by Huss, JA
CHAPTER TWO - CADEE
The Camaro backfires as Ax pulls it into a space in the High Court parking lot and dozens of students and parents stop what they’re doing to stare at us.
It’s move-in day for fall semester and the kids who went home for the summer are back.
Move-out day was when I literally bumped into Cooper and it suddenly feels like we’ve completed some kind of circle.
Ax looks over his shoulder at me with a grin. “We’re baaaack.”
Copper nods as he studies the parking lot activities. “And we’re seniors.”
“Where are you guys meeting Lars?” I’m sitting in the small back seat because even though this car is in my name, Ax refuses to let anyone else drive it and Cooper is way too big to scrunch his legs up back here.
“The Capstone Building.” Cooper sighs, still distracted by the arriving-student drama. Then he turns around in his seat. “I think I should go with you though. I can miss this meeting. No big deal.”
“Cooper.” I tsk my tongue. “Capstone is your entire year. And the whole point of us staying here is for you to graduate.”
“And you too,” he adds quickly.
But that’s not really true, is it? I mean, how would that work? I have four years left of college. He’s only got one. I’m not going to graduate from High Court. That’s just never going to happen. He and Ax can’t hang around here for three more years after they graduate. I get that. This year is really more of a fantasy wish fulfillment thing for me.
I just want to fit in. Just once. Fit in and be like the other girls. I want to go to parties, and meet friends in the campus coffee shop, and stress about grades.
Grades. I’ve never had grades before. I’m excited about it.
I don’t know what will happen at the end of the school year, but I do know that I won’t be pulling into this parking lot on move-in day next year.
“I’ll be fine, Cooper.” He’s still looking at me. “It’s just a quick trip to the bursar’s office to pay everyone’s tuition. That’s it.”
Now Ax turns around in his seat too. “Thank you for that, Cades. I feel horrible about it, but I want you to know that I appreciate it. And I will pay you back.”
I smile at him. “You came this far. We all came this far. We’re not letting them win.”
“It’s a lot of cash.” Cooper sighs.
It is. I’ve already spent a lot of the money I earned at rush. The inn put me back almost three hundred grand. Plus, the renovations we’ve done in the last six weeks have come in at another forty so far. And I had to give the money back to the Chairman. He didn’t ask for it, but I couldn’t keep it.
It’s blood money.
My parents’ blood money. I still can’t quite wrap my head around the idea that the Chairman killed my parents to cover for what his son, Dane, was doing. He’s far more ruthless than I could ever imagine. Jesus Christ. I mean he sat me up in his office last spring and lied to my face. All of it was lies so I would accept his check without questioning him too much.
I want him to go to prison for what he’s done. And Dane too. Everyone involved, actually.
Dante has promised to make it happen if we back him up and use his plan to gain power here at High Court.
Let it go for now, Cadee. This is the start of the life you always wanted.
I’m not going to think about sad things. I’m not going to get angry. I’m not even going to imagine the future and what might happen at the end of the year when Cooper graduates.
I’m just going to enjoy this.
All of it.
So I take a deep breath and push down my rage because it never gets you far. Ax explained this to me a couple weeks ago. And he should know, he’s been there. Rage has been his default setting for so long, he barely knows how to operate any other way. He told me, “Cadee, you can be angry. But if you stew in it, if you let it overtake you the way I do, then you’re going to turn into me. And that won’t get you far. So you just take deep breaths and tell yourself, ‘Success is the best revenge.’”
It’s not easy. But he’s right. Anger is a useless emotion that makes you take your eye off the prize. And the prize is worth way too much to take my eye off it now.
So I gave the two hundred seventy-five thousand back to the Chairman via wire transfer.
One semester’s tuition at High Court College comes in at a cool fifty-two thousand dollars each. And I promised to pay for everyone. That’s fifteen people—Cooper, Ax, Lars, Valentina, Selina, and Isabella, plus me and the eight pledges who stood by us when Cooper decided to cancel rush and move forward with Dante’s plan. I don’t have to pay for Dante or Mona, because Dante’s plan meant that he had to stay and Mona stayed with him. So their family estates are paying for them.
But still, I’m going to transfer seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars from my bank account to High Court College this morning. That’s why I’m heading to the bursar’s office.
So even though I will have more than a hundred thousand in my account after I pay tuition, it’s not enough to live on for very long when I’m the only one paying all the bills.
Free money, Cadee. That’s what I keep telling myself. It’s not even mine. It’s all Dante’s money and this is all his plan. So… whatever.
“I’ll pay you back too, Cadee,” Cooper says. “We all will.”
“I’m not worried about it, you guys.” I smile at them because they are both looking at me with concern. “And it’s hot in this car. Can we just go?”
Ax opens his door and flips the seat forward so I can climb out. Cooper gets out too and then we all meet up—me in the middle of these two massive men—and start walking towards the path through the woods that will take us to the campus.
When we reach the central gardens Cooper pauses and takes my hand. “Are you sure you want to go in there alone?” He nods his head towards the admin building.
“I’ll be fine, Coop. The bursar’s office is in the basement. I won’t even see your father. It’s no big deal. And you can’t be with me all the time.”
