I nod and sit back down.
I hate this class. We could have double maths and it would be less painful than this.
A few more people stand up and introduce themselves. I realise that even though Anthony and I are new, everyone else has only had one Redemption lesson before us. Some people stand up and talk about their “crimes”. There are a few shoplifters and a couple of being cruel to animals or putting their parents through hell. But it all gets me thinking.
Everyone here has a skeleton in their closet. Everyone in this room has something to make up for. This really could be some kind of karmic payback. Where are all the good people who have never done anything wrong in their lives?
“Okay, that’s it for today,” Mrs Brown says eventually. “See you all next week.”
I get up with relief that the class is over, but before I have a chance to leave Mrs Brown calls after me, “Riley, stay behind please.”
Riley, huh? I must have done something to make her like me.
Everyone files out of the class, leaving me behind.
“See you in the canteen,” Anthony says.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk up to her desk.
“You made a good start today, Riley,” Mrs Brown says. “I was expecting you to be quite a difficult student, but you’ve surprised me so far. Make sure it continues.”
I stare at her for a moment. “How did you expect anything of me? You’ve never seen me before.”
“We have the records from your old school,” she says. “I had a little forewarning of what to expect from you, so I am pleasantly surprised to see that you stood up and admitted to some wrongdoing. It’s a very good first step for a girl like you, and I sincerely hope that you will continue to advance in my class.”
“A girl like me?” I echo. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m sure you know what it means. I think you’ll find Afterlife Academy is just the sort of place that will do you a lot of good, Riley. You just have to give it a chance.”
Okay, who made it Insult Riley Day and didn’t tell me?
“I don’t know what’s in your so-called records,” I say as respectfully as I can muster, “but I assure you it’s not true. Probably.”
“Riley, I don’t believe in treating students like babies or wrapping them in cotton wool. Learning complete honesty is the only way you will graduate from Afterlife Academy, so let me start by being honest with you. I was pleasantly surprised to see that you so much as showed up today, considering the amount of classes you used to skip.”
Oh. They noticed that?
“My grades are good,” I protest. “What does it matter if I’ve cut a few classes?”
“It’s not all about grades,” she says. “Besides, your grades were never that good.”
“Pfft.”
“I was even more pleasantly surprised to see you sitting with and being apparently friendly with Mr Marsden, who I am informed has actually been one of your targets more often than not.”
“I’ve apologised to Anthony,” I say. “I know that the way Sophie and I treated him was wrong, and if I ever got another chance, I would act differently and make sure my friends did too. I’ve told him that.”
“Good,” she says. “That’s progress, and that’s also what this class is all about.”
I nod.
“Okay,” she says. “I won’t keep you from your lunch any longer. I just wanted to say that I was pleasantly surprised today and I hope it will continue.”
Patronising much, I think as I walk out of the classroom. Well, I wait until I get way out of the classroom first, just in case she really can read minds.
CHAPTER 20
I’ve arranged to meet Anthony at two in the morning. I don’t sleep beforehand, just lie in bed, holding my rose necklace in my hand and thinking about Wade. I don’t feel anything now though. I don’t feel a communication with him. In fact, my mind keeps wandering back to my parents and how much I miss them. I just hope Wade is still coming to rescue me. At least we have another Visualisation class on Thursday, so I will be able to see how well his injuries are doing and how long it’s likely to be before he saves me.
In the meantime, Anthony and I are going to look for the exit. It can’t do any harm, right? Just in case Wade isn’t coming.
I wait until just before two o’clock and then I push the window open and climb out of it. Charlie growls at me as I shove past him but I’m used to him by now.
I would prefer to go down the stairs, but I haven’t had a chance to figure out what the resident advisor does at night yet. He could sit there all night and watch for people trying to sneak out for all I know.
The way down is easy. I have no idea if I could actually injure myself now, considering the whole being dead thing. What injury could be worse than that? But it still hurts when I pinch myself or stub my toe, so I have to be on the safe side and figure that I might still be able to break something. I’m not going to be any help to anyone in getting out of here if I end up with a broken leg as well.
I climb down onto the flat roof of the floor below. From there, there’s a wide window ledge and then it’s only a four-foot drop to the ground.
I jump down and creep around the back to where I’ve arranged to meet Anthony behind the dormitories.
He isn’t here yet. I was a little early in my impatience.
I crouch down in the doorway of the back entrance, where no one ever goes even in daylight, and look around. There’s not much to see, but this place is even creepier in the dark.
It’s misty and foggy in the daylight, but now I can barely see a few inches in front of my face. I hate this. It’s so dark and depressing here. There’s no colour. Except for me, of course, and I’m not especially colourful, just normal-looking. The most colourful thing about me is the pink rose necklace, which still feels warm to the touch after my lying in bed and holding it for so long.
I crouch there and feel spooked for another ten minutes before Anthony shows up.
“Shit, you scared me,” I hiss as he puts a hand on my shoulder and makes me jump out of my skin.
