Page 17 of Spiteful Lies

With a nod, the guard lets us in the door. I wasn’t being mean when I called him a bouncer. He reminds me of Teeny and looks powerful in his fitted suit and coat. It’s enough fabric to wrap around my body twice. When we enter Rawlins’ office, she rolls her eyes, and for a moment, I wonder if she’s going to tell the guard to come in and drag Justin out.

“I see you brought a bodyguard.” She glares as we sit down in the chairs in front of her desk.

I motion with my head toward her shut office door. “I see you leave yours outside.”

Rawlins looks at me, her eyes narrowing the longer she stares. “You’re very brave for a student that’s about to be tossed back into the gutter.”

“Maybe that’s why I’m brave,” I reply coolly, “Maybe Stonehaven is already my past.”

“You never gave Stonehaven a chance to be your future.” She sighs. “The opportunity to attend isn’t something to let slip away. Parents call, demanding to have their waitlisted children accepted. Potential students beg for a chance to prove they should be here. I feel that you never realized what you had, and you still don’t, though it’s almost gone.”

My body stiffens as I stare straight ahead. But I’m not thinking about the school. I’m thinking about the boy sitting alongside me. Justin is slipping away because I refuse to see him as an individual. He’s not his father, and I have to move past it, or I will lose him. I used to fight hard not to be a Howland, just like Justin continues to fight to escape from under his father’s dark shadow.

Our hands are almost touching as they rest on the armrests, side by side. My fingers brush against his, letting Justin know that I appreciate him being here. I realize what I have with Justin and won’t let him slip away. Justin moves his fingers and briefly hooks one over mine, and then we pull apart.

“I want to know the name of the person or the persons,” Dr. Rawlins glances at Justin, “who gave you the test answers, or you will be expelled. I’m sorry, Astrid. But I’ve given you too many chances to ignore this massive transgression.”

“Dr. Rawlins, may I speak?” Justin eyes her icily and waits for a reply.

“If you’re involved,” she answers.

“Not directly,” he lies. “But when you speak of massive transgressions, it brings to mind the one I suffered at the hands of the school. And since I am graduating this year, I think it’s time to address it.”

Dr. Rawlins frowns as she tries to recall what Justin might be referring to, but I know, and I’m not sure if I want to let him do this. Immediately, Dr. Rawlins starts to tap on her keyboard, searching through Justin’s file. The puzzled expression remains on her face, indicating that she cannot figure out what he’s talking about. He’s going to have to tell her.

“Justin, it’s okay,” I whisper, “I don’t want you to do this. Not for me. I never fit in here to begin with, and I’ve really tried. I did some dumb stuff because I don’t like seeing the people I love sad or suffering. But please don’t do this.”

“Astrid, I will never forgive myself if I don’t speak up.” He takes my trembling hand in his firm hold. “At the time, I was too young to stick up for myself, but I have to do this now. Or it will always hang over me.”

I take a breath, gathering strength. “Justin, don’t let me be the reason. I don’t want you to do this just to keep me here. It’s okay. I understood what I was doing, but you should’ve seen her face. She was dying inside. You guys grew up here. Stonehaven is like a third parent, and maybe for others, their only one. I’m used to being on my own. I’ll be okay.”

Justin looks pained as he watches Rawlins and considers. I dare to look, and she’s staring at me thoughtfully. Of course, she heard everything we said, and now she knows exactly how we feel about one another.

“Justin, what year did this incident occur?” she asks.

“When I was in sixth,” he lowers his eyes for a moment, then lifts his head. “That’s when it happened.”

Rawlins nods. “It’s probably not in the computer. I started working at Stonehaven the following year.” She gets up and walks to the far side of the room, lined with wooden file cabinets. She checks the letters on the drawers and then pulls a drawer out. Her fingers fly over the old files before pulling one out. Silently, Rawlins returns to her desk to read it, and as she does, the blood drains from her face.

“I was molested by a social studies teacher,” Justin narrates what she’s reading, “I confided in Pierce Vanderbilt, and he told his father, who contacted the school authorities at the time. The school contacted my father, but other than a humiliating doctor’s examination, nothing else was done. The school has been complicit in my abuse, and I plan to sue.”

Rawlins swallows hard as she closes the file and places it on her desk. Her mind churns as she slowly loses her chill attitude. For a moment, she looks at Justin and then looks away.

“It troubles me to reads this,” she says, “And though I wasn’t the administrator then, I apologize for what happened to you, Justin. I hate that something like that was allowed to happen to anybody.” She glances at me then looks at him. “Justin, what can I do to convince you not to say anything until after your graduation? Stonehaven will be destroyed if we have to face another controversy so soon.”

Justin smiles softly. “To start, Astrid is not to be expelled, nor is any other student involved in the cheating scandal.”

“Let’s not refer to it as a scandal.” She tilts a brow. “Is that all?”

Justin shrugs his shoulders. “I’m not going to blackmail you every time I want something, Dr. Rawlins. But a lot of kids are having issues with the added security on campus. It’s disconcerting when you’re minding your own business, and then you look up to see a huge thug staring at you.”

Rawlins sighs. “Point taken, but the scandal involving Getz is challenging the school. I will emphasize to security that they are to keep intruders out, not intimidate the students.” She looks at me. “So, Astrid will remain a Stonehaven student. And I hope during that time you’ll feel differently toward the school. Perhaps if I had handled your transition from public to private differently, you would have felt more welcomed. I saw you as a challenge and not the asset that you are.” She taps on her keyboard again. “I’m reinstating you on the track team and removing your probation. Your heart is in the right place, but your method of implementation…” Rawlins waves her hand in the air as if she’s searching for the correct word floating by. “To put it bluntly, your implementation sucks.”

I smile widely. “Thank you, Dr. Rawlins. I didn’t want to come in all guns blazing…”

“It was my idea,” Justin hastily adds. He stands and holds his hand out toward me.

“One more thing. I haven’t seen your sister Charlotte yet. Did you tell her to come to see me?” I nod, and Rawlins continues. “Tell Alice to step into my office when you leave. It looks like I’ll have to yank the perfect Miss Charlotte Howland out of class. Today is a day for new beginnings for everyone.”

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