I don’t think I could get any redder, but apparently, it’s possible.
“Relax, I’m just messing with you,” she says, poking me in the belly. “You do what makes you feel good. I don’t judge.”
“Thanks,” I reply.
“I just hope y’all can weather the storm,” she says.
“Storm?” I mumble.
“Yeah, word goes around school pretty fast.” She folds her arms. “Everyone knows about that fight between Cole and Michael, and that includes the teachers.”
“Shit,” I mutter, completely caught off guard.
“That’s what you get with celebrities. Cameras follow you everywhere. And when you do something stupid, everybody knows.” She glares at Cole for a second.
“Thanks,” he tells her. “But I was defending Monica.”
“I know,” she says, lifting her head. “And as her friend, I appreciate that. I just hope you don’t get into any more trouble because you’re in for some heavy-duty apologizing.”
Suddenly, the intercom goes off. “Will Miss Romero, Mr. Travis, and Mr. Jones please report to the principal’s office?”
“Jones?” I mutter.
“Michael,” Cole says with a gruff voice.
My whole body freezes as Mel’s face tightens. “Damn. Guess it’s already too late.”
Damn? Holy fucking shit is more like it.
Chapter 33
Cole
“Sit down,” Mr. D tells us the moment we enter his office.
Monica and I gulp as we approach the table and sit on the chairs. Moments later, Michael enters the room, and we stare at each other for a few seconds.
“Mr. Jones, sit down,” the principal barks.
Michael sits down opposite me and scoots his chair a little farther to create extra space. I don’t mind. I probably would’ve ripped his fucking head off if he came close.
“So, who wants to start?” Mr. D asks, flicking a pen back and forth while pacing around. “Wanna explain why you two were fighting in the hallway?”
Neither of us opens our mouth.
He places his hands on the desk. “Talk.”
“I didn’t do shit. Cole just attacked me,” Michael says.
“Bullshit!” I yell at him. “You fucking harassed Monica in the woods, and then you sent that fucking picture.”
“I didn’t send any fucking picture!” he spits back.
“Boys!” Mr. D interrupts. “Calm down.” Then he looks at Monica. “Maybe you can tell me what happened, seeing as you were apparently involved in this … drama.” He adds a sigh as if it annoys him to death.
“Um …” She bites her lip. “He and his buddies attacked me in the forest.”
“Okay. Tell me more. What else do you remember?” Mr. D coaxes her.
“They were trying to get on top of me,” she says, sniffing a little. “And Cole came to save me.”
“Who are the other guys that did this to you?” Mr. D asks. “Got any names? Descriptions? And have you gone to the police?”
“No.” She rubs her legs. “And I don’t know if I want to go to the police,” she says.
Michael narrows his eyes at her, so I throw myself between. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
Mr. D nods a few times. “And this picture? What is that about?”
Monica clears her throat.
I sigh and avert my eyes. I guess this is the moment everything I did comes back to bite me in the ass. I don’t blame her. It’s my fault. I caused this mess, so it should be me who’s punished.
“I took a picture of her body,” I say before Monica has to lie.
Monica gasps. “Yeah, but I let him.”
I look at her intently. She doesn’t have to lie, yet she still chooses to. Why?
“Motherfuckers,” Michael growls. “You took that picture to make sure she wouldn’t talk, you liar.”
“That’s not true,” Monica spits back, leaning forward to throw him a deadly stare. “You’re the liar.”
Michael shakes his head, clenching his jaw. “Oh, this is rich. Fuck you two. You’re setting me up.”
“No one is setting anyone up,” Mr. D says. “And I want to know what happened to that picture.”
“It got shared,” Monica says.
“It wasn’t fucking me,” Michael retorts.
“Then who was it?” I ask.
“I don’t fucking know, okay? It was on your phone, not mine. Maybe you should ask yourself.”
“I would never fucking share that,” I hiss.
“Then who would? Think hard, Cole,” Michael retorts. “Got any enemies?”
“Stop,” Mr. D interrupts. “You two fought enough. I don’t want any back and forth on this anymore. I will find the culprit behind the sharing of this picture.” He takes a deep breath. “Revenge porn? Harassment? This is not acceptable. I have no choice but to expel you both.”
“What?” Both Michael and I say out loud, and we look at each other. I want to stomp his head into the ground just for getting me into this shit.
“You’ve forced my hand here,” Mr. D says.
“But Cole didn’t do anything,” Monica says, tears welling up in her eyes. “Please. He saved me. He only fought Michael because he wanted to protect me. That’s it.”
I appreciate that she’s trying to stick up for me, but she doesn’t have to. I deserve this. Besides, Mr. D looks at us like we’re fodder for jail.
“Oh, fuck this.” Michael gets up from his chair and throws it around. “I’m out of here.”
“Sit your ass down, Mr. Jones,” Mr. D growls. “Before I call the police and have you arrested on the spot for the destruction of school property.”
