F*ck You: Knox Academy - Term One

by Jaye Cox

  “Okay, but didn’t your tablet remind you to go? It’s automatic.”

  “I lost Susan.”

  “Who’s Susan?” He frowns.

  “My tablet.”

  “You named your tablet?” he asks, aghast.

  “I needed a friend,” I say sadly, looking up with crocodile tears in my eyes. My huge brown eyes are doe-like at the best of times, and it’s my party trick to be able to turn on the water works at will.

  “Where’s your tablet now, Amelie? I will get tech support to look at her – I mean, it.”

  “I lost it,” I say in a tiny voice, looking back down at my plate. “I’m really sorry, Sir, I think one of the students took it from my bag. I didn’t want to report it because I’ve never had anything so expensive and fancy before and I was so ashamed to have lost it already.”

  I feel the atmosphere of the room shift and I know I’ve played a blinder. I may also just have outed the incubator as being piss-poor. I can’t imagine that the Knox family knows shit about her past life. She’s certainly cleaned up her image since she left us.

  “Okay. Leave it with me and I’ll sort something out.”

  “But she got a detention! She has to be punished!” Incubator starts to shrill, back against me already. The caring mother act didn’t last long at all. “That’s it, Amelie! You were at the school one day and you already messed up. You’re not having phone privileges this month!”

  Before I can jump in and kick off about how unfair that is, Monty surprises me by coming to my rescue.

  “No, honey,” he says placatingly, placing a calming hand on the incubator’s and patting it gently. “If this is going to work, we need to keep home life and school life separate. Leave it with me; I’ll fix Amelie’s punishment. It can start after her birthday though. Turning eighteen is a big deal, and no one deserves to have that cancelled.”

  I know they expect me to be grateful and to thank them, but I don’t and I’m not. The only small positive to come out of that speech is that I get to use the phone still, so I quickly and silently start eating, saying grace forgotten, and planning to disappear with it straight after dinner and to run up huge overseas calling charges. I mentally compile a list of people I can call, after family, just to piss the incubator off when she gets the bill.

  We eat the meal in silence, the twins throwing daggers at me with their eyes whenever the parentals aren’t looking. Even Kalen keeps his head down; not making eye contact with me. No little touches, no flirting...nothing.

  I eat quickly and ask to be excused from the table. Monty agrees before the incubator can say no.

  “May I have my phone, please, to call my family?” I ask politely enough, but I emphasise the word family to send a clear message: I don’t belong here. I never will.

  “Of course,” Monty says after a beat when the incubator ignores my request. He gets to his feet and tells me to follow him. Out in the hallway he opens a dresser drawer and passes me the rose gold iPhone. “Can you put it back here when you’re done?” he asks. He makes a big deal of trusting me to do this, but we both know he’ll be checking I've returned it before I’m allowed to leave.

  “Of course, Sir,” I comply.

  “Monty, please.”

  “Thank you,” I say. “Is there somewhere I can go, for privacy?”

  “You can use any room in the house, Amelie. But at the top of the stairs, first door on the right, you will find a room that is yours if you want it.”

  I nod and take off for the stairs. I consider snooping around a bit – he practically gave me permission to do so – but impatience wins out and I decide to just go to ‘my’ room and call. Digging for dirt can wait; I need my family first.

  Immediately, I dial Aadi’s number and hit the option to video call. A message pops up on the screen telling me that ‘this feature is unavailable on this device’. What the fuck? I quickly go to the settings and check everything is enabled. It is. Why can’t I video call? I’m allowed to speak to, but not see my family? I want to hurl the phone at the wall, but I don’t. It’s a precious commodity and I know it won’t be replaced if I lash out in a fit of anger. Instead, I take a deep breath and dial the house phone.

  I stay on the phone as long as I possibly can. I speak to Dad and Chelsea, Aadi and Smalls. There’s no one else I want to call after all, and when we hang up, I allow a tear or two to fall. I miss them all so much. I want to go home. From what Sawyer was saying on Friday, I’m nowhere near as bad as the other kids in this place. I don’t deserve to be here. I wonder if the incubator pulled strings with the courts to get me sent here. I’m not that bad a kid.

