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“What do you think?”
“I don’t think it’s that. I’ve only seen him with them a couple times, but he definitely considers them his sons. I’m sure there’s some other reason.”
“Like?”
“Like maybe adon’t forget where you came fromkind of thing? Or maybe he wanted them to have a choice about joining the gang. If they took the St. Crow name, they’d have big ass red targets painted on their backs. Using their given surnames adds a layer of anonymity.”
I lifted a brow. This girl was smarter than I gave her credit for.Damn.
Becca hopped up with a sigh. “I’m going to grab a water, want one?”
I shook my head, mulling over everything I knew thus far. At least one thing was for certain: Monday morning felt like a point of no return.
Bri told me she didn’t want me here. Corvus told me I should run.
If I wasn’t a stubborn ass with an ax to grind, I’d already be long gone. But their threats only made me dead set on staying. Nothing was going to ruin my chance at a ticket out of here. A ticket to a completely new life. One without gangs or worrying about casing the next job before I ran out of funds. Speaking of…
After a little jaunt into town with Becca to buy some new bedding and a couple incidentals, I was running dangerously low. I could ask Auntie dearest for an allowance, but honestly, I’d rather suck a goat.
I’d take the apartment in the city and college tuition when the time came, but for now, I’d do what I’d always done: take care of my damn self.
“Shit, we should head down,” Becca said, rushing to toss her phone back into her bedroom. “The bell’s going to ring any second.”
Sighing, I saw that she was right. At least I’d get to see the look on both Bri and Corvus’ faces when I deigned to show myself in homeroom this morning. It would be worth whatever came after.
I tossed my phone onto my bed and hurried to follow Becca out the door, making sure she locked it.
She split off from me as we reached the bottom of the stairs just in time for the bell. “See you at lunch!” she hollered, rushing to make it to her homeroom class before the tardy bell rang in three minutes.
I rushed across the atrium, knowing Mr. Harry Potter Glasses wouldn’t let me in if I was even a second late. And I wasnotmissing my chance to rub it in their faces that I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Oh! Ava Jade, could you come here for a moment?”
My brows furrowed as I caught sight of a woman with a tight blonde bun sticking her head out of the office. She gestured for me to come to her, and I forced a face that wasn’t the death glare I wanted to give her.
“Sure,” I chimed as I hurried over, gauging how much time I had left to make it to class on time.
The woman held the door open, and I stepped into the quiet office, my nose wrinkling at a terrible vanilla musk scent that reminded me of something, but I couldn’t place it.
A secretary typed away on a computer behind the main desk, and a few staff members chatted lazily in the corridor beyond that.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said, catching me off guard.
“What?”
“Your,um, your father, was it? He recently passed?”
My jaw clenched. “What is this about?”
“I’m so sorry, I’m the Vice-Principal, Mrs. June. It seems our secretary misplaced your file—”
“I told you, Caroline, I didn’t misplace it. I wouldn’t—” The secretary paused mid-typing to huff.
“Yes, yes.” Mrs. June interrupted the secretary, waving off her words and earning herself an ugly face from the woman behind the desk. “Anyway, I seem to recall there being a request for you to see the counselor. I just wanted to let you know that she’s been away on vacation this week but that she should be back by next week to see you, all right? If you need anything in the meantime, my door is open, just ask Janice here, and she can buzz you back.”
Well fuck me. I really hoped this wasn’t some hidden stipulation of Aunt Humphry’s because that was ahell fucking nofrom me, thank you very much.
“You must be mistaken,” I said with my best apologetic smile. “I see a private counselor online.”
