“Have a seat,” he says. I drop into the chair across from his desk. The window behind him shows a picturesque view of the campus grounds. It feels mean to have such a beautiful sight in the office where I’m assuming a lot of students get handed punishments for breaking the rules.
Dean Thomas props his elbows on his desk, lacing his fingers together. He takes a long time to talk. I’m guessing it’s some administration scare tactic they teach in graduate school.
“Ms. Brass, you’ve had quite an adventure lately.”
“I have?” I say, because what else am I supposed to say?
He nods once. “I have never seen a student hide out in the gardens to avoid being taken out of this school.”
Chills slither down my spine. “You knew?”
His smile makes him look… impressed?
“Of course,” he says. He taps his keyboard. “All devices connected to the Shelfbrooke Wi-Fi have GPS capabilities, as well as student log in information. When your mother burst into my offices unannounced, accusing me of losing one of my own students because the student was not in her dorm room, I was concerned. I did a little research and found you and another student, your roommate, logged in and located somewhere in the gardens.”
It feels like a knife has been shoved straight into my heart. He knew my location. He knows my secret garden. This is a nightmare.
“Why didn’t you come get me?” I ask, my voice weak.
He chuckles. “Those gardens are huge. As long as you and your cousin were safe, I didn’t see the reason to send a search party. The GPS is only accurate to within hundred meters, anyway.”
“Oh.” I breathe the biggest sigh of relief of my life. He doesn’t know my garden. He didn’t even come looking for me. “Thank you,” I say, realizing these past few days could have gone a lot differently.
“You are quite welcome, Ms. Brass.”
“Am I in trouble?” I ask.
“You have straight A’s and nearly perfect attendance,” he says. “Plus I hear you are taking good care of another student who has been confined to her room for three years. Your aunt has said nothing but great things about you. So no, you are not in trouble.”
I burst into the biggest grin possible. “Thank you, sir.”
“One more thing,” he says, standing up and walking me to the door. “There are just a few weeks left of school. Please stay in your dorm and abide by curfew for the rest of them.”
“Yes, sir,” I say. “I will.”
Epilogue
It’sgraduation day at Shelfbrooke Academy. Declan and I meet in the gardens right at dawn to watch the sunrise in our favorite place. I can’t believe we’ve kept our secret romance a secret so well. Word on Knight Watch is that Chad Stokes got arrested for selling prescription pills. He lost his acceptance into Harvard, and now he’s scrambling to do something with his life because his parent’s money can only get him out of trouble so many times. I’d like to say that I feel sorry for him, but I don’t.
The great thing about graduating high school is that we can all move on with our lives. The whole world is opened to us now.
“I kind of wish we weren’t graduating,” Declan says. We’re sitting on a blanket on the plush grass of our garden, me leaning against his chest. He props himself up with one hand and runs the other hand through my hair.
“Why on earth would you say that?” I tease. “Getting out of high school is the best thing ever. And I only had to do it for a few months. I don’t know how the rest of you survived four years of it.”
He chuckles. “I’m going to miss the garden, that’s all.”
“Babe.” I sit up and put my hands on his shoulders. “If you think I am above breaking and entering, you are so wrong.”
His gorgeous face crinkles in confusion. “What?”
“I already have a plan, you see. You know that gate that leads to the street outside of campus?”
“Yes…”
I wiggle my eyebrows. “I shoved a piece of cardboard into the lock.”
“What!” Declan’s eyes are as blue as the tulips beside us. “Are you sure we can get away with this?”
