The Academy - First Days (24 page)

L
uke was gone when I woke up the next morning. I smelled him in the
sheets. It was the promise of seeing the guys again that had me moving,
dragging myself into the shower and getting ready for another day.

Marie and I walked together to Kota’s driveway. I was dying. My
muscles ached to the point where I was in near tears carrying my book bag and
the violin.

Kota took one look at me as I walked up and I could tell he was
biting his tongue waiting for Marie to get out of earshot before he could start
his reel of questions.

“What happened to you?” he asked. His green eyes narrowed at me.

I dropped my book bag on the ground at my feet, the violin joined
it. “I’m all sore,” I whined to him.

His eyes widened. “Why?”

He didn’t know? “I was helping North and the others at the diner.”
I kept the other part to myself, about sitting in the kitchen for a couple of
hours after. I didn’t want him to worry about that.

He cracked a half smile, touching the bridge of his glasses. “You
were helping?”

“We cleared out the counters in the kitchen and the carpet in the
chapel.”

He laughed. His eyes slid to Danielle and Derrick who were coming
up the road. Marie was waving to them. Kota looked back at me. “Are you going
to make it today?”

I let out a sigh. “Yes,” I said. “I’m already here.”

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and punched something
into a text message. “Wait until we get to school. I’ll help.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant. Help with what?

He waited with his cell phone in his hands and it buzzed. He
checked the message and nodded. “Good.” He looked up expectantly toward
Nathan’s house.

I stood beside him, looking in the same direction. The front door
opened and Nathan stepped out.

“Are you getting him to come along? I thought he was still hurt,”
I said.

“He can’t miss any more school right now,” Kota said. He turned to
me. “Blackbourne’s orders.”

I pushed my finger to my lip as we watched Nathan stumbling up the
street toward us. Nathan’s eyes were dark, his lips in a grim twist. Even
though it was warm, he wore a long-sleeve, collared shirt, open completely to
reveal the white t-shirt underneath. He had doubled the layers to help hide the
bruises still prominent on his body.
His
finger was still wrapped in the splint. As bad as I felt, he looked so much
worse.

When he looked up, his eyes sought me out and he straightened as
he walked. The corner of his mouth twisted up. Was he trying to put on a brave
face for me?

The bus swung around the bend on our street as Nathan stepped up
beside me. He sucked in a heavy breath as he clutched the straps to his book
bag.

“Nathan?” I whispered to him. I was afraid of stressing him. Did
he know about yesterday? Was he angry with me, too?

“Heard you missed me,” he said, he half turned, looking down at
me. The smile on his lips broadened. “And that you’re beating up the boys at
school in protest to get me to come back. Couldn’t let that happen.”

My eyes slid to Kota behind us. He tilted his head, telling me
what I was asking. Kota lured Nathan out using me as bait.

I turned forward, my hand sought out Nathan’s forearm. I wrapped
my fingers around it. “You better not die on me,” I said softly.

I caught his grin as he moved toward the bus.

Kota picked up my things for me despite my small objection. Nathan
fell into the seat first, I slid in next to him and Kota dropped our things at
my feet before sitting next to me. I leaned against Nathan to give Kota room.

“What’s up?” Nathan asked. “Why are we squished like this?”

I realized he’d missed a lot. Was he only gone for one day?
“There’s a lot more students that ride the bus compared to the first morning,”
I said.

“Last count I had was ninety six students,” Kota said. “I’m pretty
sure there’s more. This model was designed to hold maybe eighty.”

Nathan huffed, tilting his body around until he had his back
pressed up against the window and his arm wrapped around my shoulder. “Next
project, figure out how Sang can ride in the car with us to school.”

“We’ve got some other things to worry about right now,” Kota said.
“Where’s it hurt, Sang?”

I blushed as Nathan’s face fell on me. “What happened to her now?”
he asked.

“Helping too long at the diner,” Kota said. “Overworked her
muscles.”

“Shit,” Nathan said.

“I’m not that bad,” I insisted. Now that Nathan was there and I
was sure he was in much worse pain, it seemed wrong to complain.

Kota eyeballed me.

I let out a puff of air but surrendered. “Okay, I’m a little
sore.” Mostly in places he couldn’t imagine, like my butt and thighs.

When we finally got to school, Kota took my things back as we walked
out to the courtyard. The thought of sitting on the hard concrete benches
wasn’t tempting, so I opted to stand.

Kota and Nathan dropped onto the bench together. Nathan
immediately fished out his cell phone and started messing with it.

Kota put my things and his stuff down on the ground at his feet.
He curled his fingers after me, and patted at his lap. “Come here, Sang,” he
commanded.

I tiptoed closer to him, unsure of what he was asking me to do. He
placed his hands on my waist, pulling me down until I was sitting on his lap.
He positioned me until my butt was out closer to his knees. From there, he
pressed his fingertips and palms into my lower back, massaging in small circles
along my spine.

It was magic. His fingers worked my soreness from my muscles. My
eyes closed through a will of their own as he massaged. My heart was thudding
because I was sitting in his lap and his touch, but I was powerless to say no.
I didn’t want to, anyway.

I slid a glance at Nathan. He caught my eye and he grinned. “He’s
spoiling you,” he said.

“We just need her to get through the day,” Kota said. “She can go
home right after school and rest.”

“What she needs is a strength training schedule,” Nathan said.
“Build up some muscles.”

I half smirked, rolling my eyes.

Kota was working my shoulders when Gabriel and Victor came through
the doors to the courtyard. They gawked in our direction.

“What the fuck?” Gabriel called out as he got closer. “What the
hell are you doing to her?”

“Her muscles were sore,” Kota said, pushing his palm between my
shoulder blades.

