Chapter 9
NINE
It feels like I’m doing the walk of shame.
Which is odd, given that I haven’t slept with anyone in my entire life.
Yet, the stares, and the whispers follow me wherever I go.
The image of Soren and me allegedly kissing spread like wildfire.
After I saw the article last night, I started receiving messages from classmates, and around midnight, even my brother called.
The moment this reaches my father’s ears, Soren is as good as dead.
If my father is anything, it’s overly protective of his wife and daughter. I love him for it, but the backlash this could potentially have on his business is glaring at me.
“Relax,” Lila mutters from beside me, all while trying to look like an intimidating bull and scare away any prying eyes with a mere glare. “It’s not like anyone will outright ask about this.”
“No, but that’s almost as bad. I wish someone would just ask, and I could set the record straight.”
“Oh?” She lifts a brow. “And what would you say? That he was threatening you with a knife, and that in the image, he wasn’t actually kissing you, he was biting you?”
“I hate when you have a point,” I mutter, turning left and walking toward Colton’s office. “Hopefully, all of this will die down while I’m not here.”
“I highly doubt that,” she sighs. “I mean, the rumors will follow you wherever you go. But that’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Lila bites the inside of her cheek, and I stop, turning to look at her. Her eyes search my own, and after a beat of silence, she swallows down the reluctance and leans in.
“I’m worried about Cassia.”
“That girl has not crossed my mind since the library party. Why in the world would you be worried about her?”
“Because she can be very insane when it comes to Soren,” Lila starts explaining.
“Remember back in our freshman year when an older girl hit on Soren? All she did was ask for his number, and it was all it took for Cassia to lose her shit. She ended up slapping and humiliating the girl in front of everyone on campus.”
“Oh, I remember that!” I gasp, leaning against the wall, crossing my arms. “Cassia does not give a single fuck about her family’s reputation. And that was a fantastic week to be following Sinners and Saints. But that girl wasn’t the only one Cassia had a problem with, right?”
Lila rolls her eyes. “Cassia has a problem with everyone.”
“That’s true,” I chuckle. “I just don’t think she’d be that insane to actually come after me.”
“Not to be a bitch, but if you two were to get into a fist fight, she’d snap you like a twig.”
“Come on now, that’s just… not true.”
“Oh, really? The girl’s been training MMA for years.”
I wince at the thought. “Oh, crap. I completely forgot about that. But… even Cassia must know the pure hatred between that bastard and me. Do you think she’d actually attack me over this?”
“Maybe not physically,” Lila shrugs. “She’s on thin ice as it is. Next time she assaults someone, she’ll get expelled.”
“Then, I should probably provoke her enough for her to snap and hit me. Boom. No more Cassia.”
“If you want to walk around with a purple eye and a broken bone, then by all means, be my guest.”
“This is insane,” I sigh. “Where are Grace and Avalon?”
“Grace is still asleep. She won’t be awake for a while; she got drunk last night. And Avalon’s supposed to be somewhere nearby. I saw her during breakfast.”
“Typical,” I chuckle. “One’s sleeping, the other one’s missing in action. Anyway, let’s just get this over with.”
“You’re going to grab the keys, right?”
After receiving that email from Sinners and Saints, I ended up getting one from the Dean, too. As a part of my community service, the board has decided I’d go to the camp and help out with cleaning.
The Saint Valley, as the institution itself has summer camps, for children aged twelve to sixteen.
It’s two weeks of learning the history of the school, a lot of cool activities near the lake, as well as getting introduced to the Academy itself.
It’s mainly for anyone who wishes to attend our university, and to see what the academy has to offer.
The camp is half an hour away from the campus, but the biggest issue is that those kids are always fucking pigs.
Trash is everywhere, and it takes a lot of time to clean it all up. Hence, my punishment is to go for a few days and clean it all up, before the snow starts falling, and prepare everything for winter. Apparently, they’re thinking of opening winter camps, too.
