by C. L. Stone
Hendricks waited for me inside the hallway. He allowed me to walk ahead of him, nudging me forward. There wasn’t a chance to grab the phone without him seeing I was trying to call for help. I regretted waiting so long.
The hallway to the principal’s office was quiet, with a lot of closed doors. Vice-Principal McCoy’s office door was closed, the light off. Maybe he was taking the day off. That was a relief. One was bad enough without the other.
The Principal left the door open as he walked over to his desk, sitting in the burgundy, oversized office chair. “Will you have a seat?”
I sat down in the smaller chair in front of his desk. I glanced around the room, noting the position of the vents and shadowed areas. I knew there were cameras watching Mr. McCoy’s office. Were there some in the principal's office? Could Mr. Blackbourne be watching now?
I sucked in a breath, holding it and waiting for what I was sure would be a detention or worse. I wouldn’t get called down to the principal’s office for paperwork.
Hendricks steepled his fingers under his chin. “Don’t look so scared. I just have a few questions. You’re not in any trouble.”
I sought relief in this but I felt there was a stipulation to the not being in trouble part.
“I noticed you didn’t make it to class last week. Is everything okay?”
My eyes widened. Did he know? I wasn’t sure if anyone, maybe Mr. Blackbourne, or my father, called about it. “I suppose so,” I said, trying to be very vague. I swallowed back some of my trembling. “I’m fine, sir.”
“Was it Academy recruiting week?” he asked. His dark eyes focused on me. “Did you have some special tests to take? Or a series of interviews?”
My mouth popped open, surprised by his proposed idea. “Academy recruiting?”
His thick eyebrows shot up. “Mr. Blackbourne entered your schedule into the school computer. I thought he was only doing that for his own students. When I checked your transcripts, the records show your previous schools. You’re not from the Academy. Not yet at least.” He sat back in his chair, crossing his legs at the ankles, planting his elbows on the rests. “Mr. Blackbourne hasn’t picked up a student for the entire year, except you. I just wondered if they were talking to you about joining them. Maybe they’re promising you some sort of scholarship if you help them? I’m curious.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure how to reply. Would honesty work or should I refer him to Mr. Blackbourne? “I’ve never been to the Academy. I couldn’t tell you anything about it.”
He rubbed a finger under his chin as if considering. “Still, you are the only one they’ve taken any interest in.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to this. There wasn’t a question. My mind was flying with what I should have said. Should I let him assume they are trying to recruit me? My fingers itched to touch the phone, but it was awkward. My phone was in the cup of my bra, hidden but using it now would be too obvious. I wished I’d let North or Luke follow me now.
His crocodile smile returned. “This is probably a good thing. I don’t know what you’ve heard about this Academy,” he said. “What have the boys told you about it?”
“It’s just a private school,” I said.
“Did you know they don’t allow visitors? Did you know the location of the school is unknown? Are you sure you want to trust a group of students like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s full of secrets, Miss Sang. The only reason to keep secrets is to hide something you’re doing wrong. What goes on there? Why are they so closed-lipped about it? Wouldn’t a school full of very intelligent students want to be known for their genius and caliber?”
“I don’t know,” I said quietly, my eyes casting to his desk rather than look at him. While his questions did give me something to think about, he made it seem like they were bad. They weren't. They helped people. They helped me.
They were always doing something then, and they’re always up to something now.
They were thieves, once. Derrick had said so. Could their seemingly good deeds actually be a ruse for something bigger? What could a poor school, one that couldn’t afford new books for the library, offer if they were looking to steal something?
“I wanted to know if you could help me out, Miss Sang. I’m a busy person and I can’t always keep tabs on everyone. I was wondering if you couldn’t keep your eyes open for me. Maybe find out what these so called gifted students are really up to.”
“Me? Why?”
