The Academy - First Days (36 page)

North had carried me into the room and I was dropped onto a desk
top. He tried to check me out for injuries but with nothing obvious and with a
warning look from Mr. Blackbourne, he couldn’t do much.

I drew my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs. I
buried my head into my knees. It was the best I could do to stop the shaking. I
sensed bodies crowding around me, and I breathed in Nathan’s cypress and
North’s musk.

No one touched me, even as I yearned for it. Silence hung and I
knew the only thing stopping Mr. Blackbourne from talking was Jay and the other
students still lingering. The only thing that stopped the boys was Mr.
Blackbourne’s unspoken orders.

Secrets had to be maintained.

My lungs hurt. My ankle felt twisted. I had a throbbing headache
and my mouth felt numb. Someone had punched me in the face again. My hair was mangled.
I pulled my head up to collect the clip still snarled into my hair. I fingered
combed my hair the best I could and reclipped it into place. Keeping busy with
straitening myself out kept my mind off of what just happened. I didn’t want to
think about it because it got me shaking all over again.

Silas leaned against the wall, and fingered his swollen face,
wincing. Gabriel’s nose was bleeding again, but he held tissues to his face to
try to clear the mess. Nathan clutched his hand to his chest, the metal cast on
his finger was missing. North’s left eye was swollen shut.

Kota sat in a desk, his arms folded and his head down. Gabriel and
Victor were slumped over in chairs. Luke was on his back on the floor, staring
up at the ceiling. The tension was heavy with unspoken anger and questions.

I sensed a motion behind me and turned on top of the desk.

“You okay?” Rocky asked, his aggressive blue-gray eyes gazing at
me. He hovered over me. He didn’t look hurt. Forcing me out of the fight left
him virtually untouched.

I started nodding.

His hand shot out. His thumb traced over my lower lip, re-sparking
a sharp pain.

North moved into action, grabbing Rocky’s wrist.

Rocky turned, his head tilted. Confusion settling into his eyes.

“Don’t touch her,” North growled, positioning himself closer next
to me. Nathan stepped closer on the other side, firing warning looks at Rocky.

Jay stood up next to Rocky. “Let him go,” he said coldly, deep,
growling. I sensed movement behind me. The others were getting up to intervene.

“Stop it,” I called out. “North, let go.”

North hesitated but slowly released Rocky’s arm to gaze down at
me.

I put a palm on North’s arm. I didn’t want to start another fight
over something so inconsequential. I couldn’t stand anymore today. I stared down
Rocky. “He helped us,” I told the others.

North grunted. The others mumbled.

Rocky pulled his thumb away, drops of my blood and saliva shining
under the light. With his eyes on me, he brought his thumb to his mouth,
licking my blood clean from his finger.

“Why did you start fighting?” I asked him, ignoring the growling
of the guys behind me.

“No one throws a girl from the balcony,” Rocky said flatly.

“Did you know it was going to happen?”

Rocky nodded. “Happens every year. I don’t know who started it and
we don’t participate. I’m fucking tired of it.”

Who did he mean by we? “But you’ve never bothered to stop it
before,” I challenged.

His eyes narrowed at me but I’d made my point. It wasn’t a big
deal until a girl got involved. How wrong was that?

The classroom door burst open. Mr. Hendricks stormed in, followed
by a stout man wearing red Nike running pants and a zipped running jacket. A
silver whistle hung off of a yellow cord around his neck. The guy pointed a
finger at Jay and Rocky. “You two. And the rest of you. With me. Now.”

“Yes, coach,” Jay and Rocky said together. The other students
stood up, crossing the room.

“Wait,” Mr. Blackbourne said, though listless. “We need to ask
them...”

“No one interrogates my team but me,” the coach said.

Mr. Blackbourne backed off. He said what he had to say but he
didn’t really appear interested in keeping them around. Mr. Hendricks stood
aside, saying nothing. Jay and Rocky didn’t hesitate. They strolled out. Mr.
Morris and the other students followed. Were they part of the team, too?

The moment the door closed, Mr. Hendricks spun on us. “What
happened?”

Kota stepped up. His glasses were still missing. His handsome face
looked swollen, bruised. Kota glanced at Mr. Blackbourne. Looks were exchanged.
Mr. Blackbourne nodded in a silent command.

Kota started talking, his voice obstructed by a swollen lip,
hoarse. “It started right after the fire drill sounded. When most of the
teachers and other students were on their way out, that’s when Greg and his group
started shoving students. I tried to stop them and Greg recognized me. When
Silas and the others showed up, they isolated us. We became the target for the
planned tossing of someone over the balcony.”

Mr. Hendricks spun on me, an accusing finger pointed in my
direction. “And what did you think you were doing?”

I hesitated, glancing at the others. Mr. Blackbourne inclined his
head briefly – permission to speak granted. “Someone got Kota’s phone,” I said.
“They recognized my name and texted me to come upstairs. I think it was Greg
wanting me to come watch toss him over.”

“Did you see her?” Mr. Hendricks said, turning on Mr. Blackbourne.
“She launched herself over that balcony. She was up and running before we could
get to her and heading back up the stairs. I never saw anything like it.”

“She’s had training,” Kota said, smirking at me. “Elementary
school, wasn’t it?”

I nodded. A collection of eyes shifted to me. “I was taught how to
fall. I knew I could make it. If they needed someone to go over, I was going to
do it.”

A palm slapped against the back of my head. I ducked after,
looking back at Gabriel’s outstretched hand nearby. “Don’t you ever fucking do
that again.”

“She’s what stopped it,” Nathan said. “When she went over, the
football team was standing downstairs with us. They followed her upstairs. It
was fine if it was another guy. Since it was a girl, they got angry and stormed
in to take them all out.”

