Page 43 of Shadow and Skulls

“My nuts,” Matt groans, cupping his junk and dramatically falling to the floor.

“Kelsie, go to the office,” she orders sternly as she helps Matt to his feet.

He leans on her. “It’s okay, Mrs. Fowley. Kelsie’s just having a bad day.”

“Bad day or not, it’s not okay.” She scowls at me. “This isn’t how we act in school. There are rules here. Go to the office, Kelsie.”

As I’m walking away, I hear her blame the club for my bad behavior.

I’ve never understood how some women can be so naïve when it comes to men. My mother was the same way. She was charmed by the devil himself.

I drop my bag to the floor, giving the secretary a small smile as I sit down.

Mrs. Fowley marches past me. “Call her parents. Tell them they need to come down to the school.”

“Is that necessary?” I interrupt.

She turns sharply, glaring at me. “You’re being suspended, Kelsie. I can’t let you get away with assaulting another student.”

“But …” I jump from the chair. “He …”

“Do I need to call in security?”

My head falls. “No.” I sit back down, listening to the two of them talk about me as they look up my mom’s number.

What a shitty day, but part of me is relieved. I won’t have to fake this whole liking school thing. At least for a little while. I wonder how long my suspension will be. Mrs. Fowley goes back into her office as the secretary picks up the phone and begins to push buttons.

I hear someone enter the office, but I don’t look up.I’m tired of pretending to be happy here.

My head snaps up when I hear Tank’s gravelly voice break the silence. “You don’t want to do that, Sheila.”

Oh my god.

His finger is pressed to the phone. Sheila’s mouth is hanging open. Mine too. I snap it shut.Shit!

“Tank, what are you doing?” I jump to my feet, bouncing on my toes.

He ignores me and calmly takes the receiver from the secretary’s hand and places it back in the cradle. “Why don’t we wait until after I speak with Mrs. Fowley to call her parents.”

He smiles at her, and she blushes. He gently lifts her chin, closing her mouth. He then walks over and takes me by the hand. I try to pull away, but he’s not having it. Before we walk into Fowley’s office, he kisses me softly on my lips.

And evidently that’s all I need at the moment. My soul calms, knowing that whatever happens, it will be okay because he will be by my side. It’s such a weird feeling. I’m allowing myself to trust him. I guess it’s because he keeps showing up when I need him. It’s strange. Could what he said be true? Are we really anus? Has there always been an invisible thread linking us?

My body answers that question when he backs away from me, and I feel it tug at my heart.

“You’re going to put yourself first today.” He doesn’t explain what he means by that because he’s too busy shoving me into the principal’s office.

Fowley groans when she sees him. She leans back in her chair, throwing her hands in the air. “I can’t let this one go. She assaulted a student.”

“One you’ve been sleeping with,” Tank says, pushing me into a chair before taking the one beside mine.

Excuse me while I pick my jaw up from the floor.What the fuck did he just say?

She leans forward. “That’s not true.”

He shrugs. “I’ve got the receipts, Mrs. Fowley. Seems you have a hankering for young basketball players.”

When she looks at me accusingly, he snaps his fingers, redirecting her attention.

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