I searched for Shane in an instant, feeling like a child lost at the mall. As my eyes landed on him, a sense of relief washed through me, and I practically ran to the back of the room.
He couldn't hide his smile at my response to him as I dropped into my seat. Turning to him, I placed my elbows on his desk and supported my chin in my hands.
"Hi." I grinned.
"Hi." He gazed into my eyes without another word, and we hung there for what felt like forever.
"You good?" I asked.
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not as insecure as you might think."
My eyebrows lifted.
He added, "Sure, I didn't like what I heard, but I'm not stupid. I'm well aware of the threat. But you need to know, my priority is on bringing our friends back. No matter the rivalry."
I nodded, lost in the beauty and the truth of his eyes.
Then Coach Mac's voice erupted behind me. "So, I have these worksheets you're supposed to work on." He held them limply like they were toxic. "Or you can have a study period."
The class eagerly accepted his second offer, and a low murmur of relaxed socializing hummed through the classroom.
I remained turned around, looking at Shane with a grin.
A full hour with him was an unexpected gift that I'd cherish every moment of.
"I have so much to tell you," I whispered.
His curious eyebrows lifted with intrigue.
"Get the bathroom pass," he said. "I'll get the one for the boy’s room after you leave. Meet me in the stairwell."
I didn't have to wait long at the back of the stairs before Shane joined me.
He was out of breath, and without a word, pressed me against the wall with his full body. With his face near mine, I felt the smile that crossed his lips. My eyes closed as he kissed me, and a wave of euphoric sensations washed over me. Whirls of color, warmth, and tingles, coursed through me as I kissed him back. His scent filled my senses, and the rough feel of his stubble awakened my every nerve.
I'd have been happy forever in this moment, and craved every passing second to linger longer.
Trailing my fingers through his messy hair, I loved every part of him. His gentle strength, his athletic build, and his handsome, chiseled face. Every piece of him satisfied my desire in every way.
All but one, actually.
My desire to be with him. Intimately. It completely overwhelmed me.
Making love had never seemed to be more than sex to me until now. Making love with Shane would be the profound connection that would bring us together in ways I could only imagine. My entire body and mind craved it, proving to me that it would be the most powerful experience of my life.
Finding Shane's soul was paramount, not only to his existence but to mine as well. It was the one thing keeping us apart.
A guilty smile teased at my lips, and Shane felt it. He chuckled playfully through our kiss and lifted me in his arms.
"You make me feel so good," he whispered. Pressing his hips into mine, he groaned lightly into my ear. "This is exquisite torture."
I dropped my head back in equal torture as he brushed his cheek against mine.
"So now that I have my message communicated, what did you have to tell me?" He pulled back slightly and studied my face.
Before I could spew my revelations of how time was affecting our situation, and also my recap of my intellectual dual with Laney, a pair of hard-heeled shoes echoed in the stairwell.
Our spines straightened as we shimmied farther into the dark corner, holding our breaths.
The clomping grew louder as the steps hit the tile floor and moved toward us.
I shook my head and closed my eyes, willing myself to melt into the wall or become invisible.
In a blur, Principal Haney passed us and shook the door, testing to see if it was locked. As she turned back, her eyes fell on us, and she stopped short.
My heart plummeted to my feet.
Last thing we needed was trouble with Principal Haney. She already hated Ms. Kelly, which proved she knew more than she let on.
"You're in an unauthorized area," she stated with a cold glare. "Where are you supposed to be?"
Shane took a step to distance himself from me, while my mind raced in search of an excuse. His guilty smirk proved he had no good response either. Our minds were just too scrambled from the bliss of our kiss to handle the interrogation with finesse.
I grabbed onto the first idea that came to mind.
"We came to find Ms. Reed," I said, knowing her classroom was just around the corner. "We have a new concept that needs to be mathematically proven."
Score.
My excuse included a respectable teacher, an academic pursuit, and a good distraction from the truth of what we were actually up to.
Her brows pulled together. "And you thought you'd find her in the back of the stairwell?"
Her sarcasm wasn't lost on either of us.
In my hesitation, Shane stepped up.
"We thought we saw someone trying to get in," he said. "Maybe it was a parent or a worker, thinking this door was the way in."
Oh my god, I loved him.
There was no way she could argue our efforts at keeping the school safe from unidentified intruders.
Principal Haney glanced at the door she had just checked, and then back at us.
"And you stayed here then?" Her eyes narrowed on us, knowing damn well what we'd been up to.
I shrugged. "We heard you coming, and our first instinct was to hide. We knew it looked bad, and we didn't want to get in trouble."
She sniffed as her head tipped. Her eyes moved back to the door as if checking one more time for the stranger or buying time to formulate her next response.
"I'm not so sure I buy it," she said. "Don't let me find you in an unauthorized area again."
Shane and I nodded in agreement.
She continued, "And Ms. Reed is out today, so you'll have to find her another time. And not during class time." She emphasized her last words with more volume directed straight at us.
"Got it," Shane agreed.
"Okay," I added.
