by Maya Nicole
"Why would she need to prepare?" Everything was a big fat question mark, and I hated that I had no clue what was going on.
The man was silent for a few moments. "I am under strict guidelines to only give you certain information for your own protection. Not that I know much anyway. Now, do you have all of the unpaid and overdue notices?"
I handed over the papers I had brought with me. There had been an entire folder of unpaid bills in her files. She had stopped paying in June. "How long until they release some of the money?"
"I have some pull with the judge. A week tops. I don't foresee any difficulties in getting this taken care of. Your mom put it in a trust because she was scared a regular account would be too vulnerable." He slid an envelope across the table to me. I opened it and peeked inside, seeing a small stack of hundred-dollar bills. “In the meantime, here is some money to cover your everyday expenses. Take care of the essentials first. Gas, electric, water, cell phone. Those will be the first things that get disconnected due to nonpayment.”
I had no clue about what went into cost of living every month, but I needed to learn quickly. “You can't tell me where you think my mom might be?" He had to have some clue where she might be if he wasn’t shocked when I called him.
"Did she take the knife?" He folded his hands on top of his briefcase and looked around the coffee shop.
"No."
"Don't let anyone know about it." He lowered his voice. "It's been in your family for a long time and is one of a kind. If she left it for you, it means she's not safe."
"It's just a fancy knife. I don't understand how her leaving it-"
"That is what she told me to tell you." He sighed. "None of it made sense to me either, but she said it was better if I didn't know."
"Am I safe?"
"You told me you were being bullied?"
"Yes. They seem to have the administration and campus security on their side. The school counselor I was talking to mysteriously went on leave."
"What are the boys' names?" I told him and he took his glasses off again and ran a hand over his face. "You need to stay away from them."
"It's kind of hard when they keep coming at me." I bit my lip. "I feel... drawn to them."
"Your mother didn't say anything about them being at your school. You need to stay away from them. They come from a lot of power. Finn..." His eyes widened and he put his glasses back on. "I have to go. I've said too much. Just trust me. Stay away from them."
He left me with a sour feeling in my stomach and a lot for me to think about.
"You've been staring at that screen like that for the last half-hour." Tory waved a hand in front of me and I snapped out of my pity party.
I'd like to see anyone be able to concentrate after being assaulted and having your underwear flown for the world to see. And it was only Wednesday afternoon.
"Just a lot on my mind."
Ashley came to stand by my computer. "Riley, I need your forty dollars for food still."
"Our first stay-late isn't for another few weeks. I'll give it to you then." I didn't look up from the computer where I was now moving pictures from one folder to another instead of staring blankly at it.
"I need it to be able to plan. It's been the same every year. Do you not have the money or something?"
I glanced up at her and she smiled sweetly at me. She was becoming increasingly more of a bitch. She hadn't been half bad before this year. How quickly people change.
"I won't have it for a few weeks." I wasn't going to give her what little money I did have. That money was for important bills, food, and gas.
She rolled her eyes and moved up a row to Jax, who was working on a layout for the football section. He hadn't said a word to me all week.
"That layout looks great, Jax." Ashley put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You know, if you ever need extra help with the design program, we can always arrange a time after school to work together."
He didn't look away from the screen, but he didn't shrug her hand off either. "Are you the layout editor?"
"No, but this is my fourth year." Her hand slid over the front of his shoulder, straight for his chest.
I cut a glance to Tory, who was watching the show with wide eyes. I looked back in just enough time to see Jax grab her hand and I thought he was going to push her away, but instead, he pulled her into his lap.
Ashley glanced at me and smirked before wrapping her arms around Jax's neck. I gripped the mouse hard and resisted the urge to chuck it at them.
"Maybe you can help me." He put his mouth near her ear but was still talking loud enough for me and Tory to hear. "I'm not sure how to fit this in."
Ashley adjusted herself in his lap and took the mouse. He put his hand over the top of hers. "Well, to get it in you have to move it like this."
Tory snorted. The whole interaction was ridiculous, and I wondered if he was doing it to annoy me. If so, it was working.
"I tried pulling it to this side, but it wouldn't come."
I stood and Tory tried to grab my arm as I walked around the desk. I went and stood behind his monitor.
"Can I help you?" Jax moved his hand to Ashley's waist and dug his fingers into her shirt.
"This is a classroom, not a bar to pick up on girls."
"Stop being such a prude." Ashley put his hand on her thigh. "Jealousy isn't a good look for you, hon."
I yanked the cord from the back of the computer. I knew it was petty and childish, but I was fed up and honestly didn't care.
"What the fuck?" Jax stood, moving Ashley off him and causing her to stumble. He put his hands flat on the desk and leaned forward as far as he could. "You're going to pay for that."
"Mr. West. What is going on over there?" Mr. Garcia stood and crossed his arms.
"Nothing." He sat back down as I plugged his computer back in.
