by Payton Reed
Chapter Sixteen
Willow
She was almost back to her dorm when Malone and her pack of piranhas boxed her in. She didn’t know the other girls’ names yet, and she didn’t really care to learn them. They had shiny teeth and a predatory air, so piranhas were the perfect moniker for them.
She glared at Malone. “Let me pass.”
“Only if you’re heading to the exit of the school, dear stepsister,” she said in a voice dripping sarcasm.
“I’m not going anywhere, and even your stunt in my room isn’t going to change that.” She was certain Malone had been the one to actually do it, even though she’d probably plotted it with Dalton, and the accusation sprang to her lips.
Malone’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t bother to deny it. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver chain. “I found this tacky thing stuck in my shoe sole. Under my foot is where it belongs, don’t you think? Totally trashy and not even real silver.”
Hand shaking, Willow snatched the chain from Malone’s palm. It was just a section of the silver necklace that had held the locket, but she recognized it from its slight tarnish. “Where’s my locket?”
Malone laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I want my locket back right now. It was special to me. Do you understand that at all, Malone? Is there something special to you, something maybe that your mother left you? How would you feel if I destroyed it?” She was trying to appeal to Malone’s better nature, if she had one.
Malone scowled at her, taking a step forward and clearly interpreting it as a threat. “Don’t talk about my mother.”
“I can’t help thinking your mom would be ashamed of how you’re behaving,” said Willow. She was trying the Mom Guilt thing, but her voice was filled with too much anger to really sell it.
“Bitch keep all your thoughts about my mom to yourself. You aren’t even worthy to wipe her shoe.” Malone shoved her.
Willow tried to hold on to her temper. “All I want is my locket back, and I’ll drop this. Otherwise, I’m going to call your dad. I already had to call my mom to have her send me more clothes to replace what you ruined, so she knows someone broke into my room and destroyed it. It won’t be a hard task to convince her it was you, and she’ll easily convince Ashton.”
Malone glared at her, taking another step forward, until their chests were almost touching. She was clearly practically gagging on rage. “You… You… You don’t belong… You’re trying to wreck my family, but you won’t get away with it.” Malone lifted a hand, clearly intent on slapping Willow.
She lifted her arm in response to block it, but no contact occurred.
“That’s enough, ladies,” said Jonas in a deep and firm voice as he grasped Malone’s wrist. Gently, he pulled the girl back a couple of steps, treating her far more nicely than Willow would’ve if she had a chance to get her hands on her.
Jonas glared at the piranhas. “Clear out, now.”
With a nervous giggle, the three of them exchanged a look and sped away.
Malone didn’t seem to notice or care that her backup had left. She was busy struggling to get away from Jonas, and he carefully released her hand. “You’ll pay for this.” The words were directed solely at Willow as she turned and ran away.
Willow was still shaking, and it was more from rage than fear. Four girls would’ve probably beaten her to a pulp, but she’d been so focused on getting the rest of her locket back that she hadn’t spared a moment’s thought for common sense or self-control.
“It’s a good thing I came along,” said Jonas as he put an arm around her in a comforting fashion.
“I guess so. I wouldn’t have minded punching her face.” She looked up at Jonas, shaking her head. “This isn’t me. I’m not violent like that, but the freaking Westerly’s are always pushing my buttons. She stole my locket from my grandmother and destroyed it. I know she did. All that’s left is this chain.” She opened her hand to show him. “Why is she so mean?”
Jonas didn’t answer for a moment, and then he shrugged. “I don’t know. Sometimes, people like to inflict pain when they’re feeling pain. Maybe that’s her story.”
“Or maybe she’s just a bitch,” said Willow decisively.
Jonas was clearly trying not to laugh. “That’s a valid theory as well. Are you okay now? You aren’t going to rush after her, are you?”
Willow hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “No, I won’t. I’ll just try to deal with it for my mom.”
He squeezed her shoulder before letting go. “Let me walk you to your next class.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’m heading to my dorm.”
“You should walk with me, anyway. I can show you a shortcut.”
She suspected he wanted to make sure she had plenty of time to cool down. Deciding that wasn’t a bad idea, she fell into step beside him. His shortcut turned out to be the long, roundabout way, and it took them through the rose maze, which suited her just fine. As they neared the exit, she paused, putting a hand on Jonas’s arm. He turned to face her, and she lifted her head as he bent his.
The kiss was like one of the roses he loved so much, gently unfurling from a bud to a bloom. He kept it gentle, and it was more exploratory than passionate, but there was certainly passion buzzing between them. She could feel it in the heat overtaking her, and the warmth filling her belly.
When he pulled her closer, his hands dropping down to massage her butt and lift her mound closer to his erection, she forced herself to pull away. They couldn’t afford to lose control like this, even though they had some semblance of privacy in the briar maze. She took a step back, grinning up at him. She was no longer shaking, at least not from anger. Desire made her tremble though, and she licked her lips.
His gaze followed the motion, and he moaned low in his throat. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
She shrugged. “You said it was a gray area, right?”
