Page 13 of Forbidden Lessons

“Yes.” He glances at Haven like he forgot she was there. “Yes, both of you can leave.”

Haven tugs her cardigan tighter around her, juggling her notepad and the new notebook.

If she’s trying to blend in, she’s failing miserably. Around here, students wear designer threads like armor. Even the Steve Jobs types with their monotonous outfits. Haven’s an eyesore in her stained, rumpled clothes and?—

Jesus Christ…she’s not even wearing a bra.

She glances nervously at me when I cannot hold back a bemused chuckle, her blue eyes widening until I can see the dark rings around her irises. Seems to be the only thing about her that hasn’t changed, those haunted blue eyes.

I used to love to make them sparkle.

Now they’re underlined with dark smudges.

I throw Rooke a two-fingered salute and get the fuck out of his classroom, turning at the last minute so I can slam the door open with my back while staring Haven down from the other side of the room.

Rooke is busy putting his laptop into his satchel, so I purse my lips and send a big fucking kiss her way.

I canseethe shiver that ripples through her.

Yeah, buckle up, Miss H.

It’s going to be one hell of a fucking semester.

I’m gonna enjoy it.

No fucking chance you will.

Chapter 5

Haven

“Hey, you’re holding up the queue.”

I jerk out of my thoughts, glancing at the guy behind me. He rolls his eyes at me, and I snap my attention back to the cashier. The bored-looking girl glances down at my bottle of orange soda and then back at me.

“That all for you?” she drones.

“Uh, yeah, thanks.” I’m already smoothing out the rumpled bill I found in my jean pocket and handing it to her.

The food in the cafeteria smells fucking delicious. It looked even better. I walked past lasagne, pizza slices, mac ’n cheese, health rolls overflowing with lettuce and tomatoes. But despite my growling stomach, this crumbled bill is all I have on me at the moment. I’m hoping the sugary soda will see me through the rest of the day. I only have two more classes, so I should be fine.

Right?

The cashier hands me back much less change than I’d expected. At the impatient sigh of the guy behind me, I don’t hang around to make sure. I just move the hell out of his way.

A low drone fills the cafeteria.

Students chatting to each other or on their phones. Chairs and cutlery scraping.

I twist open my soda cap and take a few big slugs as I work my way toward an empty seat. Two sets of large glass doors lead into what looks like a garden on the west side of the main building. They’re open to let in the last of the warm summer breezes we’ll be getting this year.

Winter comes early in Agony Hollow, and there’s always two to three weeks of heavy rains before fall sets in.

I should probably sit outside, but that means winding my way through a bunch of tables, and I’m really not in the mood to make eye contact with anyone?—

“Great,” someone mutters.

I’d been staring out at the garden, reaching to pull out a chair on automatic, but I stop at the sound of a voice a foot away from me.

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