Maverick (Maverick Academy Series)

by Layman, Tate

  “No way. He wouldn’t do that, would he?” Ellie frowned.

  “He’s the only person I told about them. It had to be him,” she said as tears poured over her cheeks. “I trusted him again. I gave him another chance, and he used it to hurt me. Why would he do that?” She covered her face with her hands and cried. Darby had said Nolan was using her so his team could win. She didn’t want to believe it, but how else would Darby had known?

  Ellie moved closer and hugged her. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out.”

  Whit heard Ellie’s voice as she tried to offer comfort, but she just couldn’t concentrate. Eventually she zoned out and stopped crying. She had never felt this kind of hate towards someone before and it made her stomach hurt. Only a horrible person would use someone’s dead parents to win a stupid game. She needed to find a way to get even, teach them that some things were out of bounds. She needed to get revenge.

  Chapter 34

  The game continued and time passed slowly for Whit. After she’d calmed down, she waited for the loudspeaker to announce that the Vixens were disqualified because she’d harmed another player, but the announcement never came.

  As she sat there, she kept seeing her parents and wishing it had been real. Ellie tried to get her to talk some more, but eventually gave up when Whit refused to talk. Nolan even came in to check on her at one point, but Whit ignored him. If she looked in his direction, she would have completely lost it and now wasn’t the time or place. She heard him ask Ellie some questions, but didn’t bother to pay attention. She felt broken and angry. Livid or irate was probably a better word for it. Now she understood the idea of revenge, because she wanted it. She wanted to hurt Darby and Nolan like they’d hurt her. Had the rest of the team been in on it too? She wondered. Had Mark known what they were going to do to his friend? If so, they would pay too.

  Suddenly something hit the door, drawing Whit’s and Ellie’s attention. Both girls stood up, glancing at each other. Whit moved closer to the door and heard what sounded like people fighting. She touched the doorknob and found that it felt normal. She opened the door and looked out into chaos.

  Lindsey and Nolan were hurling chucks of ice and fireballs at each other. Rory had Darby in a headlock and was trying to drag her into the forest of crates. The other boys were nowhere to be seen, and she didn’t see anything else until Misty sprinted into sight, heading right toward her. Once there, she grabbed Whit’s and Ellie’s hands and pulled them out of the hold.

  Before they made it 10 feet, Tavis and Mark ran towards them. Tavis grabbed Whit and Ellie, while Mark caught Misty around the waist. Whit watched as Ellie tried to get Tavis’s attention so she could mesmerize him, but he clearly knew she plan and adverted his eyes. Whit tried to push into his head and force him to put them down, but there was too much going on for her to concentrate. She quickly decided to try her telekinetic skills instead. She looked at Mark and watched as he began to lift off the ground. He began to freak out which caused him to release Misty. Tavis must had figured out what was going on because he shook Whit forcefully, causing her to lose sight of Mark. She tried to refocus, but it was too late. Tarvis shoved Ellie and Whit into the hold and slammed the door shut.

  Sounds of the fighting continued for a few more minutes before the hold door was thrown open and Rory, then Lindsey were thrust inside. Whit looked around at her entire team. They had definitely lost.

  ***********************

  After the horn sounded and the game officially ended, the girls were released from the hold. They were told the game had ended thirty-four minutes early. Whit wasn’t really that surprised. From the beginning, the Silent Assassins had outplayed them. They’d just been better, and the combination of their skills had been tough to beat. With that win, the Silent Assassins would be in the championship game in two days, while the Venomous Vixens were done.

  Whit was actually pretty happy that they didn’t have to play again. She hadn’t really enjoyed Dark Conquest, especially after what happened with Darby and Nolan. As her team exited the game area and started in the direction of their dorm, Whit felt Rory bump her shoulder.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Whit didn’t make eye contact with her because she knew Rory would see that she was lying. She thought she’d hidden her hurt and upset pretty well, but Rory kept after her.

