Page 13 of Before He Was Her Headmaster

My paranoia is hereditary.Not paranoia. Trauma. Caused by paranoid parents.

On the surface, my family is blessed. Third generation wealth and all. But the ugly truth is that my father doesn’t know the first thing about business, not legitimate business anyway. As soon as I graduate high school, my parents lose access to the wildly generous allowance they get from my trust fund to “raise me.”

They would rather spend it on private schools that will expel me for no good reason than just let me finish school and live my life.

Not that I’m one to judge fucked up decisions, I guess. I’m changing into a classic school girl outfit on my way to see the man who talked about fucking me last night.

And I like it.

I really should feel guilt, but… I don’t.

I continue to tell myself that I’m fine as I head across the quad.

The charade feels doable until I get to the classroom. In Headmaster Craig’s office, when it was just the two of us? That was fucked up, but it wasjust the two of us. We both know what happened last night. There are no lies between us, not about that, anyway.

Has he ever fucked another student?

He better not have. I will rip his heart from his chest with my bare hands.

Can I even ask him that question? Will I get a chance? Or was my only chance in his office, and now we have to start lying to each other in front of people for the next twelve weeks.

My hand shakes as I wrap my fingers around the doorknob and turn.

Inside, I find a small room with a whiteboard on one wall and an old-school blackboard on the other. Windows look out over the quad, my dorm, and the forest beyond.

Even though I’m not looking at him—deliberatelynotlooking at him—I see Sebastian wave me into the circle of chairs. The small class is a mix of students, all wearing the same uniform I am, with some variation for personal style. A guy with long hair up in a bun smiles at me and taps the empty chair next to him. The person on the other side, who had been talking, pauses their thought until I sit.

“Sorry.”

Stacey beams at me.

There are way too many smiles in this room.

And I still can’t look at Sebastian, even as he says my name. “Everyone, this is Delilah Murphy. Is that your preferred name?”

I nod. No, it’s not. I’m Lily, but he can’t call me that in front of people.

He gestures to a basket of apples on a side table. “Help yourself to a snack. We were just going around the circle and talking about our goals for the term. We’ll continue and come around to you at the end. As Raven continues, please familiarize yourself with the seminar outline, which was emailed to you a few minutes ago.”

I dig out my tablet and check for the message from the school.

Heat rushes through me as I see his name in my inbox. It feels… dirty. Intimate.

I finally lift my gaze and find him looking at me, a soft, lingering assessment in his eyes. I get up and grab an apple. He watches me, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, as I chomp into it and sit back down.

Raven finishes her little spiel, and then it continues on with Clarabelle, Michael, Stacey, and Deacon. Finally, it’s my turn.

“I’m Delilah,” I say, my voice catching. “Actually, it’s Lily.” Another wave of heat comes over me, and I lock my gaze on Sebastian’s face. “I don’t know what I want to write yet, but I’ve heard good things about this class, so I’m glad to be here.”

Everyone claps.

They’re smiling and clapping. It’s both bizarre and nice.

But I kind of fucked their headmaster, so I definitely don’t belong here. I nervously return the smiles, anyway.

Michael clears his throat. “I was kicked out of another school before I landed here. You’re in good company.”

Raven nods. “You won’t get into trouble here for keeping it real. Headmaster Craig is a pretty understanding guy.”

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