“Alright,” I waited a heartbeat for her to get that smug look on her face. “But of course, that means my friends will be walking me to class again.”
She sighed wearily. “No, Alexis they won’t. If they are late one more time I’ll suspend them.”
“Then I’ll be bringing in Hades tomorrow,” I said instantly. She all but slammed her hands onto the desk.
“Alexis, I understand you’re afraid,” she said, trying to sound soothing. “But it’s about time you get over it. What happened to you was awful but you’ve healed-”
“Excuse me,” I bit out. Anger boiled in my veins. “But did you just tell me to get over it?”
She seemed to realize how that sounded. “Yes, what I want to see-”
“What you want to see? You’re not my shrink,” I snapped, my voice getting louder and louder as I continued. “You don’t get to tell me how to deal with what happened. I’m not going to recover on your schedule. I’m going to go at my pace. It’s going to be painful and terrifying but that’s what it is. I’m dealing the best way I can. The way that works for me.”
“I understand-”
“No, you don’t. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be telling me to leave my service dog at home or that my friends can’t walk me to class. You’re trying to take away my coping mechanisms. So, no. It’s very clear that you do not understand a fucking thing,” I growled.
Silence filled the small office, phones out in the main office went unanswered. I felt better. As if I had let something out that had been festering inside me for months.
Mrs. Weaver’s face was hard. “Go sit outside in the main office,” she ordered. “I’m calling your uncle to come in for a meeting.”
I scoffed. “Be my guest.” I got up and took Hades out into the main office. Sure enough, the women in the office quickly made themselves look busy.
I dropped into a chair and pulled out my phone then opened our group text.
Alexis: I won’t be back for lunch.
My phone instantly started vibrating.
Zeke: Where are you?
Asher: What happened?
Miles: Are you alright?
I smiled down at my phone.
Alexis : I’m fine. I’m in the office waiting while the Vice Principal calls Rory in for a chat.
Miles: What happened?
Alexis: I might have yelled at her.
The door to the office opened. Asher walked in, followed closely by Zeke.
“What the hell happened?” Zeke snapped. I started to explain when Miles came through the door and joined us. By the time I was done, Miles was sitting next to me and Asher was in the chair on the other side. Zeke stood across from me, his arms crossed over his chest.
“So, in short, I kind of lost it in there,” I admitted. The guys shared looks, then they all started chuckling. “What?”
Asher shook his head while Zeke walked over to the chair by the window.
“We’re just thinking about what Rory is going to say when he hears that she threatened you,” Miles explained. My fingers twisted in my lap.
“You don’t think I’ll be suspended?” I asked hopefully.
“She can’t,” Asher said. “She tried to keep a service dog out of the school and she tried to blackmail you.”
“Rory is going to screw her to the wall,” Zeke offered with a smirk.
The bell rang for the end of lunch. The guys didn’t move.
“Guys, class,” I reminded them.
“Forget it,” Zeke muttered.
“I’m not moving,” Asher said as he made himself more comfortable.
“I’ve already memorized the chapter for the week,” Miles announced. I smiled to myself.
I loved these guys. I just wished the twins were here.
It wasn’t much longer before Rory stormed into the office still in uniform. His hard eyes went to me as he strode over.
“Explain,” he demanded. I did, as quickly as I could. I even told him about the cat excuse. When I was done, his face and eyes were furious.
“I know I shouldn’t have yelled at her, I just…couldn’t seem to stop,” I admitted.
Rory looked to the guys. “You boys staying with her?” There was a mix of yeah and yes.
Rory nodded, then went to the counter and the woman standing behind it. “Rory Delaney for Vice Principal Weaver,” he said calmly. Mrs. Weaver came out of her office just then.
“Ah, you must be Alexis’ uncle.” She smiled politely until she saw the boys. “Boys, the bell rang, get to class.” They ignored her. “If you boys aren’t in class by the time I’m done with this meeting you’ll each be suspended, again.” The guys continued to ignore her as she led Rory to the office. I started bouncing my knee.
Rory
Furious, I kept a lid on it until Mrs. Weaver was behind her desk and I sat in the little chair across from her.
The woman had to be in her late forties, early fifties. By the way she was dressed, not a hair out of place, everything pressed and perfect, I could see how Lexie would annoy her. It was obvious she was all about control and order. And Lexie… well, she was not. Still, that didn’t matter.
She turned to me with a pleasant smile that was as fake as her capped teeth. “I’m having some difficulty communicating with Alexis. She continually curses. I also believe she is having more trouble than she’s admitting to and when we tried to discuss it with her she wasn’t honest about it.”
“Really?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral. I was well aware of how much trouble Lexie was having, and I highly doubted this woman had a clue. I wanted to see how deep of a hole this woman would dig for herself.
“Yes, first there are the cuts on her arms,” she said with a concerned look on her face, though the light in her eyes told me she was enjoying this.
“The ones from the cat?” I asked.
Her eyes filled with sympathy. “I doubt it was a cat, Mr. Delaney. I believe Lexie is hurting herself.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I was sitting in the living room with her at the Turner house when Ethan’s cat got angry and scratched my niece. So, I think we can lay that one to rest.”
