Page 68 of Always: A Legacy Novel

The principal cleared her throat and said, “I can certainly see what we could do about that, Mr. Donati.”

Cross was pretty sure he had sat in this office enough times for his step-father to be on a first name basis with the principal, but she never addressed him with anything other than sir or mister.

“And please remove Cross from the property as soon as possible,” she added after a moment. “He certainly caused quite a stir at the before-game practice, and I think we could all do without more of that today.”

“Absolutely.” Calisto’s hand smacked Cross in the back of the head. “Let’s go, son.”

Cross shot his step-father a dirty look as he rose from his seat. He tugged the earbuds from his ears, and let them hang loosely over his shoulders as he stepped out of the office with Calisto on his heels.

They barely even got out of the main office where the secretaries were before a disbelieving shriek filled the hall. The sound goddamn well near busted Cross’s eardrums. He only saw Dina coming when it was too late, and he was dodging the first slap she threw at him.

“Fucking asshole!”

“Whoa,” Cross said, dodging a second slap. “What the hell, pazza, back off.”

Crazy woman seemed to fit, considering.

Dina didn’t stop for a second, in fact, aiming for a third slap.

Cross dodged that one at the last second, too.

“You think I wouldn’t hear about your little fight with Derik?” she screeched at him, still dressed in her cheerleading uniform. “Or what it was about, you fucking idiot!”

Calisto stayed firmly behind Cross, not moving an inch.

“What are you going on about?” Cross asked.

He knew she would have been at the pre-game practice. She was a cheerleader, after all. He didn’t see why the hell she should care about his fight, however.

“Catherine,” Dina spat, “you got into a fight over that fucking whore?”

“Watch your mouth.”

Dina stiffened, standing even straighter. Her hand came up fast, her fingers pushing against Cross’s face as if she was shoving him away. “So done with you, asshole.”

“Dina Lavigne, that’s quite enough, or you’ll be the next student on your way home with a seven-day suspension slip for your parents.”

Cross hadn’t even realized the principal had come out of her office. He took the chance to look down the hallway while he could, too. Apparently he had caused quite a stir at the pre-game, as a lot of the players, a few cheerleaders, and some of the students had gathered in the hallways.

Shit, maybe they canceled the game.

He didn’t care.

Dina pointed a finger at Cross. “So done.”

“There was nothing to be fucking done,” he replied, “and you knew that, too. Fuck off somewhere away from me, Dina.”

That was that.

The girl went.

Cross felt like a bug under a microscope with all the eyes watching him. The gossip was going to fly, and he was suddenly glad for a suspension that would keep him away from it for a week. Maybe by the time he got back to school, someone else would have given them a show to talk about.

“New rule,” Calisto said, “because Jesus, that was rough, Cross.”

“What’s that?”

“You know the whole don’t make a spectacle of women, right?”