Page 2 of I Don't Need Your Love
When Addie is finally ready, we make our way to the dining hall and meet up with Raven and Sophie, and Caleb, of course. Addie was basically a walking dead since she got up, but life swoops into her the minute Caleb lowers himself next to her and presses his lips to her cheek.
I’ve never had a boyfriend, never even got close. Which sucks, but I was content with my dance and my friends. But now that I see how happy Addie and Caleb are, I’m kind of jealous. I mean, I don’t see how my perfect guy could just land in my lap because I don’t like any of the guys here. So if I do meet someone special one day, it’ll definitely be in the far, far future.
“So how was your first night together?” Raven asks, pushing her blonde hair over her shoulder. It might be odd for her name to be Raven when she’s got a head of gorgeous blonde hair, but that’s because her mom assumed she would have dark hair like her and Raven’s dad.
“Awesome!” Addie says. “We had so much to talk about. When did we fall asleep, Carly?”
I shrug. “Around three or four?”
Sophie, who has a book open before her on the table, gapes at us. “You only had like four hours of sleep? No one can function on so little sleep!”
“Besides for my man,” Addie says with a giggle as she rubs noses with Caleb.
“Okay, people like Caleb can,” Sophie corrects. “Do Raven and I need to intervene?”
“We were like that the first days we were roommates,” Raven reminds her. “Don’t worry, you guys will get used to it.”
“Is there a Carly Simmons in the dining hall?” someone calls. Based on how loud her voice is, I guess she must have been shouting it a few times. I think she’s a sophomore.
Some kids turn to look at me, but most ignore me and continue with their conversations. I get up and raise my hand. “I’m Carly Simmons.”
“Principal Harrington wants to see you.”
“Why?”
She gives me a “why should I give a darn” look and walks away.
As I lower myself back to my seat, I exchange glances with my friends, who seem just as confused as me. “Why would she want to see me all of a sudden?”
“Did you do something wrong?” Addie asks.
I shake my head.
“Maybe you have a call from your parents?” Raven suggests.
I shake my head again. “My dad just texted me this morning.”
“Maybe they want to revoke your scholarship because of your poor grades,” Sophie teases me. She knows how much I hate school, but insists I’m much smarter than I give myself credit for, and if I applied myself more, I’d get better grades. I know she’s right. But like I said before, what’s the point?
“Well, she can wait,” I say as I dig into my delicious waffles. “No one’s bothering me while I eat.” Did I mention Harrington Bay Academy has the yummiest food on earth? Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, every student is guaranteed to have a gourmet meal that I’m sure can win the most prestigious award in the world. For a foodie like me, this is like a gold mine.
My friends and I continue to talk about various topics, and then the warning bell rings. We throw out our garbage and discard our trays, then follow the throngs of students out of the dining hall and toward the building that houses the classrooms and offices.
I hug my friends, who assure me everything will be okay, and then we separate to our destinations. As I make my way to the principal’s office, my heart starts to pound and my knees are shaking. The truth is, I’m a bit nervous. Okay, a lot. I don’t like school, but I love my friends (and the food), and it would suck to get kicked out. Principal Harrington only gave me this scholarship to appease my dad. He worked for one of her family’s companies and was fired with a bunch of other employees. They made a big issue out of it, and in order to “save their image” they rehired my dad and Harrington offered me the scholarship. Her great-great-grandfather founded the town of Harrington Bay and they founded and own the academy, too. So while I doubt she would tarnish her reputation by kicking me out, the reality is that she can technically do it whenever she wants.
But it’s always good to think positively, right? Maybe it really is a phone call from one of my parents.
When I get to the office, the secretary tells me to take a seat and that the principal will be with me shortly. I try to study her expression to see if she knows whether or not I’m walking to my doom, but she always has this cheery look on her face. So no help there. With an internal sigh, I drop down on one of the chairs in the waiting area, which honestly can be a bit softer on the butt. With the amount of money this school has, can’t they afford chairs that don’t feel like I’m sitting on wood?
Fine, maybe I’m a little grouchy. I just can’t stand sitting here and waiting and not knowing my fate.
There’s laughter from inside Harrington’s office. I guess someone else is in there with her right now? It doesn’t sound like a student but an adult, so either a faculty member or maybe a parent. Either way, I’m going to have an anxiety attack soon.
Finally after what feels like forever, the door to her office opens and a woman walks out. She looks like a reporter. I wonder if this has anything to do with what happened with Addie. People who were enemies of her grandfather tried to kill her, and a student called Hudson was involved. Thankfully, he’s been arrested. Another incident that happened involved Head Witch Clarissa Thomas. Long story short, she basically almost got Addie killed, too, because Addie dared be interested in Warner, who Clarissa had a thing for. From what Addie told me, her grandfather isn’t going to sit back and do nothing about the situation. So maybe that’s why the reporter was speaking to the principal.
Harrington, a woman in her fifties dressed in an elegant suit, notices me and nods for me to follow her into her office. Okay, here it is. My moment of doom. I’m not sure if my legs will support me because my knees are still knocking into one another, but I force them to work properly because there’s nouse avoiding the inevitable. The principal has a neutral look in her eyes, so I have no idea what’s in store for me. Why do adults have to hide their emotions and make kids sweat like this? I don’t think she’s the biggest fan of me because my grades are terrible and I’m her charity case, but would a teensy-weensy hint at my future kill her?
She settles down in her leather chair and tells me to sit down on the chair across from her. She forces a small smile and then says, “I hope you’re having a good morning.”