Michael clutches the door handle and waits for a few seconds before releasing it, huffing and puffing. He slouches back to his chair and sits down in the corner of the room with folded arms and a deadly look on his face.
“You two need to solve your issues,” Mr. D says, looking at both of us. “But there will be no more fighting on these school grounds, got it?”
“I understand, Mr. D,” I reply, hoping he might be lenient.
Suddenly, the door bursts open, and we all turn around.
“How dare you question my daughter like this!”
“Mom?” Monica mumbles, her jaw dropping. “What are you doing here?”
Mom? Oh, wow.
“Someone sent me a video shared on social media of two boys fighting over my daughter, talking about some kind of picture. And I know what that means,” she growls, looking at Mr. D. “You should have called me.”
“Ma’am, I’m still investigating this matter since it only just happened,” Mr. D tries to explain, but her mom is not having any of it, and I am amused.
“Do you have any idea what you just did?” her mom barks at Mr. D. “I’ve told you from the beginning just how vulnerable she was. You knew. And you let this happen in your school?”
Well, this isn’t something I expected. Nor did Mr. D, judging from the look on his face.
“Ma’am, I’m trying to get to the bottom of this,” Mr. D says. “And believe me when I say I am just as surprised as you are.”
“My daughter did nothing wrong. She is a victim.” There’s a strain in her voice that I can only describe as overprotective.
“You don’t need to sit through this,” her mom says, grabbing Monica’s arm. “C’mon.”
“Mom! Let go of me.” Monica jerks herself free. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“Embarrassing you?” She goes to her knees in front of Monica and grabs both her arms. “I’m trying to protect you from them.” She points at us as though I’m one the bad guys.
“Mom …” Monica’s face turns red. “Please, stop.”
“No, I’m taking you with me. Now.” Her mom drags her out of the chair and out of the room before any of us can even say a word. Before even Monica, herself, can explain what happened … or what I am to her.
But her mom already knows who I am.
And I know this isn’t going to go over well.
Monica
“Mom, stop!” I yell, coming to a full halt right in front of the car.
She made a scene in front of the entire school. There’s nothing more embarrassing than that, not even two boys fighting over who shared that damn picture.
“Mom!” I yell when she opens the car door and looks at me as if I’m supposed to get inside. “No, I’m not going home.”
“Monica, I’m trying to help you, please,” she says.
“No, I don’t need your help. I never asked you to come,” I reply.
“But you got hurt,” she says, trying to hold her emotions together. “Again. I knew I should’ve just taken you out of that school the minute things were going bad.”
“What?” I frown. “Take me out? No!”
“But you were already being bullied!” she retorts.
“He was just trying to get under my skin,” I reply.
“Who?” She makes a face. “I swear to God if—”
“I like him,” I interject before she tries to do something stupid.
She frowns. “You like him? How? He’s a bully!”
I sigh. “It’s complicated, okay? I’m not gonna explain my entire life.”
She folds her arms. “Well, you’d better explain why some boys were fighting over you and why I had to see it on social media instead of my daughter telling me herself. Those boys you’re involved with, they’re dangerous. Some band called TRIGGER. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” She snivels, clearly upset. “I trusted you. I gave you more freedom when you told me you could handle it.”
“I can,” I say. “I know how to handle myself.”
“But they hurt you!” she yells. “Goddammit! Now you even made me swear.”
“Sorry,” I mutter. “But how do you know they’re dangerous?”
“Another mother called me to tell me her daughter had seen you being carried inside a house after coming out of the forest.” We both suck in a breath. “What do you think is going through my mind when I hear that, Monica? After what you’ve been through?”
“I know, Mom, but it’s not what you think. Cole actually came to save me.”
“Oh, so his name is Cole?” She scoffs. “Thanks for filling me in. And saving you? From what?”
“Other boys …” I sigh and look away. “Michael and his buddies.”
“Michael?” She points at the school. “Was he that other boy inside that room?”
I nod.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
I have to physically restrain my mom not to go back inside.
“Mom, please! Don’t,” I say, and I push her back to the car. “Just stop. Okay? I can handle this.”
“I can’t forgive this. That boy deserves everything that’s coming for him. Which one was it? The dark-haired one?”
“No,” I quickly reply. “That’s Cole.”
“Oh,” she murmurs.
“And there’s something I have to tell you …” I tuck my hair behind my ear. “I think we’re sort of dating?”
Her eyes widen, and she makes this face I’ve never seen before like she’s about to faint right here on the pavement. “What?!”
“Don’t be mad, please.”
“You’re dating a rock star?” she squeals.
I try to cover her mouth with my hand. “Shh … not so loud. No one knows. Not yet, anyway.”
“Monica!” She forces my hand down. “Really? That’s what you’re worried about?”
“I’m not worried. But this is new to me too, okay? And I’m still trying to figure it out,” I explain.
She stares at me and sighs out loud. “Monica …”
I grab her hands. “Mom. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just needed this to be my choice. My story. You asked me if I was ready. I am.”
