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22
Mr Burnside looks at me with a frown as I sit in his office during my Monday morning therapy session. “So, you’re telling me Monk has been abusing Ruby.”
“Yes. That fucking prick has been beating her black and blue. She’s too afraid to do anything about it. I’m the only one who knows.”
“Thank you for telling me.” He scribbles something on the pad in front of him. “I’m going to need to take this further.”
“What?!” I sit forward in my chair, pressing my hands on the table between us. “You can’t fucking do that. She made me promise.”
“Asia, she’s in danger right now. I have a duty of care…”
“Are you fucking shitting me?! A duty of care? Where was your duty of care when Crown backed Eastern and me into a fucking corner?” I glare at him, suddenly furious.
“That was a different situation. Crown is a member of the Police department. You made a deal. I might not have agreed with it, but he isn’t harming you physically.”
“That’s a matter of opinion,” I bite back.
“What do you mean by that?” Mr Burnside asks, placing his pen on the table, watching me carefully.
Of course, I’m not talking about myself, Eastern even. I’m talking about Camden’s mum. I wonder whether Crown knows about her relationship with the King. Probably. She’s just another casualty of this life we live. Someone not worthy of saving, I guess.
“I don’t mean anything. Look, Ruby doesn’t want anyone to get involved. She’s scared. She trusted me to keep her secret safe.”
“Yet, here you are telling me. Why is that?”
“Because your fucking boyfriend told me you couldn’t talk about shit that goes on in here. That I could trust you with stuff. If I’d known you’d go blabbing I would’ve kept my mouth shut.”
“Mr Carmichael is right, I can’t talk about the things we discuss here with anyone but when someone’s life is in physical danger that can be overridden. This isn’t a burden you should be carrying, Asia. We both know you have far too many of your own to take on more.”
He doesn’t even know the half of it. What seemed a simple decision a few weeks back has snowballed into a bloody avalanche and I don’t fucking ski.
“What are you going to do?”
“That isn’t something you need to concern yourself with, Asia. Rest assured that your name won’t be brought up. I’ve been doing this job a long time. Ruby comes to me just like you do. If I can get her to talk then the problem isn’t yours anymore. Leave it with me, okay?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Looks like I don’t have a fucking choice.”
For the rest of the session I clam up, doodling on a piece of paper, barely answering any questions he throws at me. Eventually the alarm clock dings on his desk informing us both that my time is up.
“Anything else you’d like to add before you go to class?” Mr Burnside asks.
“No. Absolutely nothing,” I respond getting up. I drop the doodle I’d been drawing onto his desk. It’s a sketch of a girl sitting in a corner of a room, her head on her knees. The windows barred like a prison. I hadn’t even realised that I’d been drawing me.
* * *
I don’t goto English. I can’t face it today. Instead I find myself wandering towards the part of the main building that students aren’t allowed to enter. Standing in front of a set of double doors that says ‘Do Not Enter’ is like a beacon to someone like me. I’m a rule breaker, a danger seeker. It may as well be lit up in bright red neon saying, ‘Trouble This Way’ and I’d still ignore it. Pushing against the door, I find that it isn’t locked. Well, someone is gonna get fired for that mistake. How fucking stupid.
On the other side of the door the hallway is dimly lit and has a musty smell of not being used in some time. I move along it, pushing against each door I pass. All locked.
“Well, this is fun,” I say to myself, leaning against the wall. In the distance I can hear everyone moving about between lessons. A minute or so later, it quietens. No doubt Mr Collins will note my absence and I’ll be deducted credits. Not that I care, I don’t have fucking time for days out of Oceanside anyway. Time is ticking and I’m no closer to figuring out how to take the King down without taking Camden and his mum down too.
My head’s all over the place. Frustration bites at my heels, forcing me to move deeper into this part of the building. When I reach the end of the corridor, I hook a left then stop in my tracks when I hear muffled crying.
Someone is breaking apart. I hear their pain, feel it deep inside.
“Hey, who’s there?” I ask tentatively, moving along the corridor. Boxes are piled high, stacked up against the wall. Right at the end of the corridor is a door, slightly ajar. I push it open. “Hello?”
Sitting on the floor, huddled in the corner is Kate.
