“Is this about you having sex with that really old guy?” I asked.
“He wasn’t that old,” Paris hissed. “If you want to make fun of him because he was evil, I’m fine with that. He didn’t look terrible without his clothes on, so stop making fun of him because you think he was old.”
“Oh, well, there’s a ringing endorsement if I ever heard one,” I taunted. “He didn’t look terrible without his clothes on. That’s like saying someone only looks fat if they wear horizontal stripes. We all know they’re still fat. The horizontal stripes make it worse, so that’s when we comment.”
“You completely lost me with that roundabout thinking,” Paris said. “You need to stop making fun of me because Quinn was old.”
“That doesn’t sound like it will be any fun for me,” I sniffed, leaning against the hallway wall. We purposely picked a spot between the front and back doors of Mark’s classroom so we’d have the best shot of catching him when he left. “Aric said Mark’s second class is around the corner, so if he doesn’t look at us when he leaves we’ll follow him.”
“Are you sure that’s the way you want to do this?” Kelsey asked. “Maybe we should wait until Aric is done so he can be with us.” I found it funny that her courage seemed to come in waves and then quickly recede.
“We’ll be fine,” I said. “Mark would have to be an idiot to attack us in public.”
“I’ve never thought of him as one of the great thinkers of our time,” Kelsey said. “He might panic when he sees you. If I were in his position, I would definitely panic.”
“I hope he does panic,” I said. “I would love to see him run.”
“I would love to see him cry,” Paris said.
“Maybe you should pretend you want to sleep with him again and then wait until he’s naked and point and laugh,” I suggested. “Don’t forget your camera if you do that, though. I want to upload it to YouTube.”
“Ha, ha,” Paris intoned, her irritation bubbling up. “You never get tired of making fun of my love life, do you?”
“Not really.”
“Oh, wait … his class is packing up their stuff,” Kelsey said, craning her neck as she looked in through the glass panel of the door. “Maybe someone should hide on either side of the door and when he goes through we can kick him in the nuts and then run. How does that sound?”
“That sounds … well, that sounds kind of fun,” I admitted. “I promised Aric we would stick to the plan, though. We’ll save that for tomorrow.”
Kelsey’s eyes were mischievous when she shifted them to Paris. “Have you noticed that Zoe is a lot more domesticated now that she’s going to be Mrs. Aric Winters?”
“I have noticed that,” Paris said, widening her eyes to almost comical proportions. “I guess it’s true what they say about women when they get that ring on their finger.”
“I know what you guys are doing and it doesn’t bother me,” I said.
“We’re not doing anything,” Kelsey countered. “I just can’t believe how settled you are. From now on, you’re not going to be the Zoe who thinks for herself. No, you’re going to be the Zoe who does what her husband tells her to do. It’s a great change.”
“Totally great,” Paris agreed, her head bobbing.
“I don’t care what you say, I’m not falling for this,” I said
“We’re not trying to get you to fall for anything,” Kelsey said, her face full of faux innocence and light. “I’m marveling at your self-control.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I hate you guys sometimes.”
“Here they come,” Paris said, turning sober when the front classroom door opened.
I watched with mild curiosity as Mark’s students filed out, chattering amongst themselves as they geared up for a weekend of partying and hooking up. It didn’t take long for the classroom to empty, and I knew Mark was the only one left when I saw a leather briefcase move through the doorway.
Mark’s attention was fixed on the sheaf of papers in his hand, and he didn’t immediately look in our direction. I narrowed my eyes as I willed him to look at me and the rush of energy whooshed out like a spring breeze, only it had enough force to rip the papers from Mark’s hand and send them flying throughout the hallway.
Mark glanced up, surprised, and locked gazes with me. I didn’t move. I didn’t plaster a smile on my face for his benefit. I didn’t point and scowl either. I simply stared at him.
Mark seemed stunned. The world around us ceased to exist as we stared each other down. Finally, Mark backed down, darting a worried gaze up and down the hallway before bending over to retrieve his papers.
I watched with unveiled amusement, fighting the urge to chortle each time he risked a glance in my direction. I kept my back against the wall, my arms folded over my chest, and watched.
Kelsey and Paris seemed content to let me handle our first interaction, their eyes busily bouncing between us. Once he had all of the papers back in his possession, Mark straightened and turned toward the end of the hallway where his second class would be held. I watched him for a few moments and then pushed myself away from the wall, slipping into the steady stream of traffic and following him.
When Mark got to the corner he glanced over his shoulder and stared at the spot I had stood in moments before. It took him a moment to find me in the crowd. I didn’t change my pace, but Mark was unnerved enough to scamper around the corner.
When I got to the classroom, the door was already closed and Mark stood at the front of the room, staring through the glass pane. I positioned myself against the far wall, taking up the exact position I had outside of the first classroom, and made sure he had a clear view of me as he addressed his class.
“I’m not going to lie, that is ridiculously creepy,” Kelsey said, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “If I were him, I’d be crapping my pants right about now.”
“Do you know what’s great about this hallway?” Paris asked, scanning the corridor. “There are only two classrooms, and he has nowhere to run when he wants to leave in an hour.”
