Page 32 of Pretty Girls Never Lie (St. Mary’s)

Her head hits my chest, and her shoulders shake. I feel her cry harder when Thomas reaches one of his arms around her head to hold her in place. My lips touch the top of her head, and I kiss her there. It’s a sweet gesture and one I’ve never done before, but it feels right, just like it always has with her.

EPILOGUE

Isla

A nervous breath wobbles out of my mouth as I sit in the chair at the foot of the headmaster’s desk. Raven is biting her nail as she rests on the end of the mahogany.

“What are your thoughts?”

I move my attention to the headmaster before glancing back at Raven. She is on the edge of her seat–no pun intended.

My fingers dig into the arms of the chair, and I try to pull in my emotions. I bet I look so vulnerable to them, sitting here in this chair, trying to make a decision about my four-year-old brother’s future because I’m the only thing he has.

“There are some things you don’t know,” I start. “There are some thingshedoesn’t know.”

Like how Brantley’s father murdered mine, and that’s why I was in WITSEC, or like how Brantley’s father would probably kill me if given the chance.

“Isla.” I glance at the headmaster as he rises from his chair and rounds his desk. He leans against it, right beside Raven. “There are things youdon’t know as well.”

“Like?” I ask.

Raven puts her hand on his for a brief second before pulling away. “Like where I grew up before I attended St. Mary’s and how I’m privy to the lifestyle your father led before he was murdered.” I try hard not to look surprised. “I’m an orphan too. Why do you think I’ve taken such an interest in you?”

I shrug, but for once, it’s not out of spite. It’s actually because I was unaware.

The headmaster clears his throat. “Let’s just say that we’re both acquainted with how some secrets just need to stay buried.”

My tongue pushes into my cheek before I sigh. “Are you sure you don’t want to know?”

“We’re sure.”

I roll my lips together and give in. “Okay, then I guess I’m on board.”

I’m swimming in relief. Thomas will be under the care of Raven and live on the grounds of St. Mary’s. I’ll finish the summer program and obtain my high school diploma before deciding what the future looks like without the thought of having to make ends meet for a little boy who deserves much more than I will ever be able to give him.

The headmaster and Raven stand at the same time. I meet her soft gaze when she kneels down below me and puts her hands on my knees. “Bribery always works.”

I laugh softly and jokingly roll my eyes before standing up and leaving them to discuss the logistics of living arrangements and Raven’s continued employment at St. Mary’s.

Thomas is safe and sound at the headmaster’s house, no more than a football-field-length away from me, and for the first time in four years, I feel like I can relax.

St. Mary’s is a web of confusion, and I’m pretty sure Thomas and I just added to it, but still, I feel strangely calm—even after having witnessed Zachary fall to the ground with a gunshot wound days prior.

“You ready?”

I stop at the sound of Brantley’s voice. My pulse skyrockets when I see him leaning against the far wall in his dark jeans and black tee, with a hot smirk.

“For?” I take a hesitant step toward him.

“For me to introduce you to the Rebels.”

I raise a brow. “I recall you all but banishing me from this school, and now you want your friends to meet me? What happened to worrying about your father finding out who I am?”

Brantley’s dark chuckle sends a tingle down my spine. He looks so nonchalant with his hands in his pockets and casual shrug. “I’ve decided you’re just another Rebel girl we have to watch out for.”

I try to hide my disappointment. “Rebel girl? There were others before me?”

Brantley wastes no time erasing the space separating us. A fast breath tumbles out of my mouth when he pulls me in close. “There was no one before youorafter you.”

---