“Sorry,” he whispers. “How are we supposed to see anything in this much fog? We should have done this in the daylight.”
“We have to try,” I say.
Anthony and I had looked at lunchtime but we hadn’t found anything. We’d gone to the canteen, grabbed a baguette each and wandered around outside, trying to look unsuspicious amid curious glances from Narcissa and Gloria shouting “hasn’t your prince come yet?” at me.
People in this school know everything. I hate it.
“I don’t even know what we’re supposed to be looking for.” Anthony moans as we creep out from behind the canteen and glance around to make sure no one’s watching. Not that we could really see them if they were.
I think this mist descends deliberately to make it harder for students trying to break out in the middle of the night.
“Look, you didn’t have to come,” I snap at him quietly. “But you want to get home as much as I do and there might be a way. We have to do something other than just sit there all day.”
He doesn’t say anything to that.
We’re creeping across the main yard area now, completely out in the open. No buildings to hide behind. We’re pretty much stuffed if we get caught now.
“You know, we could always try graduating,” Anthony suggests. “It might be the easier option.”
“I don’t want to graduate,” I whisper. “I want to go home. I don’t know what actually happens when you graduate, but I’m pretty sure that they don’t send you back home. Caydi thinks that this exit would take us back to before the accident so we can change things. If we find it, we can stop ourselves dying.”
“Oh, wonderful,” he says sarcastically.
“Shut up,” I tell him, wondering why he’s being so annoying again. This is just like old Anthony. “If you didn’t want to come, you should have just said. And sod off back to
the dorm room if you’re just going to moan all night.”
He sighs. “Can’t leave you out here on your own, can I?”
“I can take care of myself, you know.”
“Yes,” he says. “That must be how you ended up here. You know, dead from being able to take care of yourself.”
“You can bloody talk,” I say to him. “You’re not exactly the most living person in the universe.”
“Yeah, well, at least I—” He stops talking abruptly.
“What?” I growl.
“Did you hear that?”
“Oh, quit trying to scare me,” I say.
“No, Ri, I’m serious.”
We stop. We’re still in the middle of the yard with nothing to hide behind.
“These people are ghosts,” I say to him quietly. “They could sneak up on us anywhere. This is so scary and—”
That’s when Anthony kisses me.
His mouth crashes into mine and he pulls my body up against his.
I’m about to splutter and shove him off when I sense a light on us.
“I should have known it would be you two.”
We jump apart to find Mr Burgrove shining a torch at us.
I’m too stunned to speak. Anthony just kissed me.
Oh shit, we’ve been caught. We’re dead meat.
“Being outside at night is strictly forbidden,” Mr Burgrove says.
“We didn’t know that,” Anthony says. “We’re really sorry, sir. But you must know what it’s like to be young and in love.”
Mr Burgrove sighs.
“We thought it would be better than sneaking into each other’s dorm room,” Anthony says. “We didn’t think we were hurting anyone.”
Whatever the hell Anthony is playing at, he’s playing at it really well. I can tell Mr Burgrove is softening.
“Ah, young love,” he says fondly. “I remember those days. It was the time of my life.”
He stares at us for a moment longer, as if trying to figure out if we’re for real, but then he finally says, “All right, I’ll let it slide this time, but let me make it clear that if I catch either of you outside your dorm rooms after lights out again there will be serious consequences.”
Anthony and I nod furiously.
“Go on, off with you,” Mr Burgrove says, waving us away. “Next time, find somewhere less public for your snogging sessions.”
We walk quickly back the way we came, waiting to make sure Mr Burgrove is well out of earshot before either of us speaks.
“What the hell was that?” I hit Anthony hard on the shoulder. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”
“Thank you for saving my ass, Anthony,” he mimics me in a faux girly voice. “Or maybe you didn’t notice the part where we didn’t get caught for what we were really doing.”
“Oh, I noticed that part all right,” I mutter.
“Sorry,” Anthony says. “But I had to do something to stop us getting caught looking for a secret exit.”
“Well, it worked,” I admit reluctantly.
“Yes, it did,” he says. “Now I just have to go and wash my mouth out with bleach.”
“You do?” I splutter furiously. “You aren’t so bloody tasty yourself, you know.”
“Fine,” he snaps.
“Fine,” I say and storm away from him.
I don’t bother to climb through the window. I just storm in the door and past the resident advisor who is thankfully sleeping at his desk.
I feverishly clean my teeth and then throw myself into bed angrily.
That boy is so frustrating. Who does he think he is?
“What’s the matter with you?” Caydi asks sleepily.
“Nothing,” I snarl. “Argh. Everything, okay? Everything is the matter.”
“Where have you been?”
“Out,” I say. “With Anthony.”
“Hmm, Anthony,” she says before I have a chance to say anything else.
“Don’t ‘hmm, Anthony’ me,” I say frustratedly. “The jerk just kissed me.”
“Oooh,” Caydi says. “Tell me more.”
