freaking virgin.
Knowing her, she’d find a way to spin that to.
Liam walked in and nodded at me before going to sit on the opposite side of the room. It was tempting to go over and ask him if he’d spoken to Blake, but I was already far more invested than I should be.
Mr. Sharpe walked in, and I sighed, wondering if Blake was even at school today when he appeared at the back door. He stood under the frame but didn’t come in. I gave him a little smile, and he turned and disappeared. Reacting on instinct, I jumped up and shoved all my books into my bag.
“Where do you think you’re going, Ms. Davies?” Mr. Sharpe’s tone said I was in deep shit, but I had to go. Why? I didn’t know, but I needed to speak to Blake.
“I’m really sorry, but I have to leave. Write me up if you need to,” I said and jogged for the door.
I could feel everyone watching me, but I didn’t care.
Blake was already exiting the building, and I sprinted down the hallway to catch up.
Shoving open the doors, I called after him.
“Blake, stop.” He turned and looked at me, shock written all over his face.
His mouth opened as his forehead wrinkled.
“Ren? What are you doing?” He looked around.
“I want to speak to you.” But I didn’t have a clue what to say after that. I shivered as the wind whipped my skirt around, and I hugged myself.
“Okay…why?” He looked around again. “Did Myles send you?”
“No, but I do know what happened.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Great.” He turned and kept walking, but I jogged to catch up and grabbed his arm.
“Please, can we talk?” He shook his head as he sighed.
“What do you want?”
“Somewhere warmer.”
“I was heading off campus to clear my head,” he said. I bit my lip and glanced at the parking lot, then at him. “No, I’m not on anything,” he bit out before I could ask.
“It’s not that,” I lied not wanting to make him feel worse. “I just don’t know if the guards at the gate will let me leave. Myles tried to take me out over Christmas, but they said I couldn’t.”
“I have an idea. Follow me.” I walked beside him into Bowfield Hall. I was curious as to what he was up to until he stopped at the drama room and peered inside. “All clear.”
Blake opened the door and walked over to the far end of the room, where he started rummaging around. The lights were off, so I couldn’t clearly see what he was doing until he walked back with a long red wig, sunglasses, and a black hoodie.
“Here, I’ll help you with the wig. Put this on first,” he said, holding out a solid black men’s hoodie that would be swimming on me. It was better than nothing.
“How did you know about all this stuff?” I pulled the sweater on over my head and rolled up the long sleeves.
“I took drama as one of my electives. I’ve never been able to paint or draw. Auto shop is Theo’s thing, and I don’t like everyone knowing I can play the guitar,” he said as I put my hair in a low ponytail.
“I didn’t know you could play,” I said.
Blake walked around behind me and fit the wig into place. I didn’t want to think too hard about who had worn it. I assumed that at such a fancy place, they kept everything really clean. I hoped.
“Like I said, I don’t like everyone knowing.
The more people know about you, the more expectations they put on you.
I choose to stay as anonymous as possible.
Turn around and let me see.” I turned to face him and he fixed the front, styling it so it wasn’t split down the middle.
Then, he grabbed the clip I’d taken out of my hair and pinned the wig into place. “Here you go, put these on.”
The sunglasses were really nice for a prop, and I slipped them into position. “So, what do you think?” I turned in a small circle.
Blake gave me a lopsided grin. “Yeah, I think it’ll work.
Let’s go.” Picking up my bag, I walked beside him, and he grabbed my hand, linking our fingers together.
I looked up at him in question. “We need to look like a couple. I walked in with you, so hopefully, if anyone was watching the monitors, you stayed in a class, and I’m heading out with a different girl. ”
That sounded logical enough. “Why do you think they won’t let me leave?”
“Honestly?”
“Yeah,” I said as we stepped out into the cold and casually walked to Blake’s car, hand in hand.
“We can’t find any information on your family.
That either means there is nothing to find other than whatever it is your father does for Lawrence.
Or, your father is in deep with really bad people, and they are trying to protect you.
