Page 15 of The Monster I Am
“I’ve been asking around to see if anyone has heard anything, but so far, no dice,” Rylan mumbles, leaning back into his plush leather chair.
Trust this academy to go all out on library furniture.
I have no idea why we’re in a very open, public setting. We stand out like dogs’ balls here, even if it is largely deserted. I had suggested the rooftop where Rylan and I made our truce, but that was shot down by Lannister. Apparently, it would draw too much attention to his father and the power-tripping assistant that resides in his rectum twenty-four-seven.
I will admit, though. The librarian has made herself oddly scarce since our arrival, and I have no doubt that it’s not a coincidence.
Tai nods thoughtfully. “I’ve started trying to access the camera footage to see if I can pinpoint the person or persons who made the comment that Bexley’s friend heard.”
“It shouldn’t be too difficult,” I tell him. “We know the location and rough time.”
Lannister lets out an irked sigh. “It’s more complicated than that,” he scoffs, condescendingly. “The admin staff can see when we access camera footage and it’s flagged for their attention. We’re trying not to alert them to our actions.”
He says it as though it’s the world’s most obvious fact—like I’m an idiot for not already knowing this information.
Immediately, any feelings or concepts of warmth I had temporarily developed for the man dissolve in a pool of acid.“You clearly accessed the feed to wipe the footage of your ass glued to the desk. How is this any different?”
Hunter scowls at me. “Because that was damaging tomyreputation. Therefore, the Dean’s. At present, our fathers are jointly looking into this. We’ve been advised to keep out of it.”
“Oh, so harmless pranks are damaging but not arson or murder attempts? Got it.”
“We don’t care about your poor excuse for an academy, Duchess. It has nothing to do with us.”
“Except it does,” I argue back. “Were you not in the damn building with me, Lannister?”
His silence is awfully telling. I gape at him, dumbfounded. “Are you keeping that information under wraps? Like nearly dying with me is some dirty little secret?”
A hand on my knee drags my attention away from Lannister. I look at Rylan, narrowing my eyes.
“We don’t want to panic everyone,” he says quietly. “If people think someone is targeting both academies, we risk it spiraling into chaos. We can’t control the situation if it does. We’re not at the point where we can show an alliance at that level yet.”
Shamefully, all I can do is stare at him, completely lost for words.
“So, your solution to this is to just let everyone believe this was solely an attack on Cedar Heights? Onme? And according to everyone, Lannister was supposedly elsewhere?”
At least he has the nerve to look embarrassed. Asshole.
“Babe,” Tai coos, like he’s placating a child. “We just want the Willowbrook students tothinkeverything is business as usual. Keep them comfortable enough so they talk.”
“It sounds like you’re just throwing me under the bus,” I point out. “What bullshit story have you given to explain Lannister’s injuries then?” I nod my head toward his arm. His jersey hides it, but I know there’s a bandage underneath from what I’ve beentold. Plus, he was apparently in the hospital too for a couple of days.
Lannister rolls his eyes. “Mechanical assistance. My cousin is able to back up my story.”
“And you think everyone will believe you got your hands dirty under the hood of a car? Please be so for real, Lannister,” I snort.
His gaze darkens. “People believe what I tell them to believe, Duchess. That’s how this works.”
I snatch up my bag and stand. “This was a waste of time,” I mumble, irritably. “I should have known better than to trust the three of you with an important task like this. It might just be some bullshit entertainment for you, but that place is everything to me and the other Cedar Heights students. It’s our home.”
Rylan quickly reaches for me, guiding me back down into the chair. “Bex—this is part of the plan. Trust me.”
Trust me. Not us.
Leaning forward, I lock eyes with him. “Astor, I don’t have time to waste. Arch’s dad said basic repairs are pretty much out of the question now. They have to fix structural issues. We don’t have that type of money, even with state funding. Unless I can prove this was deliberate and provide a name with concrete evidence to back it up, we’re screwed.”
He nods, seemingly understanding. “I know. Just like we know how Willowbrook operates. I just need you to trust me.Please.”
And there’s that word again. We’re apparently just throwing it around for good measure.
