Page 15 of Remember Us This Way

Liam mutters something under his breath just as the cheerleaders reach us, and I get one more drag before Shannan plasters herself against my chest. Disgust fills me, and I inch back only to have her step with me, not daring to put even a millimeter of space between us, her perfume stinging my nose. “I was wondering where you got to,” she says, lifting her chin and hovering her face way too close to mine, waiting for me to kiss her.

I shove her off me, putting well-needed space between us as her desperation threatens to give me hives, but she doesn’t get the hint and puts her hand back on my chest, trying to be seductive as she draws little circles over the top of my shirt. “So, I was hoping you’d wanna ditch with me,” she murmurs as her friend steps into her side, the two of them looking at me with secretive stares. They look between themselves before Shannan meets my stare again. “Or perhaps you’d prefer to ditch with us.”

My brow arches as I look down at the girls, and it’s fucking tempting.

Liam scoffs, a smug grin stretching across his face as he steps in closer. “Is this a private party or are you looking to even the playing field?”

Well, shit. I wasn’t expecting my day to go like this, but there’s nothing more important than bonding with a new teammate, especially when said teammate wants to kick my ass for even thinking about taking his position. Though I’m not going to lie, I don’t usually like to share.

The girls seem keen on the idea, but they look up at me for approval, and just as I go to respond, Zoey pops into my head, rendering me speechless. “I, uh,” I clench my jaw, the idea of bending these two girls over suddenly not so appealing. “Not today.”

“Oh,” Shannan says, disappointment flooding her eyes, but I honestly couldn’t give a shit. If she wants to fuck, she can screw Liam in the teachers’ lounge. Something tells me she’s no stranger to whoring herself out to East View’s most promising athletes.

Taking a dismissive step away, I lift the cigarette to my lips and take another deep drag, not understanding why Zoey is having such an effect on me today. All fucking day, she’s all I’ve been able to think about. The way she looked at me in the student office and the venom in her tone when she spat those lies at me. Surely she knows I wasn’t buying her bullshit. Nonetheless, her need to hate me scorched me from the inside out, but when she saw Shannan on my lap, she was jealous. She was so fucking obvious it was almost comical, but what’s more, the pain in her eyes made it possible to breathe. It was the sickest form of punishment, exactly what I’d been craving for three long years.

Raising my chin, I blow a cloud of smoke above the girls’ heads because, unlike Liam, I’m not always an asshole. “Ah, fuck,” Liam mutters beside me, nodding back toward the school.

I glance up to find a man in a suit and let out a heavy sigh. I have no idea who this is, but I’ve come to learn that the douchebags in the suits are usually the ones who hold the power. “Who the fuck is that?”

“Principal Daniels,” Shannan murmurs, fear in her tone. “Not someone you want to be on the bad side of.”

Well, shit. Just what I need.

Fury lingers in his stare as he strides toward us, and knowing damn well he’s about to demand I put my cigarette out, I quickly take the last drag. He steps right up to us, and I watch the pathetic way the two girls and Liam cower in his presence. “Girls,” Principal Daniels says before flicking his chin, silently telling them to fuck off.

Relief flashes in their eyes, and without skipping a beat, they hurry away, leaving me and Liam to face his wrath. “You must be Noah Ryan,” he says, sizing me up.

“The one and only,” I say as Liam discreetly tries to put out his cigarette as if the guy can’t smell the stench lingering in the air around us.

He studiously glances at my cigarette, demanding I follow suit and put it out, then being all too aware of what’s at risk, I do just that, dropping it to the ground and stubbing it with my toe. “You missed your appointment with me this morning,” he says in an accusatory tone.

Ah, shit. I knew I was forgetting something.

“Sorry, Bossman,” I say. “I wasn’t aware I had an appointment. I was told to head to the student office, grab my shit, and get ready for the day. I did that.”

Daniels presses his lips into a hard line. He knows I’m lying. I know I’m lying. But the question is, what’s he going to do about it?

“Yes, Dorris has told me all about your meeting in the student office,” he says, narrowing his gaze before fixing a heavy stare on Liam. “What the hell are you still doing here? The bell rang for class ten minutes ago. Get out of here.”

Liam spares me a glance before looking back at Daniels. “Yes, sir,” he says, going to take off before pausing. “Would you mind writing me up a hall pass? I’ve got Mrs. Teckler now, and she’s a bitch for handing out detentions.”

“I think a detention sounds appropriate, don’t you think, Mr. Xander?”

Liam glances down and presses his lips into a tight line before letting out a heavy, defeated sigh. “Yes, sir.” And with that, he takes off, hands shoved deep in his pockets, and not a single fucking thought for the guy whose threesome he just tried to invade.

I’m left with Principal Daniels, and I prepare myself for the worst. Day one, caught smoking just off the boundary of the school. I’m sure that’s going to do wonders for my position here.

“Let’s cut the bullshit,” Daniels says. “I know why you’re here. I’ve spoken to the Principal at St. Michael’s and am aware of just how much trouble you’ve gotten yourself into. You’re not the kind of student I wish to have inside the halls of my school. However, your mother insisted that I give you one last chance. She insisted that under all of the bullshit, you’re just a confused, lost soul. And if it weren’t for the pure devastation and desperation she expressed during our phone call, I probably would have declined. You’re trouble, Noah. You’re a danger to my school and my students, so let me make this very clear. One fuck up, one small step in the wrong direction, and I will personally ensure that you don’t see another football field in your life. Do you hear me?”

I swallow hard and nod. This isn’t exactly the first time I’ve been given a speech like this, but it’s the first time I think the guy giving it has the balls to actually follow through. “Yes, sir,” I mutter, the heaviness of my situation weighing me down.

“Now, your mother told me a little about your situation, and—”

“Excuse me?” The hairs stand on the back of my neck, not liking the direction this is heading.

Daniels presses his lips into a hard line, clearly not appreciating the interruption of what I’m assuming is a speech he’s rehearsed at least ten times before coming to me. “You’re an angry kid, Noah. You’ve had it rough. I understand your brother, Lincoln, died in an accident three years ago, and I would like to offer my sincerest condolences. However, I have been made aware that you have spiraled out of control since then. You have pushed away the people who care for you and fallen in with the wrong crowds, and while I appreciate how hard that must have been, I am not going to allow this reckless behavior to continue in my school.”

I clench my jaw, not liking this one fucking bit.

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