Chapter 2
TWO
The Dean’s office is just as I remember it.
The shelves, the desk, and even the small coffee table are in an identical shade of brown, made of the finest dark oak wood.
The shelves are filled with political, historical, and even medical books.
The curtains framing the windows are black, thick, and long.
A little sunlight sneaks through the cracks, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat.
The Dean sits across from me, in an identical leather chair. His elbows rest on his knees, hands clasped together, his chin on his palm. He just observes me with his piercing gaze, and it’s a struggle to look away.
Dean Colton St. James is a very handsome man.
He’s in his late thirties or early forties, with salt and pepper hair and matching stubble.
Though it’s more salt than pepper. He’s always dressed in the finest suits, all in a deep shade of black.
The first two buttons of his shirt are undone, the slight ink on his chest peeking out.
Oh, this man’s a whore.
“Do you know why you’re here, Ms. Sloane?”
I blink, then force myself to look away from his chest. I clear my throat, crossing my legs, ignoring the rage that’s been simmering below the surface since the second I saw the exam results.
“No.”
“Alright,” he leans back in the chair, his fingers drumming absentmindedly against the armrest. “Your exam results are low. Do you know why?”
“No,” I sigh. “I spent the entire summer preparing, and even the beginning of this year. There’s not a single chance I got such a low grade, let alone in all subjects.”
“A couple of students have reported seeing you cheat,” Colton explains, his voice cool and collected. “And as such, the professors had no other choice than to fail you.”
I freeze in my spot, eyes widening slightly. Someone saw me cheating? That’s fucking impossible because I’ve never cheated a day in my life. It has never crossed my mind to cheat instead of studying. My throat closes up, going entirely dry as I process what he just accused me of.
“I—,” I clear my throat yet again, swallowing thickly. “I did not cheat.”
“Seven people reported you, Miss Sloane,” he drawls out, eyes narrowing at me. “It’s your word against theirs.”
“But I didn’t!” I defend, standing up from the chair abruptly. My heels click against the wooden floor as I pace back and forth inside his office, which doesn’t seem to bother him. I bite my thumb, thinking long and hard about who would go as far as to lie to mess with my academic career.
“I’m having trouble believing that as well,” Colton says. “You’ve always been an exceptional student, and your record speaks for itself.”
“Then—”
Colton interrupts me with a flick of his wrist, lifting his hand. “However, this isn’t something I can take your word for, Ms. Sloane. If it were one student accusing you, maybe I’d be more lenient. But it’s seven people.”
“So, what happens then?”
Colton tilts his head to the side. “Well, I’ll have to talk with the school board.”
I wince. “Do you really have to?”
The worst part about this is that my parents are on the school board. If they get a sniff of this, it will end terribly. Not for me; they know better than to believe such nonsense. But if the names of the accusers are ever revealed, they’ll be sure to make these people’s lives a living hell.
“Yes,” Colton nods.
“Names.”
Colton lifts a brow at the demanding tone in my voice, smirking. “I’m afraid I can’t reveal their names, Ms. Sloane.”
“Why not? Because they don’t exist?”
His jaw clenches, but he manages to keep his cool.
“I’ll pretend you didn’t accuse me of being a liar, Ms. Sloane, and tell you frankly that you have no footing here.
This school isn’t prestigious just in name; we’re a very disciplined establishment and you will face the consequences of your actions. ”
“A moment ago, you said you didn’t believe them.” I stop pacing, looking at him with a flexed jaw, my hands tightened into balls next to my body.
“True as that may be, I can’t just sweep this under the rug.”
“So, what will happen?”
“The board will decide,” he explains, relaxing a little. “You’ll either be suspended or expelled.”
My eyes widen. “Expelled?! Even if I did cheat — which I did not, by the way — isn’t expulsion too severe?”
“Perhaps,” he shrugs. “But that’s out of my hands. Once the board meets, the decision will be made.”
“And when, exactly, will that be?”
“In two weeks.”
“If I do get suspended,” I swallow, the words tasting like poison on my tongue, “what’s next? I failed all seven exams.”
“Given your track record, I believe you’ll be allowed to retake the exams. But if you do, it will be during the winter break.”