Her eyes narrowed, growing hard. “She’s also causing her friends to be late to class. They are on the verge of suspension because of it.” She leaned forward over her desk. “When I told her this, she agreed to bring in her service animal. Which I thought was a wonderful idea.” She leaned back with an exasperated look on her face. “Unfortunately, the dog is not well trained. He’s been disruptive in every class Alexis has been in today. He’s even growled at several students.”
Now that was an out and out lie. Hades was extremely well behaved and the only time he’d growl would be to protect Lexie. I’d seen it myself. I kept listening, waiting.
“When I brought your niece in here to discuss it she started yelling and cursing.” She continued.
“Making a ruckus?” I offered. She latched onto that like a life preserver.
“Yes, she must do it at home as well. I don’t know how you deal with that girl,” she said.
I looked over her shoulder and counted to ten before meeting her gaze. “It’s rather simple to deal with Lexie. You tell her what you expect and she’ll do what she’s supposed to,” I said, keeping my voice calm.
“Well, we’re not seeing that here,” Mrs. Weaver said. She was really digging in on this one.
“I do have a question about this incident.” I leaned forward so I would have her complete attention. “Did she start yelling and cursing before or after you told her to ‘get over it’ in regard to her PTSD?” Her face paled under her makeup. “You see, I spoke to Lexie before you came out. And she told me exactly what happened.” I pointed at her. “You threatened to suspend her friends if they didn’t stop walking her to class. You threatened a traumatized seventeen-year-old girl, by taking away the people who help her feel safe. Then when she brought in her service dog you told her she couldn’t have that either.”
“Th
ose boys are late to every class every day,” she stated.
“No, they’re not,” I replied. “One of them is late maybe twice a day. And who that is changes every day.” I leaned back and met her gaze. “When Lexie came home from the hospital we worked together to find a way to get Lexie back to school as soon as she healed up enough and felt up to it. I’m very aware of what those boys have been doing and I am extremely grateful to them for it.”
“If you care about those boys then you know they need to get to class on time,” she tried again.
“What I know is, you told my niece to ‘get over it’ and told her she couldn’t bring her service animal into school.” I met her gaze again. “You can not deny a service animal. It’s against the law. I can bring you up on charges.” She stared at me slack jawed. “So, now that you’re done lying, perhaps we can get to the root of this issue.”
“Excuse me?” she said, shocked.
“My niece is stubborn, loyal, foul mouthed, and when she’s on her game, she’s a force of nature,” I informed her. “But right now, she’s limping. She pushes herself every damn day to get back to normal. She doesn’t know I see it, but I do. And she’s making progress. It’s slow, but it’s progress.”
“The dog is-”
“Extremely well trained. He won’t make a noise unless something is wrong with Lexie or someone threatens her.” I took a breath and let it out slowly. “That is her service animal and you can’t refuse to have him here.” She looked embarrassed and furious all at the same time. “So, I’ll make you a deal.” She raised an eyebrow. I continued. “If you show her some compassion, stay off her back, stay off the boys’ backs until the end of the school year. Then I won’t bring this conversation up at the next school board hearing.”
Her jaw clenched. “Alright. I’ll give her a little more leeway.”
I bowed my head in thanks. “I appreciate it.”
Lexie
I was still bouncing my knee when Rory strode out of the Vice Principal's office. How mad was he? He gestured at us.
“Outside,” he ordered. No one argued, we grabbed our bags and left the office. When we were outside Rory stopped and turned to us. “Here’s what’s going to happen.” He looked at the boys. “You guys will continue to walk Lexie to class.” He turned to me. “You will leave Hades at home and try to stay under this bitch’s radar for the rest of the school year. Understood?”
Everyone said yes. He nodded. “Good, now get back to class.”
“Sorry, Rory,” I said.
“This wasn’t on you, Kid,” he assured me. I gave him a small smile before heading to gym.
Chapter 12
Wednesday Afternoon
I walked into the house after doing my homework at Miles’. It hadn’t been the same without the twins. I let Hades off his leash and hung up my hoodie.
“Look who’s here,” Tara said cheerfully. I turned and instantly wanted to walk right back out the door. Tara’s friends were over, along with Jessica. Great.
“Hey, Tara,” I said before turning to head upstairs. There was no way I was going to stay down here with those bitches.
“I heard that a couple of your friends aren’t talking to you anymore,” Tara taunted. I turned back to see the smirk on her face.
“Mind your own business,” I warned her.
Her smile didn’t go away. “I told you those guys wouldn’t stick around.” It felt like a kick in the gut. And way below the belt.
My heart ached as I met her eyes. “How’s trying to get into Asher’s pants going? Or is it Zeke’s this week?” I asked coldly. Her eyes grew wide, her mouth dropping open. “It’s not going to happen, Tara. Don’t you get it? Zeke and Asher want nothing to do with you. So, stop chasing them like a bitch in heat.”
