Quit Bein' Ugly (The Southern Gentleman 3)

Before we got there, though, it was to see Carmichael’s computer geek friend standing at the end of the hall locking what looked to be his classroom door.

Flint and Bryan headed into the office.

I closed the door behind them and stood outside the door so I could block his view in case he actually had enough brains to see who we were talking to.

He looked up once he closed the door and immediately spotted me.

I gave him a chin lift and leaned against the door, knowing my height blocked the small window that was bisecting the door.

“How’s it going?” he asked, flicking his eyes to me nervously.

“Good, you?” I asked.

“Great,” he said, sounding slightly hesitant.

I nodded my head, my arms going across my chest, as I stared at him.

“You going somewhere?” he asked, looking around the empty hallway.

As if he was going to kick me out of the school because I didn’t belong there.

“Um, no,” I said, pointing my finger at the door behind me. “Waiting on Flint. He’s on an important call.”

It was at this point that I had the feeling that Alfie really didn’t want to leave me in here by myself. He didn’t think that I should be in here, so he was trying to work up the courage to tell me to wait outside.

I raised a brow at him. “Anything else?”

He started shaking his head, but luckily another person came hurrying down the hallway.

The vice principal. Janeth.

His shoulders seemed to deflate in relief as he turned to face her fully.

“Oh, hello,” Janeth said as she saw the two of us standing there. “I didn’t realize there was anyone left in the building.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Alfie looked at me, then back at Janeth, as if he was hoping that she would take the hint and kick me out. Or ask me what I was doing there.

“You’re waiting on Flint?” Janeth asked, missing the look from Alfie.

“I am,” I confirmed. “He’s taking a call right now.”

I could lie.

I was a lawyer. I could lie like the devil himself.

“Oh, yeah.” She smiled. “Well, you have a good day.”

With that, Janeth hurried outside, leaving Alfie and me alone once again.

“Need anything else?” I asked curiously.

Alfie’s eyes narrowed for a second, a hint of temper filling his features before he smoothed it away. “Nope. Have a good one.”

Then he walked away, his feet clomping angrily on the tiled floor.

I waited until I watched Alfie exit not just the school, but the parking lot too in his bright yellow Volkswagen bug, before heading into Flint’s office.

What I found was Flint leaning against his desk and Bryan sitting in the chair now no longer handcuffed.

“Y’all figure it out?” I asked.

“Waiting for you.” Flint shook his head. “Everyone gone?”

I nodded as I took up a position in the doorway, just in case anyone else decided to join the show.

“Talk,” I suggested.

Bryan looked worriedly at Flint before turning to me.

“So I don’t know this for a fact,” he grumbled. “But I’m putting bits and pieces together here. I think that the person that is giving me directions is a teacher at this school.”

My brows rose, showing my surprise.

Flint all but stood up as he said, “What makes you think it’s a teacher?”

Bryan blanched at Flint’s body posture.

“A few of the things they’ve had me do,” he said. “Like with Ms. Stone. It was a teacher. I was supposed to steal her computer. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I had to steal a list of some sort from the office. I’m not sure what. Then, the time before that, I was to contact a kid. Give him a note or something. But all of the things that I’m having to do for them are always taking place at the school.”

I uncrossed my arms and looked behind me before I said, “How do they contact you?”

He reached into his pocket and tossed me a burner phone.

I looked through the call log, but every message he’d gotten was from an unknown number. No help there.

I tossed it to Flint.

“I don’t know what to tell you to do at this point,” I admitted. “My gut is to say that you should ignore their phone calls. Get emancipated, which I can help you with, and get out of here before you have to deal with any more of their shit.”

“Can I just leave?” he asked. “What about school?”

I shrugged. “You can stay. But if you stay, you have to realize that they’re going to continue to use you because they have something they can hold over you.”

“My dad?” Bryan laughed. “That’s not going to work anymore. I just… after today? After what I almost allowed them to push me to do? I won’t be able to do that anymore. My dad’s just going to have to deal with his own shit from now on. I’m done.”