Chapter Twenty
Amelie
I must have fallen asleep, waking up in a tight spot has my muscles cramping. Sliding myself out of what I thought was a log last night, I discover that it turns out to be a hollow cement cylinder.
I race from the woods, not wanting to encounter whatever was out there last night.
I spot Kalen as I come across the oval, he is surrounded by a bunch of girls all laughing at what he is saying.
Jealousy hits me hard when he looks at me and his lip curls up in disgust. I shake my head and don’t bother approaching him; he clearly needs time to calm down before he is willing to talk.
If he really thinks I’m the type of girl to screw a guy after leaving another's arms then maybe he doesn’t know me that well at all.
But isn’t that what you’re doing, Amelie, with all the brothers?
My damn subconscious even thinks I’m a whore.
“You look a bit rough,” Baxter says, stating the obvious. I feel twigs stuck in my damn hair.
“Fuck you, Baxter.”
“I offered for you to do that but you declined, and now look at what you have caused.” He looks over my shoulder and I look back. Kalen is now glaring at us. Baxter grabs me off guard and pulls me in closer.
“Pretty boy hates you. My offer still stands.”
“You don’t want to fuck me,” I state pushing him off me. “It’s all some game to you, to piss them off.”
“Maybe so, but fucking you would be an added bonus. Not many girls are game to get close to me, what with me being a killer and all.”
“I thought you weren’t allowed to tell anyone why you’re here? Besides, somehow I think it’s your face that scares the girls away.” Baxter laughs.
“You’re not supposed to ask why, we are free to tell people.
I killed someone, Amelie, and I enjoyed it.
They deserved what I did, and worse.” I’m shocked at his admission.
Though when you look at Baxter he does admittedly look like a serial killer - extremely good looking, charismatic, unstable.
Isn’t that what they said about Ted Bundy?
That he was good looking. I can see the comparisons.
“Well nice chat. I have somewhere to be,” I say.
“Yeah, singing lessons with your little slashed-up boyfriend.” How the hell does this guy know my every move? It’s freaky. It dawns on me that maybe Monty has him spying on me. Shit.
I race to the music block and find Slate waiting for me, he takes one look at me and his eyes go wide.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Well at least he’s still talking to me.
“I slept in the bush.” He looks at me like I have lost my mind. “Crazy night.”
“Maybe you should clean up a little,” he says pointing to the door. “You’re not even in uniform. You’re going to get in so much trouble when someone sees you.”
“I can leave and not come back,” I snap, too tired to deal with anymore Knox drama for one day. “Besides, you’re a perfect prefect. Are you going to give me a uniform slip?”
“There’s a bathroom across the hall and here,” he says, throwing a shirt at me. “I keep a spare here in case I ever need it.”
He doesn’t offer an explanation as to why he would ever need a spare shirt in a music room, and I don’t ask.
I’d just like to go one day without Knox drama.
Scratch that; I want to go one damn day without any drama full stop.
I take his spare school-issue button up shirt and go across the hall to the bathroom.
I laugh when I see my appearance. I have surface scratches on my face - which is smeared with mud - and my hair does in fact have a few twigs and leaves in it.
I strip from my filthy clothes and wipe myself down with the paper towels provided to dry your hands.
It’s not much better, but at least the mud has gone.
I slip into Slate’s shirt, it covers everything I need it to.
I carefully take my dirty clothes with me back to the room he practices in, and dump them by the door.
Slate visibly swallows when he takes me in as I walk closer.
“Wow, you look amazing in my shirt… Pity about you being with Branson, it kind of ruined you.”
“For fuck suck, will you all get over it! I didn’t fuck Baxter! I wouldn’t do that to Kalen after spending the night with him. Contrary to what you all believe, I really like your brother, he’s funny and sweet.”
“He is adamant about what he saw.”
“Actually, he is adamant about what Baxter made him think he saw. Do you think it’s really a coincidence that Kalen knew where we were?
If you must know, it was a punishment for me.
I fucked up where Baxter is concerned and he was letting me know it.
I think it was just some kind of sick and twisted bonus that he could stick it to Kalen at the same time. ”
“Good luck convincing Kalen of that. But I can see it. What did you do to piss him off?”
“Stole his money and borrowed his bike.”
Slate laughs. “I knew I liked you. His bike is his world. I doubt he gave a fuck about the money. But the bike…”
“I returned it and I took care of it.”