He sighed. “Technically, but that didn’t feel like a gray area, did it? It felt alive and vibrant, like the brightest red rose.”
She smiled. “I like how you equate things to roses. It’s one of your amazing traits. I really should get back to my dorm before I do something that could get us both in trouble.”
With a nod, he stepped back. “I understand. This isn’t the right time or place, and we’ll have more time together tomorrow when you help me with the roses.”
She nodded. “I’m looking forward to it. Thank you for saving me from doing something stupid back there with Malone as well.” She brushed her fingers against his before she took off in a slight jog, running away from the temptation of staying to see where things might lead.
When she entered her dorm, she half expected to find Malone and the piranhas circling for her, but they weren’t in the rec room on the main floor or on the third floor. She was walking past fifteen on the way to her room when she heard crying.
Recognizing Octavia’s voice, she stopped and knocked. Octavia’s crying grew louder for a moment, and it was clear she was approaching the door. She opened it hesitantly, and then she flung it open all the way when she recognized Willow. “Come in,” she said in a wet voice.
Willow did, closing the door behind her as she glanced around Octavia’s room. She was surprised to find Octavia didn’t have a roommate. “Where’s your roomie?”
“There were extra rooms this year.” Octavia seemed to be fibbing about that, but it was a benign lie and clearly wasn’t why she was crying.
Willow moved closer. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s so humiliating.”
“I doubt that. You can tell me. I’m not going to spread rumors around school even if it’s something really embarrassing, I promise.”
Octavia had moved back to her bed and dropped down on it, so Willow took the office chair nearby, scooting it around to face Octavia, putting herself within a range of being able to pat Octavia’s knee. “Come on. Yo
u’ll feel better after you tell me what’s wrong.” That’s what her mom always said, anyway. It wasn’t always true though.
Octavia reached for a tissue to blow her nose vehemently before tossing it in the trash. Then she wiped her face and straightened her shoulders. “Manion asked me to stay after to review verb tenses.”
At the sound of her creepy French instructor’s name, Willow’s stomach dropped. “What did he do?”
Octavia’s eyes widened. “You know?”
Willow growl glared. “Of course, I know. I don’t know what he did to you personally, but everybody knows he’s a big perv. Did he hurt you?”
Octavia shrugged. “He grabbed my breast, and it still hurts.”
“See if it’s bruised. If it is, you have proof.”
Octavia was in the process of unbuttoning her shirt, but she froze at Willow’s last words. “Oh, I can’t tell anyone. It’s too humiliating.”
Willow shook her head. “He’s the slime ball, not you. You have nothing to be ashamed about. If you tell on him now, the headmaster will have to get rid of him, and he won’t hurt any other girls.”
Octavia turned pale. “I can’t possibly tell my uncle about this. That’s just too much.”
Willow started to argue, but then she imagined how awkward it would be trying to tell something like that to her stepfather, for example, since she had no uncles. She cringed. “Okay, but you can’t just let it go.”
“I just have to not be such a baby about it. It’s not a big deal, right?” Octavia was practically begging her to agree.
Willow snorted. “It’s a very big deal, and he’s taking advantage of girls over whom he has power. We can’t let that stand. If you’ll talk to Headmaster Hastings, I’ll come with you. I’ll even start telling him what’s happening, if you’re prepared to verify it. Will you do that?”
Octavia bit her lip. “I don’t know.”
“Think about all the other girls here at Dunwich dealing with the same thing.”
Octavia frowned. “None of those girls are my friends and couldn’t care less about me, so why should I care about them?”
Willow opened her mouth to offer a response, but she couldn’t think of a good one. Finally, she said, “What about the younger girls who’ll be coming after us? You’re only a sophomore, and he’s ready to grope you. What are you, fifteen? Sixteen?”
“Fifteen, but almost sixteen.”
“So, he could do this to thirteen or fourteen-year-olds. Right now, he might be doing it to the freshman class, and if he’s not yet, he’s getting brave enough to grab you, so he’ll work his way up to worse things with other girls as time passes.”
Octavia grimaced. “It’s not fair for me to have to be the one to report him.”
Willow kept her voice soft. “I know, but don’t you want to do the right thing?”
With a sigh, Octavia stood up. She reached for another tissue and wiped her face again. “Okay, if you can talk to him, I’ll back you up.”
She put her arm around Octavia’s shoulders in a half-hug for encouragement before stepping away so they could walk out of the dorm. She held her breath for what felt like half the time she walked with Octavia from the dorm to the headmaster’s office. She hoped he would still be there, while Octavia seemed to be just as hopeful that he wouldn’t. She told Willow he had a cottage he shared with her Aunt Bev about twenty minutes away that was still part of the school property but allowed the headmaster some privacy.
She was relieved to see the light on in the headmaster’s office when they entered the administration building. She could hear voices coming from there as well, and she was glad the headmaster hadn’t left for the day. It would be even harder to convince Octavia to do this tomorrow after she’d had time to think about it and psych herself out.