I was putty. My voice box refused to do much more than a soft moan
at his touch.

Gabriel looked over at Nathan, his eyes squinting. “Your makeup is
fucked up.”

I hadn’t even noticed Nathan wearing any. I glanced at him. There
was a strange tint to the edge of his jaw where he had used concealer against
his cheek.

Nathan shrugged. “It’ll work,” he said.

“Let me fix it,” Gabriel said.

“I’m not getting it done here,” Nathan said. “Forget it.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and focused on my face. He touched my
chin, examining. “You’re not too bad,” he said. He felt into his pocket for a
compact and passed it to me. “Brush this on.”

I opened the compact with concealing powder and rubbed it in,
using the mirror. When I tried to pass it back, Gabriel shook his head. “Keep
it. Touch it up every once in a while.”

Silas, North and Luke arrived. By then, Kota was done massaging.
He positioned me until I was sitting sideways on his lap, his fingertips traced
over my side.

North took one look at me in Kota’s lap and grunted. “What’s wrong
with you?” he asked.

“Someone kept her out late working,” Kota said in a suggestive
tone.

North smirked at me. “Traitor. You told.” He sank down next to
Silas on the other bench. Luke sat on the grass in the middle.

“You need to be more careful,” Kota demanded. “You should have
known. I can’t believe you kept her out for so long.”

“It was fun,” I said softly. “I don’t mind helping.”

Kota picked his legs up and brought them down sharply so I bounced
in his lap. I leaned into him, wrapping arms around his shoulders as I felt
like I was going to fall. “Shush,” he told me. “I’m lecturing.”

“Ouch,” I pouted as a brief pain jabbed me in my butt. Luke’s eyes
widened at me but I pursed my lips, giving a slight shake of my head. I didn’t
want to talk about it right now. He seemed to understand. I was in enough
trouble.

“Miss Sang Sorenson,” called a sharp, bristly voice from across
the courtyard.

A prickle started in my spine and I leapt from Kota’s lap to address
whoever had called to me.

Mr. McCoy stomped across the courtyard in our direction. His
nostrils flared over his mustache. “You are coming with me to the office. Right
now.”

I bit my lower lip, blushing. I couldn’t believe it. Had he been
watching us? There was a glint in his eyes that betrayed the stern way he held
his mouth. He was glad to have caught us out in something.

Kota stood up, his hands clenching. “What’s this about?” His green
eyes narrowed in on Mr. McCoy.

Mr. McCoy pointed a finger at him. “Inappropriate touching,” he
said. “And you, too, mister. Come with me.”

I snapped myself together to collect my things. I felt the other
guys watching us. North and Nathan both started to say something but Kota shot
them a look that I was sure meant they should hold back and let us go. We
trailed behind Mr. McCoy toward the main office.

Kota walked alongside me through the hallway, his arm brushing
mine as we moved together. I think he meant it to be reassuring but I couldn’t
look at him. I felt so guilty that we were both getting into trouble. This was
my fault, I was sure. If I had only been insistent that I was fine.

Mr. McCoy held the office door open for us. We passed the front
secretary’s desk and down a hallway
where his office was near the end,
right next to
Principal Hendricks. Hendricks’ door was closed and in shadow. I
wondered if he was in the building yet.

Mr. McCoy held open his door. “Miss Sang, first. I’ll deal with
you in a minute, son,” he said to Kota.

Kota glanced at me but said nothing. What else could we do?

Mr. McCoy’s office had one window looking out into the front lawn
of the school. The glass was warbled in a particular style, letting in light
but not allowing anyone to see inside. I only caught the abstract brown-green
blob of the school yard and the sky and the occasional blur of cars passing in
the street in the distance.

The vice principal waited for me to fully enter. I stepped around
him, my sandals scuffling along the blue utility carpet. He shut the door,
hitting the lock.

A prickling sensation swept over my skin. I’d been in closed rooms
with the boys for a little while and I was still getting used to it. This felt
completely different. I’d never been in trouble before with school administration,
but I thought I would have rather gotten into trouble with any other teacher
rather than McCoy.

Mr. McCoy pointed to a rigid wooden chair with a chubby finger.
“Sit, Miss Sang.”

His eyes locked on me as I crossed the room. I sat, carefully
smoothing my skirt over my legs and crossing my ankles. His gaze never left me.
I swept my eyes to his desk, and swallowed down a trembling shiver

He padded over to his chair at his desk. His lips frowned and he
sat, unbuttoning his ugly brown blazer. His head tilted toward me. “Do you
think it’s appropriate to sit in a boy’s lap on my campus?”

It was a strange question to ask. In the past couple of days,
other students made out, groped, sat in laps and a variety of other things.
Still, I knew the answer he wanted. “No, sir,” I said in a soft voice.

“I may not know much about that Academy,” he said, “but I know for
sure they don’t allow that kind of behavior in their school.”

I didn’t know how to respond to this. I didn’t know anything about
the Academy and I wasn’t sure how much he was told about it. I swallowed back
the urge to correct him.

“I find it sickening a girl like you would allow a boy to touch
you like that,” he said. His oversized desk chair creaked. I glanced up to see
how he steepled his fingers under his chin. “I should call your mother.”

I lowered my eyes again and trying to look compliant and
apologetic. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Where did he touch you?” he asked.

My head shot up, unsure if I heard the question correctly.
“Pardon?”

“Tell me every place that boy touched you,” he said. His eyes
pierced into me, stabbing unclear intentions at my face.

Was this necessary? “I... um...” My fingers found my bottom lip as
I spoke. “He... I was sitting in his lap,” I said. Wasn’t that obvious? Didn’t he
see for himself? Why did he want me to say it out loud?