Mr. Hendricks barked at us, “We could have had all of them out of
here if it was him and not her.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. This was planned? He knew it
was going to happen? But it made sense. He had to have known. It happened every
year. “I messed up?”

Mr. Hendricks turned on me. “Yeah, you messed up. One of them was
supposed to go over unwillingly. Instead we got you practically jumping over.
The school board didn’t understand why everyone rushed up the stairs or why
there was a fight. They’re asking who the acrobat is.”

Mr. Blackbourne frowned. He stepped in, standing between me and
Mr. Hendricks. “That’s enough,” he commanded. “You made a circus out of this.
You’re lucky she knew what she was doing and landed on her feet. The other
students believe she was pushed.”

“That kid she punched is going to the hospital. She’ll be lucky if
his parents’ don’t press charges. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

My throat closed in, my fingers hovering over the base of my neck.
Someone wrapped an arm around my shoulders, a chest against my back. I breathed
in spice and relaxed back against Kota. Luke came up quietly next to me and
took my other hand, squeezing it. If charges were pressed, there were plenty of
witnesses to point out who did the damage. Would I be arrested?

“What you wanted,” Mr. Blackbourne continued, “was for Kota to
break his head and then charge the group of students to get them arrested or
expelled? You deliberately set up my students, knowing this tradition was going
to happen and being fully aware he could have broken his neck or worse.”

“You agreed to this,” Mr. Hendricks shouted at him. He pointed a
finger at Mr. Blackbourne’s nose. “I warned you this place was dangerous and
not meant for prissy private school preps.”

Mr. Blackbourne squared his shoulders. “These prissy students just
brought to a halt a sick tradition in this school that should have been stopped
a long time ago.”

“That little girl...” Mr. Hendricks growled.

“That little girl,” Mr. Blackbourne snapped back, “just got the
entire football team and other students to step in and take over your job. She
had more power than you did to encourage them to step up. If it wasn’t for her,
you would have had students trying again next year. Now they won’t dare at the
risk of angering half of the school. She’s the martyr.”

My body trembled. Kota squeezed me tighter to him. My head rested
against his chest. What did I do? I didn’t mean to do anything except to stop
Kota from being flung over. If he had been pushed, he might have broken
something or worse.

“What she is,” Mr. Hendricks said in a low, menacing tone and
pointing a finger at my face over Mr. Blackbourne’s shoulder, “is fucking
stupid. She should have stayed out of it. I should have her expelled for
starting a riot.”

A surge started around me. Silas and North moved in front of me
and blocking my view of Mr. Hendricks. Kota pulled me away from the desk,
another arm wrapping around my waist and he drew me in. I quaked against his
body. Victor, Gabriel, Luke and Nathan surrounded us.

Expulsion! My poor mind couldn’t comprehend the damage it would
mean. It was more than getting kicked out of school. My mother may finally see
fit to have me start home schooling, and I’d never be able to leave the house
again. I’d possibly not be able to see the boys ever again.

Mr. Blackbourne headed off his students, standing in front of
Silas and North. “You’re going out there,” he said, his tone cold. “You’re
going to talk to the police. You’re going to say it was self-defense against
that boy and we have many witnesses to prove it. Miss Sorenson stays here in
school and you won’t breathe a word about her to anyone.”

“She should be calling a lawyer.”

“The Academy’s lawyers will be at her disposal,” Mr. Blackbourne
commanded, his tone rising. “But it doesn’t have to come to that if you’ll
listen to me. I’ll talk to the school board downstairs.”

Mr. Hendricks growled. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. This
is my school.”

“I talk to them or I’m sure they’d like to hear about how you’ve
let people get tossed from balconies every year for who knows how long. Why was
this never reported? Why was it allowed to continue? They might also like to
know why you preconceived who was going to be thrown this year. Your teachers
abandoned the area knowing this was going to happen. It was all a set up. If
Kota had gone over or if anyone had gotten hurt, you would have been at fault.”

“You can’t prove it.”

“I’ve got eight witnesses,” he said, gesturing behind himself
toward us.

I hopped up on my left tip toe to look over North’s shoulder. Mr.
Hendricks stared down Mr. Blackbourne. He glared over at me. I ducked my head
behind North’s shoulders again.

Mr. Hendricks started across the room, slamming the door behind
himself as he left.

The air shifted around us.

My knees buckled. Kota caught me, catching under my thighs and
picking me up, holding me against his chest. The others pulled back, stepping
in a circle around us.

Victor approached, putting a hand on my forehead. “What’s wrong?”
he asked. His fire eyes searching mine.

“Sorry,” I breathed. I trembled again against Kota. It felt good
to be held. I couldn’t stop shaking. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“Oh now you’re nervous,” Victor said, a gentle smirk appearing.

“She’s in shock,” Mr. Blackbourne said, his eyes softening, but
his mouth was stern.

Luke removed his blazer and tossed it over me. “Can we take her
home?”

“Not yet,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “We need to talk to the police
and figure out if that kid’s parents are interested in pressing charges. We
need to make sure Mr. Hendricks doesn’t pin this whole mess on her.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Eight eyes narrowed on me. Mr. Blackbourne broke into a millimeter
smile. “Why are you sorry?”

“I hurt a bunch of people.” Now that it was over, I worried I had
gone too far. I’d never hit anyone before. I’d lost control and now I was sorry
I got in the middle. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I would have done it again
for Kota and the others, I knew. It didn’t make what I’d done any less
appalling.

“Fucking shit,” North bellowed. “Sang baby, you just sacrificed
yourself for Kota and nearly killed yourself and you’re sorry you hurt someone
else.”

I sunk my face into Kota’s chest, trembling. I knew it was
terrible but I couldn’t take fighting any more. I didn’t want to appear to be
so weak after they had been through so much but I didn’t have the strength to
take them on, too.