“You’re a smart girl,” he said, “taking all those AP classes. I think I can trust you. This Academy, you have to admit, is dangerous. I’ve seen their fighting, and it resembles training I saw in the military. The school board has demanded they be here so my hands are tied. They’re not interested in hearing about secret school locations and military training. You, however, might be able to learn something more interesting so that they’ll reconsider.”
I frowned. I knew he didn’t like them and didn’t want them. He expected me to help get rid of them? “What do you want from me?”
“It’s very simple,” he said. “Find out why they’re here. What interest do they have? You can’t tell me they’re here out of the kindness of their hearts. No one does that. Blackbourne and Green are barely out of high school themselves. They’re not being paid to be here. Why would they stay? Something’s not right. Don’t you agree?”
Again, I didn’t know how to answer him. While I agreed that I was curious about what was going on, I was pretty sure his ideas were incorrect and the boys weren’t dangerous. Maybe he wasn’t so far off about there being another agenda though. Were they really here because the school board asked them a favor? Maybe I’d been thinking about this the wrong way. Favors were returned. What could the school board have that Kota and the others would want?
“I think we can help each other,” he continued. “Those AP classes can be tough on a new student. I’m sure I can assist you with your education.”
I inched my head back at the bribery. “I think I can handle it.”
“I can make it easier,” he leaned in on his chair, sloping over his desk a little and lowering his voice. “Or perhaps you may find those AP classes a little harder than you thought?”
The question hung in the air and the meaning behind it was written all over his face. Tell him about Academy or he’d make sure I couldn’t keep up. It could get worse as well. He could request to see my parents, or give me detentions for the rest of the year if he wanted. What Mr. Hendricks didn’t know was that I was the last person that needed this kind of attention, and if he did know, I had no doubt he’d use it to his advantage.
“Think about it,” he said, leaning back again and putting on that wicked smile. “But I’m sure you will keep your eyes open for me, won’t you? Just tell me where the school is. Tell me anything that you find out. I can figure it out if you give me some place to start.”
My heart thundered but I steeled my body against a shiver, sharing eye contact but not replying. His threat made me curious. If he thought I wanted in the Academy, why was he using me to spy on them? Maybe that’s why he focused on the school classes and my grades. Maybe he thinks if I had poor grades, it was possible an elite Academy wouldn’t want someone like me. If I didn’t help him figure out what the Academy was or help him try to get the boys out of his school, he’d make sure I couldn’t join them.
He stood up, motioning to the door. “I’ll call on you again, Miss Sang. I hope I don’t have to tell you to keep this to yourself?”
What could I do? He had to be insane to believe I wouldn’t contact Mr. Blackbourne about this the first chance I got. What if I saw something else and neglected to report it? Not that I would, but it still meant Mr. Hendricks could do something to my grades. Next year, the boys would be back at their Academy and where would I be?
I released a slow puff of air, standing and keeping my eyes focused on the floor. I didn’t want to confirm or deny anything he had said. I st
epped quietly past him and out into the hallway, hugging my arms around myself.
“Have a good day,” he said. He closed the door behind me.
I shook in my sandals in the empty hallway, remaining for a moment as I contemplated whether I should find Mr. Blackbourne or go back to class to find Kota.
Mr. McCoy materialized at the other end of the otherwise empty hallway, strolling toward his office. His thick mustache twitched. His dark brown suit seemed tight on his body. My skin crawled at the sight of him and I ducked my head to attempt to brush past without speaking to him.
His head lifted as we got close. “Sang Sorenson,” Mr. McCoy snapped his arm out until his palm was pressed to the wall and blocking my path. “What are you doing out of class?”
“Principal Hendricks asked for me,” I said quietly, focusing on an office door nearby to avoid getting a close up look at his face. “But I’ve been dismissed.”
“In trouble,” he said. He made a clicking noise with his mouth.
“No, it wasn’t that.”
“You’re not a very good liar,” he said.
The arm that was on the wall slid down, wrapping around my waist. His fingers curled at my hip and gripped tightly.
