by Ruby Vincent
“But they still might not believe you,” I argued. “They could think you’re saying it because we’re together.”
“Maybe,” Maverick said, “but it will still be harder to dismiss all five of us.”
Gentle pressure against my back moved me forward. “Come on, Val,” Ezra said. “It’ll be okay. Trust us.”
It was hard to argue with Ezra, let alone all five of them. I knew nothing I could say would change their mind, especially when they saw themselves as protecting me.
I snagged Ryder’s hand again when we entered the stairwell. As the boys drifted further ahead of us, I whispered to him.
“We didn’t get a chance to talk yesterday. Did you speak with your mom?”
He kept his eyes straight ahead as he nodded.
I squeezed his hand. “How is she doing? How are you doing?”
“She is... taking it harder than I thought.”
“Ryder, I’m sure she—”
“Val.” He wasn’t loud or harsh, but something in his tone made the words die in my throat. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”
“Yeah,” I croaked after a minute. “Of course.”
“Thanks.”
Ryder didn’t look at me the whole time we spoke, and he kept his face forward as we left the stairs and walked onto the fourth floor. The bell was minutes away from ringing so there were no students to gawk and whisper at us. We took that for the win it was and hurriedly got our things from our lockers before meeting back up in front of Roundtree’s classroom.
“Go in first, Val,” said Maverick. “We’ll be right behind you.”
“But—”
“Please.”
I forced my feet to move. Even while I could understand that this was something they needed to do themselves, everything in me wanted to be there for them. I pushed through into the classroom and got the reaction I was expecting. The room quickly fell silent. I looked around and stopped dead in front of Roundtree.
This I was not expecting.
The expression “battle lines were drawn” was ringing clear in my head as I took in the two distinct groups glaring at each other across the room. Natalie and her crowd had taken up residence near the window while the group that included my friends were on the other side. There was a space between them big enough that you could drive a car through.
It wasn’t a conscious thought that made me turn on Roundtree. The guy was tapping away at his computer. The easy smile hung on his lips and that handsome face looked everything but concerned. He didn’t notice I was standing there until I spoke.
“Aren’t you going to do something about this?” His fingers stilled. “How can you just sit there when you know what’s going on?”
Slowly, he raised his head. The smile hadn’t dimmed. “You should sit down, Miss Moon.”
Rage flared up in me fierce and burning. “You should do your damn job! The whole school is being torn apart and you’re either sitting on your ass or standing out in the hall. What is the fucking point of you?”
The silence in the room became even more absolute. It was as though no one was breathing as Roundtree and I locked eyes. Slowly, he rose to his feet.
“You’re right, Miss Moon. So how is this for doing my job: you have detention with me every day for the rest of the semester.”
“But you can’t—”
“Want to go for next semester too?”
I closed my mouth with a snap. I glared at him hot enough to burn a lesser man to cinders, but he just smiled at me.
“Put your phone away and take your seat. Now.”
Rigidly, I did as ordered. Sofia grasped my arm in support when I took the seat in front of her. It was everything I could do not to fling a textbook at his pretty face when he went back to his computer. What got me to take my mind off of him was the door opening and the boys entering the room. Just like that, I didn’t give a flip about Roundtree.
The four of them spread themselves out before the class and looked out over everyone with their heads held high. My breaths came shorter until they stopped altogether, bound in a clenched throat.
“Listen up,” Ezra began. “We’ve got something to say.”
A scoff to my left made me stiffen. “Sit down,” Natalie spat. “You’re not Knights anymore. We don’t have to—”
Ryder pierced her with a look as cold as the silver in his eyes. “Shut the fuck up, Bard.”
She turned bright red, but wisely didn’t continue.
“Like I was saying,” Ezra went on, “the whole school is spinning out because of Valentina coming forward and sharing the truth about Scarlett LeBlanc and why she was marked.”
Penelope lurched to her feet. “She can’t prove—”
“We’re the proof.” Maverick cut her off at the knees. “It happened while we attended the prep school with LeBlanc as our after-school art club teacher.”
“She molested us,” Ezra finished. “All four of us.”
I thought I knew silence after telling off Roundtree. It was nothing compared to the hush that followed their speech.
Then Natalie shot up. “How do we know you’re not just saying that to back up your girlfriend’s story?!”
The spell broke and everyone was on their feet—shouting, yelling, threatening, and fighting. Through the havoc, I looked across at the guys. I gave them a smile that, one by one, they returned.
CLASSES WERE A STEP below unbearable that day. Arguments broke out wherever the boys and I went until professors demanded we work in total and complete silence for the rest of the lessons. They were so fried that Patchett kicked Juliet out of class when she made the mistake of asking the boy in front of her for an eraser.
It was almost a relief when I stepped into Roundtree’s class. There was no one else in the room but the two of us. I could get the peace and quiet I had been sorely missing.
“Afternoon, Moon.”
I don’t know when we dropped the formal titles and went with last names, but I decided to follow suit. “Roundtree.”
He patted a chair I hadn’t noticed was sitting next to him. “Sit here. You’ll be helping me grade assignments.”
