The Order- Hit and Run

by Emma Cole

  “You’re Cordelia!” At my surprise, he backtracks. “Well, yes, you’d know your own name. Dumb, Kent, scare her off, why don’t you?” The dude is mumbling to himself, and I’m looking around for someone else to help me because this one has a few screws loose. “Wait, I didn’t mean to be weird. I suck at meeting new people. I study all the yearbooks from Mooreton, so I know who’s coming in, and you weren’t expected, but now you’re here, and you’ll be such an asset to the Order. It’s just brimming off you. It’s been decades since--”

  “That’ll be enough, Kent.” I stifle a groan at Jag’s voice behind me. “I can help Cora collect what she needs from here. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to check out.”

  Crazy Kent caves immediately. “Yes, yes, of course, Master Jaeger. Please accept my sincerest apologies if I overstepped.” He buttons up and disappears into the depths of the room behind the desk, leaving me alone with Jag.

  “What the hell was that, Jaeger? And why was he calling you Master? That shit’s creepy.” In my tirade I conveniently forget I ditched him not even ten minutes ago. Some things curiosity trumps, and being annoyed with him is one of them.

  “All staff other than the headmaster and the board are required to address the students as Master and Mistress. Even the student workers when they’re on the clock.” He’s nice enough while he explains, but it doesn’t last, and thunder settles over his features as he gets after me. “Care to explain why I had to chase you all over the grounds after I specifically told you me and the others are responsible for you?”

  “What?" Blinking at him, I recount his words. "No, you said you had to help settle me in. That’s very different than being responsible for.” I don’t know what he’s getting at, but those five running my days isn’t happening. It's my life. “If you’re helping, then help. Otherwise, fuck off, Jag.” Arms crossed and glare fixed on his, I wait for Jaeger to respond.

  His lips tighten, but he remains silent as he glances at my class roster and turns to walk stiffly to the shelves of books. After a short perusal, he’s quick to start pulling them down, moving back and forth then up and down the aisles handing me books until I’m nearly buried under the stack. Finally, he finishes, and I make my way to the desk to unload. Arms trembling with the effort, I barely make it and try to hide the wince of pain that wants to escape as my internal scars ache, reminding me that I'm too weak to carry them around. .

  “I need all these? This is insane. Are they trying to make me fail or intimidate me into leaving?” Seriously, there have to be fifteen different books and workbooks in the pile.

  “The textbooks are straightforward, but you’ll need the others for assignments. It’s not quite as bad as it appears, but yes, the administration culls the weak and unambitious right off. Better keep up, Cora. Slackers aren’t welcome here, and spreading your legs won’t work either.” Jaeger is back to being a dick, of course.

  Pissed off, my mouth runs away with itself. “I’ve always earned my grades. I’m not the one that got caught fucking the lunch lady in a staff bathroom.” Jaeger turns red at the reminder even as he schools his features into indifference.

  “She was hot, sue me.” I roll my eyes at him and move on to supplies, wanting to be done with his presence sooner rather than later.

  Jaeger follows me, making grunting noises at the less expensive models of calculators so often that I give up reading the packaging and move on to the one that I really wanted but didn’t want to get in case I somehow ended up indebted for everything. I roll my eyes when he makes an approving hum at my choice. He even takes it up to the counter for me while I peruse the notebooks and pens and study materials.

  By the time I’m done with the list and the extras I thought I’d need, Kent has the pile on the desk rung up. Hitting the total, Kent directs the screen at me, and the tally is in the thousands. Plural. With a nearly audible gulp and a quick prayer, I swipe my student ID in the card reader, sighing in relief when it accepts the purchase. Textbooks and class supplies are covered in the contract, but this is the first chance I’ve had to try out their stipulations.

  “Thanks for the help.” I smile at Kent, being polite even if he has been weird, and pick up as many bags as I can handle. Jaeger grabs the rest and follows me out of the store and back to our dorm suite.

  He remains silent until we’re in the elevator. “No more running off on us. If it happens again, I’ll report you to the headmaster.”

