Page 106 of Knox Academy Omnibus
“Knox?” my dad asks, eyes widening. He knows the name, piecing together that this is one of Monty’s sons. For a moment he just stares, and then he comes to his senses, shaking his head. “Amelie, ex teacheror not, why is the school flying a member of staff halfway across the world to see you?”
“I’m here to escort Amelie back to Knox Academy, Sir,” Sawyer tells my dad, ruining everything. I fire daggers at him with my eyes, willing him to shut the fuck up.
“What the hell is going on?” my brother asks, walking into the room with Smalls.
Smalls takes one look at my panicked, kangaroo-in-the-headlights expression and comes to stand protectively by my side, pulling me into his huge embrace. I lean into him for strength and support, wanting to cry. Smalls doesn’t exactly know everything, but he’s glaring at Sawyer like he’d like to crush his skull.
“Amelie, why is your teacher here to take you back? I thought you were on break until January?”
“I’m not going back,” I announce to the room. The cat is well and truly out of the bag now.
“What?” my dad cries.
“I’m not going. And no one here can make me.” I cross my arms defiantly across my chest.
“Sir,” Sawyer warns my dad who opens his mouth to speak. “Allow me?” Dad nods and Sawyer turns to me.
“Amelie, you have to come back. You’re already at risk of breaking the terms of your court sentence by being here. My father has been covering for you, but you have to be back in the country before the new year begins.”
“So what? I’ll take the community service here if I end up back in court.” I turn to my father and plead with him to let me stay. “Dad, I don’t belong there! There’s arsonists, murderers and rapists at that school!”
“Amelie—” my dad begins but I cut him off, desperate.
“I’m not that bad!” I cry. “Dad, please. I can’t go back there. It was just a bit of weed in the cookies, I don’t deserve a three-year sentence halfway across the world!”
“Amelie, the teacher died,” my dad says quietly, heavily.
“What?” My body turns to ice, my face falling.
“We didn’t want to tell you. We didn’t think you could handle the guilt. Even though it was an accident.”
I shake my head. No. NO. This can’t be happening. My knees give out and I sink to the floor, Smalls tries to catch me and my brother races to be by my side. “You knew,” I accuse, looking at their faces. “You didn’t tell me.”
“Amelie—” Smalls begins.
“Don’t!” I frantically start to fight and push against him. “Don’t touch me! Don’t come near me!”
“If you don’t come back to the school with me, Amelie, you’ll face prison time. I’m here to help,” Sawyer says calmly, approaching me with arms outstretched and palms up, similar to how you’d approach a wounded wild animal.
Dismay drowns me and tears fill my eyes. Iamjust as bad as everyone else in that school. I deserve this. I deserve worse. Maybe I should stay and face real consequences.
“Don’t you dare,” my brother growls, reading my mind. “Don’t even think about it, Amelie. School is very different to prison.”
“I deserve prison,” I tell him.
Only, I don’t, do I? I glance at Smalls and see the heartbreak written on his face. He’s about to confess, I can see it. Frantically, I shake my head at him, urging him to keep quiet.
“I’ll go pack my bags,” I say miserably.
What choice do I have? If I stay, Smalls will confess the truth to keep me safe, and I can’t lose him. I wouldn’t survive knowing he was behind bars.
“Amelie, we can take a couple of days. You don’t have to pack now. I can get a hotel so you can have time to say goodbye properly. My father hated that you were denied that last time and instructed me to give you the opportunity this time.”
“Thanks, but I suck at goodbyes. It’s too painful. Let’s do this like a band-aid.”
I climb to my feet and Sawyer steps forward and wraps me into his embrace. I melt against him, allowing him to give me the comfort that I denied Smalls. Beside me, Smalls and my brother growl.
“Why is yourteacherhugging you like that, Amelie?” Smalls spits, stirring the pot.