“I don’t know how I’ll survive.”
“Stop whining,” Lila rolls her eyes. “You’ll live.”
“I’ve never had to pick up trash and definitely not after some irresponsible kids!”
“And you’re a very capable woman, I’m sure you’ll learn how to.”
“The problem isn’t learning, it’s that I don’t want to,” I mutter under my breath.
“I heard that,” Lila laughs softly. “But don’t worry, you’ve got this.”
I smile. I’ve never done any sort of community service, and I can’t wait to see what Sinners and Saints will have to say about that. Nothing praising, I’m certain. With a deep breath, I push myself off the wall and walk toward Colton’s office.
However, I’m stopped when someone bumps into me. It’s not one of those accidental bumps when someone brushes against your shoulder, or bumps straight into you, then backs away and apologizes. No, this one is on purpose, and it sends me flying back, and I land straight on my ass.
When I look up, I’m met with the stone-cold glare from Cassia. Lila’s by my side, helping me up, and asking if I’m alright. Her voice fades into the background, as I stand up, brushing off non-existent dust off me, and smoothing out my dress.
“How classy of you, Cassia,” I say, sarcasm dripping from my tongue.
Her eyes narrow a little. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Then, perhaps, might I suggest visiting an ophthalmologist?”
“Funny.”
“I know, thanks.”
Cassia takes a step forward, glancing around. As if the scene couldn’t get more cliché, we’re all alone in this deserted hallway, and I’m so close to reaching Colton’s office.
“Listen her—”
Cassia begins speaking, but I interrupt her.
“If you’re here to threaten me regarding Soren, or do something equally juvenile and high school-ish, let me just remind you that we’re twenty-two, Cassia.
I don’t have the time nor energy to deal with someone whose mentality hasn’t grown since she was fourteen.
You can keep all of this nonsense for yourself, alright? Have a blessed day, sweetheart.”
I pat her shoulder in a rather condescending manner, and if this were a cartoon, she’d have steam fuming out of her ears.
Instead, I walk right past her, trying to hold my head high.
But Lila’s warning of Cassia’s fighting skills echoes in my mind, and I pray she doesn’t attack me from the back while I’m walking away.
Lila walks closely behind me until we’re far out of Cassia’s reach.
“You can keep your anger in check when you want to, huh?”
“Oh, no, but I pick and choose my battles.”
“She’s not going to back down, you know that, right?”
I sigh. “I know. But at least I have some time to figure out how to deal with her.”
◆◆◆
“Here’s the key,” Colton pushes it across the table, and I take it and put it in my bag. “It’s for the cabin where you’ll be staying.”
I blink. “A cabin?”
“No, Ms. Sloane,” he drawls out, leaning back in his chair. “We’ll build a hotel just for you.”
“No need for sarcasm,” I scoff. “What am I supposed to do there, exactly?”
“There’s someone who will lead you through it. But the gist of it is that you’re there to clean up the trash, help set up everything for the winter camp.”
“So, it’s officially happening?”
Colton nods. “Yes. The headmaster believes it would be beneficial for the younger kids to have some fun, and while they’re there, they’ll drop here for a visit, too. It’ll happen during the winter holidays, and since you’re going to be here, I expect you to be on your best behavior.”
“I’m always on my best behavior.”
He quirks a brow. “Is that why I had to see you and Mr. Ford kissing on this very desk? Furthermore, I expect one of you to cough up the money to replace the top of the desk. What the hell were you two doing here?”
I wince. “For the record, I received an email from you. I thought I’d be meeting you here.”
“I’m aware, and Mr. Ford will be punished accordingly,” he sighs. “But why would you think I’d call you in the middle of the night?”
I shrug. “How should I know? Whichever the reason may be, I can’t exactly ignore an email from the Dean himself, can I?”
He hums. “But, never mind that, I still need to give you your schedule.”
“For?”
