Page 91 of Havenfall Harbor
“In a heartbeat. If you did something to Qui…Ms. Shaw, what makes you better than them?”
“I...I...” Michelle stammers, never finishing what she might have said.
“What happened?” Evan demands.
Michelle slowly closes her eyes and her shoulders slump. The fight leaves her with her exhale. “I was hanging out with Leo last night.” She darts her eyes over to Griffin, as if to see his reaction to her words. He just rolls his hand in aget on with itmanner. Her frown deepens and she lowers her head. “Leo graduated last year. When I heard someone coming, I panicked. I didn’t want anyone seeing us together.”
“So?” Evan prompts her to finish the story.
“So, I waited for them to come around the corner and I hit ‘em.” With narrowed eyes, she finally looks up and her gaze strays to me. “How was I supposed to know it was going to be some weak human? Anyone else here would have shaken off that hit without a problem.”
I reach up to my temple. That couldn’t have just been a fist from this young girl. “Did you use a brick?” My question comes out incredulous.
The anger she glares at me with seems misplaced. Here I am, trying to help her, and she looks like she wants to skin me alive. Maybe I was a little too forgiving, giving her the benefit of the doubt, assuming it was an accident.
Michelle shakes her head in denial without opening her mouth. The way she’s staring at me makes me think her only regret is not hitting me harder.
Evan reaches both hands up and scrubs them over his face. “You did this because you were trying to defend your lover?” he accuses.
“He’s not my lover!” Michelle adamantly denies. She keeps darting her eyes to Griffin, as if she’s worried how he’s going to respond.
“I don’t believe you,” Griffin retorts. “Not one word.” His eyes are glacial as he stares at her.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Michelle insists again, but I’m pretty sure she’s misreading the lie Griffin is accusing her of.
“Minka, go back to your room. Don’t talk about this,” Evan orders the other girl. She gives her friend one last parting glance, then flees the room as if the devil himself is on her heels.
Focusing his attention back on Michelle, Evan lets out a heavy sigh and reaches for the phone on his belt. After a moment, he places it at his ear. “Paul, I need you to collect Leo.” He pauses for a second. “Yeah, take someone with you in case he decides he’s not going to come willingly. We have an issue.”
Evan’s gaze stays on the girl in front of us. She slowly comes to her feet, her hands wringing together as she watches Evan hang up the phone and place it back on his belt.
“I think there’s more to your story, Michelle. Leo is only a year or two older than you. No one would have cared if you were dating him,” Evan reasons.
Michelle drops her hands to the sides, balling them into fists. I have a second to notice how small they are, I can’t believe this girl inflicted that much damage with a punch. “I don’t care that he’s older,” she growls between her teeth. “He’s weak, someone like me could never be associated with him.” Her eyes are only for Griffin again, but this time it’s like she’s pleading with him to understand.
I look between the two of them. Michelle is acting like there’s a personal relationship between her and Griffin, something that goes much deeper than student and director. I can’t wrap my head around that thought though. He’s completely indifferent to her, not to mention I just can’t see him with this girl. She is just a girl, after all.
Evan shakes his head like he can’t believe what he’s hearing, and a sneer of disgust is on his lips as he turns his back to her. I want to warn him that he shouldn’t, but I know he’s much more prepared to deal with her threat than I am, so I keep my mouth closed.
“Let’s go.” Evan waves his hand to the side, motioning for her to get in front of him. Michelle takes a step forward, but stops in her tracks when Griffin reaches over and takes my hand. Her shoulders hunch forward as if she just got punched in the gut. The hurt I glimpse quickly evaporates when a smirk of malice curls her lips. Michelle averts her eyes from us, and she walks past Evan, snatching the door open with a jerk.
Evan follows behind her, but when Griffin pulls on my hand to tow me along after them, I tug him back, keeping him in place. Releasing his hand, I tuck my fingers under my arms. “Was thereeversomething going on with the two of you?” My tone is doubtful.
Griffin’s head whips back as if I’ve completely shocked him. He’s shaking his head before the words even form on his lips. “No, she’s a kid, for Christ’s sake.”
“I know, she’s just acting strange. Don’t you think?” I hate that I even questioned the idea enough to voice the concern.
“I know she’s lying, if that’s what you mean.” He reaches for me again, tugging my hand out from under my crossed arms. Once my fingers are free, he folds his over mine like he doesn’t like the fact I took my hand from his in the first place.
“It’s more than that.” I bite my bottom lip, wondering how to put it into words.
“Come on, let’s go see if Leo has anything to add.” Griffin’s voice goes a little darker. I’m not sure I still want to be involved in finding out exactly what happened. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a teenage girl attacking me so no one would know she was hooking up with aweakersupernatural.
“I think…I think I’ll just go up to the room.” I don’t want to seem weak myself, but this isn’t in my wheelhouse. I don’t know how to deal with this kind of subterfuge. I thought my mother prepared me for the darker aspects of duplicity, but this is even beyond her…well, I hope it is anyway.
“I’ll take you home.” I don’t correct his use of the wordhome, but I certainly hope he means his place and not mine. Griffin pulls me a little closer to his side. I let myself lean against him just a little. It’s quickly becoming evident he and Evan really are on my side. Thank goodness.
Chapter 28