When I look over at Ax he’s jiggling his keys. My keys. I should just give him that car. It’s a true piece of shit anyway. And he loves it.
“What, Ax? Why are you looking at me like that?”
He glances over his shoulder at the admin building. “I don’t know. I’m having second thoughts. Dante’s plan has a lot of what-ifs. And you guys do have to admit, it’s fucking crazy. The whole thing is crazy. Do we really need to graduate? Can’t we just transfer somewhere else?”
“No.” I am adamant about this. “High Court College, Ax. It’s a big deal. And you’ve come so far. You can’t quit now. No one will care that you went here for three years. They will only see the name of the school you graduated from. We have to stick it out.”
He looks at Cooper, hoping he’ll agree with him.
But Cooper won’t. He knows I’m right. Ax knows it too. But if it weren’t for us, he’d already be gone. He truly does not care where he graduates from. Or if he graduates at all. But Cooper and I do.
Well. I do, at least.
I want this year. I really, really do.
Cooper could probably take it or leave it. I think he might only be doing this for me.
He looks at me. “Where are you going to be after? The Capstone meeting is scheduled to run two hours, so you’ll be done before me.”
I nod my head in the direction of the cafeteria building. “The coffee shop is open. I’ll be in there.”
“OK.” Cooper sighs. But he’s got a hold of my hand and he’s reluctant to let it go.
“I’m going to be fine.” Then I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss him. And when I pull back, he releases my hand.
“Two hours.” He points at me. “I’ll see you in two hours.”
“OK.” I smile and then turn away and start walking towards the admin building.
It’s hot out today. And busy. Students are everywhere and the energy on campus is hig
h.
I’m so… excited.
I’ve never been to school before. Not real school. And this is like the ultimate real school experience.
There is a large group of kids outside the bookstore and I pause, then look over my shoulder to see if Cooper and Ax are still around. But I just barely catch a glimpse of Cooper’s white t-shirt before he and Ax disappear into a crowd.
Then I turn back to the bookstore.
I want to go in there. So bad.
I want to look at all those blue and gold sweatshirts, and mugs, and hats, and… well, whatever else they sell in college bookstores.
Because even though I should hate this place, I don’t. And I want something—anything—that says ‘High Court College’ on it.
The bursar can wait. And I’m not broke yet.
A rush of cold air greets me when I pull open the door and walk in. There is a line of chaos on one side where kids are checking out with stacks of textbooks. High Court has a digital textbook option for all classes, and that’s the route I’m going. So I don’t need books.
But this hoodie…
I giggle to myself and look around self-consciously.
It’s stupid to want it. But it’s so pretty. The bright royal blue and mustard yellow just looks… regal. And I guess that’s what they were going for. It is called High Court College, after all.
My eyes wander over to the far side of the bookstore where a mannequin is wearing a High Court Prep uniform and I have a pang of longing.
I will never get to wear that outfit. It’s too late now.
But the hoodie is just as good. I grab a yellow one with the fighting lions crest in black outlined on the front, then decide to get a zipper one too.
Oh. Then I see the socks with the gold tassels.
Should I?
Shouldn’t I?
Hell, yes. I need those socks.
Shit. There’s a pleated mustard-yellow mini-skirt. Not prep-school standards. Much, much shorter.
I grab it and then, on my way to the dressing room, I grab a white button-down with the crest on the left breast. And when I put it all on in the dressing room I feel… yes. Fine. Ridiculous. Wearing this stuff is like displaying the height of asshole privilege.
But I look damn cute in this outfit.
I take it all up to the cashier and wait my turn, then spend way more money than I’m comfortable with on my newfound school spirit.
It’s wrong.
I feel it inside. I know it’s wrong. This place is run by evil people and I am, right now in this moment, part of a secret plan to bring the whole thing down.
But I want to belong here. I really do.
I have spent my whole life on this campus as an outsider and I’m tired of it.
I just want to fit in.
One year. That’s all I’m going to get. Just one year of this experience. Then who knows? It’s not wrong to enjoy it while it lasts as long as I understand that it’s not going to last.
And I do understand that.
I’ve made my peace with that.
When Cooper leaves at the end of the year, I will go with him.
The admin building is busy. Thankfully. There is a line down the stairs to see the Chairman, and even though I wasn’t really worried about bumping into him, there is no chance of it happening now.
Besides, I’m in too good of a mood to care at the moment. My shiny yellow plastic bag from the bookstore is heavy with purchases. It has the High Court logo on it and just carrying it around makes me happy. It’s a very nice bag too for being plastic. Thick and smooth and filled with school spirit.
I giggle to myself as I make my way down the open stairwell to the basement level where the bursar is and when I arrive the entire room is filled with people
I guess I’ll be here for a while.
Also fine. Nothing is going to ruin my day. Not even a line spilling out the door to the interior office of the bursar that’s twenty deep.
Cooper and Ax will be tied up in Capstone Orientation for another hour, at least.
Besides, now I have time to practice fitting in by staring at my phone. Something I didn’t do much of before a couple weeks ago. I keep busy with games and internet surfing like everyone else.
