School of Broken Hearts: Academy of Souls Book 2

by C. R. Jane

  She turns around right as I get up behind her. There’s a look of pure pleasure on her face when she sees me. “Better luck next time,” she says gleefully before prancing off. I can hear her telling her friends how today “just couldn’t be better.”

  My heart sinks knowing that the only way she could be so happy was if I hadn’t made it. I force myself to walk up to the list, nevertheless, wanting to confirm it for myself.

  Sure enough, I’m not on the list.

  Hot dread courses through me and I can feel tears gathering in my eyes. I didn’t know until this moment how much I had actually wanted this. The hits just kept coming at this school and I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle.

  I lift my head to look for Mercy, and instead I see Professor London. A mixture of anger and devastation flashes through me. He just mauled me, all the while knowing that he hadn’t put me in choir. That fucker.

  His face is blank as he stares at me. I can’t tell what he’s thinking at all. It’s like he’s wearing a mask.

  I make sure that my face is not blank however as I stare at him coldly, letting him see the full spectrum of my emotions at the moment. I don’t stop staring at him until he flinches from the pain that I’m sure he sees all over my face.

  I finally turn away then, grabbing Mercy’s arm as she looks at me sympathetically.

  Apparently, it was too much to ask to have one thing go my way at this wretched hell hole of a school.

  Chapter 10

  The bus rocks us back and forth. Students in the bus are chatting, voices rising and blending together into a hum. This feels like the school excursions at my old school, and excitement bubbles in my chest to be doing something different. To finally get a break from school and just be able to hang out with my best friend.

  Mercy is sitting at the window and staring out at familiar streets we pass by in the city. For some reason, I expected our camping to take place in the woods near the school. Apparently, I was wrong. We’re off to the mountains to a camping site, and I can’t keep my knees from bouncing with anticipation.

  I glance at the back of the bus where Alexander and his gang are lounging on the back seat, deep in conversation rather than enjoying the moment with everyone else. Between us is Clarissa, glaring at me with some promise of torture, I’m sure related to what she saw between me and Professor London, but I look away. I stood up to her once and I’ll do it again if she keeps pushing me.

  “Do you think we’ll be slumming it in tents? Because then you and I sharing alone. Don’t want anyone else in our tent, especially if they have smelly feet,” Mercy says, sounding concerned.

  “Got a thing against smelly feet?” I tease.

  She nudges me. “My parents used to take me camping with our cousins, and I swear I always got stuck with Tabatha, who not only had night terrors and scared me half to death but had the smelliest feet.”

  I chuckle at her story. “We never went camping so anything we do will be a new experience for me. As long as there are no wolves or bears attacking us, I’ll be fine.”

  “Still freaking out over that attack?” she whispers.

  “Yes! I could have died.”

  She stares over my shoulder and back at me. “Still can’t believe Nyx fought a wolf for you, barehanded. That’s insane. And yet he has no sign of scratches on him. Didn’t you say he was covered in blood?”

  I look back at him as he sits there, legs spread, hands behind his hand and slumping in his seat with closed eyes. Not a blemish on his perfect face. I’ll never forget that day he fought a monster to protect me. Guess Alexander wasn’t joking when he said they were taking this protecting business seriously. “Maybe it looked worse than it was?” I said with a shrug, even though I don’t really believe that.

  “His hotness factor is definitely up after finding out that he’s basically Superman. So, you okay with being with four guys?”

  My mouth opens and closes again. “I haven’t really thought about it that way before.” My cheeks burn when I think about Professor London because I haven’t told her about him… I can’t bring myself to do it yet. Not yet.

  “I’m not with Alexander or Dante,” I say staunchly. “But with the other two, It’s weird, but it sort of feels normal. They are each so different, but similar if that makes sense.”

  She’s shaking her head. “Not really, but if you’re happy and they treat you like a princess, that’s all that matters.”

  I almost laugh at the word princess. “Sometimes, I swear Alexander treats me like a delicate princess.”

