Page 41 of Requiem

On the floor, Sebastian whimpers, covering his face with his hands; it’s a miracle that he’s still conscious; by rights, he should have passed out somewhere between Theo’s tenth and fifteenth hit.

I’m impossibly dizzy, but I manage to weave over to where Theo looms over Seb, his back still turned to me. His shoulders inch up around his ears, tension radiating from him like smoke. It wouldn’t take much for him to snap and start kicking the crap out of his friend again. I place my hand on his shoulder and like magic the tension drains from him; he sags, his muscles relaxing, as if my touch has given him permission to release the rage that was devouring him. Far from calm, though, Theo glares down at Seb, his hair wild and unkempt. “Tell her why you did it,” he demands.

Seb coughs, blood dribbling down his chin. “What do you expect me to say?”

“Tell her,” Theo repeats, tone promising more violence if he doesn’t comply.

Seb laughs, sighing heavily. “Fine. You want me to play nice. I’ll play fucking nice. Ridiculous…”

A low, threatening rumble issues from Theo’s throat.

“All right. All right! Fuck.” He looks up at me through rapidly swelling eyelids. “I threw the can at you because it’s obvious. You’re the one who ran back to Ford and told her about the party.”

“I did not!”

“Bullshit. You left early, before security showed up. You’re the only one who wasn’t punished—”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t been able to leave. I’ve had curfew, the same as everyone else!”

“You’re the only one who wasn’t called up onto that stage,” Seb spits. “Out of thirty-four students, you’re the only one Ford didn’t make come up on stage to dance or sing like some kind of performing fucking monkey. Explainthat.”

“I—” Oh. Oh my god. The world comes to a standstill. He’s right. How did I miss that?I wasn’t called up to do anything. Somehow, I just assumed that that punishment didn’t apply to me, and it really didn’t. How can I have been so blind to this? How can the thought not even have occurred to me? I sputter, trying to find some logical reason for this, but no words come to mind. “I—I can’t explain it. I don’t know why Ford didn’t call on me. But I wasn’t the one who told her what was happening down by the lake. Why the fuck would I tell them?”

“You made it pretty clear that you were disgusted with all of us that night. You stood there in that ridiculous fucking coat, judging us all. And when your boyfriend here decided to bail—”

“He’s not my fucking boyfriend! Jesus fucking Chr—” I break off, unable to handle the heat building inside me. My head is swimming. The flow has slowed, I think, but I can still feel the trickle of blood down the back of my neck. I can’t fucking deal with this. I can’t handle any of it. I should already be back at Falcon House by now. Theo should be behind bars, or humiliated, or worse. And now Sebastian Fucking West is calling him myboyfriend?

Theo looks stricken as he reaches out, trying to take me by the hand.

I slap him away, snarling as I turn on him. “No! You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to protect me. Don’t pretend like I fucking mean something to you!”

He looks ravaged, torn inside out by my words, but I have no sympathy for this devil. He’s played with me. Toyed with my emotions. Turned me inside out with this fucked up game that he’s playing. “You can keep your stupid information about Henry. I don’t care what you know. It doesn’t matter anymore. Just stay away. And you…” I turn my rage back to Sebastian. “I didn’t fucking turn you in to Ford. I couldn’t give a shit about you, or him, or anyone else in this godforsaken place. Come at me again and I’ll tear your fucking throat out.”

I storm away from them, snatching up my bag from the ground as I go.

“Make sure she gets to the nurse’s office, Lani,” Theo says softly behind me.

“I don’t need anyone to take me,” I snipe back. Lani looks devastated by this. Guilt rakes its claws over me—this isn’t her fault. She’s been nothing but sweet and kind to me—but I’ll scream blue murder if I have to spend another second with another one of these people right now.

I’ll get myself to see the nurse.

I’ll get myself back to my room, and I’ll get my shit packed up all by myself.

And then, so help me god, come hell or high water, I am getting my ass back to Falcon House.

12

SORRELL

I need stitches.Four of them. The nurse threatens to shave around the gash, but when I bare my teeth at her and tell her she’d better not dare, she backs off and agrees to sew me up if I promise to keep the wound clean.

She’s no help when it comes to sending me back to Seattle.

Neither is Ford.

The principal barely blinks at me when I charge into her office and start making my demands. “I’m afraid it’s not that easy, Miss Voss. There are procedures and protocols here when a student wishes to leave Toussaint. I have to file paperwork. I have to speak to your guardian—”

“I want to leave, Principal Ford. You can’t fucking keep me here.”

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