A Rose to Keep (The Society 1)

Sian and Heather rushed out of the classroom.

“Fuck,” I said as Gideon chased after her.

“Not good,” William said.

I was there first, grabbing Gideon’s arm before he could do something stupid.

“Not cool,” I said.

“She brought up the selection,” Gideon said. “Insufferable bitch!”

“Everyone knows about the selection. It’s the worst-kept secret,” Mateo said. “It’s why they all get excited.”

“You need to get your shit together,” I said. “We’re already behind on the plan. You pissing her off isn’t going to win her over.”

“She isn’t going to give us a chance. Can’t you see that?”

“Chance or not. We’re not going to get it if you keep exploding.” I ran my fingers through my hair.

We stood, waiting for Gideon to calm down. He was volatile. Normally, out of all of us, he was the level-headed one. I could only imagine what his dad had to say about this whole thing.

“We’re going to get it done.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “And I’ve got an idea for how we can do it.”

“We’ve got to get to class,” William said. “We don’t know who is listening. This shit is good for the dorm.”

I agreed.

Our next lesson was biology, and we headed toward the science department.

Heather and Sian were once again sitting together, which pissed me off. I had no idea they were attached at the fucking hip.

This wasn’t doing good for our reputation. The Saintly Devils were known to get what they wanted. Sian was turning herself into a legend, and I had to wonder if she even realized it.

The more she rejected us, the more infamous she became.

Running a hand down my face, I sat between Sian and Gideon. Our leader needed to get his shit together.

No one spoke as the teacher entered, immediately commanding attention at the front of the class.

I tried not to look toward Sian, but I just couldn’t resist. I never realized how sexy she was. The school uniform was mostly bland colors. She wore a pencil skirt that highlighted her curves. Each time I looked at her, I wanted to run my hands all over her body to confirm she was in fact real.

My dick ached.

In the past few weeks, I’d only enjoyed what my hand could offer. Ever since I was fifteen and lost my virginity, I never used my hand. This was too important to mess up.

The class went on and on. I was so fucking bored. No wonder I struggled in this class. I wasn’t the kind of guy who lived for science. It was all nerd shit.

I often wondered if it was my penchant for the arts. I liked to draw, to bring to life on page everything going on inside my head. I’d filled a lot of books over the years. All of them my perspective of my time here and growing up in my own personal hell.

Sitting close to Sian, even near her, I found myself more enthralled with an uncanny need to draw her.

I wondered if she’d ever be willing to sit down for me.

For now, I would have to enjoy the views from my own mind. There was no way I was going to get her to be mine, not yet. I always loved a challenge though.

Chapter Four

Sian

By the end of the week, I was exhausted. Friday couldn’t roll around quickly enough and as Heather and I entered the female changing rooms for gym, the idea of doing any physical activity even for educational purposes didn’t exactly get me all warm and fuzzy.

I was so tired.

Late nights and early mornings did not make for a happy Sian.

Entering the changing rooms, I saw several girls were already changed. I spotted Chloe with her bunch of cronies in the corner.

“Are you okay?” Heather asked.

“I’m fine. I think.” I covered my mouth as I yawned. I’d pulled my hair back into a ponytail today. I was still undecided about cutting it. Heather was right, though. I grew my hair as another defiance to my parents but also because of my memories with Drew. She would spend hours brushing my hair while also getting me to remember spellings. She’d throw out random words, and I’d have to spell them, define the meaning, and even create a sentence with it.

Sometimes I’d groan, but there were days when I really missed her that I’d give anything to be sitting on my ass with her brushing my hair, spelling out.

I opened up my gym bag and pulled out the required uniform for gym. A white polo shirt with the crest of the school on the right breast pocket and a simple pair of black shorts. Again, the crest was on the left leg of the shorts. They fell to above the knee, but at least they were comfortable.

Changed, I waited for Heather to finish tying her sneakers. The moment I saw how used they were, I made a note to buy her a brand-new pair.