  I gape at him, incredulity turning to fury in seconds. “I’m not a prisoner, Jaeger! That wasn’t in the contract!” I’m still fuming even as the doors slide open, and my feet stomp down the hall to our door.

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong. You’re to follow all university directives, and you’ve been directed for the five of us to chaperone you. Damien was a big presence on this campus, and his father is on the board. There are more than a few board members and students very unhappy with you being here.” He's matter of fact in his delivery, bored even, as he dashes my hopes to avoid them like the plague.

  “All of you? I have to be in the vicinity of one of you the entire time I’m here?” My raised voice brings the attention of a few students wandering the halls, and I shut up before my business is all over campus.

  Fishing out my ID, I swipe it to unlock the door and beeline for my room, ignoring the occupants still sitting around and the shadow behind me carrying the rest of my supplies. Jaeger comes in right behind me, depositing his armful on the bed next to mine. I turn to face him, hands fisted on my hips, waiting on his answer.

  “Yes, unless there’s a class or extracurricular that one of us doesn’t share, someone will always be on duty to escort you. Even to and from those classes you’re in alone. The only exception is when we’re in our meetings once a month. During that time, you’ll be in your room.” He’s barely done speaking before I let loose.

  Aggravation shines clear in my voice as I follow him back out. Fuck the audience. “I’m not a damned pet, Jag, and I don't need to be treated like one. Where do you or the administration get off on making me one?”

  The girl perched on Riggs’ knee snorts indelicately. “Don’t pets wear collars? Shouldn't you have picked one up with your supplies?” The bitch doesn’t understand that I will fuck up her veneers.

  Riggs does though, and he pushes her off onto the floor to intercept me. “Cora, enough! It’s what we’ve been instructed. Kelly,” he addresses the girl on the floor, “make yourself scarce. I’ll call you later.” Not even a reprimand, just a promise of a booty call. What a douche.

  “What happened to you all, Riggs?” I whisper furiously at him, trying to avoid the others hearing me. “None of you used to be this way, not until Damien. Not until that night at the lake house. Why?” I should have known not to show vulnerability, but I still care for those boys I used to adore when I was part of their circle.

  One cool fingertip traces my cheek from the corner of my eye to the fullness of my lips. “Don’t you know, Cora? You happened. You wrecked our boy, then you spread your slut legs for your dead baby daddy.” His hand trails down to my chest as I stand in stupefied silence, only to have him shove me backward into the chair he’s just vacated. “Karma, bitch.” His parting words echo in my head as he grabs his keys off an end table and walks out of the suite.

  Hitting me would have been preferable to his comments. Struggling to control my emotions and not cry in front of everyone left, I rush into my room, slamming and locking the door behind me. I can’t believe he’d said those things. Riggs is a playboy, but I didn’t think he was malicious. Not like that.

  His rakish dark looks had always been intriguing, but I wasn’t that kind of girl. The kind that pines for their boyfriend’s best friend, so he’d been firmly in the ‘safe-to-flirt-not-to-touch’ zone.

  While it was Jaeger and Damien in their own little bubble, the others were a posse. Drake, Ash, Riggs, and Blaise. Riggs is technically Calvin Rigby III, and Ash is short for Ashton, but everyone ca
lls them by their nicknames. They're all varying shades of darkness. Pale to swarthy skin and eye color aside, they could all be related from appearances alone.

  Actually, Kael had fit right in too with his black hair and blue eyes. A tendril of grief snakes its way around my heart, crushing in its intensity, as I struggle for composure. I try so hard to avoid any triggers that might lead to a breakdown, and if today is any indication, being here is going to be more difficult than ever on my emotions.

  I wait, silently weeping for all I've lost until I hear the girls depart, and the noises cease on the other side of my door, before getting up from where I'd stationed myself in front of it on the floor. After splashing cold water on my face, I find my list of things I still need to do and hook my purse over my head and across my body before braving leaving the tentative safety of my room.

  Cracking the door and finding the area in my line of sight clear, I quietly slip into the living room, making sure to keep the knob twisted then slowly releasing it so that it catches without a sound. Muffled music is coming from what I think is Ash's door, and other than that, it doesn't appear anyone is around.