“Ah, hell,” I groan. “I was going to be wintering in Japan.”
“How tragic,” he mocks. “You won’t be able to go wintering in Japan.”
I roll my eyes. “I suppose I can postpone it.”
“How gracious of you.”
“Is that all?”
Colton glances at the expensive wrist-watch on his hand, then back at me. He nods. “Yes. If I need anything else from you, I’ll call for you.”
“Alright,” I grab my handbag, ready to walk out the door. However, something shiny flashes in my eyes.
I glance down at his desk, noticing a small earring.
My eyesight’s always been perfect, and the moment I spot it, my eyes widen a fraction.
It’s a small ruby earring, in the shape of a star.
I’d recognize the design anywhere because it’s one-of-a-kind jewelry, and I had it custom-made for a birthday.
Avalon’s birthday.
“Oh, and Ms. Sloane?”
My eyes snap to Colton’s, as my mind goes into overdrive, trying to process what the hell I just saw. “Yes, sir?”
“Although there were seven people who reported you, there was one who started it all.”
“Yes?” I blink, momentarily taking my mind off Avalon’s earring.
“I can give you a hint as to who it is.”
“Go on.”
“His name starts with So and ends with ren.”
◆◆◆
“Sophia, wait!”
Avalon’s panicked voice reaches my ears, but I can’t force myself to stop and listen to her.
My feet carry me as quickly as possible, the sound of my heels slamming against the stone floors beneath my feet fills my ears.
All I feel is blinding rage as I force the door open, letting the cool air from outside hit my face.
It feels as though I can finally think clearly and breathe again. Yet, the anger doesn’t disappear. It still simmers beneath the surface, ready to burst. I stop for a moment when Avalon wraps her hand around my wrist, lightly yanking me back.
“Don’t do this,” she pleads. When I look at her, she’s all but begging, her expression bordering on desperation. “You’ll get in more trouble than it’s worth. What’s next, actually getting expelled?”
“Avalon,” I sigh. “Let go. If I bottle this amount of rage inside of me, I’ll snap at the wrong person.”
“Still — violence isn’t the solution!”
“Yeah, well, sometimes, it’s the only way.”
Her mouth parts, disbelief all over her face. I snatch my wrist back, toss my handbag at her, and she catches it with ease. With a sharp intake of breath, I stroll right across the campus, shoving the door of the boy’s dormitory open.
The dorm supervisor — a man whose name I never bothered to learn — watches me with mouth open agape. I don’t pay him any attention, and can hear Avalon and Grace apologizing on my behalf. The eye roll comes all too naturally, as I walk up the stairs.
The bottom floor is for professors, the second is for first years; the higher the year, the higher the floor. It’s like I’ve been exercising for a whole year by the time I reach the floor where all the seniors are, pausing a moment to catch my breath.
I still remember which room belongs to Soren.
The floors may change each year, but room numbers remain the same.
It’s room twenty-three. The door stares right back at me.
Chatter comes from the inside, and the mere thought of the motherfucker enjoying himself while I possibly face suspension for the lies he spread — and likely paid the other seven to spread around — makes the anger inside me grow.
I start knocking on the door furiously, and if this were the middle of the night, I’d probably wake up the entire dorm. But I don’t care. I bang on the door, louder and harder, my knuckles starting to ache.
The door opens suddenly, revealing one of his friends — Kenzo Raven. He’s always been the quiet, artsy type, with a pair of glasses. A walking cliché, that one. He lifts a brow, surprise evident on his face.
“Sophia, what are you—”
I don’t let him finish, forcing my way into the dorm. I’m greeted with the sight of a massive flatscreen TV in the middle of the room, and two other boys inside, playing Xbox. The other guy, Elias, lowers the console, gently pushing Soren.
He turns to look at me, and a smirk tugs on the corners of his lips.
His messy, black hair falls over his face a little, and those hazel eyes pierce into mine. The thick eyelashes are as dark as his hair, curly and long. His lips are plump, in a deep shade of pink. The man looks like a model straight out of a magazine.
Too bad he’s a fucking cunt.
“You,” I hiss.