  “You’re lying. What’s going on?”

  With a heavy sigh, Whit told her about her parents’ accident, then about Darby making her see them during the game. She’d enjoyed replaying the punch to Darby’s face, but by the end she could tell from Rory’s expression that she was livid. Whit finished it up by revealing her suspicions about Nolan. Surprisingly, when Rory heard that, she defended him.

  “Whit, I don’t know about that. I don’t think Nolan would do that. I’ve watched him when you guys are together and he’s completely into you. I just really can’t see him doing that to you,” she argued.

  “Then how did Darby know? I only told Nolan about my parents. I mean, you guys didn’t even know.” When Rory and Ellie frowned in her direction, she explained, “It’s hard to talk about it. It brings it all back and makes it hurt more. I told Nolan because we were talking about our families and I knew he would ask if I didn’t tell him. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys.”

  Ellie smiled sadly. “We understand.” Then she pulled Whit into a hug, while Rory just squeezed her elbow.

  “Sucks that we lost, though. Wish I’d known about what Darby did, I would’ve kicked her ass. I still might.” Rory snarled. “Don’t worry, though, she’ll get what’s coming to her.”

  The girls continued talking about the game all the way to the dorm. When she finally got to her room, Whit collapsed on her bed and looked at the ceiling, wondering what she’d say to Nolan the next time she saw him. She felt a bit tired, so she closed her eyes and the dream took her right away.

  Jumping down from a fence, Whit starting running. She was breathing hard, so she must have been running for a little while. It was dark out, but there was a full moon, which made seeing easier. As she jogged, she looked to her side and noticed about ten people running nearby. Some in front, some beside. Everyone had on dark clothing and hoods pulled over their heads. Whit glanced around, but didn’t recognize the area. Up ahead, there was a large building. The group divided, some headed toward the big building while Whit’s group veered to the right and then behind the big building. The group slowed, and Whit heard the others around her breathing hard as well. They stopped outside another building, which looked similar to her dorm. Someone walked up next to Whit and told her to get ready. It was a woman, but Whit couldn’t see her face because of the hood. She felt her hands start to move and looked down. She was carrying a gun. She didn’t know anything about weapons, but this one looked serious. If she had to guess, she thought it was some sort of machine gun. Then the group moved forward and entered the building. They started shooting. The noise from the guns echoed in her ears, and the blood was everywhere. Girls screamed and tried to run away before being mowed down by gunfire. It was horrible. Whit screamed inside the dream, but the person she was trapped in continued to fire and race around the building. She followed another hooded figure down a hallway, and just before they turned the corner, the person turned and looked at Whit. It was a teenage guy around Whit’s age. She’d never seen him before, but she’d never forget the look of glee that filled his eyes. He was enjoying himself.

  Whit woke up crying. She covered her face and continued to cry for a long time.

  Suddenly she thought about the importance of the dream. She grabbed her dream journal and started writing every detail she remembered, from what the area and buildings looked like, to a description of the teenage boy. Once she was done, she allowed herself to start crying again. She knew she’d dreamed about the Redeemers attacking a school somewhere.

  When she looked at the clock, she saw that it was almost 8. She had slept for five hours, and she s
till felt drained. Her head and body ached from the dream and the crying. She was also hungry, but didn’t think she could make it to the cafeteria before it closed, and didn’t feel like being social.

  She thought a shower might help, though, and it did a little. When she got back to her room, she grabbed a pack of crackers and bottle of juice she’d packed for the game, then shook two sleeping pills out of their container. Mona had bought her some sleeping pills for nights just like this.

  It didn’t take long before her eyelids started drooping and she couldn’t stay awake. Whit laid down and, seconds after her head hit the pillow, drifted into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 35

  The weather had turned cold and some were predicting snow by the end of the week. Whit knew that Mona hated driving in the snow, and hoped it would hold off until after Friday. Holiday break officially started after classes on Friday, but Whit had her Biology exam today, so she felt like break started for her after that class. Yeah, she still had class on Friday, but she didn’t think they would do anything too taxing on that particular day. Plus, it was the championship game of Dark Conquest on Friday. Whit was just happy not to have that worry on her plate.

