The Academy - First Days (31 page)

“What were we going to do if something did happen and she’s
around? That last fight started with us. What about the next one?” Kota asked.
He pulled himself together, putting his glasses back on. The serene calmness of
Kota was back. “Dr. Green is right. Are we going to be the hunted or the
hunters? We need to focus on paying attention to the students. Mike seems
harmless enough and the notes... well she can ignore those.”

North frowned. “I’m worried about the attention she’ll get when
other students realize we’re no longer watching over her. What if we get caught
up and she’s alone?”

“We’ll train her,” Silas said. He gazed down at me, his hand
drifted up and held steady at my neck. “I’ve been meaning to do that, anyway.”

My cheeks heated at his dark eyes full of concern.

“That’ll work,” Kota said, nodding. He glanced at me. “Can you
make it out this weekend?”

“I can try.”

“We’ll take time for some self-defense lessons,” Kota said. “We’ve
got a busy weekend.”

I fingered the folded notes on the ground. Some had my name
spelled wrong. What could anyone possibly want with me? Right now, it seemed so
trivial. I was with a group who were about to put themselves in one of the
worst possible positions so they could save the students that got picked on and
beaten up. They were working together to make the school safer. What were these
other boys doing? Hiding behind a piece of paper.

Maybe over the years I would have gladly accepted such attention
but with the Academy changing my life, notes seemed so weak. I collected the
notes and clutched them in my hands, crumpling the papers between my fingers. I
passed them off to Kota dismissively. I may have been shy and I could
understand where the writers were coming from, but I didn’t have time right now
to play that game. “Maybe we should get homework out of the way,” I said.

Kota
took the notes and tossed them into the trash. North’s eyes lit up. Silas’s
hand wrapped slightly at my neck and he pulled me close to whisper in my ear,
“Good girl.”

F
RIDAY

A
lone

I dreamed I was in a building, urging others around me to run.
There was a bomb about to blow that would injure everyone. No one listened. The
explosive detonated.

T
he alarm woke me from a dead sleep the next morning. I stumbled
around half awake to get ready. My muscles were stiff. I thought I was sorer at
that moment than I had been the day before. It was tempting to fall back into
bed, but I forced myself to get up. Again, it was the thought of the guys
needing my help today that got me moving.

I picked out a modest gray A-line skirt and I put on Luke’s blue
button up shirt that I had washed. If I was going to be alone today, I wanted
to at least wear something that belonged to the boys. It felt important to me.
I made sure to use a clip to put my hair up and out of my face. I didn’t need
to stand out with my hair down today.

I pulled out a text book I knew we wouldn’t need today for class
and some paperwork that I didn’t need any more, lessening the load. I left the
bundle on the bed. My room was still a mess from Marie’s meddling the other day
but I promised myself I’d clean it later when I got the chance. I wanted Friday
to end quickly, as comfortably, and as easily as possible.

I started out into the hallway at the same time Marie did. She
wore her usual t-shirt and jeans. Her book bag looked like it carried only a
couple of textbooks compared to my very full bag.

“Are you still going to... um, this weekend?” I asked, trying to
keep my voice down. When I got in last night, my mother was still dead asleep
but that didn’t mean she would stay that way. She could be listening to our
conversation.

Marie nodded. “Do you have the key?”

“Come find me at lunch,” I said. “Or wait until we’re on the bus
this afternoon. You’ll have it then.” I pulled out the ten dollars that I had
kept for her and handed it over. “They’re taking care of it. Keep the money.”

She seemed relieved. She pocketed the bill. “You’ll be at that
boy’s house?”

“I should be,” I said. “I’ll try to pop in here. Don’t forget to
show up every once in a while.”

She gave me a dismissive nod and headed down the stairs. I
couldn’t make her take my suggestions and I had a feeling if she didn’t find it
opportunistic, she’d probably ignore it altogether. It was her risk to take. We
were both taking big risks at the moment and maybe we had gotten too used to
getting put on our knees or sitting on hard stools for hours on end for things
as ridiculous as a boy coming to the door and asking to play or for a bad grade
on a test. What could be worse? Take the punishment and move on. That’s all we
could do. Even with kneeling in rice, even with the lemon and vinegar and that
I had experienced and she hadn’t yet, it was still very much a possibility we
could both have that happen to us again.

I thought the guys were worth it.

We walked the distance to Kota’s house. Marie immediately went to
stand on the other side of the driveway.

Kota and Nathan were there waiting for me. They wore matching dark
gray trousers, white button up shirts and the blue blazers, almost identical to
the sketches that Gabriel and Luke put together. Nathan’s shirt was unbuttoned
all the way, revealing the white t-shirt underneath. Kota wore a red tie, shirt
buttoned formally. Even wearing the same things, they still varied slightly to
their personality.

The sight of them had me feeling better. It had been the longest
week of school I had ever had to deal with and I am sure they felt the same
after the craziness that happened. No wonder Gabriel and the others seemed to
miss the Academy so much. I couldn’t imagine doing this all year when something
so much better waited for me.

“Ready for this?” Nathan asked as I approached. He stuffed his
hands into the pockets of his slacks. He looked a little better today. While he
still had bruises, his eyes were alert and he stood straighter.

I nodded, dropping my bag and violin on the ground at my feet. “Let’s
hope today is quiet.”

“Did you bring your phone?” Kota asked.

I glanced over at Marie, who was turned away and looking at
Danielle and Derrick coming down the road. Nathan caught my gaze and he stepped
in the way to provide a barrier. I reached into my bag for the phone, showing
it to Kota.

“You don’t have a pocket?” Kota asked. “You should keep it close.”

I didn’t think about that. I pursed my lips and then slipped the
phone into the cup of my bra against my heart. I was blushing as I did it, as
it felt almost like I was exposing something of myself even though they
couldn’t see anything. When it was in place, it was unnoticeable.