She clicked her heels together and stood straight. "Let me see your passes."
I swallowed hard as I pulled mine out of my back pocket. Shane did the same.
We passed the red plastic passes to her, and she pressed her lips together while shaking her head.
"Bathroom passes?" she grumbled. "In an unauthorized area, seeking a teacher who is absent, while signed out to go to the bathroom?"
We hung in silence on her words, knowing we were screwed.
Principal Haney cast judgment like a fishing net, and there was no escaping it once she had ammo.
And right now, she had tons.
"To the office," she said with a disapproving huff.
Chapter 9
I shot a glimpse of annoyance at Shane as we followed Principal Haney to the main office. My hands balled into tight fists as I considered telling her off.
We weren't in prison, for fuck's sake. And we weren't hurting anyone.
It took every ounce of my self-control to not argue with her decision to consequence us. Shane's eyes locked on me, willing me to stay silent.
As we entered the main office, Ms. Damien's head lifted from her computer screen. I swore I saw a grin cross her face, brightening her dead eyes.
"Please write these two up for being in an unauthorized area and leaving class for a false destination." Principal Haney crossed her arms and pressed her lips together as she glanced back at us. "One-hour detention after school today. Consider it a warning, and don't let it happen again."
She clomped away before we could say a word.
Then she stopped short and turned back to Ms. Damien. "Be sure they serve their time in separate rooms."
My face reddened with rage. What a bitch!
If her goal was to treat young adults, who were preparing to launch into the real world, like inmates, then she was succeeding. How were
we supposed to be prepared to navigate life outside of these walls if we never had the opportunity to spread our wings? It was infuriating.
Even worse was the smirk on Ms. Damien's face. I wanted to slap it right off.
She printed the detention slips and handed one to each of us.
I flicked it from her hand and stormed out of the office, with Shane right behind me.
We headed back toward Ms. Harrison's classroom, fuming.
"We're going to be late to the church now," I said. "Ms. Kelly wanted us to meet there right after school. I'm so pissed right now."
Shane glanced back over his shoulder to be sure Principal Haney was nowhere in sight, then we turned the corner.
Just as I thought we were about to move into our classroom, he tugged on me and pulled me into the boy’s room. In a playful, full-body hold, he shuffled me into a stall and locked the door.
"So, now we are in an authorized area," he said with a chuckle. “Sort of.”
His antics put a smile back on my face, wiping away my negativity.
"Hooking up in a bathroom stall seems worthy of a one-hour detention. We might as well earn our punishment." He grinned.
I reached for him and pulled him to my side of the stall. Kissing him in this location sent my chills to the next level, and I lost myself again in the feel of him.
A moment later, the door to the bathroom pulled open, and footsteps echoed inside. We froze, staring into each other's eyes in panicked silence.
The stall next to us boomed shut, and the click of the lock resonated through the tiled space.
Shane whispered into my ear, "I'll go out into the hall first. If no one's around, I'll open the door for you."
I nodded in agreement as we snuck out of the stall.
In a matter of two seconds, Shane had me safely out in the hallway, and I let out a huge sigh of relief.
Returning to the confines of our classroom with Coach Mac, we settled into our seats and caught our breaths.
Shane whispered to the back of my head, "That was so worth it."
I turned with a grin. "Yup."
It was definitely worth it.
The only problem now was the fact that we would be late to the church. An hour was like an eternity when we had so much to do. We seriously couldn't afford the delay.
I pressed my lips to the side in concentration, and just as I started to speak, Shane interjected.
"I agree." He nodded. "We're blowing off detention."
So, now we would be in hot water with Principal Haney—an entirely new level of struggle. But there was no way we could give up an hour with Ms. Kelly and the other UMAs at a time like this.
We were ready to come together to plan our next project—the most important project of our educations. Principal Haney had no clue what she was halting. She was so hung up on test scores and college placement data, she was missing the bigger picture—real world education, right in front of her eyes.
"We'll just have to face the consequences tomorrow," I said.
"If we even come in tomorrow," Shane added. "We'll have to see what the big plans are at the church first."
His words sank into me.
It was true. We had no idea what our next steps might be, and we were in the middle of such a volatile time, anything was possible. It was clear that the mundane process of school was the least of our worries, but keeping the office off our tails was a necessary precaution. It was a catch-twenty-two.
I spent my last two periods counting the seconds to the final bell. I might as well have been in a padded cell in solitary confinement—trapped against my will with no one in sight who truly understood what I was going through.
The satisfying sound of the final bell put into motion my mischievous jailbreak.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I embraced the feeling of being a rule-breaking criminal. It was invigorating, to say the least, mainly since I was rebelling against a system I despised.
I shot straight for our stairwell and pushed out the door to the student lot. Glancing around with obvious guilt, I kept an eye out for Principal Haney as I bombed for Shane's car.
He was already in it, panting from the same exhilaration.
"She's always out front, directing the traffic around the busses," I said. "She'll see us."
"Just stay down,” he said. “I'll roll through in the second line of traffic, so she won't notice us."
