Page 25 of I Despise You
Chapter 9
MY HAND HOVERS OVERthe door handle. The principal requested everyone’s presence in the auditorium this morning, and I know it’s about what happened last night.
By now, the guard must’ve told the principal everything, and there’s a high chance I’m going to get expelled. I’m surprised no one has come for me already, but maybe the principal wants to do it in front of the whole school to serve as a warning to other students.
But I did what I did, and now I have to face the consequences, whatever they are. Going to the party was a mistake. I know that now, but it’s impossible to turn back time.
If only Chase hadn’t found me or approached me at all.
But I can’t change that either.
I steel myself and get out into the hallway. Vanessa’s door opens a moment later, as if she’s been waiting to hear me come out.
“Hey,” I say, wondering if everyone already knows what’s going to happen. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone had insider info.
“Hey.” She gives me a small smile. “Are you going to the auditorium too?”
“Obviously.” It’s not like we can avoid it. If I could just not go, I’d stay in my room.
“Right.” She waves her hand.
There are dark circles around her eyes, and she looks tired. I don’t know how long she stayed at the party, or maybe she didn’t sleep well for some other reason.
“I can’t believe this shit,” she says with a groan. “Everything was going so fine, and then someone just had to mess up. Probably some drunk idiot who forgot the rules. And now we all have to pay for it!”
Drunk idiot?
That would be me.
Except, I wasn’t drunk, and I was running away from Chase.
This means Vanessa doesn’t know who it was. She’ll hate me when she finds out the truth.
“Seriously, I’m so pissed off.” She keeps talking. “I followed all the rules, but I still ran into a bunch of guards. Just like everyone who came after me. I don’t know how they figured us out. Maybe a freshman did it so they’d get in the principal’s good graces or something. But if I were them, I’d be scared, because everyone will want them dead. Wait, how come you didn’t get caught?” Her eyes focus on me. “Don’t tell me you left the party early.”
“I did.” It’s not a lie.
“You’re lucky. The rest of us are going to get one month of detention, and they’re going to check in on us randomly to make sure we don’t leave the campus. They called our parents too. I guess we’ll all have to find a new way out if we want to party. Thank god we’re seniors. I can’t imagine what this school will turn into after this.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek. Vanessa already knows her punishment, and I’m even more worried about mine. But there’s also something else I need to know.
“I heard that one of the guards got hurt or something,” I say. “Is that true?”
“Um, not really. He just fell after someone ran into him. He’s fine.”
Relief floods me. At least now I know I didn’t seriously injure him. But I guess his testimony will doom my future at the school.
“Why are you even asking?” Suspicion flashes across Vanessa’s face.
“I just want to know how bad the whole situation is.”
“Well, it’s bad already. Trust me.”
I don’t want to tell her that it was me. Maybe I should. She’s going to hear it from the principal and will never forgive me. Maybe it’s not too late to confess and explain what really happened.
But I’m likely going to be out of the school anyway, and there’s no time for me to explain things properly.
The auditorium is already full when we get there, and it takes us a few moments to find empty seats. As I spot the principal across the room, I want to disappear. Her eyes fly over me but don’t linger.
