Page 18 of Saints & Sailors

Cameron dropped me off at the senior office, telling me that the counselor would handle the rest. Because she was a nice girl, Cameron reached out and gave me a big hug and wished me luck.

She would take some getting used to, if I decided to hang around her at all. Knowing the fact that Scott was good friends with her father, I decided not to ruin it for him.

I sat in one of the chairs in the waiting area, noting that the counselor wasn’t in their office yet.

The entire office smelled like cinnamon and apple, making me think of the breakfast Scott had made for me. Back home, my mother hadn’t been much of a cook either. She’d always relied on someone else to do the cooking. At least Scott was able and willing.

The door to the office opened and soon the boy from next door was stepping inside. He looked around, for someone it seemed, before shrugging and coming to take a seat next to me.

He greeted me with a bob of his head. “Hey.”

“Drake, right?” I asked.

He smiled softly. “Dreux, actually, with the ‘different spelling.’ Remember?”

I never cared. “Oh, right.”

Dreux cleared his throat, leaning over and planting his elbows into his knees. The veins bulged in his forearms and I didn’t miss how large his hands were. How large everything about him was. “I, uh, saw you outside. Word of advice, stay away from Bonham, he’ll only get you in trouble.”

Little did these idiots know that was exactly what I was seeking. Desperately.

Because I’d had enough with the warnings, I faced Dreux, snarling at him. “If you’re trying to be nice for Scott’s sake, do me a favor and fuck off.”

For a moment he paused, caught off guard and stunned. His recovery was quick as his nostrils flared and he scowled. “Whatever.”

Dreux stood from the chair with such force that it smacked back against the wall—not that he noticed, because in seconds he was out of the office, leaving behind a loud slam of the door.

One down, everybody else to go.

As soon as the final bell rang, I hightailed it out of the school.

The lessons were boring, the teachers were boring, the students were boring, and I needed to get high just to endure another minute of it. My first instinct was to flee as fast as I could, but then I remembered my very own personal cheerleading chaperone.

“Saylor!”

Shit.

Speak of the devil.

Cameron found me in the middle of the hall as I was en route to the nearest exit.

As much as I wanted to pick up speed, I didn’t.

“There you are!” Cameron came around me and planted herself in front of me with a high-spirited smile.

I tried to match her upbeat personality, but I was sure my smile came out lopsided and as though I were constipated. “Here I am.”

“My dad just texted me. He’s on his way,” Cameron informed me. “Let’s go wait out front. You can tell me all about your day.”

The crazy thing was, I could tell she actually was interested in hearing about my first day and if I enjoyed the school or not.

At my old school, I would’ve ditched Cameron by now, or at least made her hate me with a few choice words. But there was something about Cameron that made me feel like a total dick when I used sarcasm. She was like a puppy. A blonde, happy puppy that you couldn’t be mean to.

I followed her out of the school and with the flow of traffic to meet her father at the carpool lane.

“So, how was it?” Cameron asked, leaning close, eager to know. That damn smile had to be infectious for most.

I could not do this sober.