Feeling like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar, I crouched in my seat and watched him navigate his way through the chaos of student traffic.
"Fuck," he whispered.
"What?" It took every ounce of effort to not poke up for a look.
"She's at the edge of the sidewalk. Stay down."
My heart beat in my ears as if we were escaping Shawshank.
The car inched forward, stuck in the traffic of incompetent drivers.
"What's taking so long?" I murmured.
"No idea. A bus, I think." He glanced around to assess the traffic movement. "Fuck. Shit."
"What?" I begged from my hidden position.
"She sees me," he stated. "Fuck."
My breath stopped as my jaw fell open.
We were sitting ducks.
And the worst part was that I was hiding.
It was so obvious what was happening, and now we were fully screwed onto Principal Haney's shit list.
"Come on. Come on. Come on," he repeated. "Move!" His hands bounced on the steering wheel as he commanded the traffic to go.
"What's she doing now?" I begged.
"She's locked on me. She's heading over here." His head shook in resignation. "Hang on. The cars are moving again." He waited before pulling up farther. "I'm just letting some space open up ahead of me," he mumbled, keeping his eyes front instead of on her.
A horn blared behind him.
In a jerk, he hit the gas and moved up in the traffic line, leaving Principal Haney in his wake. Just as he approached the gates of Lakefield for the final exit, a car shot across the two lanes of traffic, blocking us.
Laney's red Beemer cut us off, leaving no chance of maneuvering out.
I lifted myself up and peeked over the back of my seat.
Much to my horror, I caught a glimpse of Principal Haney, and a wicked smirk across her face, as she moved toward us.
"Laney, move," I yelled, well aware that she couldn't hear me. "Move!"
I was ready to jump out of the RAV and leap into the Beemer. Pulling on her hair and pressing her foot against the gas pedal were my first options for attack.
More horns blared as a big yellow Jeep pulled along side her. The jocks inside jeered at her, calling her a shitty driver. In surprise of the harassment, she pulled out, screeching her tires on the road.
Without hesitation, Shane pulled out of the gates of Lakefield just as Principal Haney prepared to tap his window.
"Holy crap!" I squealed. "Freedom!"
My heart pounded in my chest, and I threw my head back in rejoice.
"That was fucking close," Shane gasped, pushing a hand through his hair.
I bounced in my seat. "Worth it," I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the direction of the church.
"We might not think so tomorrow," he huffed.
I shrugged. "We'll worry about that tomorrow. Today, we have bigger things to worry about."
Before long, the high steeple of the white church burst into our view. As we got closer, the details of the black doors lured us in.
It was an unfriendly kind of welcome—stark, ominous, and foreboding. A chill ran through me as I pictured colonial-era people entering its walls as a minister preached on their sins with a sneer of disgust. Feeling insignificant and unworthy in its vast hall of worship, they’d easily believe the lies cast upon them.
The walls of the church held its dark history within its shadows. The voices of the judged and the damned were still audible through the subtle vibrations of the wooden columns and stained-glass windows.
"T
here's Ms. Kelly's car," Shane pointed. "Not sure about the other ones, though."
Two additional cars had parked alongside hers, neither of which were Poorva's.
"Mr. Kelly, maybe," I suggested.
"Nope. He drives a pick-up."
Shane pulled in alongside the cars, and we hopped out. He glanced in the window of the sedan next to us, searching for any clues of who might own it. With a shrug, he turned his attention to the black doors of the church.
Moving up the granite steps, I hesitated as my gut clamped tight.
"Something feels... odd," I said. "Different."
He stopped and kept his eyes on the doors. "Same. Like, churning. A mix of new power," he murmured.
"Exactly." I froze, trying to read my instincts.
In our hesitation, a car pulled in behind us and parked next to the RAV.
"It's Poorva and Blake," I blasted with an exhale of relief.
We sailed back down the steps to greet them.
As the four of us stood together, strength and solidarity washed over me, removing all insecurities from the day. With the UMAs by my side, I believed I could achieve anything, including walking into the church despite the resistance of my gut.
As a unified group, we walked up the granite steps, as Shane and I spewed the details of our mishap with Principal Haney.
Poorva rolled her eyes in disapproval as if we were juvenile delinquents, and honestly, she wasn't far off the mark. Shane and I had allowed our emotions to take over, landing us in hot water.
Maybe having the correction happen in the safety of the school was better than being corrected in the real world. Suddenly, the annoyance of Principal Haney made a little more sense to me.
The creak of the massive black door sent chills through me as we entered the foyer of the church. The boom of the closing door made me jump as the sound echoed through the entire building.
Standing in a tight circle, the four of us looked at each other with pinched brows. It was impossible to ignore the strange energy that surged through the building and through each of us.
"Something's different," Poorva whispered.
"We know," I said, looking at Shane.
"What is it?" Blake squeaked.
"We're not sure yet," Shane stated, turning toward the worship hall. "Time to find out."
Urban Mystic Academy: Third Project (A Supernatural Academy Series Book 3) Page 8
