Page 106 of A Dead Man's B-Side
If I thought about it, Thaddeus might have plans for me, but ultimately, I would be sitting on the board by the end of them. Even he wouldn’t waste his time without that outcome. And so maybe Wolf was right.
“Did… Evan say anything else?”
I lifted my gaze to meet his.
Ah.
I scratched the back of my neck, turning my head to the lounge’s entrance at what I thought were footsteps before sinking back andtaking another drag of my cigarette. “He said that I was a bad influence on you.”
Wolf didn’t move as he looked to a spot on the wall behind me, lost in thought.
I didn’t want to dig the knife further, but Wolf looked like a kicked puppy, and perhaps my next words would help. “He sounded like he really cares about you. He seems to have a lot of love for you.”
It turned out to be the wrong thing to say because Wolf met my eyes with an icy glare and said, “He can choke on it, then.”
It was a cloudy day, which wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Neither was the sight of August getting pushed up against the hall of Remington tower, where our finance class with Mr Finch had just concluded.
It was the last session of the day, and I was glad to return back to my dorm and make an attempt at a peaceful sleep.
Lately, my dreams have been leaning more towards nightmares than anything, and I didn’t particularly enjoy waking up drenched in sweat any more than I enjoyed the showers I’d have to take afterwards.
Callum—his distinctive head of hair I could spot from a mile away—was once again watching with a sick grin as his cronies held the smaller boy against the wall.
It was a secluded hall; I’ll give him that. One I was forced to pass only because Ajax demanded I walk him to his meeting with Ms Ransom.
He swears it’s to ask for extra credit work for a good reference letter, but I am quite sure Ajax doesn’t have a love for eighteenth-century literature and is only looking for extra time with the quick-witted professor.
We had only rounded the corner when we caught the scene, a sense of nostalgia filling me.
“Callum, let’s cut this short and become friends. Because at this point, the only explanation for the special time in your day you keep allotted for me is that you’re in love with me.”
The boy in question didn’t react as I’d thought he would. Instead, he smirked and raised a brow. “Oh, I’m not so sure. I think we can put our mind together and find a number of other explanations. Ones that end with my satisfaction at an all-time high, and you, a bleeding heap on the floor.”
His cronies acted almost like statue soldiers, only moving their cemented bodies when their master demanded it.
I briefly wondered how he gained their loyalty.
August didn’t fight their hold, though. As if he was used to this charade by now, which I’m sure he was. “I’m sure that’s whatyou tell these crooks you keep by your side. Whatever protects your reputation.”
I only intervened when Callum waved his hand, a careless king giving the order, and one of the boys holding August up reared their arm back, as if to punch him in his gut.
“Callum,” I called, walking down the hall and closer to the three boys, Ajax letting out a disappointed breath and following along.
I was sure he was mentally kissing his meeting goodbye.
The white-haired boy turned his head and found me approaching, the curve of his lips widening. “Ah. Alexandr, the man of the hour. How awful that we always seem to find ourselves in these predicaments.”
I hummed sarcastically, finally reaching them.
If I were going head-to-head with someone like him, which it seems I was doing, I needed to play my cards right, or else I’d end up on his not-so-friendly radar, and I would much rather remain on his do-not-engage radar.
Callum was a Queen and, no matter who was sponsoring me or mentoring me within the constraints of the Founder’s Society, that still held weight in the halls of Castle Hill.
“I’d like to apologize on August’s behalf. He sometimes lets his tongue get the better of him.” I reached over to the boy in question and tugged him out of their hold, throwing an arm over his shoulder as he let out a surprised squeak. “Ajax and I were just looking for him, actually. Thanks for finding him for us.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Ajax shook his head.
I meant to keep our interaction short; go in, get August, get out. Frankly, partly because I didn’t want to entertain anything I couldn’t get something out of. But also, it’s been a long day, I’m tired, and I still have many assignments I need to get done.