I went back to my computer and he pulled the program back up. The page he had been designing was blank. His hand tightened on the mouse.
"Remind me not to piss you off," Tory muttered. "I guess he'll learn to save his work now."
Or he'll learn not to mess with me.
I didn't enjoy studying with others, and one of the reasons was because not everyone was focused on school. We were required to meet twice a month for study group for an hour to build academic discord and develop supportive relationships.
It was bad enough I was distracted by the vague warnings the lawyer had given me, but now my mind kept replaying the scene in yearbook. Maybe I shouldn't have unplugged his computer like I had. He had worked all period on the varsity spread and I had ruined it.
The quiet of the library gave my mind too much time to wander. When I was able to focus, someone would slam a book shut, a backpack would be unzipped, or Blake would make a noise.
I should have faked cramps and gone home instead of staying and wasting my time.
Blake tapped his pencil on his paper before making a noise and then writing frantically. Me, Aiden, and a girl named Trisha gave each other looks and went back to our assignments.
The sound of a ripping page filled the immediate area and our eyes snapped back to Blake again, who didn't seem to care that he was distracting us all. He folded the paper he had ripped out of his notebook and then grinned at us.
Were they purposely trying to get on my last nerve? I was hanging on by a thread and about to snap. I ignored his grin and read the passage I had started reading for what felt like the tenth time.
The paper he folded landed in front of me. I gave him an exasperated look and then wadded up the paper and threw it toward the trashcan, missing.
He frowned. "Why'd you do that?"
"We're supposed to be working on homework and keeping each other on task." I stood and picked up the paper. "Writing notes and composing a drum solo is not staying on task."
"Well, at least read it." He turned back to his binder.
Aiden and Trisha gave me curious glances but then both got back to work. I
did the same without opening the note.
I felt his eyes on me as I tried to take notes and then he nudged my foot with his. He was insufferable.
I unfolded the paper and turned to face away from the group so they couldn't see my reaction.
Jesus Christ, he'd written me a sexy note.
I can't concentrate on anything with you sitting next to me. Every time you stick the tip of your pen against your lips, I can't stop where my brain goes. I want to be that pen. Let's sneak to the bathroom and I'll give you a little late afternoon snack.
My pulse sped up and I put the pen against my lip while I considered what to write back. I could tell him he was disgusting or to knock it off. But that was what he wanted.
I wrote a note back underneath his.
I want to show you just what I can do with this mouth and my pen. Then I want to reach my hand over and feel how hard I get you.
I handed it to him under the table and he smirked as he opened it and read it. His nostrils flared as he looked up at me.
I smiled and looked down at my assignment, bringing my pen back to my mouth. I rubbed it against my bottom lip before putting the end in my mouth and closing my lips around it.
He shifted in his seat and I looked up at him through my lashes. I moved the pen in and out of my mouth a few times before biting down on it hard enough to make a sound.
He grimaced and then started laughing.
Trish threw her pen on the table and closed her books. "This is useless. It's almost time to go anyways. Thank fuck we only have to do this every other week."
"That was really messed up, Riley." Blake packed his stuff. "I have swim practice anyway."
He left without a glance back, and Aiden started laughing. "What the hell was that about?"
"He wrote me a nasty note, so I responded that I would show him what I'd do."
"Oh, man." Trisha laughed. "I don't get how those guys are so popular and why so many follow them blindly."
"They are rich asshole athletes. That's a turn on for some, I guess." He gave me a pointed look. "They will only lead to a case of crabs and heartache."
"I think we should meet without him." Trisha and Aiden followed me out of the library. "We can just tell him we aren't going to meet two Wednesdays from now."
"I agree. Mrs. Williams should understand."
The last thing I needed was for my grades to slip too.
Chapter Seventeen
My world was becoming a blur of school and trying to locate my mother. The police didn't seem to care that she was still missing. It didn't help that all the evidence pointed to her taking off. It was no use telling them it was out of character.
I rolled over in bed and stared at my alarm clock that was about to go off. I had been up most of the night listing payments that had to be made as soon as I got any money from the fund my mom had in my name.
I wanted to just stay in bed and wait for everything to be over, but she wouldn't want me to do that. I turned off the clock before it went off and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
I looked in the mirror and frowned at my reflection. I barely recognized myself, even though I looked the same. My hair had certainly seen better days, but nothing else had changed.
The change had come from inside and I saw it in the way my shoulders pulled forward slightly and the frown that was etched on my face. Even my eyes looked sad.
I smiled at myself in the mirror and my cheeks shook from the effort. Why was I even fighting this battle with the Tritons? They were consuming me and leaving me a shell of myself.
I sighed and got into the shower. The water calmed me down immensely and I started to feel a little better, but then my mind traveled to them again.
Mr. Nguyen had warned me to stay away from them. I ran over the conversation a hundred times a day. He knew small pieces of the puzzle and it was my job to put together.
