“I used to,” I said. “Used to. When I was in my old town. That’s what I’m trying to say. Since I moved her… I feel good here. I would never bring that to school.”
“So how did it get there?” Principal Henders asked. “You know how many times I’ve heard this story?”
“I know. But I’m telling the truth.”
“Aira, why was that there then?” Miss Carson asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Nobody even knew…”
Wes did. But he wouldn’t…
“What does that imply for us then?” Principal Henders asked.
“You need to believe me,” I yelled.
“What I believe is what I see, Aira,” he said. “And what I got was a letter on my desk stating you were thinking bad thoughts and had a way to end things in your locker. That right there warranted me to call the police. But Miss Carson begged me to wait. Against my better judgement I did.”
“Why would I do that to myself?” I asked.
“That’s what we’re asking you,” Miss Carson said. “You’re a beautiful, young woman, Aira. I can help you. I can get you help. We know you wouldn’t hurt anyone. But maybe this was your cry for help. And we hear it.”
“I’m not crying for anything,” I said. “Someone did this.”
Mika.
The name pounded my head.
This was something she would do.
Except she didn’t know about my dark secret.
Unless someone told her.
The thoughts raced again and I covered my face.
“This is something that just won’t go away,” Principal Henders said. “The safety of everyone in this building is my top priority. I will be calling your… Julia. You will not be allowed back at Hidden Creek High until we evaluate the entire situation.”
I swallowed hard and felt my stomach sink.
“But I will be here to help you,” Miss Carson said. “It’s time to get help, Aira.”
“I don’t need…”
I lost my words.
This was all a setup.
Someone did this to hurt me.
And if it wasn’t Mika… what about Noelle?
Ohgod.
What if Wes told her about me? And she did this?
I slowly stood up. “I’m telling the truth. Living through the fire was horrible. But it had nothing to do with… other stuff. I did that because of my old town. Not here. Not this place.”
“I need to make sure your locker is safe,” Principal Henders said.
I shut my eyes.
My locker was like a crime scene now.
And the rumors would spread fast. And I wouldn’t be able to defend myself.
Not that I could defend anything.
What was there was true. But I didn’t put that crap in my own locker. I wasn’t calling out for help.
“I’m the happiest I’ve been in a long time,” I whispered. “I swear.”
“I believe you,” Miss Carson said. “We can be happy, Aira. And we can still feel pain at the same time.”
“I don’t want to do this right now,” I said.
“Then let’s call Julia,” Miss Carson said.
“She’s not home. She was away. She’s coming home today.”
“Well, we can’t let you go home alone then,” Miss Carson said. “Let’s go to my office and we’ll talk. Try to breathe through this and just talk.”
Principal Henders left his office first.
I felt like a criminal as Miss Carson led the way.
Of course Mika was waiting there. Just outside the office.
“She okay?” Mika asked.
“Bitch,” I whispered.
“Aira, stop,” Miss Carson said. “Mika, this isn’t your business.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry. Just wanted to make sure everything was okay. I mean, I had been worried ever since PE class. That first time. When she was sitting on the bleachers. I didn’t mean to see anything…”
My lip curled high into the air.
It was her. It was Mika. Those stupid gym shorts they made us wear. I had been worried about them but made sure nobody saw a thing. But Mika was looking.
Even still, it didn’t make sense.
How did she get into my locker?
“I hate her,” I said to Miss Carson.
Mika was gone.
And right in her place came Ryland.
He was out of breath and looked worried.
“I heard the news,” he said. “Aira… no…”
“Ryland, go away,” Miss Carson.
“I can’t,” he said. “I have to save her. Protect her. This is Weslee’s fault. He did this to her.”
“Shut up,” I said. “You have no idea-”
“Look,” Ryland said. He showed me his phone. “I had to go to Tech today to pick something up. And I saw Wes there, Aira. With Noelle. Look. She was kissing him again.”
I saw the picture and my heart did another backflip.
I shut my eyes. “Get me out of here.”
“Ryland, leave now or else,” Miss Carson warned.
“Where is she?” a voice screamed through the halls.
“There he is,” Ryland said. “Save her from him. He’s dangerous.”
“You’re an asshole, Ryland,” I said.
Wes came racing from the opposite end of the hall.
“Get the fuck away from her,” he growled as he charged at Ryland.
“Truth is out, man,” Ryland said.
“Weslee, stop,” Miss Carson said.
I felt bad for Miss Carson.
There was no stopping Wes. And she was so small compared to both Wes and Ryland.
Wes grabbed Ryland and threw him like a toy down the hall.
Miss Carson let out a scream.
Then Wes looked at me. “Aira…”
“No,” I said. “You dropped me off and went to see her?”
“It’s not what you think. I needed to-”
“You were right about the secrets,” I said. “And now everyone knows mine. Somehow they all know. There was only one person who could get into my locker, Wes. Think about that.”
