Page 84 of The Secret Girl (Adamson All-Boys Academy 1)
My cheeks flush as I snatch the note from Ranger's hand.
“Please don't say vagina,” I whisper, and the twins exchange a look before grinning.
“Vagina, vagina, vagina,” they drawl playfully, and I roll my eyes. I don't have a problem with the word, but … something about hearing them say it makes it seem less clinical, and more … um, sexual? Ugh. These Student Council dicks are going to be the death of me.
“Seriously, though,” Micah says, speaking up and pushing off the wall. He grabs the big, plastic container of M&M’s off the table and scoops out a huge handful. Tobias goes for them next, and the brothers have a mini tussle over the chocolate that ends up with brightly colored orbs scattered all over the floor. “Why does this douche-nugget care if Charlotte goes here or goes to Everly? What's his problem?”
“Douche nugget,” I chuckle, grinning. The expression only lasts a second though because I can see Church and Ranger sharing a long, silent exchange. Their expressions are grave. That does not bode well for me.
“Do you think they're after her over Jenica?” Church muses, and Ranger nods once, sharply. He takes the note back from me, crumples it up, and puts it in his pocket.
“What else could it be? But I've been looking into this shit for years, and nothing's ever happened to me.” Ranger sighs and closes his eyes. He's put just the barest bit of shadow on his lids, like some sort of old-school rockstar or something.
“She must be close to finding something we've missed,” Church adds, his honeyed hair glittering in the sunlight. It's such a rich, warm blonde. Makes me wonder what it'd feel like to run my fingers through it …
“Must be,” Ranger muses, switching that intense sapphire gaze of his over to me. “Have you looked in Jenica's room yet?”
My brows go up, and I shake my head.
“I didn't know which one was hers. Besides, a lot of the doors are locked, and I've never really had the tools to break in.” I think about the crowbar I jacked the other day.
“Come on,” Ranger says, exhaling and tucking the note into his pocket. “We'll show you.” He leads the way out of the boys' dorm, and I follow, Church and the twins trailing behind me.
It's so much less scary out here with them by my side. I feel sort of … protected. They might dump spiders on me, and pour honey in my hair, but hey, I won't get murdered by a guy with a knife! What a life I'm leading, I think, trying not to let myself think of the easy way out.
I could just go back to California. Seems Dad would actually agree at this point. He hasn't mentioned transferring me to Everly since we got back, but I'm gearing up to confront him again.
Ranger goes to open up the loose board when I dangle the keys the twins stole in front of him.
“Your illustrious Student Council crew isn't entirely made up of angels,” I say, giving the twins a look that they return with a pair of bright grins.
“More like it's made up of devils,” Ranger grumbles as I unlock the door, and we all move inside, Ranger lifting up his phone as a flashlight. It's not quite dark outside, but all the windows are boarded up, so it's pretty gloomy in here. The light from the open front door just isn't enough to penetrate such a large building.
We head up seven flights of stairs to the top floor. It looks like there was meant to be an elevator installed, but all that's there now is an empty shaft. I peered down it once, but it looks like it drops straight into the basement, and I can't find any other way to get down there. So creepy.
“Your sister had the penthouse suite, huh?” I ask as we make our way up, up, up. The staircases are winding and decorative, the banisters coated in a thin layer of dust. Our footsteps seem overly loud, echoing in the stairwell as we make our way up to the sky.
“She was the first and only person to ever live here,” Ranger says finally. He doesn't even remotely sound out of breath, but I'm panting and puffing like a crazy person. Maybe it's not such a good thing that I'm getting out of PE, huh? I really fucking miss surfing.
We hit the top floor, and head to the door straight ahead. Ranger pulls the key necklace out of his shirt and unlocks the door, pushing it open to let us into a light-filled room with gauzy curtains, a freshly made bed, and dust free ledges.
He's been taking care of this place, Ranger has.
“Do you hang out here a lot?” I ask, thinking about the noises I've heard coming from upstairs. He nods, and I grin. “I've been chilling in the common area. I'm surprised we've never crossed paths.”