“It’s funny how life works out, isn’t it?” I said, grinning as I met Mark’s terrified gaze. “Aric was right. This is almost as much fun as blowing him up.”
“Can you make his papers fly off his desk?” Kelsey asked. “That scared the bejeezus out of him. If you did that a couple of times while he was trying to teach he would definitely crap his pants.”
“I have no idea whether I can do it on command,” I said. “It’s worth a shot, though.”
13
Thirteen
“Why are you three cackling like you’re about to shove some poor child into an oven?” Aric asked, joining us in the hallway outside of Mark’s classroom. “Did you do something evil? Wait … I don’t want to know.”
“We saw Mark,” Kelsey announced, clearly enjoying herself. “Zoe made the papers he was holding fly out of his hand, and he almost crapped his pants. I swear. I could smell it.”
“That is both disgusting and interesting,” Aric said, turning his attention to me. “Did he know you tossed the papers?”
“We didn’t speak,” I said. “I only stared him down.”
“It was like high noon in a western,” Paris supplied. “Mark looked like he was dumping a load in his pants, and Zoe didn’t twitch. Then he practically ran down the hallway and Zoe slowly followed him, like she was Jason in a Friday the 13th movie. It was a thing of beauty.”
Aric smirked. “I’m proud of you,” he said, cupping the back of my head. “Does he know you’re out here?”
“Oh, he knows,” Kelsey said. “Every five minutes Zoe sends a few more sheets of paper flying around the room. He’s stopped picking them up.”
Aric, intrigued, leaned forward to look inside the classroom. “You’re controlling it enough to limit it to a few sheets of paper at a time?”
“It’s not as hard as you’d think,” I said. “I just kind of … push … little bits of anger out and the papers go flying
. It’s neat.”
“That is definitely neat,” Aric agreed. “I told my father you didn’t need training. When it’s important, you figure things out on your own. I think you might be a genius.” Aric pulled me in for a hug and kissed my cheek. “My little genius.”
“Ugh,” Kelsey said, making an exaggerated face. “Are you two always this gross, or is this a special occasion because you’re remembering when you fell in love?”
“They’re always this gross,” Paris said. “You should try camping with them. They went to sleep in separate sleeping bags, yet when I woke up they were in the same one.”
“Oh, man, you didn’t do it with Paris sleeping a few feet away, did you?” Kelsey looked horrified by the prospect.
“I miss the days when it was just you and me, Zoe,” Aric said, briefly resting his forehead against mine. “It’s a lot more fun to grope when we don’t have an audience.”
“Sick, sick, sick,” Kelsey said, wrinkling her nose as she turned her gaze back to Mark. “Is it just me, or does it look like he’s sweating?”
Aric reluctantly pulled his head back and studied Mark. “He looks like he’s sweating. Good. I hope he’s dehydrated by the time he gets out here.”
“How did your meeting with the president go?” I asked. “Are we going to own a building here by the end of the week?”
“We are,” Aric said, grinning widely enough that I knew he was about to say something snarky. “We’re going to start the Zoe Lake Finishing School for Young Women. No boy will be safe after our students finish their course load.”
“Ha, ha,” I said. Although … . “I would be a great headmistress for a finishing school. Can we really do that?”
Aric snorted. “No. I did make sure that the president was aware we were back purely for nostalgic reasons. I also told him I would like a breakdown on what the school has planned for the next five years so we could help fund a program.”
“Are you really going to do that?” I asked. “That could mean a lot of money.”
“I have no interest in giving this place money,” Aric replied. “I do want the president on our side because he thinks we’re going to give him money, though. I figure it’s going to take him at least two days to scrounge up everything I asked for and then we’ll need a few more days to make a decision. That gives us time to operate without him breathing down our necks.”
“It also will make him less likely to side with Mark when he inevitably files a complaint against us,” I surmised.
“Exactly, my little genius.” Aric tweaked my nose and chuckled when Paris and Kelsey groaned in unison. “I also told him we’re interested in giving the public safety department an endowment for better equipment.”
“That means the campus cops won’t arrest us,” I said. “Have you ever considered that you’re a genius?”
“Every day,” Aric said, lazily tracing a pattern as he rubbed the back of my neck. “How much longer does this class have?”
“About a half hour,” Paris replied. “Mark is at his wit’s end. He might end it early.”
“There’s no way he’ll do that,” Kelsey argued. “He’s going to drag this out until the bitter end.”
“Maybe we should go in,” I suggested. “I’m not shy. I could say I used to have my favorite class in the room and want to look around. I won’t acknowledge I know him.”
“No,” Aric said, shaking his head. “Not yet. I’m not ruling out interrupting a class – mostly because I think you’ll be brilliantly snarky if you do – but I want him to sweat this one out. I want to see what he does when the class ends.”
“What will that prove?” Paris asked.
“If he’s smart – which I’m not sure he is – he will approach us when he leaves the classroom and put on an act for our benefit,” Aric replied. “I expect him to act surprised. He’ll claim that he was nervous when he first saw you because of how things ended and make up a lame excuse.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” I said. “That will relax him. I don’t want him relaxed.”