  “Amelie? The car is here.” Monty’s voice calls up to me some time later. I didn’t bother exploring. I didn’t even check out my room. I just threw a few clothes from the closet into my bag.

  “Coming,” I call back. I quickly check my reflection. Happy that they won’t be able to tell I’ve been upset, I head downstairs, the phone stashed safely in the bottom of my bag on silent, the decoy in my hands, already turned off like a good little daughter.

  When I get to the bottom of the stairs I put the phone away, and then the dining room door opens and they all traipse out to stare at me. Fucking weird, if you ask me.

  “Where’s the phone, Amelie?” The incubator narrows her eyes at me, suspiciously.

  “Back in the drawer, like Monty said.”

  She marches over to check it and I feel my cheeks flame as the twins smirk at me. I catch Kalen’s eye and he’s gazing at me with pity. It makes my blood boil, so I flip him off while the parentals aren’t looking. He chuckles softly, which just makes me angrier.

  “Okay. You can go. We will see you on Tuesday for your birthday meal,” the incubator reminds me. As if I could forget. It’s my birthday, my eighteenth no less, but do I get to celebrate it how I want? Hell no, I have to bow down to the controlling whims of this bitch. I grind my teeth and nod once.

  I turn for the door and she gives a sharp tut which makes me pause.

  “Amelie. Aren’t you forgetting something?” she hisses.

  Huh? Is she expecting me to kiss her or hug her or something? Cause there’s no fucking way that’s happening...ever.

  “Thank Monty for having you,” she insists. My whole body ignites with embarrassment and shame. I’m a guest. I’m not part of the family at all, am I?

  “Really, honey, that’s not necessary. It was a pleasure to meet Amelie outside of school. I look forward to Tuesday.” He smiles so graciously at me that I have no choice but to mumble a hasty “thank you” or risk looking like a spoilt brat.

  “We’ll see Amelie out to the car,” Slate declares, to my shock and horror. It’s the first time he’s spoken all night and it fills me with dread. This can’t be good.

  “Lovely, boys!” The incubator beams like a fool and her and Monty disappear into the house like a pair of young teenagers who can’t keep their hands off one another. I make a gagging sound.

  “It’s gross isn’t it?” Kalen agrees, catching my eye and giving me a small smile.

  “Shut the fuck up, Kalen!” Onyx barks. “Don’t fucking talk to her. She’s the Goddamn enemy.”

  He throws me a look of such loathing I actually take a step backwards. What is his problem? I start to gear myself up for a fight, but the twins seize an arm each and begin to drag me from the house.

  “Hey! Get off me! Kalen? Why are you letting them do this?” I cry.

  “Shut up, whore! Don’t you dare speak to our brother. He’s too nice for his own good. Let’s get one thing straight: you’re not fucking welcome here. You need to fuck off back wherever you came from, and if you can take your slut of a mother with you, well, we might just let you both leave in one piece.”

  Shock fills me. I knew Onyx, and to a lesser extent Slate, didn’t like me, but this level of hostility is completely unfounded. I’m being threatened – I get that, and I’m pretty sure they mean it – but could my life actually be in danger here?


  As always, when threatened and backed into a corner, I do the one thing I shouldn’t: I mouth off.

  “You don’t scare me! What are you going to do, perfect little prefects?” I spit. “You don’t know shit about me, about what I’ve done or what I’m capable of. You pampered little rich boys don’t scare me! I dealt with worse in first grade!”

  With that, I shrug them off and let myself into the back of the car.

  “Everything ok, Miss Rossi?” My driver asks as I sit and seethe.

  “Just fine. Let’s go,” I tell him.

  It takes me about ten minutes to calm down enough to remember the phone in the bottom of my bag. Result! It was surprisingly easy to swap out and lift. While I was in the house I didn’t allow myself to check my messages, choosing instead to focus on phoning family while I could. If I got busted, I didn’t want to have wasted my screen time flirting with Sawyer.

