Page 28 of Soul of a Psycho

I know I’m beingthatgirl—unhinged, clingy, and dramatic, but I can’t let it go. He kissed me and then vanished, taking a piece of my soul with him. You don’t experience something like that, something so cataclysmic, without coming a little undone.

I’ve kissed guys before, but none of them compared to the way Cade made me feel. I want to say I saw fireworks, but that’s not exactly right. I think Iwasthe firework. I became pyrophoric at the touch of his lips.

And then he freaked out.

I quietly sigh in frustration and watch the clock hanging above Mr. Rykes head. If I can’t ask Ruby, I’ll ask the teacher.

When the bells finally toll, I sit patiently at my desk, waiting for everyone to file out before I make my move. I don’t need anyone overhearing my obsession. Once it’s all clear, I grab my bag and approach Mr. Rykes desk. It’s kind of sloppy, and he doesn’t look up right away, leaving me to clear my throat.

“What can I do for you, Miss Lyons?”

Is that annoyance in his voice? I swallow my ire and smile as sweetly as I can.

“I was just wondering…” I start, formulating the perfect kiss ass words to get what I want. I’ve had a lot of practice manipulating what I needed out of my father, and this should be no different.

“Today…” he drawls at my fake hesitation.

God, this guy is a dick.

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice that Cade hasn’t been in class.” I make a show of wringing my hands. “And I would hate for anyone to fall behind because they are sick. I was hoping, if you would allow it, I could take him this week’s work.”

He narrows his eyes at me, and I bite my cheek. This is a completely normal thing to ask. There should be no reason for him to expect me to have any other intentions. Just say, ‘that’s a wonderful idea’ and tell me which dorm he’s in, for crying out loud.

Rykes leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers over his stomach, and cocks his head.

“Suddenly have an appetite for academics, Miss Lyons?”

I falter at the way he says it, as if I’m not a decent student. I’ve only been here a week. What the hell could he have against me?

“You know,” He doesn’t give me a chance to answer. “This may only be high school, but you’ll find out shortly that universities don’t take absences lightly.”

Shit.He’s talking about me missing class. A class that Cade also missed at the same time as me. I didn’t think about that.

“I apologize.” I make a point to hang my head. “It won’t happen again.” I think about showing him my stitches, but quickly decided against it. If he wanted to check with the infirmary, there wouldn’t be any record of my accident.

Thanks, Cade.

“Won’t it?”

It’s my turn to cock my head at him because I’m truly confused.

“No—” I start, but he cuts me off.

“If I had someone excusing my absences, I would take advantage of it. I have no reason to doubt you would do the same.”

My bottom lip falls open. Someone excused my absence? Well, that explains why I haven’t gotten a call from my father. But how?

Rykes gives a small smirk at the way he’s stunned me, and I slap my mouth closed. Did I say he was a dick? Because yeah, he’s a dick.

He starts to straighten some of the folders on his desk while I stand in a stupor.

“You’re dismissed,” he says after a second.

I internally start to seethe. He’sdismissingme? I’mdismissed? I don’t think so. I didn’t just endure whatever the hell that was to not get what I want. I smash down the outburst I desperately want to have, and force a shameful frown.

“So, I assume Cade has someone else bringing him this week’s work?” I put some innocence in my voice for good measure.

He stills and looks back up at me, and I know his patience is wearing thin. He doesn’t seem too different from my father, after all.

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