Page 53 of Remember Us This Way

Letting out a heavy breath, I stride into Daniels’ office and quickly glance around. It’s a nice office, definitely not as nice as the one I burned down a few weeks ago. In hindsight, that was probably the most fucked-up thing I’ve done, but my mistakes are what brought me here. Brought me back to life.

“I take it you don’t have any current plans to burn down my office?” Daniels says, a smug-as-fuck smirk across his face as he strides around his mahogany desk and takes a seat, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Not currently.”

“Good,” he says. “I’m fond of this office.”

“Glad to hear it.”

The room falls into silence, and Daniels just stares forward, trying to intimidate me, but honestly, the only person in this world who has the power to affect me by stare alone is Zoey fucking James.

“I’ve had some disturbing reports,” he starts.

I quickly cut him off, saving us both time and effort. “Whatever it was, I had nothing to do with it.”

Daniels arches a brow. “So, the black Camaro that was stolen out of the student parking lot and left two thick lines of rubber down the street wasn’t yours?”

I nod toward the window that has the perfect view of the student parking lot. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell him. “My car is right there, clearly not stolen.”

“I’m not in the mood for games, Noah,” he says. “Give me a name.”

And dump Zoey in a world of shit? Like hell I’m ever going to do that. Besides, it was my property that was stolen, and I got it back . . . and more.

No harm, no foul. There’s nothing more to it.

Stealing my car was Zoey’s way of sending a message. It’s our business and nobody else’s, especially not Principal Daniels’. “Like I said,” I reiterate. “I don’t know what to tell you. My car is right where it belongs, not a scratch on it. Besides, I was at football training when it happened, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my window tint is just about as dark as the law will allow. I didn’t see shit.”

His stare only hardens, and it’s clear he doesn’t believe me, but I’ll go down on this hill if it means protecting Zoey. Besides, it’s not as though he’s ever going to suspect her. She’s the most polite, well-mannered girl in the whole fucking school. He’ll somehow find a way to accuse me of being the one behind the wheel, despite the many witnesses.

Let’s be honest. I’d rather go down for this than ever allowing eyes to fall on Zoey. I’ve protected her since the day she was born, and I’ve failed her in so many ways over the past three years. It’s time to start making up for that.

“Whether you like it or not, this is a school incident. Your car was stolen on school property, and the suspect drove recklessly, endangering the lives of the students of East View.”

Laying it on thick, I see.

“With all due respect, sir, you couldn’t be more wrong,” I say, ready and willing to say whatever is needed to keep this from coming down on Zoey. “My car wasn’t stolen. A friend needed a ride after school, and I willingly gave up the keys. And as for the reckless driving, were you there? Because I saw the whole thing. My car was well off school property before the burnout started, which you can clearly see from the marks left on the road. The school has nothing to be concerned with.”

Principal Daniels narrows his stare at me, drumming his fingers on his desk. “Who are you trying to protect, Noah?”

I scoff, more than happy to pull out my usual attitude that I keep reserved solely for authority. “Do I strike you as the type of kid who’s looking out for anyone but himself?”

“No,” he says, almost sounding disappointed. “Not even a little bit.”

There’s a slight pause, and I’m about to haul ass out of here when he goes on, keeping me pinned in my chair. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen,” he says. “You and I both know that I’m not buying your bullshit. You’re either going to give me a name, or you’re going to spend every lunch period for the next week right here in my office. But be warned, a week’s worth of detention puts a mark on your record. Earn a second one and that’s grounds for suspension.”

I arch a brow, not exactly pleased with my options. Protect Zoey or risk my enrollment? What a stupid fucking question. Where Zoey is concerned, there’s not a damn thing I wouldn’t do to protect her, even if it means giving up my future. “Then I guess I’ll see you at lunch,” I tell him, not even a hint of hesitation in my tone.

“Very well,” Principal Daniels says, watching me with suspicion. He holds my stare a moment longer before taking a deep breath. “You’ve barely been here a week, Noah. I don’t want to see you getting in trouble. I’ve had nothing but good reports from your teachers, and even Coach Martin seems to be impressed by you. That’s no easy feat. You’ve stuck to your counseling sessions, and as far as I’m aware, you have had full attendance to every class. I’m not foolish enough to believe that this will last, but I am hopeful that it will. I don’t want to see you fall behind. You could be a great addition to this school, a role model to the younger students, and your football endeavors could put this school on the map. However, I stand by what I said; one fuck up, Noah, and you’re out on your own. I understand you are protecting someone, and as noble as that is, I will not allow it to pass again. You said you’re the kind to look out for only yourself, and while I am no longer sure that is entirely true, I want to see you put your money where your mouth is. I want to see you look out for yourself. Look out for your future and stop selling yourself short.”

Fuck, why does his judgment seem to sting so badly? It’s almost as bad as the judgment I saw in Zoey’s eyes when I first saw her in the halls of this very office.

“I’ve got it under control,” I tell him, needing to look away. I haven’t had a damn thing under control in three long years.

Daniels lets out a sigh, watching me through a narrowed stare before pressing his lips into a hard line and finally nodding. “Alright, Noah. Get to class,” he says, waving toward his office door. “Let’s hope I don’t need to call you into my office again.”

“Let’s hope,” I repeat, and with that, I throw myself out of the chair and back through his door, more than ready to get my ass out of here.

22

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