Please make sure to vote and comment for The Class Reject: A Damsel in Disguise on SwoonReads (see link to the story on my profile page) and enter the cover contest. This probably will be the last update until I announce the finalists for the cover contest (please enter by November 20th, I'll update the original guidelines). Remember, the more you comment/vote, the more inclined I'll be to update new chapters. :)
Chapter 9
Although Jeno wore a habitual frown, something about it today seemed even more somber. Which he realized when students steered clear of his path as he walked the hallway of the main building. Well, more so than usual.
But he wasn't in the mood to humor anyoneânot like he ever was. And to make matters worse, the week had only just started. And despite the school year being in that February lull before midterms or the other open house they had to put on in April, it was hard to find any peace in it. He got it; he had no choice but to get over Miren. It just hurt like a bitch.
"And that's why I don't feel," he grumbled as he watched the crowd clear. He had study hall this hour, which meant he technically didn't have to go class, but Mr. Dickens would still take attendance. And Roger had already threatened to tell their parents if he continued to treat school like it wasâan epic waste of time. He hissed. "Asshole."
"Good morning to you too, Sunshine," Dr. Edsel mocked before his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What's gotten you more gloomy than usual?" he folded his arms as Jeno glared at him. That didn't help his cause, but he was feeling pretty causeless. "Honestly, you can do much better than Theodora. You've seen her dad, alopecia areata runs in their family," he also informed him, because he was apparently a doctor doctor too.
"You're holding me up," Jeno told his brother, his gaze falling to the near-deserted hallway. The one-minute bell would probably ring in thirty seconds. "If you excuse me."
"That Penelope chick might be an amateur porn star, but she is loaded and you do need to get laid." He patted Jeno's shoulder as a high chortle of a laugh rippled through his throat. "But seriously though. Smile, would ya?"
"You disgust me."
"And you disappoint me." They were walking now, toward the exit. "You have roughly four months until your senior year is over. I would say it wouldn't kill you to have fun, but something tells me it would." He shrugged, the shoulders of his expensive blazer wrinkling. But he was a monkey is a suit. "Still, sulking around like you lost the love of your life is an epic waste of time."
Not if that was the reason why he was sulking around.
Jeno took a deep breath as the one-minute bell rang loudly. "I just hate feeling helpless."
"Well, in this case you'll be plenty helpful." Dr. Edsel handed him the stack he was carrying. "Deliver these to some of the instructorsâMs. Cowdry too. They're just agendas for our professional development day next week, so no snooping."
"But I'll be late for class." Just then the final bell rang. Great. Dr. Edsel pushed him toward the door.
"Principal's orders. Take this hour to get out of your little funk," he said firmly. "But no more than an hour. Got it?"
Jeno rolled his eyes before shoving open the door.
***
"He must have loved the shit out of his grandpa," Levi whispered to Parker as Ms. Cowdry lectured a student in the front for not turning in their Black Panther essay.
"I guess so." Parker scratched his head. He didn't like lying, but this wasn't his secret. "But you know he's probably already a week ahead anyway. And he said he had to change his flight so many times that he may just have to take a bus down here."
"Fuck that shit." Levi tapped his mechanical pencil on his desk impatiently. "Are you sure he just didn't want to spend some time away from Jeno?" He leaned closer to him. "You didn't hear it from me, but I saw him get into a huge fight with him before he left. I think it had to do with Theodora." His eyes lidded with devious intent. "Then again, I did see Jeno dancing with Penelope at his party."
"She said she was just asking why he broke up with her," Parker replied rather boredly. "And I'm not going to pretend that our relationship is perfect."
"Then why even bother with her?" Levi's eyes lifted to the woman walking toward the board. He fought the urge to sigh in contempt. Although he didn't have a beef to fry with Parker, he was hoping he'd at least be sort of helpful.
"Because it's none of your business." Parker brought his U.S. History book to his desk as if he'd ever read the damn thing. "You'd understand where I'm coming from if your parents allowed you to date."
"Well, I'm beginning to see why," Levi mumbled, folding his arms. Cowdry was now arguing with a student who wrote their essay on the Black Panther Marvel superhero. She groaned, masking over their conversation-interrogation thing. "Weren't you involved with Miren? She seemed a lot nicer than your Pen pal," he edged on Parker, watching his eyes light up with irritation. "Then again, she was probably as insane as Penelope's mean."
"You know whatâ"
There was a knock on the door, and Ms. Cowdry stopped her sketch of the Maslow's hierarchy of needs, because apparently this was a psychology class too.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Levi said with a small laugh as Miren took her seat in front of him after handing their teacher a pass. "Welcome back, Miles."
It took everything to wipe the hardened look on her face to offer him something that just barely resembled a smile.
"Miles?" Parker said as if he was seeing her for the first time in weeks. "How've you been, buddy? I didn't know you'd be back in today."
"I took a late flight last night." She rubbed the back of her neck as she took in the room, the faces of students staring at her face. It was the same as usual, yet she felt different. Everything was so different.
"A welcome is definitely in order," Ms. Cowdy then offered, clasping her hands. "Class hasn't been the same without you." There were some scattered voices in the air, but the instructor ignored them as a rare smile spread across her lips. In the same second, the harshness returned and she was back to the board. "Can anyone tell me how this illustration relates to the chief struggle of the 1960's social freedom and reform movements?"
Luckily the woman gave Miren a free pass, allowing her to pull out her notebook in peace. But because good things were short lived, there was another knock on the door. Ms. Cowdry caught a groan in her throat. A thousand voices had taken over the space when Jeno stepped in. Because his mood easily radiated off of him, the room fell into an almost bitter silence.
"Dr. Edsel wanted me to give you this folder," he told Ms. Cowdry, handing it to her. As she flipped through it briefly to make sure it was legit or something, his gaze landed on Parker, then Miren, who Levi was pointing exaggeratedly, but silently at. It took everything to keep his eyes from bulging out of his head.
"Was there anything else you needed to tell me?" Cowdry then said, snapping Jeno from whatever trance had captivated him.
"Um..." He paused, clicking his tongue. "...He also wanted me to tell you that the faculty meeting would be pushed to next Tuesday. But you'll get an email verifying it." Okay, it was a big fact lie, but something told him that this was another one of Miren's rare appearances. