Chapter 6
SIX
Sinners she should’ve known that would’ve cost her the job if the word got out. ”
“Even still,” Lila says, opening her bag of chips and stuffing a handful into her mouth, chewing on it, then swallowing it down. “It’s illegal.”
“Unless they find the person who sent the video — which I highly doubt they will — there’s no one to sue.”
Lila sighs, sprawling on the bed. “I bet Soren will find a way to find them.”
My ears perk at that, and I put the bag of chips away, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Slowly, I look at Lila, smirking a little. The girls don’t know it’s me who sent it — of course — but I do think Avalon’s suspicious.
“Why do you say that?”
Lila scoffs. “Just think about it for a moment. Soren’s family will not just allow their only son to be dragged through the mud. Someone’s bound to leak the video to the general public at some point, just out of pure spite. Ford’s are one hell of a family, and definitely not someone I’d mess with.”
“Well, sure,” I shrug. “If he does find out who leaked it, he should hold them accountable.”
Even without looking at Avalon, I can feel the way she rolls her eyes. Silence falls around us, and then Grace looks up from her phone, shutting it off and setting it aside.
“Lila, you’re in two classes with Soren’s sister, aren’t you?”
“Who, Astrid? Sure, why?”
“What’s her take on all of this?”
Lila shrugs. “We’re not exactly close. She’s a year younger, so the only class we have together is advanced mathematics. She’s very, very smart. We talk in passing and all, though this doesn’t seem to bother her.”
“That’s odd,” Grace mutters. “If it were my brother, I’d track down the person who leaked the tape, and probably nail them to the wall.”
I laugh. “Astrid’s always been passive. Even back when Soren and I would fight in high school, she stayed out of it.”
“Does that mean you have no bad blood with her?”
“I don’t like her, and I’d never be her friend. But I don’t hate her.”
“Anyways,” Avalon switches the subject, eyes falling on the bright pink logo of the Sinners & Saints website on my laptop. “Did you ever wonder who’s behind it?”
“Yes,” Grace groans. “Whoever it is, they’re good at hiding.”
“Do you think it’s someone in our year?” Lila asks, taking more of her chips.
“We’ll see soon enough,” I respond. “If the website shuts down, or stops being active after we graduate, it means it’s someone in our year.”
“But by that point, we’ll all leave the campus and won’t have a way of knowing who it is.”
“Does it really matter?” I ask, leaning against the headpost of the bed. “It’s entertaining.”
Lila scoffs. “It’s entertaining because there’s almost never anything on you.”
“That’s because I’m careful about the way I conduct myself. The biggest gossip they have on me is the fucking cheating issue that I’m trying to work through. But from the comments left under the article, no one seems to believe it, anyway.”
“Lucky,” Grace mutters. “I’ve had all my dirty laundry aired. No wonder I’m the black sheep of the family.”
“For what it’s worth, at least your family is trying to improve the relationship with you,” I smile. “Besides, it can’t be that bad?”
Grace blinks. “They said I offered a random man at a bar a blow job for some cocaine. If I wanted cocaine, I would’ve bought some!” She groans, slumping into the bed, exasperated. “The worst part is that people said it’s believable! Do I really look like someone who’d give a blow job for cocaine?!”
“Well—”
Avalon’s interrupted by a sharp glare from Grace. “Don’t you fucking dare say it.”
“Anywho,” Lila clears her throat. “Although Astrid seems uninterested, I did overhear her talk to her friends.”
I immediately shift my body, positioning myself to give Lila a better look. Grace looks excited to hear the new gossip, while Avalon seems almost wary, for some reason. Lila glances between us, then, with a sigh, she starts talking.
“It’s nothing dramatic, really,” she snorts. “Their parents are very upset that there was even a tape to begin with. So, to reprimand him, they’re forcing him to do community service for the remainder of his suspension.”
“So, he’ll be doing community service for the next two weeks? That’s amazing,” I burst out laughing. The mere thought of the asshole being forced into actually being a good person is hilarious. “Where?”
“Somewhere nearby. I’m not sure, though.”
“Speaking of suspension,” Grace piques. “Do you think you’ll get suspended for the cheating allegations?”
“I’ve that board meeting tomorrow,” I sigh. “I don’t think so. But at this point, I don’t really care. As long as they let me retake all the exams, I’ll do anything.”
“Oh, good luck with it, Soph,” Avalon grimaces, and I know she’d hate to be in my position. “But hey, it’s you. I have no doubt you’ll ace all the exams again.”
“Hopefully they let me retake them, because if they don’t, I’ll be tempted to commit a homicide.”
“Whose?”
“Soren’s, of course.”
The night dies out soon after, with Grace and Lila leaving. Avalon’s out for the night, and her excuse is that her older brother came to see her. I fail to understand why anyone would willingly come to the middle of nowhere, inside of this forest that’s all around us, to see anyone this late.
But I brush it all off and walk out of the dorm.
My heels click against the floor as I walk, not a single other sound to be heard. Except my heartbeat, which is beating infuriatingly fast. It’s the dead of the night, just after midnight on a Tuesday.
I received an email from the Dean thirty minutes ago, asking to meet him in his office. It’s strange on its own for him to ‘summon’ me so late, but the curiosity inside me won easily, and I threw on the first piece of clothing I was able to find.
A pair of baby pink dress pants, with a white shirt tucked inside. My face is bare of any makeup, since I spent thirty minutes on my skin care routine, I wasn’t about to take all of that off, put on makeup, only to take it off again for a second time tonight.
My mind wanders off to the possibilities of why the Dean would be calling me. I’m still keeping the secret about spotting Avalon’s earring inside his office, and maybe I’m just overreacting. Maybe she’s not actually banging him, and it just fell there — somehow.
Even if my suspicion is correct, I haven’t told a single soul what I’ve seen. Not to Grace, and I definitely didn’t confront Avalon. I have a lot on my plate as it is, and dealing with Avalon’s romantic drama isn’t on my priority list right now.
What’s even stranger is that I left the dorm building with ease.
Not a single dorm supervisor. Usually, they’re all over the place this late, since there’s been a lot of students sneaking in and out.
Some have even brought people who don’t attend the academy within the oh-so-sacred walls of the Saint Valley, and that became an issue that is truly not that serious.
With a deep breath, I knock on the wooden door. The sound echoes around me, and a chill runs down my spine. I can’t quite explain it, but it’s as though my gut feeling is telling me to run as far as possible.
I knock another two times, and no answer comes. It starts to grate on my nerves, and I become more irritated by the passing second. Why’d he call for me here if he wasn’t in his office in the first place?
With a sigh, I push the door open and step inside. It’s unlocked — and it’s almost never unlocked. In fact, I’ve tried seeing him to discuss the date when I’d be taking exams, and since I didn’t have an appointment, I kissed the door — figuratively speaking.
The office is dark, the lights off. The only source of lighting is coming from the hallway behind me, and a little of the moonlight that snuck through the thick curtains. However, the questions of why I’m here are not answered, and I’m startled when the room erupts in darkness.
The door slams behind me, and I scream out, turning around.
My heart sinks to my feet, and I hear the door lock.
Then, the lights are turned on, and I’m face-to-face with the bastard I’ve prayed to never see again.
Soren’s standing between the door and me, and I have no way of escaping. He’s dressed casually, his hair messy, but the look of anger is on his face. Oh, fucking hell.
“Ford,” I drawl out, feigning ignorance and innocence. “What the hell do you want?”
“What do I want?” He chuckles. For some reason, his voice is deeper than I remember it being. Goosebumps rise on my arms, and I take a small step back. “What I want for you is to admit it.”
“Admit what?” My voice cracks a little.
Soren can be seen as intimidating. He’s towering over me, with the height difference forcing me to look up to meet his gaze. His broad shoulders are wide, and if he were to hug me, I bet he’d crush the bones inside my body.
“Oh, Sloane,” he mocks, voice dripping with condescension. “Playing dumb was never really your thing, was it? Admit it was you who leaked the tape.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
He hums, then approaches me. My heart stops beating for a moment, and I don’t dare to breathe. He walks past me, opens the window, and tosses the key of the office out of it.
My eyes widen. “What the fuck?”
He turns to face me, with a sadistic smile tugging on the corners of his lips. Slowly, he pulls out something from his pocket, and I freeze in my spot when I realize it’s a knife.
It’s long, thin, and very, very sharp. Soren fiddles with it, tossing it from one hand to another, all while looking me dead in the eyes. His smile doesn’t falter, but the danger that’s written in those eyes makes fear slowly rise in my chest.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, Sloane,” he coos. “I guess neither of us is leaving this office until I get what I want.”