Page 87 of A Vicious Rumor

He made a few taps on the screen and then looked at me. "Check your phone. You should have a text to accept the wire." I pulled my own phone out of my pocket and sure enough there was an incoming request to accept a deposit of-I tried not to break down at seeing the dollar amount-$50,000. With as much control as I could muster, I entered my banking details into the screen and then hit accept.

I looked back up at Zachary. "Don't forget that the scholarship stays, too. I'm not just going to magically forget the information."

"Whatever," he said, rolling his eyes. "Just get out of here. I don't even want to look at you anymore."

I made my way to the door. I turned back to look at him. He looked really upset, and I could understand why. His entire world had just been shattered. "You're wrong, you know," I said.

He didn't answer.

"We're not all the same. One day you'll realize that." That was the last thing I said to him before I closed the door and made my way back to my own room. I threw the few things that belonged to me into my bag and made my way downstairs. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, dialed the number, and put my phone to my ear.

"Hey," I said, walking down the long driveway to the street. "I need a ride."

"How interesting," was Paper's response on the other side. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Take me to the fight," I said to him as I climbed into his Porsche.

"Suddenly we have a change of heart? Wasn't it you that tried to call it off in the first place?"

I thought back to what Zachary had tried to do to me, had tried to threaten me with. Suddenly I could see things from Tyson's point of view. I knew the kid was hurting, but he really did need a swift kick in the balls.

"Yeah, but I get it now."

Paper smirked. "You're a smart girl. I knew you would."

"Kitty's got something that belongs to Zachary," I said. "Something that could be very damning if it came out."

"Not to worry," Paper said calmly. "That's all already been taken care of."

I looked at him in shock. "How do you even know what I'm talking about?"

"You're talking about the paperwork from the office of vital records? The same paperwork that Zachary asked you to retrieve in exchange for a Presidential Scholarship and funds to pay off your mother's credit card debt? The same paperwork that you so carelessly left on the desk when you rushed out of the clubroom to avoid Tyson and that Kitty thought she might steal in order to blackmail Zachary for a reason I'm still not entirely clear on."

"Um," I said, trying to process everything Paper had just said. "Yes?"

"Yes, that paperwork has been secured."

"How did you even know any of that?" I asked him.

He smiled. "I have my sources."

"I'm not entirely sure," I said, "but, I think you scare me."

He smiled again. "As I said before, you are a smart girl."

We pulled up to the new location of the fight, which was the school's football stadium. My stomach churned as Paper parked the car. I understood his logic about Tyson and Zachary. I understood why he felt like they needed to get all of this out and settled, but I still felt sick to my stomach over the whole thing.

"I think I'll just wait here for a bit," I said to him.

He nodded. "Suit yourself," he said, before exiting the car.

Swarms of people walked by the car, and I tried to lean the seat back and just disappear behind the tint of the windows. Today had been full of more ups and downs than a CrossFit gym. I wanted to support Tyson in this if it would make him feel better, but I also didn't want to support this sort of violence.

I wish I knew what to do. I wish there was someone I could ask. I tried to think back to everything Ronny had told me, and then I realized that he was exactly who I needed to call. He would know what to do.

I dialed the number for the Senior Center and pressed the phone to my ear. The receptionist picked up. "Hey, it's Lily. Is Ronny still awake?"

"You know he's a vampire and doesn't sleep," she said with a laugh. "One second."

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