Echoes of Silence (Unquiet Mind Book 1) (21 page)

Dread pooled in my stomach, not for me, for Kill. Mr. Hazelton had it out for him, and I worried this might be the last straw.

****

I was sitting on the bench outside the vice principal’s office, fiddling with my hands, staring at the closed door both Killian and Jordan had disappeared behind. Jordan’s nose had stopped bleeding but it was swollen, and blood spattered his white tee. He hadn’t even glanced at me as he walked past. He became very fixated on the very door I was willing to open with my mind. I jumped when it did just that. Jordan emerged first. This time he looked straight at me. I was surprised to see a sort of apology in his eyes. It was followed by a mouthed, “I’m sorry,” before Killian pushed past him and came to kneel in front of me.

“Are you kicked out?” I whispered in worry.

To my surprise, he grinned. “Nah, babe. They’re not gettin’ rid of me that easy, not when I’ve got renewed motivation to go to all my classes,” he murmured, his hand at my neck.

“Mr. Decesare, if you’d release Ms. Spencer, I’d like to speak to her,” Mr. Hazelton stated, distaste clear in his tone.

Killian stilled slightly at the voice and didn’t comply immediately. He gave me a long look. “I’ll be right here, waitin’ for you, Freckles,” he promised.

“I’ll be fine,” I reassured him.

He stood, pulling me gently up. “I know,” he agreed, “but I’ll be here just the same.”

He gave my hand a squeeze before taking the seat I had just vacated. Mr. Hazelton held out his hand, gesturing for me to go into the room.

“Firstly, I have been made aware of the reason for your absence, Miss Spencer. I’m sorry for your loss,” Mr. Hazelton said to me as he sat across from me at his desk. He sounded anything but sorry, but it was obviously the required start to this conversation.

My heart stuttered and I glanced around the room. Everything was painfully arranged and organized. Not a speck of dust anywhere. No photos either. Figures. You’d have to be crazy to want to be married to... that. I swallowed my distaste for the man and met his eyes.

“Thank you,” I replied, jutting my chin up.

He laid his hands out on the desk, his beady eyes running over me. “Mr. Louis has informed me he slipped in the cafeteria, and that’s how he sustained his injuries. Mr. Decesare merely helped him up. Is that what happened, Ms. Spencer?” he asked. “Before you answer, I will let you know that lying to authority figures is not a good habit to get into. I know that must have been encouraged, given your... connection to Mr. Decesare, but I’d advise against it,” he warned.

My hands balled into fists on my thighs. I met his gaze. “And how would my connection to Killian have anything to do with honesty?” I asked tightly. “He’s the most honest person I know, and I don’t think a teacher implying otherwise is professional. Or appropriate,” I added icily. I had never spoken this way to anyone in my life, but I found myself burning with the need to defend Killian, regardless of the hierarchy in the situation.

Mr. Hazelton leaned back, raising a brow. His mouth turned into a thin line at my words. “Careful, Ms. Spencer,” he warned. “I understand your situation, so I’ll let that comment go. Answer the question,” he ordered. “Is Mr. Decesare and Louis’s recounting of the incident correct or not?”

I sat up straighter. “Yes,” I replied. “That’s exactly what happened.”

Mr. Hazelton stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head. “We both know that’s not what happened, Ms. Spencer. Though there’s not much I can do about it considering the two involved parties aren’t telling the truth. I’ll be watching Mr. Decesare carefully. Very carefully. And by extension, you, Ms. Spencer,” he promised. “I’d hate to see a young woman have her record tarnished by a troublemaking boy.”

“Watch away, Mr. Hazelton,” I replied, standing. “If that’s all, I’ve got classes to get to.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, and his nostrils actually flared in fury. Then he relaxed, waving his hand at me. “Go, go,” he almost spat. “I’d be careful who you spend your time with, Ms. Spencer, it could ruin your entire future,” he warned as I turned to the door.

I paused, glancing back at him “I wholeheartedly agree, Mr. Hazelton. I’ll be sure to keep away from Jordan,” I replied sweetly. I didn’t wait for a response, merely pulled the door open and left the room.

