I have to get him out of here.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, darting toward the entrance of the gym.
William’s bloodshot eyes light up when he sees me. “Delaney!” He slides his arms away from Brayden and Micah and stumbles toward me. “Wonderful. You’re here!”
I loop my arm through his and tug him out the double doors. The pop music transforms into a muffle as they close behind us.
“What are youdoing?” I hiss. His shirt is half-untucked, hair messy in a way that’s so unlike him. All the refined elegance is gone. “Drinking? Are you kidding?”
He blinks. “Brayden thought—”
“New rule. Don’t entertain Brayden’s thoughts,” I say. “If the teachers pick up on this, you’re out of here. For good, William.” I yank on his sleeve. “I’m taking you back.”
Just then, the door reopens. I leap in front of William as though I am tall enough to hide the damage, but it’s only Sabine.
“Hey.” She looks at William, then at me. “Need help?”
“We’re fine,” I lie.
William simultaneously whines, “But Iwantto attend.”
“Bad idea,” Sabine jumps in. “Trust me. Ellerby’s in there.”
Before I can protest, she loops an arm through the crook of William’s elbow. I take the other side and together we start marching him out of the athletic building.
“Wait—” I stop walking. “Inessa.”
“Montfort asked her to dance.” She raises an eyebrow. “And I have it on good authority that she wanted to.”
“Well, still. Let’s hurry.” The last thing I want is to ditch her on her birthday.
What a mess.
The breeze blows back my fake beard, the ends tickling my neck. I don’t dare let go of William to adjust. He nicks the paper towel telescope from my pocket and peers through. Cranes his head to look at the moon. I give him a not-so-polite shove forward, and he cuts his gaze down to me.
“It’s not a big deal in London,” William mutters.
“Well, you’re notinLondon,” I snap. “And then where would you go if they expelled you?”
William’s jaw tightens. “Back to England.”
“Aw, c’mon, Enzo,” Sabine says gently. “You’d miss us.”
He doesn’t reply. I don’t either. There’s only so much we can say around other people. At least he still has enough sense to remember that.
This is not how I pictured the night going.
The Segner common room is empty. I dig into William’s coatpocket until I find his badge, then use it to scan us into the sleeping quarters. William starts toward one of the couches, but Sabine and I are quick to redirect.
“No way.” If anyone finds him on a couch in his state, it won’t be good news. “Upstairs. I’m serious.”
William reluctantly abides, mouth slipping into a frown as we jostle him through the door and up the stairs.
“You know,” he’s saying, “if you bossed yourself around like this, perhaps making decisions would come easier.”
We’ve reached the second-story landing. “What are you talking about?”
“You,” William says as he leans in close, the sharp tinge of alcohol on his breath. “Doing. What.You.Want.”