  “Means he really cares for you. Guys think we’re weak and all that shit.”

  “But they’re wrong.”

  Mercy smirks and loops her arm around my shoulders, drawing me into a hug.

  I can’t stop smiling. It just feels so good to get away. I feel like I’m ready to take on the world.

  The rest of the trip takes over two hours and I feel every minute of it. We left the city behind long ago and now we’re surrounded by mountains and an endless sea of forest in every turn.

  “How much longer?” a girl calls out from the back.

  Mr. Dusk glances back at her from the front and offers his piercing stare at her without a word. She falls silent.

  It isn’t long before we take a left turn down a dirt track, and everyone in the bus is cheering, me and Mercy joining in, laughing.

  By the time we come to a stop, everyone is gawking at the windows, seeing nothing but woods. The other buses park along us and we all stream out in a rush.

  The sun is warm on my head and shoulders and a crisp breeze washes past, bringing with it the fresh scene of pines and nature.

  The side panel of the bus lifts and everyone is collecting their bags, but I wait for the rush to be over before stepping to get mine.

  Lofty trees surround us, but the path that Mr. Dusk leads us is down a slope and I gasp when I see what he’s leading us towards. A lake as smooth as glass lays before us, glistening beneath the sun. Branches sway in the breeze and the birds are chirping.

  “Sweet Jesus, it’s stunning here,” I murmur.

  “It sure is beautiful,” Finn murmurs, and I glance up, catching him staring at me. My stomach does its usual somersaults that I always get in his presence. Ever since our little interlude, I hum with fire around him, and I resist the urge to lean in close, to steal a kiss.

  Mercy is making gagging sounds nearby, but I ignore her.

  Finn hands me my backpack, our fingers touching, and I tremble. He then tosses Mercy hers. She catches it and grumbles.

  “Thank you,” I say, as my voice grows soft and my lips pull wide into a grin like I can’t control myself around him.

  Mercy grabs my arm and drags me after everyone else. “We gotta go. You’ll have plenty of time for googly eyes later.”

  “See you,” I call out as Finn just waves at me, his pearly whites on display, his eyes seeming to shine in the sun.

  “What’s the rush?” I thread my arm through the straps of my backpack and join Mercy in her power walk down the hill.

  “We’re going to have so much fun. I want to get there already.”

  “It’s so hot here. Easy for you girls wearing those skimpy clothes,” Liam complains as we pass him, and I snort a laugh. Is he kidding? This weather is perfect. He looks at me with a glare.

  “Check your curls, Liam, pretty sure you look like an alpaca in this heat.” Mercy smirks at him and drags me quicker along the sloped hill.

  At the base, we emerge into an open area, and my mouth drops open in awe. Before us lays the crystal lake. It looks even better up close. I’m so happy I packed my bikini.

  The news about my parents tries to creep in at that moment as I think about how my dad would love this place, but I push it away. There will be plenty of time to think about that when I return.

  Along the edge of the lake are a dozen wooden log-style cabins with verandas out the front with chairs and tables. There are several campsites farther b
ack from the river, each with fire pits.

  I bounce on my toes. “This is amazing!”

  A loud whistle blows behind us, and we all turn toward Professor London. Just seeing him in a simple tee and low hanging jeans has my heart racing because he looks like one of the students, and all I can picture is him kissing me.

  He throws me a heated glance when our eyes connect, and I pretend that I don’t see it. I’m still hurt about the whole choir thing. The more I think about it, the more I feel like there’s no way I shouldn’t have made it. I know I put on my best performance.

  My eyes skip over the other students and I see all of the guys standing together. I can’t help but think that out here in the middle of nowhere...anything is possible. My head spins at trying to juggle it all.

  “Cabins will be shared, and everyone’s name is on a list on the front of each cabin. Find yours and make yourself comfortable. In an hour, we are meeting back here for a barbecue lunch.”

