Rubbing my neck, I glance down, suddenly remembering the pen in my hand. “Ma’am, you forgot your ...” But the words die in the wind.
She’s already gone.
Take care of my heart?An icy chill grips my shoulders as I stare at the empty sidewalk.
Trying to shake the feeling, I slowly turn and make my way around the side of the house. I’m about to fetch the ladder when I stop at the sight of Blue lying on the grass. She’s on her back, arms wide open and eyes closed. Her lips are parted slightly, her chest moving up and down in slow, steady breaths. I swallow hard, a warm hum vibrating under my skin. Fuck if the sight of her sound asleep under the stars isn’t the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.
Releasing a breath, I turn off the sprinklers and move closer. I’m careful to be quiet when I unfold the comforter a few feet away and lie beside her, draping it over us. The ground is hard, digging into my tender bruises, but I don’t care. I roll onto my side, and, tucking my arm beneath her neck, I pull her close to my chest.
She lets out a sigh, nuzzling against me. My pulsetick, tick, ticksas I watch her. Breathe her in.
This. This is what I want.
My eyelids droop while I shove my English materials into my locker and switch them out for AP Calc. It’s gonna be a bitch trying to focus on numbers with the two hours of sleep I managed to get—not to mention, I fucking hated taking off before Blue woke up—but rising before dawn to finish my essay was worth it. At least, I hope so.
I have to hope it’s enough.
The other students may have gotten theirs turned in weeks or even months ago, but for me, this is so much more than an essay.
Scrubbing a hand down my face in an attempt to wake the hell up, I pull out my phone to text Blue. I had my eyes peeled toward the door every second during first period, but she never showed up.
“Mr. Hunt.” I swing around to find Principal Lori’s serious gaze aimed right at me.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“My office, please.”
She turns without waiting for a response, and I pocket my phone before catching up, trailing after her.
A light sweat breaks out on my forehead as we walk. There’s no way in hell she isn’t going to notice my busted-up face—if she hasn’t already. Maybe that’s what this is about? But if that were the case, her expression would’ve been a lot worse. Which means she read the essay I left on her desk.
I drag a hand through my hair, working my jaw. Well, fuck it. Does it really matter if she doesn’t like it? So it wasn’t as in-line with my major as it could have been. So what? I don’t regret a single second spent grueling over that paper.
We enter her office, and she shuts the door before making her way behind her desk. Eyeing a thin, stapled stack of paper—yep, definitely my essay—she gestures for me to sit.
Once I’m situated across from her, she gives me her full attention. And I know I’m screwed.
Her eyes narrow. She taps her pen on the desk. “What happened this time? Did you trip and hit your face?”
I clear my throat. Scratch my chin. “Not exactly.”
“Hmm. I hope your extracurricular activities aren’t more important to you than your future.”
“No, ma’am.” Conviction rings through my voice. “It won’t happen again, I swear.” And this time, I mean it.
After Mr. Everest had me tell him everything, he laid out some new rules. The first being that I no longer work or pay rent. He had no clue the rent was coming out of my own pocket instead of Conway’s. Once he knew, he made it clear that if I’m gonna be staying under his roof, school is to be my only focus. Said he’ll cover the rest. I tried arguing, but it was non-negotiable. His terms, or I’m out.
“It had better not,” Principal Lori says sternly. “Because I’m all out of warnings.”
I nod, my jaw tight. “I understand, ma’am.”
For a long moment, she just watches me, occasionally shifting her gaze from the papers on her desk to my face. I look away, my knee starting to bounce, until her voice finally cuts through the air.
“Now, to return to the original reason I wanted to see you. I have to say, your essay isn’t at all what I expected.”
She pins that serious look on me, waiting for a response, but I’m not sure what she wants me to say. I already told her I decided to take it in a different direction.
“You pretty much took medicine and flushed it down the toilet. You see that, right?”