  The dream about the school attack had been fresh in her mind the second she’d woken up. She’d already planned to talk to McFaddin about it, but knew she’d have to let it go just like the dream about the playground bombing. It sickened her that she had this gift but couldn’t do anything to stop the events. There had to be a better way to handle it.

  Nolan was also on her mind. Had he told Darby about her parents? It was the only explanation she could think of, but why would he do it? And what was she going to do about him?

  Whit hurried from the dorm to the cafeteria, bundled up to her eyebrows in a coat, scarf, mittens, and hat. The wind felt like it was tearing her skin off, it was so cold. And she felt dazed the entire walk, with her mind flipping between Nolan and the dream.

  Rory and Tavis were already eating when Whit sat down with her pancakes. Before she could say anything, Nolan flopped into the chair beside her. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek before digging into his breakfast. Whit didn’t know what to say, so she just sat there thinking.

  “So, I got worried when I didn’t see you last night at dinner. Where were you?” Nolan asked.

  Whit continued to stare at her pancakes in silence. She knew she needed to say something, but she was still figuring it out.

  “Whit? You okay?” he asked, obviously confused by her silence.

  “Nope. I’m about as far from okay as possible,” she whispered. She noticed Rory glancing in her direction then back at Tavis. She clearly knew that Whit was going to ask Nolan about yesterday’s game. Whit was relieved when Rory pulled Tavis away with some excuse about needing help in the library. Once they were alone, she turned toward Nolan.

  “What’s wrong?”Nolan asked, grabbing her hand.

  “Have you ever talked to Darby about me?” she asked, tugging her hand away from him.

  “Have I ever talked to Darby about you? Yeah, why?”

  “What’d you tell her?”

  “Just that we were dating and that I really liked you. I also told her that she and I were just friends and once the competition was over, she needed to back off. That we weren’t going to hang out anymore,” he answered with a confused look on his face. “What’s going on?”

  “Yesterday during the game, Darby used her gift to make me see my parents. You’re the only one I told about them. How could she have known about them, unless you told her? How would she know to make me see them?” Whit’s voice trembled at the end as all the emotions from yesterday came back in full force. She felt her eyes start to water, but held the tears back and glared in Nolan’s direction.

  “What? I didn’t tell her anything. I didn’t tell anyone about your parents. Why would I?”

  “Then how did she know? Tell me that!” she cried.

  Nolan grabbed Whit’s hand and squeezed. “I don’t know how Darby found out, but it wasn’t me. Believe me! I didn’t tell her,” he pleaded.

  Whit pushed his hand away. “I’ve got to go. I’ve got an exam.” She jumped up and fled, but Nolan caught her arm.

  “Whit, I didn’t do it!” he repeated.

  She stared at him for a second longer before turning and walking away. The tears started falling before she’d reached the hallway. She felt like an emotional train wreck. Maybe he hadn’t told, but then how had Darby found out? That was the question she needed answered. She wanted to believe him, and he had sounded convincing but could she trust her instincts, or were they just wishful thinking?

  *************************

  By the end of classes, Whit felt exhausted. Her brain was fried from exams, and her body ached. Nolan had several classes with her, so that had made her day even harder. They’d had to sit beside each other during the Biology exam, and she wondered if she’d even completed the test. It was a blur. Most of that class she’d spent trying to ignore his presence, when all she’d really been doing was watching him from the corner of her eye. He kept glancing at her with sad eyes, and had even whispered to her a couple of times. He’d told her to trust him and believe in him. When she’d stayed silent, she could tell she’d hurt his feelings. After class, he had walked out, and hadn’t spoken to her since.