“Obviously. You wouldn’t be alive to tell the tale if anything had happened to his precious ride.”
“So will you talk to Kalen for me?” I ask, hopeful.
“Not a chance. Now let’s practice this song. We don’t have much rehearsal time before the showcase.”
Slate goes to the piano and I take my spot beside him. We rehearse over and over again until my voice feels hoarse and he calls it a day.
After we pack up, Slate finds me a bag for my dirty clothes. I wait until I know everyone will be in class before I make my exit. I know I will get in trouble for skipping a class, but there's no way I can turn up in just a shirt. A man’s shirt at that. The punishment would be worse.
The paths to my dorm are empty. I have to cut across the English buildings, and I know I may get a few odd looks from those looking out of the windows, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
My day gets worse.
Kalen happens to look out the window as I walk by. I put my head down and keep walking.
“Amelie.”
Did I mention it got worse? Like, a lot worse.
“Yes, Mr Knox?” I say turning to face Sawyer but refusing to lift my head and meet his gaze.
“Are you okay?” he asks gently like I’m a wild animal about to freak out.
“No, Sawyer, I’m not okay.” Tears start to flow. “I am having a shit day...a shit few days actually.”
“Come with me,” he says. Usually, I would put up a fight, refuse to go, but all my will power is lost. Losing Kalen hurts. I miss him and it’s only been a day. I follow Sawyer to his office and he locks the door after he follows me inside.
He sits in his spot and takes out a notepad. I sit in the chair opposite his desk, plastic bag full of dirty clothes on my lap.
“Here, this will get you out of classes for the day.”
“Thanks,” I say, standing to leave.
“Wait.”
“What for?”
“Do you need to talk?”
“Talk,” I scoff. “I need more than that, sir,” I say, desperately trying to keep the boundaries that he set in place.
I know I threatened him with our little encounter, but I quickly dismissed that idea.
The guy is too nice to destroy that way.
Besides, he really is a great teacher. He doesn’t deserve to lose his livelihood.
“How about you head back to your dorm and I will send someone to get some supplies for you?”
“Okay, Mr Knox. Thanks for the pass.”
I don’t remember much of the walk back to my room. Not until there is a knock at the door. Maybe Sawyer was serious about sending someone with supplies.
I take the few steps from my desk to the door and open it. I’m shocked that it’s Sawyer himself standing on the other side with a bag in his hand.
“Can I come in before I get busted?” I nod, stepping aside.
“I could get fired for this, but fuck it. I know my father knows about us already, so if he was going to fire me he would have done it by now.” I smile. What has come over him?
“I hate seeing you hurt, Amelie.”
I just watch as he unpacks the bag on my bed. Booze. Snacks. And a few other things.
He pours us both a drink in some coffee mugs he bought with him.
“I thought we could watch movies or talk.”
“Talking might be nice.” In hindsight, I might regret opening up, but for now I don’t care; he is risking a lot being here. “But first you owe me an explanation on why you’re here.”
Sawyer loosens his tie and throws it on my desk unbuttoning his top few buttons, before taking a seat on my bed. I take the spot beside him, careful to keep some distance between us, but I feel the pull as much as he does.
“I used to work with a guy. We would take cars that didn’t belong to us and deliver them to our boss.
Whatever he asked for really. It was stupid, but I was young.
I was about fourteen when we had an accident.
I was driving that night, he was in the passenger seat without his belt on.
The rain got heavy and I couldn’t see. The fear I felt when I lost control of that car was nothing compared to when I saw the blood.
..so much blood. He was dead. It was my fault and I ended up in Juvenile detention.
After a while in there and lots of fights, this man came to see me and offered me a deal of a lifetime. ”
“Monty,” I say instinctively and he nods.
“The rest is history,” he says. “Your turn, what’s going on with you?”
“Besides the obvious that I’m a train wreck?” I turn to face him. “I think I like Kalen more than I should.” His face drops. “Yet I can’t commit to him because I know we have a connection. And the twins may be assholes, but there is something there too. How messed up does that make me?”
“It makes you human,” he says, taking my hand in his. “What about Branson?”
“Nothing happened.” I sigh. “Just a misunderstanding.”
“Sounds like him. Kalen isn’t happy but give him a few days to calm down. We have family dinner on Sunday. Talk to him then and try to sort everything out.”
He pulls me in for a hug, but it doesn’t last very long before he pulls away.