Evergreen Academy - The Complete Series

by Ruby Vincent

  Maybe it’s not about pushing back the darkness... but about letting it in.

  I WOKE EARLY THE NEXT morning, showered, dressed, and tried harder to accessorize with the banana uniform. I came away with my peridot pendant and matching earrings. My hair I swept back and wrangled into a small bun. Only when I was perfect did I gather my things and leave the dorms.

  There was barely anyone about the quad that morning. Except for a couple of people sitting on the benches with their homework, there was no one to notice me. I had never been so glad that Evergreen only had security cameras in the dorms—something I had privately felt was so the Spades could move about unnoticed, breaking into people’s lockers, but now it would come in handy for my sneaking too.

  I traveled upstairs to Wheeldon’s empty classroom, placed the box on Airi’s desk, and left the way I came without a break in my step. I walked to breakfast with the smile back on my face.

  “—TELLING YOU IT’S JUST gone.”

  I glanced up from my work as the Diamonds filed into homeroom. Isabella led the way with Airi on her tail, and today, she was less than perfect. There was a black streak on the front of her yellow dress, and her hair had been pulled into a messy ponytail, but the most telling feature was the red around her eyes.

  “I looked everywhere for it,” she cried. “I tore my room apart, but it’s nowhere. How could that happen?”

  “Maybe you left it in the music room,” Natalie offered. Natalie’s look was the complete opposite of Airi’s. Her uniform dress hung perfectly on her full frame, and the multitude of earrings adorning her ears shone in the artificial lights.

  “But I didn’t— What’s this?”

  Airi paused when she finally noticed the present on her desk—purple wrapping paper with a neat black bow waiting for her to look inside.

  I didn’t still my hand. My pencil continued across my paper even though I was writing gibberish now. I didn’t care about the mess. I watched Airi through my lashes as she lifted the top of the present and—

  “Ahhhhhh!”

  Airi’s scream jerked Wheeldon out of his seat. “For the love of— What’s wrong?!”

  Airi didn’t speak for the sobs wracking her body. I lost sight of her as half the class sprang out of their seat to see what happened.

  I didn’t move. Instead, I went back to my homework for real and pretended I couldn’t see Maverick watching me out of the corner of my eye.

  I knew how much that violin meant to Airi. I had overheard her brag that the precious gift she had gotten from her grandfather was what started her love of the instrument. She told everyone that it was the lucky charm that allowed her to nail every performance. That she had risen to the top because of that violin.

  Cutting that gorgeous mane would have been satisfying, but hair grows back. It wouldn’t have made nearly the same impact as taking away that irreplaceable item. It seemed harsh, and there was a moment where I thought I shouldn’t do it, but then I remembered the website.

  I remembered Airi smirking about putting me online and listing all the sex acts I would do for pennies. I remembered the men who emailed me because of her and told me in horrific, graphic detail the things they wanted to do to an underage girl.

  I remembered the nightmares that followed and the nights I woke up screaming as vivid memories of my rape seeped back into my mind. Compared to that, breaking that stupid fucking violin was letting her off easy.

  Airi cried all through homeroom until Wheeldon finally took pity on her and told Isabella to escort her to the nurse. I left when the bell rang, ignoring Maverick’s eyes on me.

  I felt stronger as I wandered the halls. The taunts about my weight and offers to sleep with me didn’t stop, but I didn’t feel powerless anymore. I couldn’t change what made this place so rotten, but I could fight back. The Spades—whoever they were—would see they couldn’t break me.

  I left my last class of the day and made one pit stop to drop my second cam in my gym locker. After, I headed out for my bookbag and textbooks, my mind on what we had for lunch. The best thing about Evergreen was that the chef never made the same thing twice.

  I leaned half in my locker, licking my lips as I scrolled through the recipe for avocado chili steak tacos with honey cinnamon sweet potatoes.

  Oh my gosh. Yum. I have to make this for Mom when I go home.

  “If you think that is good...”

  The smile froze on my face.

  “...just wait until you taste me.”