A woman burst out of the inner office, and she glared at Willow. “There you are. I was just about to send for you. Headmaster wants a word.” She spoke coldly, inclining her head toward Philip Hastings’ office. “Well, don’t just stand there. Octavia, you go back to your room. This isn’t any of your business.”
“But—” said Willow. Before she had a chance to finish her word or offer protest, Octavia had nodded and turned on her heel, rushing out of the administration building.
She cursed silently under her breath as she followed the cold woman into Hastings’ office. She wasn’t confident she’d be able to convince Octavia to report the incident tomorrow.
Her stomach dropped in protest when she saw Malone sitting at the headmaster’s desk. Malone had a split lip, and she most assuredly hadn’t gotten it from Willow, but she knew how this was going to go as she sat down with dread filling her stomach.
“Fighting is an automatic suspension and can be an expulsion. Considering the state of your sister’s face, I’m—”
“Stepsister,” she and Malone said together.
He glared at both of them for a brief moment. “Considering the violence of the attack, and it being unprovoked, I’m expelling you immediately. I’ll be calling your mother in a moment.”
“I didn’t do that to her face.” Willow had second thoughts about defending herself for a moment, wondering if this was her ticket away from Dunwich. Just thinking about Jonas, Lex, and Kip made her realize she didn’t want to leave the academy. “I don’t know who did that to her, or she if she did it herself, but all we did was exchange some ugly words.”
“She’s lying. She attacked me for no reason.” Malone started to cry.
Willow snorted. “Please. You aren’t going to believe that, are you? She’s a terrible actress.”
Through the tissue she was using to cover her face, Malone slanted her a glare. Then she wailed. “I’m afraid to have her on the grounds. You really need to get rid of her, Headmaster Hastings.”
The nasty old relic grinned, looking satisfied. “I couldn’t agree more. Some people simply aren’t suitable for Dunwich Academy.”
Willow could feel herself being railroaded, framed for a crime she didn’t commit. Suddenly, she grinned. “If you contact Jonas, the groundskeeper, he’ll confirm there was no physical fighting. He broke us up when we were verbally arguing, but no one hit the other.”
Malone’s mouth dropped open, and she looked like she wanted to protest but couldn’t seem to think of what to say. A dawning look of horror came over her expression, making it clear she realized her story might unravel.
The headmaster looked stern as he glared at her, as though daring her to lie to him. “Jonas saw this? He broke it up?”
She nodded solemnly. “Malone was about to strike me when he intercepted her hand. He was very careful with moving her away from me though, and he made us put space between us.”
Looking disgruntled, Hastings used his speakerphone to communicate with his secretary. “Nellie, can you get Jonas on the line?”
Malone’s mouth curved up into a grimace. “You don’t really believe this, do you? She’s just lying.”
Hastings gave her a glare as a warning. “I have to get all accounts. Expulsion is a serious matter, especially if your father chooses to file a lawsuit.”
Willow couldn’t help flashing Malone a slightly malicious grin at those words. “If your dear old dad won’t, I’m sure my mom could be persuaded.” She winked at Malone.
Malone looked sick, and her complexion took on a green tinge when Jonas was on speakerphone moments later, confirming neither of the girls had hit each other, and the fighting hadn’t escalated beyond verbal.
The headmaster looked disappointed, and Malone was practically crushed, as he hung up the phone. “It seems the matter’s been cleared up. You may go now, Miss Munroe.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What about Malone? She lied to you—flat out, bald-faced lied to you. What’s her punishment going to be?”
The headmaster sniffed. “That’s at my discretion, young lady. Now leave my office before I issue a demerit for your disrespectful tone.”
With a groan of disgust, sh
e stood up and stormed from the office. She half-expected to find Octavia waiting for her, but there was no one on the stairs. Still annoyed by how the meeting had gone, she walked down the steps.
Malone came out behind her a moment later, getting close enough to hiss near her ear. “This isn’t it over, trash. You’re still going to leave this place.”
She lifted her arm to flip her stepsister the bird and kept walking. She wasn’t foolish enough to trust that Malone would let things die down and allow them to find a semblance of a truce, but she was done dealing with her for the night.
Her thoughts turned to Octavia, but she still had some anger toward the headmaster who’d clearly done nothing to Malone for lying and trying to get her kicked out. She wasn’t paying much attention, so she gasped with shock when Dalton suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked around, expecting either his minions to be with him, or him to be trying to drag her off somewhere.
Instead, he stood a few feet away from her, not really moving. She stared at him uncertainly. “What do you want?”
“I heard what Malone did to your room.”
“I’m sure you’re just heartbroken over it, right?” She glared at him.
Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something. He held it in the palm of his hand a moment later. “I thought you might want this back. Maybe she went a little too far.”
She looked closer, recognizing the locket. The chain was broken, but the locket had been the most important part. Hesitantly, she took it from his hand, half-expecting him to snatch it back or try to grab her. To her surprise, he kept his palm open until she had it enclosed in her fist. Then he dropped his arm and took a step back. Without looking at her again, he turned and walked away.