On the property, no one can hurt you, but off the property, you’re fair game. ”
I got into the passenger side and felt completely badass doing this. I never did anything bad, so sneaking off campus was huge for me. If…we made it off. Problem number one was to get past the guards.
“Put your bag on the floor and try to look bored and stuck up,” Blake said.
“Is that a backhanded way of saying that I don’t look like a stuck-up mean girl?” I smiled at him, and he laughed. “Oh, what’s my name if they ask?”
“Kimberly, but don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Blake pulled up to the closed gate, and a guard wandered over to the car.
“Hey man,” Blake said. The guard nodded, his expression never changing.
“I’ll be back in a couple hours. I need to take Kimberly to Sacred Heart.
” The guard looked in the car, and I glanced at him and then leaned my head against the window.
I figured if a girl was over all night with Blake, she might look hungover.
I wasn’t exactly a great actress, but the guard walked over to the booth, and a moment later, the gates opened.
“You sure Myles is going to be okay with you leaving the school grounds?”
“He’s my boyfriend, not my keeper.”
“Well, alright then.” Blake smiled as we pulled out onto the main road. “Where do you feel like going?”
B lake
I kept glancing at Ren in the passenger seat. It was dangerous, but I couldn’t help it, and being near her was screwing with my head. A part of me wanted to turn around and drop her back off at the school. The other wanted to drive forever.
She said she wanted a quiet place to chat, so here I was heading home since my dad would be at the office and my mom was chill.
Was having her in my personal space smart?
No, the fuck it was not. I didn’t even have to walk her into my room to be able to answer that, and yet here I was, still heading there. Some fucking best friend I was.
“Blake, can you tell me more about the group that runs the school?”
Ren’s question startled me out of my thoughts, and I looked over at her. I didn’t like the red wig. The natural white and silver of her hair made her look magical and suited her where this color washed her out.
“What do you want to know?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Who are they? Where did they come from? And who decided it would be a good idea to put all of us kids in one location? I mean, doesn’t that make us one massive target?”
“Who they are, I have no idea. Most of what any of us know is speculation passed down from one set of students and family members to the next. There is also some info in the library.”
Ren turned in her seat to look at me like I’d just said that I could fly. I never understood why Theo got so excited over books or school, but Ren was the same—always thirsty for the next tidbit that I could care less about.
“They have books about the school in the library?”
I laughed at her enthusiasm. It was adorable.
“Yeah, I’ll show you where they are when we get back.
” She smiled wide, and her whole face lit up like she was made of sunshine.
That needed to be put in a song. I hadn’t written anything in weeks, but I tapped my finger on the top of my gearshift as the beginning of a beat came to me.
“Awesome, thank you. What do you know?”
“To the best of my knowledge, they are a group outside the bounds of the families. No one, not even the most powerful in the world, knows who they are, where they are, or dare to mess with them. Ever watched the movie, John Wick ?” She shook her head, no, and my mouth fell open.
“Oh my god, do they not have movies in Canada?”
“So funny. No, I didn’t have much time to watch movies between school and looking after my mum,” she said, her smile slowly fading. I didn’t want her light to disappear, and I felt like an ass for picking at her.
“That’s okay. I’ll watch it with you. Anyway, I kind of picture it like that movie. All the families are terrified of them, and we all make major financial contributions to keep the doors open and everyone safe.”
“That’s really weird. Doesn’t it seem…I don’t know, cultish or something?”
I snorted and glanced at her. “You haven’t heard the shit that Lawrence makes us do.
Myles hasn’t told you any of those fun stories?
” She shook her head. “I guess it’s a bit early for that, but let’s just say Nash’s father is off the fucking rails.
You can’t trust Lawrence, and you should stay as far away from him as you can get.
The things he’s tried to make my father do…
hell, the things he makes his son do would turn your stomach.
I hate him,” I said, my hand tightening on the steering wheel as one of my biggest fears had my heart pounding harder.