  I felt his heat against my body before I saw him. Jaxson placed his hand on my back, and trailed a path as he got between me and my locker. He grinned at me. “I forgive you for yesterday, baby. Made no sense to insult you while we were handling business.”

  I heard snickering and glanced around me. Maverick, Ezra, and Ryder stood a few feet from us—watching with differing looks on their faces while the rest of the students scattered about the hall looked on.

  “But I can’t keep chasing after you when so many more are free and willing.” His finger slipped under the band of my skirt and he tugged me closer. “This is your last chance so how about it? I’ll pay whatever you want.”

  I looked into those sparkling blue eyes, breathing heavy. In spite of what he said, this wouldn’t be the last time. They all loved harassing me and making disgusting remarks about how I was able to afford the things I did. This was never going to stop.

  “Okay.” The word was out of my mouth before I could think harder about it. “Let’s do it.”

  Jaxson blinked. “What? Do what?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fuck, obviously. Isn’t that what we’re talking about?” I broke from his grasp and brushed him aside to put the rest of the things in my locker. I glanced at the other Knights while I slammed it shut. Their expressions matched now. They all watched me with disbelief as I reached for Jaxson.

  “Valen—”

  “Shut up and let’s get this over with.” I snagged his collar and dragged him after me. Jaxson tripped behind me as I led him down the hallway and straight for the custodian’s closet. “This should do the trick.”

  I unceremoniously tossed him inside. I closed the door behind us with a snap. Turning, I ended up inches from Jaxson’s chest. His shirt was unbuttoned as always and the smell of him was filling my mind and the small space we were in. There was nowhere for me to go, barely space for us to move. I took a deep breath and reached for the buttons still doing their job.

  “Valentina, what are you doing?” This wasn’t Jaxson’s usual devil-may-care voice. He grabbed one of my wrists, but I shook him off.

  “It’ll be a thousand bucks,” I said matter-of-factly. I got the last button free and swept the shirt off his shoulders in one smooth move.

  Bare-chested, he gaped at me while I tried to keep my eyes on his face. There were a lot of things I hated about Jaxson Van Zandt, but how fit he was wasn’t one of them.

  “A thousand?” he cried. “Are you insane?”

  I cocked my hip and placed my hand on it. “The rates go up for assholes and you said you’d pay whatever I asked.” I smiled. “Or were you just talking big in front of your friends? I knew you were a fake. I meet your bluff and now you’re shrinking like a virgin.” I reached for the doorknob. “You’ve had your chance so I better not hear about this again.”

  Jaxson’s hand flashed out before I could take a step. “Fine,” he growled. “A thousand.”

  The next thing I felt was Jaxson’s hand on my shoulder. He turned me around and cupped the back of my head as he tilted my neck back. My pulse picked up speed knowing what was coming next. Jaxson brought his lips down on mine—

  —and once again caught my cheek when I twisted away.

  “Kissing is off the table,” I announced. “I’d charge you extra for that too, but the truth is I just flat out don’t want you slobbering on me.”

  Jaxson’s eyes snapped open. “You don’t what?”

  I ignored him and dropped to my knees. My hands were rough
as I tugged on his belt. I tried not to think about what I was doing as I threw the belt over my head, then unbuttoned his pants. Jaxson didn’t stop me as I pulled the pants down around his ankles, and then with shaky fingers, his boxers.

  I swallowed hard.

  Jaxson’s member hung centimeters from my face. It wasn’t what I expected in so many ways, and before my eyes it stiffened until the distance between us grew shorter.

  Taking a breath, I leaned in and carefully dug through his pockets until my fingers closed over his phone. I set it on the floor and soundlessly pushed it under a mop bucket.

  “Wow, I get it now,” I said when it was safely hidden. “If this was what I was working with, I’d be an insecure ass too.” I got to my feet and smirked into his astonished face. “I’ll have to fake it for this one because there’s no way that little fellow is going to get me off. Make it another thousand.”

