Page 329 of Knox Academy Omnibus
“No, just get to work,” she murmurs as if she’s off with the fairies. I turn back to Slate.
“What are we working on?”
“Working on our end of year piece, but I don’t know what to do.”
“Is it because you’ll be graduating early? If you want to stay on until the end of the school year, you know that you can.”
“I know, and it’s not that. I’m just realising that I haven’t really thought that much about what I’ll do when I finish here.Do I want something full time within the you-know-what? I just keep thinking, where does that leave my music?”
“Do whatever you want to do and I’ll support you, no matter what.”
“I love you,” he states, leaning in for a kiss, but a girly shriek has us pulling apart.
Kalen comes flying into the room.
I panic for a split second until I see Adrianne storm into the room and apologise to the teacher. The teacher loves gossip and drama so she watches on.
“I’m going to kill him,” she seethes, looking straight at me. Kalen is standing directly behind me.
“I did nothing, I swear. She wants to hurt me,” he whines and lowers his tone. “And I know she has a knife in her boot. This chick is as crazy as Branson.”
“You know what you did Kalen Knox, so let’s take this outside so I can knock you on your ass, good and proper. Take it like a damn man!”
“Are you going to let her get me?” Kalen whines with a pout. I laugh.
“How about we take this outside?” I lean down and kiss Slate on the lips. “I have to go and deal with this. Text me later.”
Slate nods, and I take Kalen’s hand and lead him outside. Adrianne and my new security guy follow us out.
I wait until we’re clear of the classrooms and turn to Adrianne. “What did he do?”
“I had training and he stole all my clothes! I had to walk to the nurse in a towel that barely covered my ass.”
I turn to Kalen and he smiles. “What? Okay, I did do that, but I was going to be standing outside. I just wanted to make her talk to me so I could apologise, but Dad came down the hall and wanted to talk. By the time he stopped, she was gone. No harm done.”
“No harm done,” she spits, almost ready to launch herself at him. “I have to co exist here with you, and I will do whatever it takes to better my brother's life, but that doesn’t require us to be friends. You want me to forgive you for almost having my brother taken from me. You’re a Knox, Daddy made everything disappear for you which means someone had to take the blame, and that someone was me! So no stupid apology will make me forget that. I don’t care that some rapey teenagers got to see me half naked, but you always take things too far! So unless it has to do with Amelie and my job, just stay the hell away from me.”
I shake my head at him. “You could have just asked me to make her talk to you. Sometimes I just don’t understand how your brain works. You fucked up and need to take responsibility for that. Go back to class and we can talk about this later.”
He gives me his notorious puppy dog eyes and I shake my head at him. He leans down and kisses my cheek and takes off.
“I’m sorry,” Adrianne whispers, coming to stand next to me.
“Don’t be. Kalen has been able to get away with so much because his father and siblings shelter him, and all he wanted was to be here with them. Kalen does stupid shit with the best intentions. But he needs to understand that sorry doesn’t always cut it. For what it's worth, I know he’s been racked with guilt, and has always made sure you had a job and a place to live.”
“He has?”
“Yes, they may not have been the best jobs and houses, because he knew that if it was anything too good you’d get suspicious. Now I need to pee.”
“I can’t let you do that,” a deep voice demands.
I have to blink a few times for my brain to register who is talking.
Both Adrianne and I turn at the same time to face my new security. He’s a big guy but he almost looks to shrink under our glares.
“Excuse me?” I question in a low, dangerous tone because I’m thrown off by being told I can’t take a piss.
“Jasper updated me on your toilet trips, and I can’t have you escaping on my watch.”