“I know you don’t,” Aric said. “We’re not doing it for his benefit. I want to see his reaction. I think it will be very telling.”
“What happens if he bolts out of the building?” Kelsey asked.
“Then he’s even more of a coward than we thought,” Aric said. “I think Mark’s biggest problem is control. He wanted to be someone in college. That’s why he joined the Academy in the first place.
“He made poor decision after poor decision when that happened,” he continued. “He got in deeper and deeper until he didn’t have a way out. We gave him a way out and then shoved him in a cell for a year. That made him bitter and determined to plot against us.”
“Are you saying we created the monster?” I asked, knitting my eyebrows. “Doesn’t he have any responsibility in this?”
“He has all the responsibility in this,” Aric clarified. “I’m not talking about reality. I’m talking about the fantasy that he dreamed up in his own head. His mind can’t be a pretty place to live these days. I want to test him to see how fast he recovers. We can embarrass him tomorrow.”
“Fine,” I said, blowing out an exaggerated sigh. “Can I send his papers flying again?”
“Absolutely,” Aric said. “I’m dying to see that.”
After two more flying paper incidents and one bathroom break for Kelsey and her weak bladder, Mark finally dismissed his class – a full two minutes after he was supposed to.
We watched the kids file out, not moving from our spots, and finally Mark emerged. His eyes floated between faces, and then he took a step in our direction. I couldn’t believe it. Aric was right. He was going to pretend nothing was wrong.
By the time Mark stood in front of us I could see the beads of sweat forming on his brow. His shirt was soaked through at the armpits, and his face was flushed. “Um … hi.”
“Um, hi?” I was flabbergasted.
Aric tightened his grip on the back of my neck. “Hello, Mark,” he said. “It’s been a long time.”
“It’s definitely been a long time,” Mark said, his eyes furtive as he glanced up and down the hallway. Because it was lunchtime, the building emptied in a hurry. The students who remained seemed lost in their own little worlds. “What brings you back to Covenant College?”
“We’re here for a visit,” Aric replied smoothly, taking control of the conversation without missing a beat. “We wanted to see the old stomping grounds and reminisce.”
“I see,” Mark said, licking his lips. “Have you been having a good time?”
“We’ve been having a great time,” Aric enthused, flexing his acting muscles with each word and expression. I had to give him credit. If I didn’t know him better I would believe the show he was putting on for Mark’s benefit. “We’ve only been here one day, but it’s been great to see all the places where we used to hang out.”
“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” Mark said. “I am surprised to see you here, quite frankly. I would think this is the last place you would want to visit after everything that happened.”
“We could say the same about you,” Paris said.
“I was offered a job about a year ago and it was a step up in pay,” Mark said. “Because this place had been cleaned out and the bad element is gone, I didn’t see the harm in returning.”
That was rich given the fact that he was the new bad element. “So they offered you a job you didn’t apply for?” I asked. That didn’t sound likely.
“I applied for a job at a college. The ad didn’t specify which college,” Mark said. “I didn’t realize it was Covenant College until they scheduled an interview. I gave it a lot of thought, but I really didn’t see the harm in returning.”
That sounded – and smelled – like a huge mound of crap.
“I don’t see the harm either,” Aric said. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“You do?” Mark asked, his face registering surprise.
&n
bsp; “Yeah, you do?” I had no idea what game Aric was playing, but I was beginning to tire of it.
“Of course,” Aric said. “You graduated from here. Of course you would want to return to what’s familiar. That’s why we’re here. We’re considering donating a building.”
Mark’s eyebrows leapt. “An entire building? I didn’t realize you had the money for that.”
“My family has quite a bit of money,” Aric said. “I’ve added to it since graduation. So has Zoe. We’re doing quite well for ourselves.”
Huh. I knew Aric was trying to intimidate Mark, but the manner in which he was doing it baffled me.
“Have you met with the president about this?” Mark asked.
Ah, there it was. Things slid into place. Aric wanted Mark to know he’d already cut off certain avenues of complaint should they arise.
“I have,” Aric confirmed. “We had a great meeting this morning, and he looks forward to several more meetings. He’s thrilled with the amount of money I’m going to be floating his way. That’s on top of an endowment for the public safety department, of course.”
“Of course,” Mark echoed, shifting from one foot to the other. “What kind of building are you going to donate?”
“We haven’t decided yet,” Aric replied. “We’re open to suggestions, and the president is thrilled to put a list together for us. He is very excited.”
“I’ll just bet he is,” Mark said, pressing his lips together and breathing so heavily that his nostrils flared. “How long is everyone staying?”
“For the foreseeable future,” Aric answered, slipping his arm around my shoulders and squeezing. “We don’t have to work regular jobs so we have open schedules, and we’re having such a great time we don’t want to leave.”
“Yes, we really look forward to being on campus every day,” I added, relishing the quick burst of anger that flitted across Mark’s face before he regrouped. “We’ll be visiting every nook and cranny while we’re here.”
Dark Covenant (Living Covenant Trilogy Book 2) Page 10