“You think I had something to do with this?” he asked, his face suddenly looking pissed.
“That’s enough!” a voice called down the hallway.
It was Principal Henders walking with true authority down toward the entire scene.
“He put his hands on me,” Ryland said, pointing to Wes.
“Is this true?” Principal Henders asked Miss Carson.
She was pale white and flustered. “Yes. They… she…”
“Weslee Jackson, get into my office. It’s time we talk about you leaving this place for good.”
I gasped.
Wes looked at me. “You think I did this to you? I love you, Aira.”
I didn’t say a word.
I didn’t want to say or think or do.
“Aira, we have to move,” Miss Carson. “You don’t need any of this right now.” She put her arm around me and hugged me. “It’ll be okay. We’ll get through everything.”
Wes made a move toward me and Principal Henders grabbed his arm with force and pulled. Now, if Wes really wanted to do it, he could have thrown Principal Henders worse than he did Ryland.
But I made no effort to care to want to be near Wes.
He had lied to me about Noelle. Well, first off, he never told me about her. Then he gave me a face full of lies about her and then ran to her. For what? To tell her to keep him and her a secret? And then she kisses him again? Right in front of Ryland…
Not that I trusted Ryland for a second, but I saw the picture.
“I will forever keep my promise,” Wes said.
“Just come with me,” Miss Carson said.
I turned my back on Wes and started to walk.
That’s when Ryland gently bumped into me. “Looks like he broke his promise, Aira.”
“I hate you,” I said to Ryland.
I froze and looked back. “What?”
My eyes moved down the hall and Wes was already gone with Principal Henders.
Ryland smirked and whispered, “Twenty-three… ten… seven…”
Which was my locker combo.
Which meant him and Mika did this.
I pulled away from Miss Carson but she quickly hugged me.
“No, Aira. You have to come with me. If you don’t, we’re going to be forced to call the police.”
I wanted to scream He did it! and point at Ryland before I punched him in the face. But I knew if I did that it would only make me look worse. They set me up. They both set me up. And I sort of blamed Wes.
But he still lied to me.
It was a mess. One gigantic mess.
And the only thing that was true… was what everyone warned me about…
Hidden Creek High was full of secrets.
Chapter 25
Wes
“I think it’s time we talk about you taking an extended leave from this building,” Henders said. “We can transfer you to Tech without any issues. Finish there and be done.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said.
“Excuse me?”
I thought about what could have come out of my mouth. One thing Pop always taught me was to be careful how much you spill at once. You didn’t cry over spilled milk, but if you spilled enough it would get messy and smelly.
“Nothing,” I said. “I just wanted to make sure Aira was okay. She’s my girl.”
“Well, her situation is very different than yours, Weslee,” Henders said. “You continue to physically assault people in my building. Everywhere I go that involves problems, you’re right in the mix of it.”
“The mix of it,” I said with a nod. I hated when Henders tried to act cool.
“For the moment, everyone needs distance. I have decisions that must be made. On several things.”
“I hope you know that Aira would never do that,” I said. “You can expel me. You can send me to Tech. You can blame me for it. But Aira did not do that. I can prove it.”
“How so?” Henders asked.
“I was with her. The entire time. We were together. We spent the day together. The night together. The morning together. I dropped her off out front where she met up with her friends. There was no way in hell she could have done that to her locker. And why…”
I shook my head.
This was officially a war.
Ryland had gone too far.
And bringing in Mika was just sad.
I slowly stood up.
Henders was behind his desk, staring at me.
“I think it’s best if you leave,” Henders said. “And stay away. I’ll be in touch with any further questions and decisions.”
I walked to the door and Henders called my name.
I looked back.
“On a personal level, you better stay away from that young woman,” Henders said. “She’s been through enough. On a professional level, if I see you within spitting distance of this building I will have you arrested.”
Henders's threats were like a crashing wave. Sometimes it may have looked big and dangerous but if you just stood there and took it, you’d be fine.
I exited his office and went to Aira’s locker.
It was barricaded off like a fucking crime scene. The door was shut.
I rubbed my jaw, really thinking it through.
From the first day she showed up Ryland had been messing with her. And if he didn’t get what he wanted he would attack. But this…
“What’s the plan?” Flynn asked as he walked toward me with force.
“Where is she?” I asked.
Leo came around the corner, an unlit cigarette in his mouth. “She was with Carson. Not sure now. They’re going to call Julia and sort it out. It’s a fucking mess.”
“Wes?” Flynn asked.
I looked at him. “She thinks I did it. She thinks I set all of it up. She thinks I’m fucking Noelle behind her back.”
“So what?” Flynn asked. “You know that’s not true.”
“Bro, what was in there… is it true?” Leo asked.
I looked at Leo and didn’t answer.
“Fuck,” he said.
“Ryland set this up,” I said. “And he used Mika to make it worse. To send a clear message to me. And that message was sent. And heard.”
“We’ll fix it,” Flynn said.