“Am I allowed to do that?”
“There isn’t a rule against it. Semester grades are posted for the whole school to see after all.”
That was a solid point so I walked around the desk and took my seat. Roundtree separated the stack of papers and placed half in front of me. “This is the answer sheet.” He put another piece of paper dripping with red ink on top of my stack. “Get to work.”
I got started without a word. For a while the only sound in the room was the faint scratching of pens and the occasional cough or sneeze. Roundtree went on with his work like I wasn’t there, but now and then, my eyes would drift to the left, openly study him. After about twenty minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore.
I threw down the pen. “Can I ask you something?”
Roundtree replied without looking up from the worksheets. “No.”
I scowled. “Well, I’m going to ask anyway.”
To my surprise, he barked a laugh. “You just don’t learn, do you? I can see you’re a tough one.”
“I am.” I twisted around in his seat until my knees pressed against his leg. “I’ve dealt with bullying, murder attempts, assault, and cruel rich kids. Another semester sitting in a room grading papers is nothing.”
He raised a brow. “It seems I need to upgrade my punishments.”
“Or you could just talk to me.”
Sighing, Roundtree twisted around in his chair until our knees knocked together. He decided to forgo the gel that morning so his brown hair fell into his eyes and over thick brows that were drawn together in slight irritation. “Don’t let it be said I didn’t encourage a bright, inquisitive pupil. What do you want to know?”
If he was willing to talk, I wasn’t going to beat around the bush. “You said you used to be a Knight. Did you ever deal with the Spades?”
Roundt
ree scoffed. “Are you kidding? You can’t really believe I’ll have this discussion with you.”
I folded my arms. “Of course you will. You’re all about encouraging bright minds, right?”
He cracked a wry smile, but otherwise made no attempt to speak.
“Come on,” I pressed when the silence got uncomfortable. “What could it hurt to tell me about your time at school.” I gave him a mirthless smile of my own. “Unless... you’re still afraid of them.”
The corner of his eye twitched. “I wasn’t afraid of them in the first place—let alone now.”
“So what went on when you were a Knight? Did you have to deal with them? Did Ace talk to you?”
Roundtree studied me. Although his face gave nothing away, I could guess at what he was turning over in his mind. “The Spades were a creepy ghost story and Ace was nothing but a legend when I was a Knight,” he finally said. “They did not speak to me or the other three.”
“So you didn’t believe they were around?”
He shrugged. “I believe someone put a card in my locker and made me shave my head. Why?”
I peered over my shoulder at the phone box. “Because Ace speaks to me—or at least they did. I pissed them off enough that they revealed themselves. Kind of like Walter McMillian forced them to act. But you know what I can’t believe? That in all these years since his death, no one has tried to figure out who the Spades are. Someone must have searched. They must have seen something, heard something, or been in the right place at the right time. Someone has to know something that can lead me to them.”
Roundtree cocked his head. “Possibly, but if all that has been said about the Spades is true, that someone is better off keeping their mouth shut.”
“Do you know anything?” I challenged.
“Just told you I didn’t.”
“Would you tell me if you did?”
He laughed. “If there is some big conspiracy here, Moon, I can assure you I’m not a part of it. Nothing went down the four years I was a Knight. Everyone stayed in line, no one was marked, and the Spades had no reason to act.” He reached out and tapped my forehead. “Nothing to stir an investigative mind.”
“The fact that they’re around at all should stir everyone’s mind. I’ve been learning about the history of Evergreen and it still amazes me that they were ever allowed to form. Why did the headmasters and headmistresses let the Spades exist under their noses? They already had the Knights to keep people in line.”
Shaking his head, Roundtree clicked his tongue. For some reason, he was frowning at me. “Come on, Moon. To have made it this far, you’d have to be as smart as you are tough. Why do you think no one in charge has ever stopped the Spades?”
“Because this school is full of crazy people.”
I jumped when he suddenly leaned forward. My breath stuck in my throat when he leaned in close enough that his hair brushed against my forehead.
“Think, Moon.” There was an intensity in his gaze that unsettled me. “What does this school value above all?”
My brain was fritzing out having him so close to me. I fought past the fog and tried to think of an answer. What does this school value? What does it—?
You know this, Moon, a voice spoke up. What’s rule number one?
“Evergreen values its reputation more than anything,” I whispered.
The smile returned. “That’s right. So how do the Spades help Evergreen keep its shining reputation?”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I mean, Sofia said once that they removed kids that can’t be expelled, but still have to leave.”
“Why can’t they be expelled?”
“Because— I— They— I don’t know!” I burst out. “If you’re getting at something, just tell me.”
His laugh ghosted over my face. I was locked on to his eyes so I jerked when he grabbed my hands. He pulled back as he held my hands out in front of us, palms up.
He shook my right hand. “Knights.” Then he shook my left. “Spades. Since this school was founded, the Knights were formed to keep everyone in line, but they are only four people in one class. What problem do they face?”