“Me,” he smiles cheekily. “What can I do for you, Sloane?”
“Don’t even try to fuck with me, Ford,” I spit, stepping closer to him.
He doesn’t stand up from the floor, the console resting on his lap.
He’s dressed in a black pair of sweatpants, with a basic, black cotton shirt that seems to hug his exquisite body all too well.
“You spread that fucking rumor. Out of everything you could do to me, you had to mess with my education?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sloane,” he feigns ignorance, shrugging, though the taunting smirk still lingers on his face. “Are you sure it was me?”
“Yes, because Colton spilled.”
Soren’s eyes darken a shade when I mention Colton’s involvement, his jaw clenching. His eyes narrow a fraction. That's the person I’m used to seeing. A cold, calculating, and downright sadistic man that isn’t bound by morals, and who is always ready to do whatever it takes to have his way.
“He did, did he?”
His voice drops an octave, his words slower. The anger I’ve been suppressing for the entire day suddenly bursts to the surface when I’m met with a gaze full of hatred, and I don’t know how to control it.
I don’t even try to.
Instead, I reach for the console on his lap and slam it as hard as possible against the TV, smashing the screen in the middle, with a very visible crack on it. The image immediately disappears, replaced by grey static.
“You cunt,” Soren laughs, and it sends chills down my body.
The sound is dark, twisted, and I can’t help the fear that slowly starts sneaking its way into my chest. Slowly, almost as if to taunt me, Soren rises to his feet, making me feel small for a moment.
I should back down, but the Sloane pride doesn’t allow me to.
“You’re the fucking cunt,” I double down, spitting the words, hands balled into fists next to my body. “I promise you, Ford, I will fucking ruin your entire life. You messed with the wrong bitch.”
“You’re right about being a bitch,” he sneers, and something in me is happy that he’s as angry as I am. “Besides, it wasn’t a big deal. Your daddy can bribe his way out of you getting any serious punishment.”
“Aw, jealous that my daddy actually cares about me?” I mock. “Speaking of fathers, where’s yours, Soren? Last I heard, he wanted nothing to do with his bastard children.”
A gasp comes from behind me, and I immediately recognize it as Avalon.
A few years ago, there was a rumor that Soren’s mother had been having an affair for the entirety of her marriage with Soren’s father, and that he and his sister might not actually be Ford’s children.
Whether it’s true or not, I don’t care, but even still, I know this is the lowest point I could’ve hit.
And fuck, it feels good.
Until it doesn’t.
In an instant, Soren’s in front of me, eyes pitch black. Breath hitches in my throat, and all of a sudden, I regret saying those words, because consequences came to bite me in the ass sooner than expected.
Before I can say a word, Soren’s hand wraps around my throat, and he slams me against the nearest wall. I gasp, and he lifts me off the floor with ease, my feet dangling in the air. He gets in my face, his lips right next to my ear. “Repeat that again, you fucking bitch.”
“I won’t repeat it,” I croak out, though barely. His hand tightens around my throat, and breathing becomes a struggle. “But I’ll ask you — what’s it like to know that your mother’s a whore?”
Something resembling a snarl comes from the depth of his throat, and he slams me against the wall harder, with more force.
I gasp, the pain spreading through my body, the ache in my head increasingly getting worse.
Soren leans in, his lips right next to my ear.
“Oh, Sloane,” his voice is gravelly, dangerously low.
It’s a dark promise that makes blood run cold in my veins. “You shouldn’t have said that.”
My eyes start closing, tears prickle in the corners of my eyes. I wrap my hand around his wrist — well, try to, given the massive difference in our body mass. He tightens his hold on my throat, and I can no longer breathe.
Black dots start to form in my vision, and just as I’m about to finally give in and let the darkness consume me, Soren is ripped away from me.
I slump down, gasping for air. My hand reaches up to touch my throat as Kenzo holds Soren tightly, leading him right out of his dorm.
My body is trembling and tears roll down my cheeks freely.
Avalon and Grace are next to me in an instant, but I can’t focus on anything other than the fact that I’m fucking seething.
The bastard choked me — he actually dared to put his filthy hands on me.
It’s just another thing that I’ll never forgive, nor forget.