Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 35946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 180(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
“Enough!”
Principal Kane’s voice suddenly booms over the room, throwing it into silence as he lunges to his feet. His dark blue eyes scan the room, his brow dark and his jaw tight.
“Enough of this shit! Everyone out!”
“Colton—”
“Out, Jerry,” Principal Kane barks at the Southworth chief of police.
“Colton,” he growls. “If a crime has been com—”
“Jesus fucking Christ, what crime?” I hiss, lunging to my feet. “Ms. Hayes hasn’t done shit. This was all me. I went after her.”
“Ethan,” my dad growls lowly, his eyes flashing. He and I have barely had three words since we all tumbled into this office, but I know him well enough to know what he’s thinking. He’s not mad about what’s been going on with Emily and I. I mean, he might not be thrilled about it, but he’s not angry. What he is mad about is this possibly getting me kicked out, after the many strings he’s pulled to get me in here with a record like mine.
“No, dad,” I mutter back. “I’m eighteen. There’s no fucking crime here.”
“Son, that is for us to figure out, so if you please, Colton,” Chief Halter glares at Principal Kane. “We’re going to take Ms. Hayes down to the station for—”
“Out.”
Principal Kane’s face is drawn and scowling, his broad shoulders bunched. “All of you. Right now.”
Chief Halter glares at him a second before he turns, nodding at his two deputies before they all file out. My dad shoots me a look and a half smile, reaching out to clap a hand on my shoulder before he also leaves.
“Colton…”
“You too, Natasha,” he says, arching a brow at Vice Principal Owens. “Everyone.” He glances back at Emily and I. “Everyone but you two.”
Here’s what we know so far. Since Derrick’s folks don’t live in Southworth and he’s a boarding student, he got the rest of the day to pack his shit and get his dad to get him a ride off campus for the week. But that gave him plenty of time to stew on it. And while stewing, I guess the little prick decided to fixate on the fact that it was mentioning Emily that got me all heated. I don’t know why the fuck he went to her classroom, but when he didn’t find her there, apparently, he went through her shit and found her sketchbook.
Yeah, that sketchbook.
My only consolation is trying to imagine Derrick’s face when he opened that thing up to find bare-assed drawings of yours truly with my cock in my hand. But, even a dipshit like Derrick knew what that picture, of a student, in a teacher’s sketchbook meant, and he went right to the cops about it.
Which brings us here.
The door to the office closes behind Vice Principal Owens, and the room goes quiet.
“Sit,” Principal Kane growls at me. I glance at Emily, who’s still white-faced and shaking, but she nods. I sit.
“I don’t care who started this thing between the two of you,” he growls. “And I know it’s not technically a crime. I know you’re eighteen, Ethan, but…”
He gives me a hard look before turning his gaze on Emily and shaking his head.
“Emily…”
“I know,” she says softly.
“No,” I hiss. “You’re not going to fucking shame her into—”
“He’s right, Ethan,” she says quietly, her eyes looking at the floor. This was—”
“Don’t say it,” I growl. “Don’t you dare say it.”
I whirl on Principal Kane, snarling.
“I wanted this, okay! I wanted her.”
“Ethan,” Principal Kane sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Ethan, rules are still rules,” he says quietly.
“Fuck that.”
He smiles.
“You’re a good kid, Ethan.”
I roll my eyes and look away.
“No, you are, even if you’re hell-bent on pretending you aren’t. And you’re a damned good teacher, Emily,” he says with a sigh.
He sits back in his chair, shaking his head as he turns to glance out the window.
“Fuck.”
His quiet swear, has Emily and I both looking up at him as he turns back to us.
“Emily, I’m sorry, but there’s just no goddamn way I could keep you on staff after this.”
My heart drops, and I watch her nod as she looks down.
“I know, Colton.”
“No!” I snarl. “No, fuck that!”
“Ethan!”
“Fuck that!”
“Ethan!” her voice cuts through. So does her hand on my arm.
“Please,” she whispers. “This—this is happening. This is the only way this goes. You know that,” she says softly, sadness in her voice and a glisten of moisture in the corners of her eyes.
“This is bullshit, Emily.”
I turn back to Principal Kane.
“You know what? She goes, I go. Fuck this place.”
“No.”
Her voice breaks as she lets the word tumble out, and when I turn, my heart starts to break as I see the tears start to fall from her eyes.
“No, Ethan, you’re not leaving here. And you’re not throwing away the opportunities this place could offer you—”
“Emily, I don’t—”
“But I care!” she sobs, shaking her head as her hand finds mine and squeezes. Principal Kane turns away, like he’s giving us some space alone.