“I guess they... can’t be everywhere at once,” I said as I gazed down at our hands. “They can’t know everything that is going on in other grades and other classes. Not to mention people could clam up whenever they are around.” I shifted to my left hand. “But the Spades don’t have that problem. They can be everywhere and anyone. You could be spilling all of your secrets to a Spades and not know it.”
Roundtree inclined his head, a smirk twisting his mouth. “She is smart. So tell me why that fixes the problem? Why do they use marks?”
I sat up straighter as it clicked into place. “Okay, so— So if some kid brags about buying a term paper or sneaking coke in the broom closet and a Spade overhears, there is no big fuss. No one gets hauled into administration. The press doesn’t get wind of cheating or drugs at Evergreen. Our reputation isn’t put at risk. They wake up one day and find a card in their locker and the problem takes care of themselves because... they would never admit what they did wrong nor would they stick around and be everyone’s punching bag. They just go and Evergreen remains the school of perfection.”
He nodded without breaking eye contact.
My hands felt slick in his palms. My unease was ratcheting up to a thousand but I didn’t pull away. “That means that the Spades are,” I whispered, “a bunch of snitches.”
A laugh tore from Roundtree’s throat. It seemed to surprise him as much as it did me. “If you boil it down, that is exactly what they are, but that’s how it works. That’s how it has always worked.”
Roundtree held up the hand that represented the Knights. “The enforcers.” Then he lifted my other hand. “And the informants.” He pressed my palms together. “A society can’t be kept in line without both. The Spades exist because they serve a function and they do it better than clueless professors and out-of-the-loop headmasters. No one stops them or questions a mark because they figure they must know something we don’t want to know.”
He gave my hands a little shake. “Knights and Spades are two sides of the same coin. Working together.” He peered at me over the tips of my fingers. “Working as one.”
A shiver went up my spine. He spoke like this was a friendly chat about the weather, but this was far from a joke. “But that backfired with me,” I protested. “I didn’t do anything wrong and this time a pedophile used their position as a Spade to handpick Knights that would stay as far away from her as possible and use a mark to silence me when I found out her secret.” I pierced him with a look. “Or do you think I’m lying too?”
He didn’t flinch. “It doesn’t matter if I do. I’m either sitting on my ass or out in the hall, remember? I’m not the one you need to convince.”
“You mean Ace,” I stated. “But the Ace of Spades has made it clear they don’t believe me. The only thing I can do now is find them and expose them for what they have done.” I leaned in until my lips hovered above our hands, inches from his.
“I’m going to expose this entire rotten system for what it is. I don’t care why it started or what dumbass thought it was a good idea. There are more important things than this stupid school’s reputation and that is all the innocent kids that have been hurt. Me and the former Knights are just the ones we know about. There could be so much more because everyone was happy to stick their heads in the sand and convince themselves that the Spades knew best.” I glared into his eyes and hissed, “That ends now. The Spades will be through for good by the time I’m done.”
The effect of Roundtree’s grin was twofold. It made goose bumps pop on my skin even while it made my stomach flutter. “I could almost believe that coming from you,” he said softly. “Almost. You’d have to find them first, Moon.”
“I—”
Bang!
“Val, are you— What the fuck is this?!”
I shot away from Roundtree like we were do
ing what it looked like we were doing. Ryder stood in the entrance, staring at us as Roundtree lazily reclined back in his chair.
“It seems our time is up,” he said as my heart rocketed in my chest. “You can finish this tomorrow, Miss Moon.”
I sprang up before he finished the sentence. Ryder’s eyes burned into me as I yanked open the phone box and reached in. I made to face him when the phone buzzed in my hand.
I froze. My head was half in the box as I lifted my cell and pressed my thumb to the scanner. I don’t know why I wasn’t surprised when I saw Ace on the screen.
Ace: I’m impressed that you got your little boyfriends to lie for you. I don’t know many guys who would announce to the world they have been molested just to please a girl. They must really love you.
As I say, I am impressed, but it is still a lie. Scarlett LeBlanc was a lot of things, but she would never do that. I want to apologize to you, Val. I did not take you seriously before. I did not realize what a cold, ruthless bitch you are or how willing you are to do whatever it takes to get what you want.
You are a true match for me. To show my respect, I will not underestimate you again. I am ready for your next move, Val. I hope you’re ready for mine.
“Miss Moon?”
Roundtree’s voice drew my attention in the middle of reading the text for the third time. I turned to face him and met that familiar grin, shining at me over the phone in his hand. “Goodbye.”
“B-bye,” I rasped.
I grabbed my backpack and raced out of the room. I made it three steps out of the door when Ryder grabbed my arm.
“Val, what the hell was going on in there?”
I didn’t get a word out before Ryder pressed me against the lockers and placed his hands on either side of my head. “Did he try to kiss you?”
That snapped me out of my daze. “What? Are you insane? Of course he didn’t.”
“Then what was that?” he growled. “Why were you all snuggled up behind his desk?”
“No one was snuggled up.” I put my hands on his chest and pushed him back. “We were just talking. He... helped me realize something.”
Ryder’s frown hadn’t gone anywhere. “He needed to be in your face to help you realize something?”