  Jaxson’s face twisted. “Shut up!” He grabbed my waist and spun me around. In a breath, his hand was under my skirt and hooking through my panties. He pulled them down and I sucked in a breath when the cool air hit my bare backside. I sucked it in, but couldn’t let it out. I felt the tightening in my chest, squeezing and squeezing.

  Jaxson, on the other hand, was breathing hard. I could sense his frustration even though the hand he placed on my thigh was gentle. The breathing got louder until it was made real against my ear. Jaxson pressed his body against me, and before I could think he captured my ear between his teeth.

  “Eek.” The small squeak sprung unbidden from my lips and I clapped my hand over my mouth to prevent another one. My nerve endings were exploding with electricity.

  Jaxson’s hands traveled up my skin enticing my knees to quiver, and not because I didn’t want this. The pressure built in the only place his hand could be going and I thought fast.

  “Are you in yet?” I demanded. “How am I supposed to tell?”

  Jaxson’s hand flew off my thigh inches from his destination. “You know what! Fuck this!”

  I listened as he hastily pulled up his pants and shoved his way out of the broom closet. I pulled up my panties the moment the door slammed shut and tried to remember how to breathe.

  I was wrong, I thought as I gasped. Letting the darkness in doesn’t fix everything. It doesn’t fix me.

  Chapter Four

  I set Jaxson’s phone on my bedside table and pulled my legs up onto the bed. I had showered, but all the scrubbing and hot water in the world couldn’t rid my body of the feeling of Jaxson’s fingers ghosting over my thigh. I couldn’t stop thinking about what almost happened. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that for a moment I was going to let it happen.

  I knew I was going to have to get creative to get Jaxson’s phone. If I had just slipped it out of the phone box, he would have known it was stolen, and he would have probably looked at me. I wanted him to think it had just gone missing, but I shouldn’t have gone so far to make it happen.

  From now on there has to be rules, and this has to be one of them. I don’t use my sexuality to get revenge.

  That was a rule I didn’t have trouble accepting. It was easy to go too far, I had been hurt so badly, but with a history like mine; I needed to have limits.

  That settled, I reached for my phone and texted Alex.

  Me: I’ve got the phone. How do I get in?

  Phones these days were locked up tighter than government secrets and Jaxson’s was no different. I only had to wait about ten minutes for Alex to get me back.

  Alex: I’ll send you instructions. If this guy has on his phone what you think he does, then this will be big.

  Me: I know he does. And it will.

  Alex sent me the step-by-step list to break into a smartphone, but even so, it took me half the night. Eventually, I had to stop and do my homework before that kept me up the rest of the night too. Once I knocked out my World History assignment, I went back to the phone. An hour later, I was in.

  I didn’t waste a moment in going to his recordings. My face almost cracked in half with my smile as I scrolled through hours and hours of secretly recorded sets. I recalled Jaxson saying once that he liked to sneak a snippet of the bands and artists that came to his father’s studio. I’d feel bad about what I was going to do, but Jaxson had known what he was doing was wrong and had done it anyway.

  Just like he planned every moment of humiliating me and revealing I had an STD for the whole world to see. It had only been pure chance that Mom never saw the trending video before the headmaster had them all taken down, but the same couldn’t be said for a few of the kids I used to go to school with. They hunted me down on Facebook and filled my messages with “Diseased Slut” until I finally blocked them all.

  I didn’t feel sympathy for Jaxson Van Zandt. I only hoped I was there to see Jaxson’s face when it all came out.

  I WAS UP EARLY AGAIN the next morning and slipping into my homeroom with no one the wiser. Jaxson’s cell was put back into the phone box safe and sound.

  I left and hung out in the library until the clock told me I had minutes to the start of homeroom. Walking through the halls, I spotted the Knights ahead of me deep in conversation. I didn’t pick up the pace until they stepped through the door.

  “Shit.” Jaxson reached into the box just as I stepped inside. He pulled out his phone. “You were right, Ricky. I forgot it in class.” Jaxson frowned as he looked at the screen. “Damn. Papa Van Zandt was blowing me up. I’ve got like fifteen missed calls from him.”

