Page 46 of King

It’s not long before the people around us are all chanting the same thing, only to have the rest of the crowd join in.

They’re all looking at me, yelling for me to take it off in their uniforms like some sort of horny adolescent cult and all I want to do is get away. There’s one last entrance into this grand foyer, or right now, my personal hell, and I head for it. I’m not giving these maniacs the advantage of seeing me crumble.

A green headband stops me in my path. Lea has her arms crossed and she’s looking at me with smug satisfaction. She looks back at the poster, then at me before looking at her nails. “Seems like we outdid ourselves this time. Thank god Damien has all the right connections.”

My chest feels like it's caving in, nails digging into my skin. “Get out of my way Lea.”

Hoots and hollers come from some of the students and Lea grins, standing up tall. “You sure you don’t want to give the whole school a show?” She flips her hair. “Imagine the tips you’d get from the pockets of the east coast’s richest families. Simply for being a whore.”

I take a step closer until I’m breathing in her face. “Oh, I’ll give them a show.”

“Joelle Rowland!” My name crackles over the intercom and the crowd quiets down. “Joelle Rowland to the Headmaster’s office immediately.”

Chants turn into whispers as Lea steps aside. “Seems like you have somewhere to be.”

Thirteen

A warning.

Headmaster Shithead sent me home for the day with a warning.

When I asked why I was being punished he said I created a disturbance. He didn’t even give me a chance to tell Willow I won’t be riding home with her. Being no help at all, he called Eric who called Holly who arranged for Henry to pick me up.

That was before Headmaster Beckett escorted me down the hall like some sort of criminal. He watched me get into the car, then he leaned in, a stern expression on his face. “I’m not sure what you’re used to in Glendale Grove but I trust this won’t happen again.” Then he slammed the door.

Unbelievable.

What did I expect from a place where everyone has their heads up their asses?

Walking inside the mansion, I'm on my usual route to the stairs. The large grandfather clock in the foyer tells me it’s past ten. That means both Eric and Nancy should be out of the house.

“Hello?” I call. But I hear nothing in response. I try again, “Eric? Nancy?”

Nothing.

Tapping my finger against the railing, I'm listening for any sounds before I make a beeline for Eric’s office. As usual, there’s a silver lining here. Headmaster Beckett did me a favour after all. This might be my only chance to take a peek into Eric Archibald’s business. Since he spends so much time with both the Kings and the Huangs, I’m bound to find something about my parents.

The door’s open when I get there, and with one last glance around me, I enter his office. Everything is in pristine shape, the smell of fresh linen in the air. That means the housekeepers already got to cleaning up.

Making my way over to the large oak desk, my body sinks into the leather of the massive brown chair. There’s a couple of drawers by my knee and I pull at them, but they’re locked. No key in sight.

Swivelling around to look at the shelves behind me, there’s a photo of Nancy and Eric on their wedding day. Next to that is another framed photo of them holding hands on a beach. Random nick nacks surround it. A miniature golden palm tree, golf bobblehead and an unopened book of affirmations.

Turning back around brings me face to face with Eric’s flatscreen monitor. Under his keyboard is a large calendar, most of it unused. I flap the pages like a flipbook, looking for the next spot to investigate. Tapping my chin my eyes scan the room. Where would Eric Archibald hide his secrets?

Whoosh!

Like the universe heard my cry, a paper slips out of the calendar. It lands on the floor beside the wheel of the chair. Picking it up, I scan the scribbled words in blue ink.

The Better Business Plan - Q4.

The family man persona - Brenson Toys.

Think bigger than pets.

Adopt?? Too much commitment

Foster??

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