“There’s nothing to tell. We were out looking for… something.” I catch myself just in time. “But Mr Burgrove came along so Anthony kissed me to make it look like we’d just snuck out for a snogging session.”
“Do not tell me you were out looking for the exit,” Caydi says.
I shrug before realising she can’t see me. “So what if I was? Anthony and I know this school better than anyone else. If anyone can find it, it’ll be us.”
“Ri, there are people who have been at this school for years and never found it.”
“I’ve been at this school for years,” I counter.
“Yes, but I’m talking about people who have actually been at this school for years, not the one in the living world where secret exits to different dimensions don’t regularly pop up.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” I tell her. “People have been at this school for years, Caydi. I can’t stay here for years. I don’t think I can even manage another week. I just want to go home.”
“You’re not alone in that,” she says quietly. “But we can’t go home.”
“I can,” I say. “I refuse to stay here. Wade is going to come and rescue me, and if he doesn’t, then I have to find the way back on my own.”
Caydi sighs in an “oh, not this again” way but doesn’t say anything.
I think she must be going back to sleep when she says, “So, tell me about kissing Anthony.”
“It was disgusting!”
The bed creaks as Caydi shrugs. “I think he’s kind of cute,” she says. “You two make a sweet couple.”
“Are you kidding me? Anthony is so… I don’t know. Just so not Wade.”
“It’s none of my business, but Wade doesn’t sound all that wonderful to me. Plus he’s not here.”
“You’re right,” I say. “It is none of your business.”
“I thought you and Anthony got on really well. You always sit together and eat lunch together. I thought you liked him.”
“I do,” I say. “Just not in that way. How dare he kiss me without even asking when he knows full well I’m going out with Wade?”
“Sounds to me like he saved your ass.”
“He kind of did,” I admit reluctantly. “But that’s not the point.”
“You keep saying that, and yet you haven’t told me what the point is.”
“I don’t know,” I growl frustratedly again. “I’m with Wade. I’m committed to Wade. Anthony knows that and yet he still kissed me.”
“I don’t think it meant anything,” Caydi says. “He was just thinking on his feet to save your ass. God knows what Mr Burgrove would have done if he realised what you were really up to. Being outside at night is bad enough, but being outside to poke around for a secret exit would be considered seriously criminal in this school. You could’ve both got yourselves expelled for doing that. I reckon you owe Anthony a thank you.”
“If you like him so much, why don’t you kiss him?” I snap.
“No, thank you. I’m sure you’ve noticed that he’s not my type. Besides, I have a little something going on with Rick. You’ve probably seen him sitting at our lunch table. Seriously, Ri. Don’t get so worked up about it. Anthony saved your ass and you know it. It’s not like Wade would ever know or even care. It’s not like one little kiss to get yourselves out of trouble is cheating on the guy.”
“I guess you’re right,” I say. “Night.”
“Don’t go sneaking out at night again, okay? It’s a big rule here.”
I nod.
“Night, Riley.”
She rolls over and within minutes I know that she’s gone back to sleep, but it’s not that easy for me.
I can’t believe Anthony kissed me.
I can’t believe it felt as good as it did.
And I can’t believe I just said that.
For the love of God, this is Anthony we’re
talking about. Geek extraordinaire. Really, really annoying. Teacher’s pet. Major suck-up. Maths calculator in the pocket job Anthony.
Also? Not Wade.
Very not Wade.
I love Wade. And I can’t believe that I could be lying here—different dimension or not—and fantasising about kissing another boy.
Especially given that the other boy is Anthony.
Wade’s mortal enemy.
Well, maybe not quite mortal anymore, but enemy nonetheless.
Wade would be devastated if he knew what had just happened.
And that I had kind of liked it.
That kiss felt really nice. There was some kind of spark thing that made my tummy flip over that I’ve never felt with anyone before. Not even with Wade.
Although that could have been down to the surprise of having a tongue stuck down your throat in the middle of the night while a teacher watches.
Not that tongues were involved.
Unfortunately.
No. I did not just say that.
The kiss didn’t mean anything.
Unfortunately.
No.
Anthony was out of line. You don’t just go around kissing girls because there might be a teacher watching.
Even if it was a really good kiss.
And it did save us from Mr Burgrove’s wrath.
Ugh.
This is so confusing.
I have to get out of here.
CHAPTER 21
Anthony doesn’t show up in the canteen the next morning. That freaks me out a bit. What if he’s really upset by what I said to him last night? What if he thinks I hate him? Oh God, what if he hates me? What if he’s going to sit with all the people who keep calling him over and completely ignore me now?
Breakfast is so lonely without Anthony here.
Even the pancakes loaded with chocolate and syrup that Narcissa produced for me don’t make me feel any better. It’s quiet and lonely at our little tucked-away table and then Clare comes over and sits down opposite me.
“Hi,” she says.
“Er, hi,” I say, quickly swallowing a mouthful of coffee.
She doesn’t say anything for a moment and I start to feel antsy, like she’s going to beat me up or something.
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