  Halfway to the door, I remember Jag's warning about going around without an escort. Him and Riggs have been complete assholes, and I'm not sure if Ash's music is covering up naked activities, but I don't particularly want to find out. Drake has been okay, but even though him and Damien were first cousins and not actual brothers, it's still enough to wig me out. Which leaves me with Blaise.

  If there was ever one of the guys that I hadn't gotten along with, it was him. And to find his room I’m going to have to pick one of three doors. I'm fairly certain the one directly next to me is Jaeger's and the other door a small closet. Beyond that is Ash's with the music. Feeling like an idiot, I move to the door next to Jaeger's and press my ear to it, trying to decide if there's anyone in there. When it's silent, I tap a couple times and wait. No response comes, and I move to the next. Noises seem to be coming from inside, and I knock, this time getting an answer.

  The door swings open, and a scowl settles onto Blaise's face. "What do you want, Cora?"

  Spitting it out before he slams the door in my face, I tell him, "Jag said I can't leave the rooms without one of you escorting me, and I need my things out of my car. Please." I add on the last when he steps back, and my foot moves forward.

  With his raised brow and direct stare at the offending appendage, it's hard to maintain my confidence. But him being pissy is better than any of the alternatives. Waiting for someone else or not getting my things. Neither will work with classes tomorrow.

  "What's in it for me?" I raise shocked eyes to his hard ones.

  "Are you extorting me over something I have no choice in?" I'm not really surprised, but damn. "How much? I'm not exactly well off, but I can swing twenty bucks if you're going to be an ass about it." Devilment lights his eyes.

  "Oh, Cora. I don't need your money. I was thinking something more along the lines of--" He brings his fist up and pokes his tongue into his stubble-covered cheek as he mimes the universal motions of a blow-job.

  Without thought, my foot comes straight out to kick him in the shin. I'd have aimed higher, but the door is in the way.

  "Fucking pig! Screw you, Blaise!" I turn on my heel to stalk to Ash's door, uncaring what state I might find him in at this point. Except dumbass can't keep his mouth shut.

  "If you insist," he calls out. "Hey, can we do bareback since I don't have to worry about knocking you up? I have it on good authority you're clean, barren, and a good lay."

  Shame, sorrow, and finally fury ignite in my veins. Grabbing a standing lamp and heading in Blaise's direction is the last thing I remember. After the haze clears, I find myself being held back by both Drake and Ash in Blaise's destroyed bedroom with a bent and broken lamp pole on the floor at my feet. Kinda like me.

  It takes a few quick blinks to register the mess, and I don't know what to say. The shock of losing it so badly is quickly overshadowed by the fact that I probably just got myself kicked out before school even starts. Hell, I’m even still packed. I start to giggle uncontrollably until I sag in the guys’ grip, burying my face in my hands while mirth dissolves into sobs.

  "What did you do, Blaise?" Distantly, it registers that Drake is demanding answers, and Ash is taking on my full weight and supporting me. "You said what? Are you serious right now?"

  Ash swings my legs up, carrying me bridal style, before I can hear what Blaise's reply is. Not that I particularly care at the moment. Ash carries me into my bedroom, sitting me on the bed after pushing aside some of the books, and kneels on the floor in front of me.

  "Cora, hey, it's going to be alright." He reaches a hand out tentatively, placing it on my knee when I don't protest. "Blaise was just being a dick. You know how he likes to run his mouth. Besides, you did a number on his room. You should have seen his face when we came in! I swear, he was two seconds from pissing himself. And the poor lamp, that thing is mangled." His attempt at comfort and levity helps me settle a bit. The fact that he doesn’t give me shit for it is another plus.

  Regardless, I'm still worried. "I don't know what happened. I just got so mad. Am I going to get kicked out now?" I peer up through tear-soaked lashes to Ash's blue gaze.