I wrapped a towel around myself and went back into my room. I laid back on the bed and stared at my ceiling. What was I missing?
The knife.
I rolled over to the other side of the bed and reached under my mattress, sliding it out of the place I had hidden it. I held it in my hand and examined it closely. It was almost as if it was a piece of art with the inlaid designs in the hilt. It made me smile as I turned it over in my hand. Why would my mom have this knife?
A siren's knife, Jax had called it when I was hiding in the back of his SUV. What did that mean?
I laid the knife on the bed and opened up my laptop, bringing it with me back to the bed. I pulled up the internet and typed it in. Nothing came up, so I tried abalone knife. There were plenty of knifes that had abalone hilts, but none that looked like my mom's.
My mom's looked like it would be used to kill someone. It had a nine-inch blade that curved slightly at the end and it was sharpened to a thin edge that would cut like butter.
Abalone shell was said to have protective properties that would protect from bad intentions. I didn't believe that rocks and minerals had abilities like that though.
I typed in siren, even though I was well aware of the stories of them from Greek mythology. They were dangerous and lured sailors to their deaths. Maybe the knife was an antique object thought to be from them.
I looked at the knife again before sliding it back under the mattress. Mr. Nguyen said not to let anyone know I had it, so my questions would remain a big fat mystery.
The first swim meet of the fall season was jam packed with spectators. I stayed as close as possible to the stands as swimmers dashed past me and readied to swim in their heats.
Even though there were plenty of swim meets for me to take photos, getting the bulk of the shots early was best since the farther I got into the school year, the busier I'd be. Especially with college applications being due anytime between November and January.
During the heats that the Tritons were in, I watched them closely and took plenty of photos and videos. I was fairly certain they were taking some kind of performance-enhancing drug. I was surprised no one had caught on so far.
When they swam, they moved with a fluidity that no one else even came close to matching. From the moment their feet left the blocks to the time they turned at the opposite wall, they barely came up for air.
At first I thought they were breathing, but the more I watched and zoomed in with the camera lens, the more I noticed. With them being in the water and so much action happening, it was hard to tell for sure. They moved their heads, but their mouths didn't open.
Once they won their heats, which was not surprising, they didn't even seem to be out of breath like the rest of the swimmers. It was as if the races had been leisurely walks through the park for them.
The meet lasted hours and I decided to stay the entire time, not taking pictures for yearbook, but to gather evidence against them. I still had the unknown pill hidden in my desk drawer. It was low on my priority list, but there had to be a lab somewhere that would do an analysis of its contents.
Once the meet was over, I hung back in the stands. It was nearly dark, and since most of the ceiling and upper section of the walls were glass, I saw the gorgeous shades of pinks and purples in the sky.
I was in the last little group of people leaving the stands when I heard Jax ask, "Did you find it?"
I continued on with the group, but instead of exiting out into the lobby, I waited until they walked through the doors and then stayed close to the side of the bleachers.
"I looked but it was nowhere to be found," Morgan said.
The bleachers weren't like in the movies. These were state of the art stands that had a wall preventing you from slipping behind. There was a door though. I turned the knob and peeked inside. It was a storage area for lane ropes and other pool equipment.
"Where exactly did you look?" Jax was standing with his arms crossed over his chest.
I could still see the main pool from between the bleachers and the Tritons standing near the edge of it. They were still in their swi
mming gear.
"Literally every drawer and closet. She has a vibrator, by the way." Morgan laughed when Blake smacked his chest. "What? I thought you'd like to know that the vixen isn't so innocent."
My stomach dropped and I put my hand over my mouth, realizing he had been in my house and must have been looking for the knife. What else would they have been after?
"Are you sure she even had it?" Blake was wringing his hands at his sides and rocking on the balls of his feet.
"Yes, and Mo said that guy mentioned the knife. It has to be real." He ran his hand over his hair and then clamped a hand down on Blake's shoulder to get him to stop moving. "Just wait for the coach to come back through here."
"It hurts." Blake started jumping like he was getting ready for a race.
I couldn't stop myself from looking at their bodies in their swim jammers. It left nothing to the imagination.
"If you had sex more, that would help. Right, Jax?" Morgan laughed and moved away from Blake's fist. "Don't get mad at me for speaking the truth. Our dicks taking a little swim in a mouth or pussy does wonders."
"What are you three still doing here?" The swim coach came out from the locker room area with a bag over his shoulder. "Going to stay and swim some more? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were born fish."
They all laughed uncomfortably. Jax held up a set of keys and jingled them. "You know it."
"I'll lock the front doors. The locker rooms are clear and the back doors locked. The custodian is cleaning the men’s locker rooms."
"Thanks, Coach." Jax threw the keys next to a towel and they waited in silence.
It must have been ten minutes and then all three dived into the water. I moved to the other end of the bleachers to get a better view of the pool.