Her features were pulled together tightly, a little wrinkle in the center of her eyebrows from the confusion. “How did you end up in a closet with him?” She shook her head, her
raven hair swaying as she walked toward me and pulled me back to my bed to sit me down by pushing on my shoulders. “Take a deep breath, and start from the beginning.”
So, I did. I told her everything that Isaiah said to me in the closet. My mouth was like a speed boat, zipping through choppy waves, plowing down every single red light that my brain was throwing out.
When I was finished spilling everything, Sloane let out a loud, breathy sigh and popped up from my bed. She began pacing the floor back and forth, nibbling on her thumb, just as I was seconds before. “Okay, listen.” She glanced at me, and I scooted up to the top of my bed, eyeing my phone that was still beside me. “It’s not a huge deal. I mean, you totally have a crush on Isaiah—that much is obvious from the red on your cheeks when you talk about him—and it’s odd that you can’t see that yourself, but whatever. Everyone has had a crush on Isaiah, and by crush, I mean every girl would strip themselves bare and spread their legs wide for him. But this will all blow over soon. The blog will post about Isaiah’s latest closet date, and then something juicier will happen, and it’ll be over.”
My heart sunk even deeper in my chest. Sloane had it all wrong. I didn’t care what anyone thought about me at this school. That wasn’t my issue. The issue was this rumor making its way back home. If Richard learned that I was in a closet with a boy, he would be here faster than I could even pack my getaway bag.
There would be no escaping him.
There would be no grand plan to elude him and his sick future for me.
And there would be no finding Tobias.
“Hey, hey.” Sloane’s hand landed on mine, and I flinched before recovering and glancing up to her soft features. “It’s not a big deal. I swear. Everyone has been featured on that stupid blog, Gemma. Don’t sweat it.”
A weak smile graced my lips as I snuggled down onto my bed, dropping my head onto the comfiest pillows I’d ever felt. Sloane left the room for a few minutes, doing something in the bathroom before coming back into our room and sitting back on my bed. I scooted over to the very edge, pressing myself against the wall as she lay down and pulled her computer to her lap.
“What are you doing?” I asked, rolling to my side, clutching the cell phone in my hand with an empty feeling carving out my stomach. I was dreading the moment it would ring.
Nerves began eating away at my hot skin when a heavy bout of anxiety fell on my shoulders. What if he just comes here and drags me back home? Like, gives no warning and just shows up? I silently shuddered.
“High school is hard. Especially this one since we can’t even escape all the bullshit.” She laughed under her breath. “So, I’m being a good friend and lying here with you as we watch some cheesy movie on Netflix.”
A little bit of warmth seeped in when she said the word friend, but I didn’t let myself show anything on the outside. Instead, I asked, “What’s Netflix?”
Sloane’s head whipped toward me, the side of her face illuminated by her laptop screen. “Girl, where have you been?”
Hell. Hell is where I’ve been.
Chapter Eight
Isaiah
I could always feel when someone was watching me. The skin along my neck would prickle, the beating of my heart would thud a little harder against my ribcage, my eyes would snap to each and every last corner of the room I was in, waiting to see that overbearing shadow of what my future held. The SMC had nothing to do with my father’s line of business, but their watchful eyes were just a mere glimpse of what it would be like when I took over his position. If I hated the SMC watching me, waiting for me to slip up so they had grounds for expulsion, how would I feel with the law circling every so often, ready to catch me in the middle of a massive gun exchange? Not to mention the enemies. Their presence was heavy and, at times, imperceptible. Some of them could be lethal and blend in better than a fucking chameleon. I knew better than anyone just how lethal human beings could be.
My phone vibrated for the fifth time since yesterday, with my father’s name flashing along the screen. If I didn’t answer soon, I knew he’d throw a goddamn hissy fit, so I finally snatched it from my pocket while swiping the apple out of Cade’s hand.
“Fucker,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Hello, Father,” I answered into the phone, taking a bite of the red flesh. The sweet juice hit my tongue, but it wasn’t nearly enough to take the bitterness out of my tone when it came to talking to Carlisle Underwood.
He growled on the other end, hardly noticeable, but I could detect his piss-poor mood even being locked away at St. Mary’s. “I hear you’ve been wreaking havoc on your uncle’s boarding school. Is that true?”
I took another bite of my apple, shifting my eyes down that long wooden table lined with numerous plates of food until I landed on Gemma. “What are you talking about?” I asked, wiping my mouth off with the back of my hand.
Damn. Cade was right. Gemma was hot. Really fucking hot. Hot in the way that she didn’t know she was hot. It was a pity that she was like the rest of the girls here: hungry for gossip and as shallow as the fucking kiddie pool.
My father’s voice got louder on the other end. “Did you fuck a teacher?”
There was no hesitation on my part when I answered, “No.”
Cade nudged my elbow, and I shot him a look. He mouthed, “Party?” Then he swirled his index finger around in the air. I knew what he was asking, so I gave him a curt nod and watched as the hushed whispers broke out along the table.
“Did you only call to ask about my sex life, or did you call for a less exciting reason?”
Now there was no hesitation on his end. “Both. I’ve heard rumors of Callum’s son dabbling in the business. Is it true? Have you found out anything useful?”