  Now though?

  I have nothing better to do.

  I sit back in the plush leather seat and hit the messages icon, getting comfy. I grin when I see three messages from an unknown number.

  Unknown number: Hey, it’s Sawyer here. Just wanted to say I had a great time tonight. Can’t wait to see you again.

  Unknown number: Hey Amelie, Sawyer here. Just checking you got my text.

  Unknown number: Hope to hear from you soon.

  The last message was sent less than an hour ago. I smile and rattle off my reply.

  Me: Hey Sawyer, just got your messages. I misplaced my phone and only just found it. I had a great time Friday and would love to see you again. When’s good? How’s your weekend been? I’ve been thinking of that kiss...

  I grin when the ticks light up to say the message has been sent, received and read. The flashing ellipsis that tells me he’s already responding has me sitting back in my seat and smiling. For the first time since last Friday, I actually feel happy. I like the way he makes me feel; it’s not an act. I really did have a good time on Friday, and I have been thinking about that kiss. I’d love to see him again before the cat’s out of the bag, but I don't fancy my chances of sneaking off campus tomorrow. Instead, I settle for texting back and forth, our messages gradually becoming more and more flirty and downright suggestive.

  I know I need as much hard evidence to nail him with as possible, but for tonight, I just allow myself to enjoy his messages and his interest. I love that he’s so into me, that he doesn’t play games and that he’s not afraid to let me know just how much he wants me. It feels good, homesick and a long way from home, to be wanted by someone.

  Tonight, I allow myself to live the fantasy. I can remind myself that it’s all a game tomorrow.

  Chapter Seven

  True to his word, Monty found Susan and had her returned to me. She looks a little worse for wear, with a couple of scuffs and some grass stains, but I’m just surprised the screen didn’t shatter.

  Elsie is out today doing prep for her extracurricular activities. I’m sure she mentioned what it was, but it escapes me. The only upside to it being the day before my birthday is the fact that the punishment for skipping my detention with Sawyer will not be handed out until Wednesday. That, I can handle.

  I think I’m finally starting to get a grasp of where my classes are.

  Susan pings and I read the message:

  Urgent meeting with Headmaster Knox in fifteen minutes.

  I smile, remembering how successful last night was. This will be fun. I find my map and type in M Knox and Susan starts giving me directions to the headmaster’s office. I could be late, and I’m sure he is expecting that, but my plans are starting to pan out nicely. I have Sawyer where I want him. Kalen will be the easy target, if he thinks he loves me – and he will when I’m done – so he should choose me over his brothers. I only need to make sure I tread lightly on the matter.

  The twins will be more work. I can see a hint of mischief in Slate’s eyes so I need to find a way to appeal to that side of him, but Onyx will be hard. He is closed off to the world. Whatever happened to him in his past has his armour wrapped tightly around him.

  Speak of the devil...I’ve worked out how to tell the twins apart after last night. Onyx’s nose has a slight kink in it – most likely from being broken – it’s barely visible, but now that I see it, I can’t unsee it. He walks towards me full of broken promises and shattered dreams.

  I stop and wait for him to reach me; an explosive encounter is inevitable. I saw it in him last night, he just needed me to be away from his precious father.

  “You think you’re good enough to be here? Just because your mother is fucking my father?” He spits.

  “Good enough. This is a school for delinquents…what do I need to be good at? Fucking up. Pretty sure I did that, and here I am. I didn’t get a choice, your father is the reason I’m here. I didn’t ask for this. So before you jump to assumptions, know that I don’t want to be here any more than you want me to be. How about you keep your cock hole closed and leave me the fuck alone?”

  I turn to walk away. “I’m not gay,” he calls after me a moment later.

  I laugh that he finally clicked on. They mustn’t have needed a high IQ to attend this place.

  “Uh-huh, see you at dinner tomorrow night,” I call over my shoulder.

  I find the headmaster’s office easily. His receptionist tells me to take a seat, and the one and only Baxter Branson is here again too.