  An explosion of excitement takes over the group as everyone bursts toward the cabins like maniacs. Mercy is dragging me by the arm with the crowds, and only when we reach the second to last cabin do we find our name on the list. I glance over to see the teachers heading into the last one… So, Braxton made sure to put me in the cabin next to his. I scowl to myself, even though I want to smile, and I glance around to see where Alexander and the rest are staying. I can’t see them anywhere though, not amid the mass of students running around.

  The note pinned on the front door lists only girls, but no Clarissa. I breathe easy and head inside after Mercy.

  It’s a long cabin… one long room with three bunk beds on each side, and a wide path down the middle. There’re twelve students assigned to each cabin. Mercy races forward to the bed in the farthest corner that’s near a window.

  “This one’s mine. I want top bunk,” she yells out to me.

  “Fine by me.” I rush toward her, several beds already claimed with students laying in them or opening their bags.

  I toss my bag onto the lower bunk of our bed and climb inside, staring out through the window. Our view is of the rest of the cabins, sitting in an arc around the lake’s bank. Students are still bouncing around and a giddiness overcomes me.

  Mercy leaps onto my bed and joins me. “We have the best view.”

  “I needed this,” I tell her softly, lowering my voice so that the other girls can’t hear me

  She looks at me sympathetically, “We both did.”

  “Who’s up for swimming?” a girl from our cabin calls out, and Mercy leaps up. “Yes, let’s do it.”

  We all dig for our bikinis and head out to find the toilets to get changed. I walk past Delilah, who’s fixing the cover over her bed. Evidently, she decided to come after all.

  “Hey, wanna come and join us?” I say.

  She looks my way and shakes her head.

  “It’ll be fun,” I tell her cajolingly.

  “Maybe later. But thanks for asking.”

  I offer her a smile and rush out after Mercy. It isn’t long before we’re changed and rushing into the water. I rush mostly so I’m not standing out in public in just my bikini and having everyone gawk. Pebbles are sharp under my feet, but I step into water that’s warmer than I expect. Five of us are rushing in when a wolf whistle streams overhead from several guys just down the lake from us.

  And that’s when I spot Alexander watching me, staring with such intent, my heart clenches and I feel exposed in my small yellow swimsuit. I suddenly wish that it was just us two here rather than dozens of students between us.

  “Hurry up, Adi,” Mercy yells, and I push deeper into the water that quickly reaches my chest. I push into a swim and catch up to Mercy. Someone throws blown up donuts at us, and I turn to find Ms. Hickle waving. I swim to one and loop an arm over it, hanging there, floating while Mercy is diving and bringing up all kinds of things from the bottom of the lake. A shoe. Goggles. A gold coin, which she squeaks over.

  When a rush of water brushes across my back, I spin in the water to find no one there.

  Something suddenly brushes against my legs, and my heart soars. Panic has me spinning in a circle. “Something’s in the water!”

  At once a head breaks the surface feet from me, and I flinch at first. Except, this isn’t a monster or shark, but Alexander. Water falls down his face in rivets, his dark hair pushed off his brow, and those eyes… blue as the sky.

  “Hey beautiful.” His hands find me underwater, clasping around my waist and draws me toward him, our bodies pressing together, skin to skin, and I’m buzzing all over. I should push him away, but out here in the sunlight with our classmates laughing around us, it’s hard to remember why I hate him so much.

  “Gah,” Mercy groans and steals the donut from us before heading over to the other girls.

  “I’ll hold you up,” Alexander says, and I’m lost in his gaze. He’s so handsome, and my attention glides to his bare strong shoulders bobbing up and down in the water, the shadow of his chest underneath calls to me, to touch him, to get so close I’ll lose my mind.

  “When I saw you in that tiny bikini…” His lips part ever so slightly, and I see the hunger in his eyes, the desperate need. His large hands twist me to face away from him, and he presses my back to his solid chest, and I can’t help but sense the hardness in his shorts. An arm loops around my middle, and he holds me, while his mouth is on my ear. “A shame our cabins are so far apart.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “The very first one.”