I winced, tears catching in the corners of my eyes. My mind went blank. I crossed my arms over my chest, afraid to move, afraid to breathe. His fingers felt like they were burning right through my skirt, scarring my bare skin. Let me go, I pleaded silently as my voice refused to work.
He leaned in until I could smell the mix of salt and grease of whatever he had for breakfast that morning. “I’m watching you,” he said. He squeezed at my hip. I twisted my face away, stuffing my hand to my mouth to avoid crying out. “I’m watching those boys, too. I know how they touch you. If I see one indecent act transpire between you, you’ll be in my office faster than you can blink.” He let go, and stomped down the hallway toward his office. He unlocked it, stepped inside and shut the door behind himself.
I leaned against the wall, gasping, trying to collect myself. My hip ached where he had gripped me. I was sure there would be bruises. I shivered. I needed the boys. Kota. Luke. Victor. Where were they? Could I tell them? No, I couldn’t say anything. I had to though. What would I say? My mind whirled and I moved forward without thinking. I collected a pass from the front desk. With a stiff face, I walked the lonely hallways again toward class.
REACTION
I walked into the trailer of English class. Before I entered, I drew in another breath, wiping my face to make sure there weren’t tears in my eyes. I wanted to look cool and collected.
Inside I was falling apart. Principal Hendricks had set me up. Mr. McCoy had knocked me over.
I opened the door to class, and sensed the eyes of everyone falling on me. I knew it was going to happen but I still flinched and my cheeks heated. The heaviest gazes were from Kota, Luke and Gabriel. I felt their silent communication asking a million questions of me before I had a chance to move.
I dropped my head low and swept past the teacher, handing her my office note and quietly padding over to my seat. My attempt at composure was collapsing at sensing the boys so close.
Ms. Johnson continued to give her lecture on the current reading material. I fell into my seat, my lips pursed. The boys’ eyes burned on me but I couldn’t look at them. If I looked at them, I knew I would cry or something and I couldn’t do that in class.
“Sang,” Kota whispered, the command unspoken in his single calling of my name, both soothing and demanding.
Out of instinct, I looked up, catching his eyes.
It was all he needed.
Kota jumped up from his seat, addressing the teacher. “Ms. Johnson, I’m sorry to interrupt but Sang isn’t feeling well. May I take her to the nurse?”
Ms. Johnson opened her mouth as if she was going to deny this. I had just gotten into class after all. One look at me, however, and her face softened. She nodded to him. “Go on.”
I hated and loved Kota in that moment. I was embarrassed enough already and had intended to wait until after class to talk to them. A classroom of curious eyes focused on me again. Ms. Johnson did her best to redirect the attention to her by speaking a little louder and asking the class questions about the material. Kota collected my things along with his and waited for me to lead the way out of the room. His hand waved behind his back and I knew it was directed to Luke and Gabriel. Stay here. I’ll take care of her.
When we were outside the trailer, Kota took my hand and he moved quickly toward the building. I had to jog to keep up. Was he really taking me to the nurse?
He led the way without speaking to me, his green eyes darkening behind his glasses. He stopped at a restroom in an area of the school that was a good distance from classrooms. He popped his head into the boys’ restroom, scanned it and pulled me inside.
I leaned against the wall, my fingertips covering the base of my throat and ready to run out if someone caught us.
He dropped our things on the floor and checked the stalls. When he confirmed we were alone, he rushed back to the door, flipping the lock.
My heart was pounding not just from what happened that morning but with how quickly Kota was working and the pained look in his face. He guided me by my arm to the sink counters. He pointed to the surface. “Sit.”
I shivered but obeyed, easing myself onto the counter until my feet dangled. Kota the boss.
He placed a palm on the counter on either side of my legs and leaned a little until his face was inches from mine. The red tie he wore swung out from his faux uniform, touching against my bare knees. “What happened?”
His eyes bore into me, and it was the final touch to get my eyes welling and my lips blathering. “Hendricks ...” I choked out. My body rattled so hard that my voice shook, too. I didn’t mean to be so sensitive, but after dealing with my parents, school trouble was something I wasn’t ready for.