  “We have to stop meeting like this,” I say. He looks at me like my sheer presence is boring him.

  “Does Knox have it in for you too?” he eventually asks, in a bored tone, like he doesn’t care for my answer either way. Why is he bothering to talk to me then?

  “Eh, I think all of the Knox family do at the moment. So, what are you in shit for this time?”

  “Not in shit, as you call it. Me and Knox are besties and I’m here for our weekly catch up. What about you?”

  “He is fucking my so-called mother and so we’re having our much-needed bonding time where he tries too hard to be my new daddy.”

  Branson smiles. He doesn’t seem like the kind to spread gossip, so I have no problem with telling him this.

  “Want to hit him where it hurts?” Branson suddenly asks. Before I can answer he continues, “Use Kalen and make it known. They’ll all lose their minds; the sun shines out of that kid’s ass to the entire Knox family.”

  “Good to know,” I say as Monty steps out of his office. I stand and turn to Branson, walking over to him and leaning down so that my long hair covers my face, blocking Monty’s view. “His sons may be a sore spot, but right now he is trying to like me, and you, my friend, are his sore spot. I’ve already had my warnings about you.” I laugh, pulling back.

  “Amelie, my office now,” Monty chastises, clearly impatient, his expensive leather shoe tapping away on the plush carpet.

  “See you later, babe,” Branson calls out with a wink. I can already tell we’re going to be good buddies while I’m here if he’s already willing to play along and help me out.

  “Take a seat.” I do as I’m told, and we both sit in silence for a moment while Monty tries to figure out how to deal with what just happened.

  “I would like you to stay away from that boy.”

  “Did no one give you the memo that teenage girls really like to do the opposite of what they’re told?”

  “You will learn the hard way, if you do not follow school rules.”

  “And you will find that telling me to stay away from one of the only two friends I have made since being here, isn’t a school rule, Mr Knox.”

  “Just think about my request then…As for why you are here, you need to pick an extracurricular.” I groan. I don’t do sports, unless drinking coffee is classed as a sport.

  “I’m not good at any sport and I don’t play an instrument.”

  “I figured that, so I have organised one-on-one classes especially for you, with my eldest son, Mr Knox, to teach you self-defence. It is a very good th
ing for a woman to know.”

  “Yeah, because men can’t respect women; we are just objects to them.”

  “Sad, but true. In some societies at least. However, you will find that here, we do not tolerate that kind of behaviour. Your lessons will start in a few days once I finalise it all, and I will send a message to your tablet so you are aware of when the lessons will be. Because he teaches during the day, they will be in his free time, but they will count towards your final grade. I hope you take the spare time during school hours to get in some extra study in the library, since we fast tracked you into second year at Knox. You do still have your final exams being sent over for you to complete, within the next month.”

  “I’m ready to take those exams, sir.”

  “I believe you are, but extra study cannot hurt. I will see you tomorrow night for dinner.”

  With that, I am dismissed. Baxter winks again as I walk out and go to class.

  Great, I have SELF class with Kalen and his mum now, this will be fun.

  When I make it to SELF class, the lesson has already started, but thankfully the teacher doesn’t say a word about me being late. Kalen waves me over.

  “Saved you a seat, sis.” His damn smile is infectious.

  “I’m not your sister,” I whisper.

  “Thank God for that, it would look a bit weird if I married my sister.”

  “Not going to marry you either.”

  “Do you know my brothers hate you? They want me to hate you too, but I don’t know if I can.”

  “Maybe try harder, this will be easier for us all if you do hate me.”

  “They are going to fuck with you. I would watch your back if I were you; it isn’t safe for you here anymore.”

  “So? Nothing has changed for me then, where I grew up the streets were not safe.”

  The rest of the class drags on, Kalen keeps talking, and his mum doesn’t even look our way. Whatever Monty said to her must have worked.

  After class, I make my way to lunch. Elsie said she would meet me there for a quick break. Walking into the dining hall, the laughter dies down and the whispers start; everyone seems to be looking my way. I rush over to Elsie and her face tells me something is wrong.