“I broke up with Courtney last quarter,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been hanging out with Hazel, she’s been acting jealous, trying to hurt Hazel. She even beat—”
As soon as Ms. West’s attention was diverted, I bolted around the other side of the desk and flung open the door. Headmistress West boomed after me. “Hazel Waite, get back here. I’m not done with you.”
But I’m done with you. And now I’ve got a way to prove something’s wrong at this school.
I sprinted through the atrium, shoving aside kids as I barreled up the stairs. “Watch it, gutter whore!” Tillie snapped as I slammed my elbow into her ribs.
“Eat me!” I yelled in return, sprinting through the locker corridor and onto the walkway that led to the dormitory. With every step, my phone slapped against my thigh.My phone. A link to the outside.
There was only one person who could keep me safe while I used it. I pounded my fists on the door. To my relief, it flung open.
“What happened?” Trey demanded.
“The headmistress caught me in her office.” I sagged into the sofa. Trey sat down beside me, his leg brushing mine, warm and reassuring.
“Where’s Quinn and Ayaz?”
“Quinn’s still there. I just ran past her and came here. I think he’ll try and hold her in there for a bit. I got the imprints of the keys. And I got this.” I held up the phone. “Only the soaps are still in the passage. And I have no idea where Ayaz is.”
Trey’s blue eyes shone with concern. “You’d better tell me the whole story. Is the headmistress about to storm in here and hurt you—”
As if on cue, fists pounded on the door. My heart leaped into my chest.
“Trey, let me in, you bastard!”
I sagged in relief as Trey got up to open the door. Quinn slammed it shut behind him and flopped onto the chair. “That’s 50 demerit points for me. Whatever will Daddy say?”
“What happened with West? Is she looking for me?”
“Of course she is. She’ll be here any minute. And for the real icing on the cake, our parents just arrived.”
The color drained from Trey’s face. “Your dad? My dad?”
Quinn nodded. His face broke out in a reckless grin. “Never a dull moment. Oh, I did manage to nab these from the tunnel while she was out greeting the senior Eldritch Club. You did a great job, Hazy.”
“We did a great job.” I turned on my phone, whooping with joy as it beeped to life. The battery light was still flickering, but it had enough juice to send a message. My heart jolted as the screensaver came on – me and Dante making duck-faces at the camera. I flicked past it as fast as I could and typed a message to Zehra. I’d memorized her number.
I’ve got the key and location to Ms. West’s lab, but I need to get them to you, now. Shit’s going down.
A moment later the phone beeped with a reply.I’m on the eastern side of the grounds. I’ll be at the cave in half an hour.
“Fuck, where’s Ayaz?” Trey demanded, pacing across the room, rubbing at the burn on his wrist. I turned off the phone and threw it down on the table and touched my fingers to my own burn.
Quinn shrugged. “Dunno. He wasn’t with the headmistress when she dragged me in. Maybe he couldn’t pull his pants over his giant cock in time—”
There was a brisk knock on the door. “Open up, Trey,” Headmistress West demanded. “Your father is here. We need to speak with you.”
Shit, shit.I remembered what Vincent Bloomberg had said about ‘taking care of me.’ So far, he hadn’t tried anything, but I knew this visit wasn’t out of familial duty. He’d found his leverage.
From the shattered glass of Trey’s eyes, he knew I was in danger. He stalked across the room and threw open one of the windows. “Get out,” he whispered.
“Huh?”
“There’s an old tree right beside the window. Use the drainpipe to swing over and get down. I’ve used it hundreds of times. Take these,” Trey shoved the soaps into my hand, along with a lighter. “Get them to Zehra.”
“Trey, are you in trouble?”
“It’s not important.” Behind us, fists pounded on the door.