He let out a breath and said something that I almost thought was a swear. His arms encircled me. I buried my face into his shoulder, my tears wetting his shirt. He pressed a hand against the back of my head, brushing against my hair. “Don’t cry. Please. Just tell me what happened. I’ll fix it. I promise. I swear.”
I breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of his spicy cologne. With that and the words he whispered over and over in my ears, I was feeling better. “Hendricks knows I’m not from the Academy, but he thinks you’re trying to recruit me. He wants me to ... to tell him things about you. About all of you. He wants to know where the Academy is and find a way to get rid of you.”
Kota backed up so he could face me. He kept his hands on my shoulders. “Did he threaten you?”
“He said he could make my classes very difficult for me.”
Kota’s green eyes narrowed on my face. He nudged his glasses up with a forefinger. “What did you say?”
“I only confirmed I didn’t know anything. He thought I was gone last week because the Academy was doing interviews or special testing. But he knows I’m not from the Academy. He read my transcripts.”
He frowned and brushed his fingers across my cheek at a tear that slid down. His eyes flashed, sweeping back and forth across my face in a rapid movement, calculating his next move. “Come on,” he said, finally, his face setting into something stronger. The plan had come together.
He held me by my hips to pull me off the counter. An ache radiated in my hip and I winced, and pushed Kota away.
His eyes widened at my reaction, confusion setting in. “What’s wrong?” he demanded, the power in his voice surging. “Why’d you jump like that?”
I swallowed. It was the reason why there were tears in my eyes in the first place. I could handle Mr. Hendricks. I could say no. I would tell him whatever they wanted me to say. He had just surprised me.
Mr. McCoy, however, had done something that terrified me beyond anything I’d known before. He’d touched me and I wasn’t used to touching. Instead of like the boys, who meant well, his grip had been f
ull of intimidation. It scared me to think of what he could do to me next.
I fought back all the whispers my stepmother rattled off to me over the years about rape and molestation. My eyes closed and I turned my head away, my body shivering again. “Mr. McCoy stopped me in the hallway and grabbed me.”
“Where?”
I placed a palm on my hip.
He scoffed as if in shocked disbelief for a moment but his face turned back to stone. “Sang,” he said softly. “I’m going to look at your hip, okay? Don’t jump. I won’t hurt you.”
Kota hurting me was the last thing I was worried about. I shoved my hand over my heart to calm it.
He gently lifted my blouse out of the way, and hooked two fingers at the hem of my skirt, dragging it slowly down to reveal the side of my hip. Cool air against my exposed skin caused another layer of shivers to settle in.
His eyes scanned my skin. There were prominent red splotches where Mr. McCoy had grabbed me.
“My god,” he said. “No, that’s it. We’re going to Mr. Blackbourne and Dr. Green.” He fixed my skirt, wrapped his arms around my waist to gently pull me to standing next to him. He nudged me toward the door.
“We can’t!” I gasped. I struggled against him and pulled away. “We can’t go now.”
“We have to, Sang.” His hands found mine and he wrapped his long fingers around them. “You can’t let Mr. McCoy do that to you. He can’t touch you like that. He’ll keep coming after you until we stop him.”
“It’s my word against his,” I said. “Not that they wouldn’t believe me, but Mr. Hendricks is already looking for reasons to get rid of all of you. We can’t keep facing off with them if you really want to stay.” There would be no recourse if Kota ended up fighting with McCoy over this.
This thought seemed to catch him off guard. His lips twisted and he had that same painful expression in his eyes. He wasn’t sure what to do.
“If we push this, they might try contacting my parents. That can’t happen.”
Kota made fists with his hands, holding them to his thighs. I could hear him struggle to control his breathing. I may have been safe from my mother’s punishments, and my father might be gone, but there was still a risk if they weren’t physically around. This made dealing with the situation much more complicated.