“But these boys will never change,” she says.
“But I have,” I reply. “And I don’t want to be stuck in the past anymore.”
She looks down at my hands and gently squeezes them. “If you’re sure …”
“I’m sure, Mom,” I reiterate. “And Cole is in there right now, getting expelled because of me.” I point at the school. “I have to go back.”
“Wait,” Mom says as I try to walk back. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I can help keep him here.” Tears well up in my eyes. “I don’t want to lose this one good thing in my life, Mom.”
She grabs my face and caresses me gently, wiping away the tear. “If you’re sure about this boy … a thousand percent sure.” She leans in and places her forehead against mine. “Then go get him.”
A beaming smile forms on my face. “Thanks, Mom.”
I turn and walk back, but she waits there in front of her car, watching my every step. She doesn’t have to be worried about me. Not anymore.
With my head held high, I march back into that same school that I thought would be my downfall, filled with all those students who will inevitably notice my involvement with Cole, the rumors, the picture. And it will all have been for nothing if I can’t stay …
If I can’t be with the only boy who has managed to both destroy and mend my heart.
There has to be a way.
What if I can find out who sent that picture? Cole fought too hard, and he swore it wasn’t him. But then who?
I grab my phone and find the anonymous message that was sent to me. The link leads to a folder on a website that has an account name attached … AR.
AR … who the hell is AR?
I walk inside the school without looking where I’m going as I’m too busy in my head trying to decipher who sent this to me. It has to be someone with access to Cole’s phone. Did it happen at the party? It’s too much of a coincidence that this happened just a day after. But who would do that? It could’ve been anyone.
Except if it were just anyone, I’d assume they’d send this picture around to anyone they could to make fun of me and have a laugh. But I don’t think that happened because no one in this school even glanced at me when I walked in. No one seems to have noticed this picture going live.
So that begs the question … did they only send it to me?
As a threat?
Suddenly, I bump into someone. “Oops, sorry,” I mutter.
“Monica?”
I look up into Ariane’s eyes.
“I didn’t think you’d come to school today,” she says, frowning. “I mean, after what happened at the party…”
My lips part as I’m struggling to find the words. My brain is trying to mesh things together into a cohesive story while also trying to react to what she’s saying. I should go to the principal’s office and find Cole.
“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Ariane asks.
“I …” I’m still dumbfounded, staring at my phone.
Ariane follows my gaze down.
I stare at the symbols again. AR.
Ariane. Romero.
Chapter 34
Monica
My eyes rise to meet hers, and in a split second, it all comes flooding in.
Ariane hated Cole. Hated him because she always told everyone he cheated on her. But Cole said she was the cheater, and she tried to blame it all on him to save her reputation.
And now she’s trying to sabotage my relationship with him too.
“It was you …” I mutter, lowering my phone.
Our eyes connect, fury spilling from us both.
One second passes before she grabs my arm, whisks me into a bathroom, and shuts the door.
My heart beats in my throat as I press a few buttons on my phone, trying to find what I’m looking for.
“Look, I don’t know what you got into your head, but this isn’t happening,” she says.
I struggle to keep my anger contained. “AR. That’s you, isn’t it?”
She doesn’t reply. She stares at me with her brows raised. “Monica … really?”
“You sent this,” I growl. “Admit it.”
For a moment, there’s only silence. Then a devious smile forms on her face.
“You shouldn’t have gotten close to him,” she says.
My nostrils flare. “So it was you. You tried to make me think he did this. You wanted me to hate him and blame him!”
“Oh, please.” She folds her arms and takes a provocative stance. “I didn’t take that damn picture of you.”
“No, but you were the one who sent it around.”
“How?” She scoffs. “How would I have done that, hmm?”
“You were at that party. You could’ve opened his phone.”
“And why would I do that?” she asks. “Why the hell would I need a picture of you?”
“Because you wanted to threaten me so I would stay away from him.”
She rolls her eyes and sighs. “Oh, Monica.” She turns to the mirror and starts redoing her lipstick. “You really are naïve. And here, I thought you’d finally learned your lesson.”
“Shut up,” I retort.
She’s a goddamn snake.
“No,” she says, throwing me a look. “I don’t think I will. You see, you did something that no girl should ever do.” She walks toward me and points at me. “I told you to stay away from him, and what did you do?”
“All this time, I thought you wanted to protect me,” I say, shaking my head. “But you were just protecting yourself.”
“I don’t need protecting,” she hisses. “But you do.”
“Oh, what? I stole your boyfriend?” I spit back. “He hates you. And you knew. You knew what you did to him, and you flipped the story to make him look like the bad guy, so you’d get away with your scheme.”
“You think I care?” She cocks her head, her jaw tightening. “He deserved it after how he treated me. He never gave me one ounce of the attention he gave his fans. So I thought I’d give him a taste of his own medicine. He wanted attention from fans? He got it.”
Rowdy Boy (A High School Bully Romance): Black Mountain Academy Page 25