  During Mind, Whit told Mrs. McFaddin about the dream. She could tell the dream worried her teacher. She had let McFaddin read her dream journal, but like she’d known, there wasn’t much they could do. Whit asked if she could get a list of all the schools like Maverick so she could look them up, maybe see something on their websites that would look familiar. McFaddin had hesitated and explained that information like that was confidential. But she’d finally relented and said she would put the request to Mr. Tolman, and see what happened. Whit felt a little hope that maybe she could do something to help those girls. If she knew where the attack was going to take place, maybe they could stop it.

  Once back in her room, she started packing for holiday break. Nalini was also getting ready to go. She’d told Whit that her family went on a trip every year during Christmas, and this year they were going to Mexico. She seemed excited about warm weather and wearing her bikini. The two of them packed and chattered about unimportant things, like music and movies. Whit never discussed Darby, Nolan or her dreams with Nalini, and enjoyed spending some time alone with her roommate for once.

  She met up with Rory before heading to dinner, and they walked down to sit at a table with Mark, where they discussed their holiday plans. Mark mentioned that he was going to his grandmother’s in Florida, while Rory was headed to Colorado to ski. Whit had a funny feeling she’d had this conversation before. She shook her head to clear it before looking about the cafeteria. She spotted Darby and Nalini sitting with a bunch of guys. Whit was immediately filled with fury. She wanted to rip Darby’s head off, but decided it was enough for now to glare in her direction. Her eyes drifted to another table close by and there was Nolan, who wasn’t talking but staring at Whit with frustration. As Whit continued to watch, Nolan jumped up, grabbed his tray, and stomped across the cafeteria. He stopped directly in front of Whit and started yelling about trust and how disappointed he was in her. How he didn’t understand. Why would she believe he would do something like that? The longer he yelled, the more irritated he looked. Finally, he turned, walked directly to Darby and grabbed her hand. He pulled Darby over to Whit and glared at her until she started talking.

  “Nolan didn’t tell me,” she said quietly.

  “So how’d you know?” Whit demanded.

  When Darby remained silent, Nolan nudged her in the ribs. “I looked at your file, okay?” she muttered.

  All of a sudden Whit remembered that Darby worked in the office. She had access to all the student files, although she most definitely wasn’t supposed to be looking. “How could you do that to me? Do you know how much it hurt?” she shouted, furious.

  The cafe
teria noise stopped and everyone focused on the conflict between Whit and Darby. Whit stood up and got in Darby’s face.

  “You are the worst person I have ever met and I won’t forget this. Remember, what goes around comes around,” Whit sneered before returning to her seat. She peeked at Darby, who actually looked a bit worried, but the other girl finally turned and stormed off, leaving Nolan standing there alone.

  “I’m sorry. I should’ve believed you,” Whit said quietly. She glanced at his face and saw the anger and hurt. She reached for his hand, but he moved away so she couldn’t touch him.

  He motioned for Whit to follow him outside. Once there, he looked at her sadly. “You’re never going to trust me again, are you?”

  “You’ve not earned my trust back yet, so I guess I just assumed the worst. I’m sorry about that.”

  “It’s fine,” he waved her apology off with his hand. “But . . .”

  “But what?”

  “I’ve really been trying to prove to you how much I like you and that I wouldn’t hurt you again. Just makes me sad that you automatically assumed the worst about me. It makes me wonder if you’re ever going to trust me. I have this feeling that you’re not.” He said with sad eyes that were focused completely on her. “I guess I’m just not sure where we go from here.”

  Whit didn’t know what to say. She didn’t trust him, but he hadn’t earned it back yet. She felt bad about thinking the worst of him, but she was going on his past actions. He seemed really upset and confused about his feelings. It made her feel confused. Was she going to be able to trust him? She didn’t know. But she was starting to think maybe they needed a break from each. Some time to clear their minds, plus it’d give her a chance to decide about Nolan.

  “Maybe we just need a break from each other,” she suggested looking into his eyes.