  “What’s up?” asked Ezra.

  I wandered down my row, keeping one eye on the group.

  “No clue.” Jaxson tapped the screen and pressed the phone to his ear.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Van Zandt.” Wheeldon rose from his seat. “Phone away now.”

  Jaxson turned his frown on him. “Chill, dude. It’s my dad. Something’s up.”

  “I don’t care what’s up. I said put the phone away.”

  He spun on him. “You know, I’m getting real sick of you!”

  Everyone—including me—froze at his shout. My eyes snapped to Wheeldon, wondering what Evergreen’s newest teacher was going to do.

  The man’s muscles bulged as he balled his hands into fists. “You’re going to get real sick of detention if you ever speak to me like that again.”

  “You—!”

  Ezra clapped his hand over his friend’s mouth. “Sorry, sir,” he said as he hooked an arm around Jaxson and tugged him away. “He’s just worried about his father. It won’t happen again.”

  Leave it to the Knights’ resident poster boy to save the day, I thought as Ezra hauled Jaxson to his seat. Halfway, Jaxson looked across the rows and our eyes connected. Bright spots of color stained his cheeks before he tore his eyes away. It was only milliseconds before I did the same. I pressed my hand to my face, feeling the heat spread through my palm. I don’t think I will ever get the sight of Jaxson naked out of my head.

  He got Jaxson in his seat and everyone settled in except Ezra who took off to do the announcements.

  I held my breath all through my morning classes as I waited for the shit to hit the fan. I was partly cursing the no-phone policy, but I’d just have to make sure I was in homeroom when he finally picked it up.

  Walking out of English II, I turned my thought to food as I headed for my locker.

  “Miss Moon.”

  I pulled up short and peered over my shoulder. I stopped dead at seeing Headmaster Evergreen standing beside a red-rimmed Airi.

  Goodness. The guy left his office. This must be serious.

  To confirm it, Evergreen crooked his finger. “Miss Moon, my office, now.”

  I cut eyes to Airi and the look I received back was nothing short of venomous. I didn’t bother to ask questions and followed them back to Evergreen’s office. We walked inside and I paused again. There was a man I had never seen before standing behind the headmaster’s desk.

  “Thank you for coming, Gus,” said Evergreen. “Ladies, you can hav
e a seat.”

  So this is the infamous Gus.

  I had heard this man’s name many times but had never met him. The person who headed up the security team that watched us through the cameras and employed people like Noemi. In person, he was just an average-looking tall guy in a staff uniform.

  “What is this about?” I asked when Evergreen sat down.

  “You know what this is about,” Airi spat from my other side. She leveled a trembling finger at me. “It was her, Headmaster. She destroyed my violin.”

  I gaped at her. “I did what? What are you talking about?”

  Airi’s eyes were wild. “Don’t mess with me, you stupid bitch!”

  “That is enough of that, Miss Tanaka,” Evergreen cut in.

  “But, sir, I know it was her.” Airi shifted toward him. “She threatened me the day before and then my violin is stolen and smashed. That’s supposed to be a coincidence?”

  Evergreen looked at me. “What do you say to these accusations? Did you threaten Miss Tanaka?”

  “I didn’t threaten anyone, and I definitely didn’t steal any violin.” I made a face. “How would I have done that anyway?”

  “You got into my room somehow,” Airi shot back.

  I scoffed. “Are you crazy? I didn’t go into your room.”

  Gus came alive. “We can settle this right now. I have the security videos.” He handed the headmaster a disk and we fell silent as he put it in the computer. He didn’t bother to turn the monitor so Airi and I could see, so I watched Evergreen’s face. The seconds ticked down as I waited for Evergreen to speak, react, something.

  Suddenly, his brows shot up to his hairline. Airi noticed the same because she leaned forward in her seat. “You saw her,” she stated. “I told you she did it. I want her expelled, and my family will be pressing charges.”

  Evergreen didn’t say anything for a minute. “Miss Tanaka,” he began, “are you aware of Evergreen’s policy regarding those of opposite genders going into each other’s rooms?”