“Cadee?”
I look over my shoulder and then blink a few times, trying to understand what I’m seeing. “Mona? Wow. You look… different.”
Gone is her wild just-fucked hair. Gone are her stilettos and red lips too.
Mona Monroe doesn’t look anything like the rebel I know her to be. She looks… amazing.
Not that she was anything but beautiful at the beginning of summer. She was always hot and sexy in a very specific way.
Just not this way.
“You like it?” Mona does a little twirl to show off her very sophisticated shift dress, flat strappy sandals, and… is that a pearl necklace?
I blink again. “Love it, Mona. It’s… very nice.”
“You hate it?” She pouts her matte-pink lips.
“No, not at all! I love it. It’s just different. Sophisticated. Very… Jackie O.”
She looks around nervously. We’re not supposed to be friends anymore. Not that we were ever besties or anything. But we got close over the summer. Kinda. Then she leans in and whispers, “Dante made me change my look. Actually, the Chairman ordered him to take me to Rodeo Drive and he was instructed not to bring me back until I was, quote, ‘less Janice Joplin and more Grace Kelly.’”
“Janice… who?”
She laughs. And that hasn’t changed. It’s a little barky and way too loud. “Never mind. Is it horrible?”
“Not at all.” And I mean it. “Way to go, Princess Mona.”
She pretends to flip her hair. Which is impossible, because it’s in an updo that is sleek and definitely doesn’t say ‘I was just fucked.’ She looks like she’s going to a cocktail party. “That’s Queen Mona to you.”
Then we both giggle.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh.” She sighs. “I had to come sign the tuition check. I don’t really have control over my estate money, but I still have to sign for it. So what dorm are you in? Maybe we’ll be in the same one and we can have a sneaky friendship?”
“Dorm? No. I’m staying at the inn.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.” She looks over her shoulder at the stairs. Which are empty now. I’m the last in line still, but the room has gotten considerably less crowded. “Well, I better go. Dante and I have a meeting with the Chairman at eleven. He’s taking us to his dining room for brunch.”
“Fun. It’s nice in there. Very fancy.”
She shoots me a weird look. “Have you been in there?”
“My mom’s in catering, remember? I’ve helped her out a few times over the years.” My sentence comes out a little bit mixed—both present and past tense and a wave of sadness creeps past my good mood.
“Oh. Right. Sorry,” Mona says. “Didn’t mean to bring that up.”
“It’s fine.” And now I look over my shoulder in a sneaky way. “We’re going to make them pay. It’s going to work out.”
Mona places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes as her face goes suddenly serious. “We will, Cadee. Don’t worry.”
“I’m really not worried.” And it’s true. I just have this internal sense that we’re the good guys here. And I don’t care what anyone says. The good guys always win in the end. “It might take a while, but I’m going to get justice for all of it.”
“Yes,” Mona agrees. “I’ll see you around, right?” Then she makes a zipper motion across her lips. She looks around one more time, then leans in. “This is goodbye. But if you need anything…” She stares down at me, serious. “You come to me, OK?”
“OK, Mona. Thanks. And the same goes for you.”
We smile and part. And when I turn around I realize the line has gotten considerably shorter and I have to scoot up to the door before the person in front of me disappears inside.
It still takes another thirty minutes before it’s my turn at the open counter, but eventually I make it.
“Can I help you?” The cashier I have is not anyone I recognize. So she must be new.
“Yes, I’m here to pay tuition for…” I reach into my pocket and pull out my list. “All these students.” I pass the note to her and she looks at it, confused.
“I’m sorry. You want to pay tuition for all these people?”
“Yes. That’s correct.” I’m not going to explain why. But she doesn’t ask, just takes the note and starts typing on her computer.
After several minutes she says, “Hmm.”
“What?”
“They’ve all been paid for with the exception of Ax Olsen and Cadee Hunter.”
“Oh, I’m Cadee Hunter. But… that’s not possible. What about Cooper Valcourt?”
The woman laughs. “Cooper Valcourt? He doesn’t pay tuition, sweetie. He’s the Chairman’s son.”
“I know who he is, obviously. But his father said he wasn’t paying for his tuition this year.”
“I don’t think you understand. He’s a founder. The founders don’t pay.”
“So Isabella Huntington?”
“Same.”
“Lars—”
She doesn’t even let me finish. “Same.”
“But Ax—”
The cashier laughs. “Well. He’s another story, isn’t he? Would you like to pay for him?”
“Yes. And myself, of course. But are you sure none of the others need tuition?”
“I’ve checked them all, sweetie. They’re all paid up.”
“Huh.” I’m confused. None of them said anything about being paid up. Cooper obviously didn’t know his education was free, or we wouldn’t have talked about the payments in the first place.
“That comes to one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars and ninety-six cents.”
“OK,” I say, pulling out my phone. “It’s a wire transfer. Can I get the bank information, please?”
Cooper had to walk me through this last night. So I’m a little worried that this woman will start asking me weird questions about banking and money that I won’t be able to answer, but she doesn’t. Just passes a slip of paper across the counter and waits for me to enter the information into my new platinum member banking app.