Page 4 of Spiteful Lies

“Who’s in charge here? It can’t be you!” she screams. “I am the head administrator of Stonehaven. I run this school, and you are on my territory. My turf. Private property. Do you understand me? You cannot tell me where I can go. I run this place, little man.”

My eyes widen as I place a hand over my mouth. Did she just say that to a cop? Holy fuckin’ shit. She is power crazy and doesn’t know when to stand down. I slide off the boulder, ready to hide behind it when things turn ugly. They’re going in that direction fast.

The man in the long coat reappears; no doubt he could hear Rawlins shouting from inside. He frowns when he sees her, and she approaches him fast, like a magnet attracted to steel. I had no idea Rawlins was this hands-on intense. She lifts her finger into his face and starts in again.

“Tariq, you have no right to be here. How dare you do this without informing me first? Where’s your warrant?”

The man calmly reaches out and takes Rawlins’ hand in his, lowering it in slow motion. And she lets him as the small crowd watches in amazement. She let him touch her? Who is this man?

“Marianne, it’s Detective Taylor while I’m in the field.” He motions the other cop to step aside, leaving the doorway unblocked. “If you come inside, I’ll show you my warrant.”

There’s a low whistle from the crowd, and the heat bouncing between the two of them just melts the icy earth under our feet. Rawlins takes a moment to glare at each one of us before stomping into the building. Detective Taylor looks toward the boulder again. It’s not my imagination, and I wonder if he recognizes me from somewhere. Abruptly, he turns and goes into the building, leaving me wondering.

Pierce wraps his hand around my upper arm. “Come on, Astrid. I’ll buy you breakfast, and then we can go back to my dorm.”

I yank my arm out of his grip. “No, I’m not made of plastic with a mouth frozen in an O. I choose. Get it? Ladies’ choice, and right now, I choose me.”

Pierce’s eyes light up at my poor choice of words. “Can I watch?”

“Fuck you,” I snap, “Seriously, I’m the one who decides. Do you understand? I decide who I’m going to be with.” Something happens inside me as tears well up.

If I have a twin soul, it’s definitely Wyatt, who’s watching me closely and ready to soothe me. He makes me feel protected with a gentle kiss. But Pierce? I won’t give up my comfort zone around any guy, and he’s the one I can do naughty things with and laugh with. I want to choose, but I can’t make up my mind. Not with them watching me. Slowly, I back away.

“Just fuck yourselves!” I shout before running off.

Chapter 4

Astrid

Monday morning, and no one can focus on midterms while the press circles Stonehaven’s gates. We press our noses against the classroom windows and strain our necks, watching news trucks lined up around the perimeter. On the path, kids stop and point toward a Boston news helicopter buzzing the campus green. Instantly, Dr. Rawlins sends out an urgent message on all devices— students are to remain inside until further notice.

“If we can’t take the test, then can we leave the classroom?” asks an irate girl sitting in the back. “I have a chem test I need to study for, and I don’t have my notebook.”

Mr. Getz’s substitute, Brian Shapley, shakes his head. He’s a lot younger than Getz and stands with his back to the door, blocking us from getting out. He doesn’t have a shit to spare when the irate student named Pamela threatens to tell her parents.

Shapley sneers at her whining. “I’m doing my job, kid, so deal with it.”

It looks like Gillian might get her wish after all. The midterms might have to be delayed while the press tries to swarm the campus for exclusive interviews. They only manage to talk to a groundskeeper, who tells them it’s not his business and not theirs either. Dr. Rawlins sends out another urgent text, forbidding any staff member from speaking to the press. Students are only cautioned.

By ten, the big guns arrive when black SUVs drive through the stone gate across campus. The huge vehicles don’t creep along; the wide wheels tear up the grass and make a new path toward Foxworth House. By ten thirty, worn-out teachers allow kids to roam the hallways, but no one is allowed to leave the building. A gang of teachers stands in front of the main doors, anxious to hold onto their jobs and force us to stay inside while additional school security is brought into each building.

I spot Pierce bullshitting with a guard in the hallway after leaving his classroom. The built man looks as if he could bench-press construction equipment. But witty Pierce is showing the guy photos on his phone as they both laugh. He spots me and waves me over to join them, but when I see the screenshot, I don’t laugh.

“Stonehaven is trending for all the wrong reasons,” he says.

A video of Ted Leister leaving the Rockingham police complex fills the small screen. A woman in a smart suit, with a severe short haircut, walks beside him. She attempts to hold a piece of paper up to Ted’s face as he marches toward a waiting town car, avoiding shouting reporters. As he gets in, his pants leg lifts up, and the ankle monitor is clearly visible. A chill goes through me instead of delight to see my enemy getting what he deserves. The only way Ted Leister is going to end up in jail is if I tell my story. And I’m not sure if I want to make myself remember what happened.

“Hey, guys, what are you looking at?” Justin places his hand on my shoulder, and my reaction is instantaneous. I shudder, letting out a soft hiss, and step away from him quickly. His hand drops off my shoulder, and they stare at me. I know Ted Leister is nowhere near Stonehaven, but for a moment, it felt as if he were beside me.

“Sorry, you came up from behind.” I laugh it off, and so do they, but Justin’s laugh is less convincing than Pierce’s.

“Why so jumpy?” Justin asks, placing his hand on my lower back. He rubs my back through my blazer, and instead of tingles, chills shoot through me like daggers. Deep, low breaths relax my body as I remind myself that it’s Justin, but sometimes his expressions look just like his scumbag dad.

“When are they going to let us out of here?” Pierce scowls, but the guard just shrugs and walks off, talking into his radio as a deflection.

The novelty of roaming the halls is wearing thin, and someone suggests that the students should be able to go back to the dorms. Other kids make the best of the weird situation and continue to study, sitting on the floors with tablets on their laps like they’re camping, taking advantage of the reprieve.

I walk past Gillian in the hallway, leaning against the wall beside Bobby. He looks at me with a huge smile on his face. Dimples I didn’t know he had are popping from his cheeks, but Gillian is careful not to make eye contact. I ignore her, which is something I’d never do, but I don’t dare ask her why she’s ignoring me. I know why. Just looking at Bobby’s grinning face tells me he knows.

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