Page 100 of Cruel Academy (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 2)

“It’s dark in here.” All of the blinds are pulled and there is only one lamp letting off any light. The usually bright space is like a dungeon. “How much did you drink last night?”

“Less than I drank this afternoon.” His words are slurred and sloppy, and when he sits up, he sways back and forth like a rocking horse searching for equilibrium.

“Are you still drunk?”

Caleb points a finger gun at me and attempts to click his tongue and wink, but the movements are all out of sync.

I’ve never seen his body so out of sorts before. Caleb is always in control. Always graceful and purposeful.

Now, he looks like a sheet hanging out to dry in a hurricane.

I walk around the couch to sit next to him and have to wade through an ankle-high pile of beer cans. An empty plastic bottle that once held vodka is on the table. I hope to God it wasn’t full when he started.

“You’re judging me.” He narrows his eyes, brows furrowed in the middle, his lips sticking out in an exaggerated pout.

When he first reaches out to touch my face, he misses. Then, he course-corrects and brushes his thumb over the bruise on my cheek. “I can see it written all over your bruised face. You’re disappointed.”

I pull my face away and let his hand fall. “I’m not disappointed—I’m confused. What’s this about?”

Caleb ignores my question and reaches around the side of the couch for his tennis shoes. He is in a pair of gray athletic shorts with a white T-shirt. Despite the overwhelming scent of liquor, I can smell his bodywash.

“Did Levi do that one?”

“Yeah, but it was a weak punch. His form was terrible, and he just skimmed my face. It’s really not as bad as—”

“Did he say who sent them after you?” Caleb’s words are still slurred, but there’s a sharpness to them that wasn’t there before. A determination.

I know he wants me to confirm it was John, but I can’t. Because Caleb is drunk enough and stubborn enough to do something stupid. I don’t want to contribute to that.

“Levi just told me I was stupid for coming. And Iwasstupid. I shouldn’t have trusted Estefania after she told John about the camping trip. I shouldn’t have—”

Suddenly, Caleb turns towards me and grabs my face, his fingers curling behind my ears.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Haley. Those bastards tricked you and hurt you, and they are the ones who should pay.Heis the one who should pay. Not you. I don’t want you to feel one ounce of guilt or embarrassment.”

The word comes out sounding more like “embrasent,” but I can guess what he is trying to say.

“I’m going to make sure he gets what he deserves.” Caleb pushes himself up off the couch and holds his arms out slightly to get his balance.

I follow, grabbing his arm to help steady him. “What does that mean? Where are you going?”

He tips his head towards the clock on the wall, the movement sending his entire body tipping sideways. His knee hits the coffee table and he curses.

“The fights start soon. I’m going to call him out.”

Caleb just struggled to stand up from the couch, so the idea that he is going to go fight is so ridiculous it is laughable.

In fact, at first, I laugh.

Then, when Caleb grabs his wallet and keys from the end table and starts making his way to the door, the laughter stops.

I jump over the back of the couch and land in front of him. “You’re shitting me, right?”

He frowns. “Why would I be—”

“Because you’re hammered drunk, Caleb! You can barely stand up, let alone fight someone.”

He rolls his eyes and waves a dismissive hand at me. “I’ll sober up by the time I get there. Plus, it’s Bumper. I could take him in my sleep.”

---