  I have no doubt Professor London placed him there intentionally.

  Alexander swims us farther away from the bank over to a dock where the sun is brighter, but where we’re alone. Behind us, more students are rushing into the water, but nothing compares to being in Alexander’s arms...with us being so close.

  “I’ve been craving you for so long,” he whispers, and the anticipation has me losing my voice. His free hand drops to my thigh, slowing caressing me as he slides his palm up over my hip, my stomach, his fingers digging into flesh.

  “I can hear your heart beating so fast,” he continues, and I hum my response, drowning under his touch.

  When his hand reaches my chest, he cups a breast with no hesitation, and my breath catches in my lungs. The tips of my breasts bead tightly, and he squeezes one, pulling ever so slightly. Enough that I’m moaning, leaning back into him. I look around, embarrassed at making such a noise, but no one is paying attention to us.

  “You’re so good for me,” he almost purrs in my ear, and my stomach flutters as his energy soars through me.

  “I am?” The words pour out of me like a broken damn, so desperate and needy. I squeeze my thighs, and a jolt of desire curls deeper inside me.

  Our bodies fit together like we’re made for one another.

  “I want to taste you, really taste you.”

  His words are like a drug, they leave me shuddering, and I don’t know what to say when my pulse is on fire. No one has ever spoken to me this way.

  His fingers are electric, and they slip under the fabric of my bikini top, dancing across the sensitive skin.

  My mouth releases a moan of ecstasy.

  As his palm moves over my skin, squeezing me, his groin presses against my ass. My mind struggles to process the pleasure that hits me so fast, I’m shaking in his arms. He’s in control of me… and I surrender completely.

  He spins me around and his eyes search mine. All I see is the hot intensity in his gaze that I know is the beginning of an inferno about to erupt.

  “I want you so much,” I admit out loud, my bravery pushing forward, coming out of nowhere.

  “And I’m all yours.”

  I’m about to smile when I remember how just a little while ago...he wasn’t all mine. My eyes keep straying to his full lips though, and my body wants to be closer to him, even if my brain is saying no.

  An ear-piercing whistle blares from the shore. We look back to see Ms. Hickle looking at
us. “No touching. Break apart!” she yells, drawing everyone’s attention. The crowd of students suddenly break into cheers and whistles at the sight of us.

  My cheeks are burning up.

  Behind Ms. Hickle, I see Professor London beneath the shadow of a tree, his eyes narrowing, his posture curling forward, and I remember his warning.

  I’m going to kill them if they touch you again.

  I shove my hands against Alexander’s chest, pushing myself away. “We need to get back to the others,” I say, quickly swimming away from a confused looking Alexander.

  Chapter 11

  “Not sure about this,” I murmur as the fire’s glare casts strange shadows over Mercy’s face.

  She rolls her eyes at me. “Are you scared? Nothing’s gonna happen.”

  I bristle. “I’m not scared. There are just other games we can play.” I gesture to the numerous groups of students huddled around the fire pits starting up various board games.

  “It’s a full moon.” Mercy glances up and I do the same, staring at the heavily pregnant moon suspended overhead. Milky stars dance and twinkle against the blackness around it. “This is the perfect night to play with the Ouija board. Oh, come on, please?” She looks at me with huge puppy dog eyes. How can I say no to that?

  “Bok bok, chicken. Go over to the baby group and play UNO.” Liam keeps making chicken sounds, and I send a glare his way, as he stands there, holding the game under his arm. What an idiot. Why was I ever concerned about him again?

  People still wander around camp to settle down, and I find Alexander and his gang easily sitting near a fire, not participating, which looks like fun to me.

  “Would you prefer we play truth or dare?” Liam mutters. “Everyone’s talking about what you and Alexander did out in the lake. Maybe you can settle the bets.”