They The Pretty Stars (Court High 1)

Tell me something, Paige.

Of course, she said nothing, and I closed my eyes, listening for sounds or something. I ended up opening my eyes when a flicker of light escaped through, catching on something between the metal on the tracks. I moved rocks around until I could dig it out.

I held the metal up to the light, the object severally twisted. Putting my finger over divots, I realized there were teeth embedded into the metal.

A gorilla mouth…

The thing was a Court ring, damaged to hell but a Court ring nonetheless. Someone must have dropped it out here, and a train went over it at some point. Palming it, I wriggled to get it in my skirt pocket.

“What the hell are you doing out here?”

I rose, but not quick enough because soon, I was off the tracks and being dragged to my feet, a behemoth of a large boy staring into my eyes.

Knight snorted like a bull, and tugging me, he pulled me away from those tracks so fast I barely got a chance to grab my bag. He shook me. “I said, why are you here and what in fuck’s name are you trying to do?”

I wrestled away, not liking being handled. “How are you out here?” I questioned, ignoring his question entirely. “Did you follow me?”

“Fuck yeah, I followed you, and it’s a good damn thing I did. I saw you sneaking off campus. It took me a second to get my car, and I lost you a couple times on the way, but once I realized the route you were taking, it was obvious,” he grunted. “Why are you here, Lindquist? How do you even know about this place?”

“Royal told me,” I said, his eyes widening. “He said it was the last place he saw Paige.”

He saw red for some reason, shoving thick fingers into his dark hair. “Fucking hell,” he gritted, obviously his favorite choice in curse. He growled. “You’re coming with me. Now, and leaving this place.”

I got the issue Royal’s dad had with this place, but frankly, not Knight’s. He’d have no reason to be so up in arms unless he was trying to keep Royal out of trouble as well.

Scared all this might get back to his dad someway now, I didn’t fight Knight when he led the way to his car. He opened the door for me, pretty much shoving me inside, and after he peeled out and got back on the back roads, the terror inside me grew and grew. Royal’s dad obviously figured out that Royal and some of the guys had been out here. He told Royal that himself, so all of this could get back to him. I didn’t know how, but it could.

I was in some deep fucking shit.

Seventeen

Knight and I got back to a school with bare halls, the time placing us somewhere toward the end of final classes. I made good time considering I believed I’d be out at Route 80 most of the evening, but I doubt Knight would see things that way. He pretty much strong-armed me all the way both into the school and down the hall, and we intercepted, of all people, the headmaster on Knight’s way to escort me to my class. He let go of me then, standing back, and Principal Hastings slowly pulled his glasses off his face. He’d been coming out of his office, the King mascot in its fierce growl behind him.

“Mr. Reed,” he said, facing Knight before panning to me. He frowned. “Ms. Lindquist. You’re both a far cry away from your afternoon classes.”

The fact this man knew both our schedules should probably make me feel good my dad was getting his money’s worth, but really that kind of freaked me out. We had a lot of students that went to school here.

Principal Hastings approached us. “Explain. Both of you.”

Neither of us said anything, Knight bracing his arms as he looked away, and since this was technically my fault for us both being out of classes, I decided to step up.

“They’re with me.”

I didn’t have to when Royal ended up coming down the hallway, his tie loose and jacket off. I noticed he went more and more casual as he went throughout his day, and this wasn’t anything new. He frowned at both Knight and me and the situation before shifting his sight to Principal Hastings. Royal slid hands into his pockets. “This is my free period. I asked for their help when I came across a last-minute homecoming crisis.”

Principal Hastings’s eyebrow rose. “Crisis?”

Royal nodded. “It had to do with the parade timeline, which is due to the homecoming committee at the end of the day. It was an emergency, and they were just headed back to class after we finished up. I realized I still had their hall passes so I followed to make sure they got back okay.”

Royal was as cool with his lies as he had been with my dad. So much so that it scared me.

Especially since Principal Hastings backed off.

Returning his glasses to his face, the man nodded, and though he was letting all of us off the hook, he didn’t look too keen about it. This also reminded me of my dad, the principal’s eyes narrowing at Royal before finding Knight and me.

“Very well,” our principal said. “All of you run off. These halls are supposed to be clear between classes.”

“Yes, sir,” Royal said, always so cool. “I just need two seconds with them first if you don’t mind. Some last-minute homecoming stuff. Won’t take long.”