  "No, Drake will set Blaise straight. You've been through a lot; you're bound to get overwhelmed now and again." Something I can't name flits across Ash's countenance, and I know he's not quite telling the truth. Before I can call him on it, he continues. "What did you need Blaise for? You should have come to me."

  I don't want to explain why I hadn't, but he had rescued me. Or Blaise, rather. "Your music was on, and after earlier and last night, I-- I didn't want to see--" Embarrassment flushes my already red, tear-stained cheeks.

  Ash laughs, genuinely this time. "I was working out. No girls for me, Cora. Not in my room anyway." He seems lost in thought for a moment, and I become acutely aware of his fingers rubbing random patterns on my leg. "Let's get you fixed up, and I'll help with whatever you need."

  The offer has relief coursing through me, and I readily accept. While he gets to his feet, I tell him my issue. "I can't leave the suite without an escort, and I need to unpack, but my stuff is in my car."

  "Sure, let me get some shoes on, and we'll go down." No mention of the decree or reaction to it, so at least Jag hadn't been lying. Which sucks, but I'll figure it out. A quick trip to the bathroom makes my skin feel better but doesn't alleviate the signs of my breakdown.

  As we leave, I can still hear Drake and Blaise talking in his room. I hope Drake makes it clear it's not okay to act like that and doesn't condone it behind closed doors.

  Conscious of my tear-stained face, I avoid eye contact with the handful of students we pass on the way to my vehicle. Thankfully, it's only a few boxes and two rolling suitcases, and we manage to attach the boxes to the tops of them with the straps. Ash takes the loaded suitcases while I take the last box and lock up before we make the short trek to the building.

  Chapter Seven

  Back inside, we both unload the boxes onto my bed, still crowded with books and supplies, and I thank Ash for his help.

  "Not a problem, Cora. Do you need help unpacking or hanging anything?" I shake my head no, and he almost reluctantly leaves after reassuring me I can come get him if I change my mind.

  I start the daunting task of putting everything away, emptying the clothes and toiletries out of my suitcases and boxes and moving onto the books and laptop. By the time I'm done, the bookshelf is half-full, the laptop is almost done updating, and the dresser and closet are no longer empty. My leg aches, and dimly my ribs, but at least having it done makes me feel more on solid ground and not so uncertain of my place.

  There's one big box with keepsakes and pictures and knick-knacks as well as one small box, the one I'd carried, left. I sit at the desk and peel the tape off the smaller box. The tears instantly begin to flow as I open the cover on the pink memory book. Inside, on the left p
age are the tiny footprints, and on the right, a picture of Kael's hands cradling the little feet that made them.

  Before I can fully immerse myself in the box and its contents, there's a tap at the door followed directly by it opening. "Cora, I'm sorry about Blaise, I--" Drake stutters to a stop within arm’s reach, holding a tray of food. He takes in what I have open on the desk and my, yet again, wet face. "Oh. I'm so sorry for barging in; I just wanted to make sure you eat. If you need anything, please let me know." He sits the tray on the bed and rushes directly back out, shutting the door behind him.

  His reaction had been stiff, but genuine, I think. With a heavy sigh, I close the box back up, storing it on the shelf in the closet. Tired and still needing to go over the syllabi before classes tomorrow, I put the other on the floor in the closet to deal with later.

  I'm halfway done with the reading prep for tomorrow's classes when my phone buzzes. A reminder for my physical therapy in two days pops up, and I know I'll need to coordinate that with one of my keepers. If I can't leave the suite without one, I highly doubt leaving campus without an escort will be permitted. This time I go straight for Ash.

  He opens his door shortly after I knock and steps back, motioning me to come in. A scowl takes over my face when I find both Jag and Drake are in the room, and now I'm thinking maybe I should have waited until he was alone.

  "Hello, princess," Jag greets me, earning himself the middle finger. I don't bother to address him.

  "Ash, I have PT on Tuesday. Do I need an escort, or can I get a pass to go by myself?" Just pretend the asshole isn't here.

  Ash instantly turns to Jaeger for an answer, absolutely not helping me ignore him. I fume at the smirk my step-brother gives me, and of course he's the one that answers.