“We have to get to the shop,” I said. “I have to get to Aira.”
I walked through the makeshift barricade and punched her locker as hard as I could.
I wanted the thing stuck forever.
Fuck.
I couldn’t lose her.
* * *
“Do I even want to know?” Jett asked.
Walker looked like hell as he dragged himself through the garage.
Ryker paced like a hungry lion.
Flynn and Leo stood tall, ready for whatever war waited outside.
“I’m so sorry, bro,” I said to Walker.
“For what?” he asked.
“This is on me.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” I said. “I pushed you to dig around. They were pushing at us. They figured it out and got to you.”
“Screw that,” Walker said. “I got a hell of a story to tell.”
His lip was swollen, left eye almost purple, plus scratches all over his face. He looked like he crawled out of a crashed car.
“I’m going to fuck them all up,” Ryker growled.
“Can’t do that, boys,” Jett said. “You have to figure out a different road on this one. Everyone starts throwing punches and it gets us nowhere. Trust me. And the one who is caught throwing the punch is the one who gets in trouble.”
“Jett, you don’t know what they did,” I said. “To Aira… to her locker…”
“They made it seem like she was going to kill herself,” Leo said. “Just say it as it is.”
Jett swallowed hard. “Really?”
“Really,” I said. “Look, Aira’s had a rough go. But this…” I rubbed my jaw again. “She also thinks me and Noelle are…”
“Too many hearts hitting together at once,” Jett said.
“They were going to hit the shop, Jett,” Ryker said. “That’s where it was going. Ryland, Nick, and Dean. Messing with those stolen parts. Trying to get to us. To get to you, man.”
“Okay, let’s be rational,” Jett said. He leaned against a workbench. “Is Aira okay?”
“Physically, sure,” I said. “But everything else… no.”
“Make sure she’s okay,” Jett said. “The rest will fall into place.”
“Look at my brother,” Ryker called out.
“I’m good,” Walker said. “They jumped me, man. Who does that? That’s weak.”
“Walker’s right,” Jett said. “They did that because they don’t know how to fight fair.”
“Fair is out the door,” I said.
“Just think before you act,” Jett said. “For once. You’re not kids anymore. Whatever you do now will follow you for life. Hearts can be fixed, Wes. But lives… if things go too far…”
I nodded at Jett.
He pushed from the bench and slammed a hand to my shoulder. He leaned down. “But at the same time, if that were me, and someone fucked with my woman, I would make my message very loud and very clear.”
Jett walked out of the garage.
“Guys, the look works on me,” Walker said. “The rumor is spread. I took on three guys. Sure, I look like death, but chicks are loving it. I’m getting attention like crazy. This busted lip is going to get me so much ass…”
“Who knew, you just needed to get uglier to get laid,” Ryker said.
I walked outside and lit up a cigarette.
/>
Ryland wanted me to come after him. That was part of the setup. This was a war of messages now. Because anything physical would just get the police involved. Because we weren’t punk kids messing around. This took a turn to become serious. Ryland wanted everyone’s secrets exposed. He prided himself on it. The guy always told the truth and thought his shit didn’t stink over it.
And as far as Mika went… everyone she knew she used up and tossed aside. There was nothing secret about that.
Fuck.
This wasn’t about secrets anymore.
“What do you want to do, Wes?” Leo asked.
I didn’t even realize he had come outside.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Flynn and Walker messing around, laughing. Ryker was still pissed but he took comfort in knowing his brother enjoyed the beating and was getting laid from it.
So be it.
“They can’t get away with it,” I said. “We know that. But Jett is right, bro. We just show up and start throwing punches…”
“That’s the fun part,” Leo said.
“Fuck yeah it is. But Aira’s heart…”
“You love that one, don’t you?”
“I think I always have, bro,” I said. “And this thing with Noe is out of control. Ryland set me up to look like I was lying and cheating.”
“Aira won’t believe it.”
“She already did,” I said.
“Then you have two choices, Wes,” Leo said.
“What’s that?”
“Fight for her or go fuck someone else,” he said. “That’s it.”
I smoked my cigarette with Leo at my side.
“One thing I’m not going to do is wait around,” I said.
“Where are we going?” Leo asked.
I put my arm out. “No, bro. You guys stay. Be noisy. Be obvious. Work your ass off here.”
“You can’t go it alone, Wes. Not with what’s happening.”
“I’m going to see Aira,” I said.
“Shit. You’re walking right back into the flames.”
“It’s all I know. I made a promise to her, Leo. And I’m not fucking breaking it.”
I walked to my ride and knew every second going forward my life was going to change and keep changing.
This was no longer about the shop. Or the past. Or whatever the deal was with Jett and Dusty. Or even Pop and the other rich old people in town. This wasn’t about Walker, Ryker, what happened at Tech. Or Flynn and Leo. Or even Noelle.
HIDDEN CREEK SECRETS: a hidden creek high novel Page 19