“Holy shit,” Nathan said as he watched the phone disappear. “We
need... no wait, I didn’t say that.”

Kota laughed. He reached out to me to plop a palm on my head and
rub. “Girls do have a few tricks.”

The patch on the pocket of the blazer caught my eye. I smoothed my
fingers over Kota’s patch. The two marks I had made on Gabriel’s sketch were in
place. I traced my finger over it.

Kota’s eyes sought out mine. “What?” he asked.

“The hidden heart,” I said. “He kept it.”

He beamed. “Yeah.”

“It’s not too girly?” I asked. I shifted my eyes between Kota and
Nathan.

Nathan shook his head. “Don’t really care what anyone else
thinks.”

My heart continued to melt. “Can we still sit on the bus
together?” I asked.

Kota nodded. “It should be okay. We’ll let you get off the bus
first, though. We’ll follow you to Dr. Green’s office and will wait in the
hall.”

The bus appeared around the bend. I picked up my book bag and Kota
snatched up my violin for me. I shot him a look but he didn’t seem to notice.
Maybe this had become a new habit. My heart warmed at the thought of it.

On the bus, I slid in next to Kota and his arm went around me.
Nathan fell in next to me, his palm seeking out mine to hold. I’d grown
accustomed to their touches this week, they did it so often. This felt
different, almost defiant.

Kota’s fingers clutched my shoulder. Nathan’s palm warmed mine.
They were on this bus because of me. Marie wouldn’t do the same if she had
another opportunity to get to school. The boys and I were a team. I wanted to
feel it stronger than I did, that I was really a part of them. Maybe over time,
I’d accept it as easily as they seemed to do with each other every day.

I dreaded getting to the school. It meant they would have to pull
away and I would be without them for an entire day, at a place where I was
supposed to be able to have free access to them without the overhanging fear of
my mother’s wrath. Now that I knew how warming and addicting touching could be,
I regretted agreeing to Dr. Green’s plan so quickly.

When the bus pulled into the school lot, we waited until most of
the kids had gotten off the bus. Nathan backed up so I could get out. This time
I did take my violin case and my book bag. Off of the bus, I started out alone.
I sensed Nathan and Kota behind me, at a distance but still within eyesight.
Hunters and the hunted.

The hallways buzzed softly with activity. The majority of students
hadn’t arrived yet. I headed straight to the main office. The secretary at the
desk gave me an eyeball, confused as to why I’d entered. I asked the secretary
at the desk for Dr. Green’s office as I didn’t want to assume I could go beyond
the doors without permission. I took her directions and went down a hallway and
knocked at the closed, unmarked door.

The door opened and Mr. Blackbourne’s face appeared in the
doorway. His steel eyes looked over me once and he opened the door wider for me
to enter. When I was inside, he closed the door and turned to me.

“Miss Sorenson,” he said, nodding to me in greeting.

“Mr. Blackbourne,” I replied.

Dr. Green was at his desk. His eyes lit up at seeing me. “Good
morning,” he said. “Did you bring your phone?”

My face started to heat up when I realized I should probably have
taken it out of my bra before I entered. Unable to find a reason to leave and
come back, I put down my things by the edge of his desk and reached in for it
quickly, holding it out to him.

Mr. Blackbourne’s eyes narrowed for a moment at me. “Could you
find a more inconspicuous place to put it?”

“I needed one that was close by without being obvious,” I said
quietly. “I should only need it for an emergency. I won’t use it otherwise.”

His face softened. He seemed pleased with this.

Dr. Green pulled a laptop from his bag and he hooked it up to my
phone. A loading bar popped up on the laptop screen. “Give this a minute,” he
said.

I stood uncomfortably in their office, unsure of what to say. I
wished Kota or one of the others were there to intervene.

Mr. Blackbourne leaned against his desk, his arms folded across
his chest. He gazed down at me. “I understand you’ll be separating yourself
from the boys today,” he said.

I nodded. “I’ll do what needs to be done.”

“If Principal Hendricks or Mr. McCoy talks to you, have all
questions redirected to me.” He nodded to Dr. Green and the phone he was
holding. “You’ll be getting our numbers. I expect a call if they approach you
at any time. Try to remember exactly what they ask you. I’ll want to know
everything.”

“I understand.”

“And come find me if some of the students are being a little too
unkind,” Dr. Green said. He unplugged my phone and pushed a button on the touch
screen. He curled a finger at me to indicate that I should step closer. I
hovered over him so he could show me the screen. “These apps reach each of us.
Can you guess which ones?”

The phone screen had nine different apps added. It was obvious to
me which ones belonged to who and I pointed them out. “The baseball is Silas,
the violin, Mr. Blackbourne, music notes for Victor, the calculator for Kota,
the paint brush for Gabriel, the hand weight for Nathan, Luke’s pancakes,
North’s black car, and the Japanese word there is for you.”

Dr. Green brightened. He poked a forefinger at my head in a tease.
“I would have given you bonus points if you could have told me what the word
means.”

“What does it mean?”

“When you figure it out, I’ll give you those points.” He punched a
finger at his icon on my phone and the application opened to reveal a panel of
four different square buttons in the middle. “All you have to do is hit one of
these. Red is emergency and it’ll send me a text message with your approximate
location. Green places a call that will cut you through an emergency line so
even if my phone is on silent or if I’m on the line, it’ll send your phone call
through instantly. White is a quick text message that’s not for a real
emergency but that you’re feeling uncomfortable and could use some help. The
big black one will dial our numbers without using the emergency service.” He
closed the app and passed the phone to me. “I suppose I shouldn’t have to tell
you that those emergency buttons should be used very sparingly.”