I turned around and took the stairs with Hades. I closed and locked the door behind me then sank to the floor as tears fell down my face. Tara had hit too close to the mark right now. With the twins not talking to me or the guys, I didn’t see how this was going to end well. I wrapped my arms around my knees and rested my forehead on them.
Someone slammed on my door making me jump. “You bitch,” Tara hissed. “You’re nothing to those guys. Just a piece of ass.” She hit the door again. “Do you really think they care about a piece of trash like you? Your own mother didn’t even want you!” Tara stomped down the stairs.
Tears fell as Hades nudged his head under my neck forcing my head up. I gave him a watery smile and hugged him tight. They weren’t going to leave me. They weren’t. I held tight to Hades while I tried to remind myself that they cared about me.
Zeke
The dogs were going crazy. I walked out the back door with their food. Whistling before setting down their bowls in their assigned spots. They didn’t come. I whistled again.
The dogs growled and snarled further back on the property. Striding toward the sound I almost jogged to see what had them so worked up.
“Tank! Kita!” I called. The dogs were backing away from the fence, their fur up and teeth bared. That wasn’t right. “Tank! Kita! Come!” I ordered. They continued to back up to my side.
They kept growling. Something wasn’t right. I looked out in the fading light, wondering if a bear was on the property on the other side of the fence. I searched but found nothing.
I touched their backs, they were both trembling. “House,” I ordered. The dogs didn’t move until I backed up. They moved between me and whatever they saw. This wasn’t normal. I pulled out my cell phone and called.
“Hey,” Lexie said in her tired, raspy voice. She had my complete attention instantly.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I kept backing toward the house, taking Tank and Kita with me.
“Nothing, I just had a run in with Tara,” she muttered. She took a drink, probably from her water bottle.
“Shit.”
“Yeah, that was my thought too,” she admitted, her voice back to normal. “What’s with the dogs?” I kept backing up, the dogs keeping pace with me. Still growling, still baring their teeth.
“Something strange is happening,” I told her. “The dogs are acting like there’s something here and I can’t see it. It could be a bear or mountain lion out in the woods but I’m heading back to the house with them and they aren’t letting up.” She started moving instantly.
“You think there’s a soul out there?” she asked, then moved her mouth away from the phone and called for Hades.
“Maybe,” I said. “I’ve never seen this behavior before unless a bigger predator was around.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” she said before hanging up. I brought the dogs back into the house.
They kept pacing and growling. I looked out the back windows expecting to see a bear or mountain lion somewhere. I couldn’t see shit. I was going to have to wait for Lexie.
Lexie
I pulled up to Zeke’s house. This time it had only taken me ten minutes to get across town.
Zeke’s house was a mix of cabin and bungalow. There was a small wrap around porch that kept some of the yard tools out of the weather. I personally loved the house, but that didn’t matter right now. The dogs inside were going bonkers.
I hurried to the door with Hades. Zeke opened it before I could knock.
“Get in here,” he grumbled, reaching out and taking my arm. He all but dragged me inside.
“I’m in, I’m in,” I said, surprised at his grip on my arm. Zeke had never grabbed me that hard before. “What’s with you?” He was looking out the window again, frowning.
“There might be a mountain lion or bear outside,” he reminded me, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. Okay, that made sense.
“Well, I’m going to need to go outside to look around.” I pointed out. He led me through the kitchen to the back door. There he picked up his shotgun.
“Do you really need that?” I asked as I slipped on my bracelets.
&nb
sp; He looked out the back window as he answered. “That fence is eight feet high, mountain lions can jump fifteen up into a tree.”
“Yep, taking the shot gun with us,” I said immediately. He grunted as he opened the door and walked outside first. I followed closely behind him.
“I’ll show you where they were barking,” he said, the gun braced against his shoulder, the muzzle pointed at the ground. He reached back, took my hand and brought it to his belt at the back of his waist. Directly above his butt. I focused on holding onto his belt. “I want to know where you are, so don’t let go,” he ordered.
I didn’t say anything as I followed Zeke to the back of the fenced in area. We were halfway there when that chill ran down my neck like a lick of fire. I hissed and slapped my hand against my throat.
“Relax, it’s a ghost,” I told him, wincing. He lowered the shotgun and clicked the safety on. He began unloading it as I waited. I’d been to the range enough with Rory and Zeke in the last few months to know you never walk in front of a barrel, even with the safety on. I did it once and Zeke about ripped my head off. Rory quickly followed with his own lecture on gun range safety. I never did it again. Zeke put the shells in his pocket before pointing the barrel at the ground again.
“Clear,” he said. I stepped around him and started looking for the soul. I walked along the fence line with Zeke right beside me.
I eventually found him in the south corner of the fenced in area. He was wearing snow camo, an orange vest, gloves and a beanie.
He must have been a hunter. When he turned around my mouth dropped. He had a deep hole in his chest, deep enough that his ribs were visible. His face was dazed, his eyes unfocused. He seemed confused.
“Found him,” I told Zeke before walking towards the ghost. When I was close enough I spoke to him. “I see you.”
He turned, his face white, his eyes wide. “Wh-what the hell is going on?”
Shit. He didn’t know. “What’s your name?”
Whispers From the Dead Page 16