Kill pushed off the chair the moment the door shut behind me. “Are you okay, Freckles?” he asked, putting his hands lightly on my hips when he made it over to me.

I smiled at him and nodded. “Fine. But Mr. Hazelton is an asshole,” I hissed the word.

Killian reared back in surprise and slung his arm around my shoulder, directing us out of the office. “That he is,” he agreed. “The asshole didn’t do anything that requires me to call Bull and suggest we take a visit to his house later on tonight, did he?” he asked.

I glanced up at him. “No. Nothing that I couldn’t handle,” I added.

Kill nodded, his jaw hard.

“You’re joking, though?” I asked. “If I had said yes, you wouldn’t actually do that, would you?”

Killian glanced down at me. “I look like I’m joking?”

I gaped at him. “But... he’s a teacher.”

“He’s an asshole. One who hurts my girl. Doesn’t matter the job title, age, or anything. Anyone who does that answers to me,” he declared.

Okay, wow.

He sat us down under what I had considered “our tree” out on the quad. I was thankful he didn’t take us anywhere near the cafeteria or anyone in there.

“That’s why you punched Jordan,” I surmised, still confused over the reason for the fight in the first place, the things he said.

Killian’s jaw tightened and he flexed his fingers. “That’s why I’m plotting Jordan’s murder,” he ground out.

“Okay, now you’re joking,” I teased, looking up at him. I gazed into his ice blue eyes. They were hard. “You are joking,” I pressed.

His hand went to my cheek. “Freckles, you’ve just been through a week of hell, just been broken, and he spews that shit on you?” He shook his head, eyes dancing with anger.

“Yeah, he didn’t know that,” I said in a small voice, unsure of why I was defending him.

“Doesn’t matter,” Kill bit out. “He should never have spoken to you like that in the first fuckin’ place.”

“Yes, but I feel like murder is a little obscene,” I joked. I paused, glancing at him. “Please don’t murder anyone on my account,” I requested, half serious.

Kill’s hands tightened. “I’d do anything on your account.”

My heart clenched in my chest. We stared at each other for a long moment. “Why did Jordan lie for you?” I asked.

Killian sighed, pushing his hands through my hair. “’Cause despite his actions, he’s not a complete idiot,” he declared. “He may be a tool, but he’s not a nark.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Is this some kind of bro code?” I joked.

Kill gave me a serious look. “No one narks on the club. Even Jordan knows that.”

I gaped at him again. “This has to do with the club?” I asked in disbelief. “But this is high school.”

Kill shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s about principle.”

“Okkkaayy.” I drew the word out, trying to grasp the concept in my mind. I knew the club had pull in town, respect, but I didn’t realize how far the arm extended.

“The stuff Jordan was saying, where did that even come from?” I asked, changing the subject.

Kill’s face turned to granite. “No clue. But I intend to find out.”

“Thought you two would be here,” a voice interrupted Killian’s no doubt Liam Neeson worthy speech.

We both glanced up, and Wyatt, Sam, and Noah all deposited themselves on the grass.

“So, that was fuckin’ intense,” Sam declared, grinning. “You expelled, bro?” he asked Kill.

Kill shook his head.

Sam’s face fell. “Well, that sucks,” he murmured.

I sharpened my gaze. “How exactly does Killian
not
being expelled suck?” I asked him sharply.

“Isn’t it obvious? He has to stay in this red brick prison for six more months,” he declared, pointed back to the building.

I couldn’t help myself, I laughed.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Jordan didn’t roll on you?”

Kill shook his head again.

“Smart,” Wyatt murmured.

“Obviously not that smart. He said that shit to Lexie in the first place,” Sam bit out, humor gone from his face. “You okay, babe?”

I reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m fine, Sammy. Just confused. Where did all that garbage even come from?”

All three of my boy’s faces hardened. “We can answer that,” Wyatt interjected, his voice tight. “A certain empty-headed teenager took it upon herself to put two and two together and get crazy. She took your absence and Killian’s damn near murderous disposition and made her own conclusions, which she spread around the school as fact.”

