Chad smirked, “Did you guys go to the library in second? Word is that you took off.” And had sex.

He hadn’t said the words, but they were still there.

“Nah. We skipped to eat with Corrigan,” Bryce murmured and the sneer disappeared from Chad’s face.

The office door burst open and a student sprinted inside. He panted as he babbled, “Corrigan Raimler is—”

Bryce moved in a flash and dragged the kid outside.

Chad glanced to me and asked, “What was that about?”

I shrugged and moved to follow. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Mrs. Walker was still absent—she was. Chad moved to follow too, but I said firmly, “You stay and cover for us. Tell them I’m sick.”

He could’ve come, but I didn’t like Chad—never had. He just gave me the creeps.

“Okay.” Chad nodded, but watched through the window as I quickly darted around the hallway.

Bryce had dragged the kid outside and was already interrogating him by the time I got there. “So what were you going to say?” He prodded the kid with a finger in his shoulder.

The kid looked like he was about to pee his pants. He trembled when Bryce towered over him.

“I…I…” he stammered and glanced up at me. Terrified.

“Just tell us what you were going to say,” I spoke, calmly.

“I…Corrigan…” He took a deep breath and rushed out, “Corrigan Raimler just stole one of my friends’ cars. I know it wasn’t his because it’s Teddy’s.”

Bryce and I shared a look.

“You were going to tell the staff that Corrigan stole your buddy’s car?”

He paled when Bryce repeated his words.

“No…nnnnoo. I wasn’t. I was just…”

“Corrigan is my best friend.” I wanted to make sure he understood.

The kid shrunk back against the wall.

“He’s my best friend,” Bryce murmured soothingly, but we both heard the lethal promise in that voice.

Seriously. I even got shivers.

“Um…”

“What’s your name?” I asked as I shifted closer to him.

His eyes widened further and he stuttered, “D-d-Darrell.”

“Darrell? And you’re friends with Teddy?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded and brushed against him. Bryce shifted backwards to give me space and I crooned into Darrell’s ear, “When you hear that Teddy’s car is gone, you’re going to not remember anything about it. Okay?”

He nodded quickly and swallowed tightly.

I ran a hand down his arm and murmured, silkily, “And the reason you’re not going to remember anything is because my friend could get into a lot of trouble. And I don’t want that. Bryce doesn’t want that.”

I moved back and stared him in the face.

“And if we hear that Corrigan’s name was slipped, by anyone, you’re the one that we’re coming after. Got it?”

He jerked his head up and down. His hands covered the front of his pants as I stepped back. He rushed past us, inside.

Bryce swore and yanked his phone out of his phone. He pressed Corrigan’s number and barked into it, “You idiot! You were seen by a kid. Do you know what would’ve happened if the kid had told?”

I breathed in relief as I fell back against the bricked wall of our school.

Bryce swore again, “No. It’s criminal charges, asswipe. You could’ve gone to jail or…” He hung up and stared at me.

I spoke the obvious, “It’s not the first time we’ve bailed Corrigan out of jail.”

“I know.” Bryce slumped next to me and slid to the floor. “But they would’ve pressed him harder because he’d be connected to Hoodum.”

It was known around town that the cops had a vendetta against Hoodum and his gang. They wanted to shut ‘em down completely, but they were having a hard time.

Hoodum was pretty slippery and pretty damned smart.

The door opened again and Chad poked his head out.

“Hey, just so you know, Mrs. Walker is freaking out that you guys are gone. You might want to get in here.”

“You were supposed to cover for us,” I said sharply.

Bryce looked at me, surprised, but Chad shrugged and muttered, “I tried, dude. Jeez.”

When he went back inside, Bryce asked me, “What was up with that?”

I shrugged and moved inside.

Relief was evident on Mrs. Walker’s face when she saw us.

She snapped two fingers at us and pointed to the seats. “You two, stay put and don’t move. I don’t care if you’re sick, if you have to vomit, or the school burns down.

You stay put or face expulsion.”

Bryce and I sat.

The other students were still there and had mixed looks of fear, awe, and trepidation.

I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall when Bryce started to chat with Chad.

Each of the students had already gone inside the principal’s office until it was just me, Bryce, and Chad. It seemed to take forever and probably did.

Mrs. Walker received a phone call and repeated her instructions sternly before she left the office once more.

“Seriously, guys. What’d you do? I haven’t seen Mrs. Walker that pissy since Corrigan got caught screwing the Spanish teacher’s daughter.”

“Oh yeah,” Bryce laughed.

Corrigan’s popularity had skyrocketed that week. He’d been suspended for three days, but his arrival to the Friday football game had been to a standing ovation. None of the parents had stood, but some had been amused. Corrigan had saluted the crowd.

Mrs. Walker walked back inside with Miss Connors behind her.

“Sheldon,” Miss Connors said softly. “Can you come with me?”

I snapped to attention and shot up.

“No,” I said firmly.

Mrs. Walker looked taken aback, but Miss Connors wasn’t surprised.

Chad avidly watched the encounter while Bryce stood slowly beside me.

“Sheldon, please.” Miss Connors said again. She frowned at Bryce’s hand that had moved to cup my elbow.

“You can’t make me talk to you,” I declared. It was the truth.

“Miss Jeneve,” Mrs. Walker said promptly. “You will talk with our counselor or you will be expelled.”