He pulls the drawer open and skims through a few papers. He takes one out and hands it over. My eyes skim over the words on the page, and a sigh of relief slips from me.
“Ah, for the exams.”
He nods. “I’ll be the one monitoring all of them.”
“I’m taking two a day?” The question falls from my lips, tone of utter disbelief.
“Yes, because you need to finish them all before the semester begins. Any complaints?”
“None whatsoever,” a smile forces its way onto my face, though underneath it all, I’m anything but happy.
“Good. Then you’re dismissed. Go pack, someone will drive you to the campsite after dinner.”
“How many days will I be staying?”
“Four,” he responds. “Unless you slack off and need to stay longer.”
“I won’t be slacking off,” I promise, determination oozing off my tongue.
“Fantastic, now leave.”
I take my bag and the schedule for my exams, then leave his office. Colton doesn’t seem in the mood to be chatting, and I don’t want to stick around and find out why exactly. I close the door of his office behind me, and Lila’s still there, waiting for me.
“All done?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
“Grace woke up, she’s making us all coffee.”
A smile tugs on the corners of my lips. “Perfect, just what I need.”
The walk from the school building to the girls’ dormitory is quick, but I still get a lot of stares. Some younger ones whisper a little too loudly, and I’m able to catch my name along with Soren’s. The little bastards are betting whether or not Soren and I are sleeping together.
The thought of that makes me shudder.
We reach Lila and Grace’s room, and it’s very different from Avalon’s and mine. It’s decorated in two different shades of blue, and in a way, they’re matching. Grace is next to the small table, preparing a cup of coffee for each of us.
“Morning, sunshine.”
She flips me off, without even looking in my direction. Her hair’s a mess, sticking every which way, and I’m pretty sure there’s a spot at the back of her head that’s matted.
“Here,” she shoves the mug in my hands, then sits on the floor, her head resting on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “How’re you doing with the rumors?”
“It makes me want to claw his eyes out,” I groan, flopping to sit next to her. I’m not sure why we started sitting on the floor, but the carpet in her dorm is too fluffy and soft not to be sat on. “But luckily for him, he’s not within my reach right now.”
“You’re already plotting your revenge?”
“I’m trying to. I can’t outdo leaking his sex tape, can I?”
Grace gasps, immediately lifting her head off the bed and looking at me with wide eyes. “I knew it was you! I just knew it!” Then, she turns to Lila. “Pay up, loser.”
Lila groans, then starts rummaging through her bag. She pulls out a handful of a hundred-dollar bills, and my eyes widen. “How much did you bet, exactly?”
“Five hundred.”
“Damn,” I snort.
“But anyway, you really can’t outdo that. What should you do next?”
“How about you calm down?” Lila offers. “I mean, after you come back from the camp, we’ll have three weeks left of the first semester. Why not leave it until post-graduation?”
“Because I won’t be seeing him after that. Not if I can help it, at least. I want to do something grand to make him remember me for life. I want him to look at himself in the mirror and see me whenever he sees that damned reflection of his.”
“So, you want something permanent?"
“Absolutely.”
“I have an idea,” Grace grins.
“Oh, please don’t offer your input, I’m begging you! Where’s Avalon when you need her?” Lila groans, exasperated. “You know what? I want no part of this. I’m out. Bye!”
She finishes her coffee and slams the mug on the counter, then glares at both Grace and I for a moment. When she realizes we’re not kidding, she rolls her eyes, and leaves the dorm, closing the door behind her.
Grace turns to me. “How far are you willing to go?”
“As far as possible.”
“Alright, then… you’ll be there till Sunday, right?”
I nod. “Yes, and hopefully Colton doesn’t extend it. Why?”
“I don’t have any plans for Saturday. I’ll sneak inside and bring you everything you need.”
I frown. “It’ll be hard to execute my revenge without Soren present, though.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out.”
“Fine, what did you have in mind?”
“Listen carefully…”