“Stacy,” I hissed, a red film dispersing over my eyes. “That little troll.” I stood rapidly, my eyes glued to the brick building. I was halfway across the quad before Kill caught up with me, stopping me.

“Whoa, Freckles,” he murmured, standing in front of me.

“Get out of my way, Kill,” I ordered, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

“Not until you tell me what you’re plannin’ on doing,” he argued.

I met his eyes. “I’m going to have a long overdue conversation with a member of the student body.”

Kill fought a smile. “Is this conversation going to involve hair pulling?”

“If it is, you have to wait for us so we can film it,” Sam called from behind Kill.

“I’m not going to pull her hair,” I told him. “If I was going to do anything, I’d chop the entire lot off,” I corrected, and Kill full-on smiled now. “I’m going to educate her on what is and is not her business. You and me being firmly not.”

Killian’s smile left him. “I’ll be doing that,” he gritted out. “Don’t you worry. I got you, Freckles, and I’m not going to let you dirty yourself by stooping down to her level. I’m more than happy to do that.”

“This is a girl thing,” I told him. “It’s got to be me.”

Killian frowned. “Lexie, this is your first day back. You shouldn’t have to deal with this shit.”

“I shouldn’t,” I agreed. “In a perfect world, I wouldn’t. But this isn’t a perfect world. I’m more than aware of that. Now please let me go so I can go and unleash a can of verbal whoop-ass on a certain biatch.”

Kill regarded me, then he complied. “My kitten has claws,” he murmured.

“You haven’t seen the half of it,” I promised, then resumed my journey.

The bell had just sounded and I knew exactly where Stacy would be, which was perfect, considering I had a shadow following me back into the building. Any other time, I’d be happy for Kill’s presence, but I was telling the truth. This was girls’ business. So it was more than appropriate it would happen in the place Stacy reapplied her makeup at the end of every lunch break. Kill didn’t even get to stop me as I strolled in to the girls’ restroom, his face tight and slightly helpless as I closed the door. Stacy was leaning forward into the mirror, touching up her eyeliner. Her eyes cut to me the moment I stormed in.

Her face turned soft. That kind of false soft it had when she approached me at my locker those weeks ago. “Lexie—” she began.

I advanced on her, glaring. “Nope,” I hissed, getting right in her face. “You do not get to speak in this moment. You don’t get to spew any more of your lies or false concerns,” I declared. “I have no friggin’ clue what your parents did to screw you up to the point that you think it’s appropriate to mess with other people’s lives.” I looked her up and down purposefully. “Or whatever issues lie underneath all those overpriced and honestly tacky clothes. That’s not for me to waste brainpower on. That’s for you to pay thousands of dollars for therapy in the future. What I’m here to tell you is that my life and my relationship with Kill is none of your business.”

Stacy looked shocked. “Lexie, I don’t know what you’re—” She tried to play innocent.

I cut her off again. “Don’t play dumb, Stacy. We both know you’re a lot of things, but not that,” I said sharply. “No matter how much you try to convince the world that head is empty, it’s full of bitterness and ugly thoughts. That’s not my problem. All that ugly will eventually reach the surface thanks to a little thing called karma. My problem is you making up lies about me. That’s not something I’d usually worry about, but when that lie causes people to get hurt, that’s too far,” I declared.

“Lexie—”

“Not finished,” I cut her off. “You decide to make yourself feel better by making people feel worse. That’s evil, but it’s not up to me to change. You involve me or Killian once more, I’ll make sure to change it. Trust me, you won’t like how I do that,” I promised.

Stacy lost the innocent look on her face and her expression turned snide. “What, are you threatening me, Lexie?” she asked. “I’m so not afraid of a hippie-wannabe loser.”

I laughed in a humorless way that I didn’t recognize. “I don’t care whether you’re afraid of me or not. I know you’re not stupid enough to be so fearless in the face of the Sons of Templar, and you’ve screwed with a member of that family, so I’d be careful.”