“I can get an extra key card,” Weston said. “I’ll ask for a visitor’s pass. The girl up front never writes the names down. She doesn’t go by the rules.”
“What if she follows the rule this time?” I asked. I needed to poke holes in his plan. Weston looked too calm. Too ready for something that only took him a day to plan. We decided to stay with Lawrence until Wednesday night. So, we had a few days to perfect the plan. There were still so many things to consider.
“I’ll distract her or something,” he supplied. “Use that smile everyone claims I have.”
“That’ll work?” Lawrence looked unconvinced.
“It’ll work,” I mumbled my confirmation and finally took a sip of my beer. Both eyed me. Weston wore a look of concern, while Lawrence seemed to approve of my gulps.
“What about getting out of there?” I proposed. “Won’t the camera see you? And the doors. They beep if you don’t badge out.”
“I know a few blind spots,” Weston explained and added when I gave him a curious look, “Force of habit from prep school. We liked to drink beer on campus. I was in charge of finding the right spot.”
“I found the beer.” Lawrence chuckled and held up his bottle to me. I didn’t return the salute, but he drank all the same.
“The doors will beep, but we’ll go fast. By the time we reach the back door, the campus security will be just getting in their golf carts.”
“Plenty of time to escape,” Lawrence agreed. “I’ll have a van out back. No plates. I know a guy.”
“We’ll split in Anderson,” Weston said to me, naming a city three hours outside of campus. “I’ll lie low for a few days and play it by ear from there.”
“This could be so much simpler if you listen to me,” I said in a low voice.
“But, not as fun.” Lawrence stood to collect his empty beer bottles.
Weston leaned in closer to me to keep our conversation private. “You don’t have to stay here tonight. There’s a party at the boardwalk. I can guarantee Taylor was invited. She won’t be in the dorm if you sneak back in.”
I shook my head. “It’s just a few days. I want to see this through. I want to say goodbye when it’s time for you to leave. Not days before.”
He nodded solemnly and reached up to tuck a loose coil behind my ear. His eyes lingered on my lips. I wanted to lean in but Lawrence’s shuffling in the background kept us both just a breath apart. Lawrence’s house was large enough for all of us to find privacy. He stayed downstairs, giving Weston and me plenty of space upstairs. Despite the circumstances, I still felt warm at the idea of being alone with Weston.
“This Bill guy is a mess,” Lawrence noted as he came back to the table with a plate of pizza in one hand and a can of soda in the other. My stomach growled at the sight. Weston chuckled and pressed a kiss on my lips before getting up to get me a slice.
“Yeah,” I agreed. My eyes trailed back to my screen. “He’s gotten fired from at least two middle schools. And the other schools said nothing when he transitioned.”
“Notice how until community college, he’s never worked with adults,” Lawrence said in a grim voice.
“I did.” My eyebrows furrowed. “Wait. Do you think he could have…?”
“I’d bet my Challenger,” he confirmed without looking away.
“Crap,” I whispered. “He’s worked at so many places over the years. People have to know. I mean, to get this job at this school you have to have connections.”
“Axe and Bill’s connections are vast.” Weston laid a plate of cheese pizza and an orange soda in front of me. “Like I said, we ruin them here and they’ll just find a new place. Snakes are good at finding new gardens. It’s what they were built to do.”
I sighed with frustration. “People knew.”
“Which is why we’re going to make this count,” Lawrence promised. “This isn’t just for the scum at this school. It’s for the scum at all the others.”
Weston raised his bottle, this time to clank against Lawrence’s raised bottle. “It’s time.”
“Past due,” Lawrence corrected. “But, better late than never.”
The floorboards creakedas we walked across to get ready for bed. Weston had carried my bag upstairs, placing it next to his far larger one. I eyed it while digging for my oversized tee shirt. He planned to be gone for longer than the rest of the semester. Maybe forever? My throat tightened at the thought.
When I stood up, I felt Weston’s hands encircled my hips. He pressed a kiss on the back of my neck. His warm breath felt welcoming of my chilled skin. I closed my eyes, leaning into him as he brushed his lips across my shoulders. He smelt of mint when he whispered in my ear.
“I don’t think you’ll need a shirt tonight,” he whispered. He pulled the t-shirt out of my hands and let it drop to the floor.
