Page 74 of Hiding In the Dark (The Righteous 4)
Her face twisted into a look of pure confusion.
“Please, Ashley. Don’t go.”
“Kes, you’re crazier than I thought. This is what you wanted all along. What you and your friends and now the entire school seems to want—for me to leave because I don’t belong. Well, your wish is coming true. You won, I lost. I can’t do it anymore, even I have my limits.” Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked and looked away from him.
“It’s not like that. I want you to stay. I’m sorry,” he said, and as the words left his mouth, he realized how insignificant they were in comparison to what he’d done.
Ashley leaned to the side and looked around him, her eyes scanning the empty hall. “What is this? Your last chance to make an idiot out of me? Make me think that you’ve had this magical change of heart and then have everyone come out of the classroom laughing at me for falling for the act again?”
“I promise it’s not like that. I really am sorry that I’ve been a douche. I won’t, um…I won’t treat you like crap anymore, and I’ll get everyone else to stop.”
“It’s called bullying, Kes. That’s what you are, a bully. You should at least own the word. You do it well enough.” Ashley’s eyes looked him up and down. “Nope, I’m not buying it.” Bending over, she grabbed her box and turned, marching away from him.
“Please, I’m begging you not to go.” He jogged around her and blocked her path, and in the most dramatic action he could think of, he got down on his knees, clasping his hands together like he was praying.
“What the—?”
“I feel terrible for what I’ve been doing. Just give me a chance to prove it.”
“Kes, it’s not my responsibility to absolve you of your guilt.”
She went to step around him, and he crawled in front of her again. He knew he looked ridiculous, and if anyone saw him, they’d think he had lost his fucking mind, but he didn’t care. “That’s not why I’m asking. You deserve to be here. Just please, stay.”
“You actually expect me to believe you woke up with this huge change of heart?” She cocked her hip and glared at him as she dared him with her eyes to try and prove her wrong.
His stomach flipped and tumbled as he stared into her blue eyes. He wanted to say that he loved her, that they may be young, but he had loved her from the moment he first saw her, but that would probably have her running for the hills.
Standing, he grabbed onto the box in her hands and held on to it tight, not letting her move. He smiled widely, which narrowed her eyes further. “Let me prove it to you. We’ll go to the principal’s office right now, and I’ll tell him what I’ve been doing. How it’s all my fault that you keep ending up in detention and everything else.”
“Kes, he’s not going to let me stay. I think he was relieved that I was leaving.”
He tugged on the box again, and this time, she let go. “Come on, let me do this.”
A guy came out of the classroom nearby, and he stopped walking and smirked when he saw them, his eyes lighting up like he was going to get a show. “What the fuck are you looking at?” Kes snarled at him.
“Uh, nothing,” the guy said.
“Good, then get the fuck out of here. There is nothing to see here—and spread the word. If anyone picks on Ashley Hartley, they will have to deal with me. She is under my protection. You got that?”
The guy’s mouth fell open, but he closed it and nodded as he turned and jogged the opposite way. His eyes skimmed over Ashley’s face, and she had the same shocked expression as the guy that he had just chased off. Her mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide.
“I told you, I’m sorry, and I’m going to prove it. Now, come on.” He marched off and then looked over his shoulder. Ashley was still in the same spot with the same expression. “Ashley?”
Her eyes flicked up to his.
“Come on. I want to catch Principal Sharpe and sort this out now.”
Ashley followed him tentatively as they made their way down the stairs and along the hall to the main office. She kept looking over at him like he was about to yell, ‘just joking.’ He held his head up high as they walked, drawing stares and whispers from everyone that saw them.
“Mr. Reynolds, what can I do for you?” the secretary behind the counter asked as he sat the box down on the counter.
“I need to speak to the principal,” he said, giving the woman his best smile.
She looked in the direction of the office and then back up at him. “I’m sorry, but he’s on a conference call right now. Can I schedule you in for tomorrow?”
Kes glanced down and saw the pile of paperwork on her desk, and right on top was Ashley’s transfer papers. Reaching over, he grabbed the papers. “Hey! Mr. Reynolds, give that back.”
“Kes, it’s okay,” Ashley whispered quietly.
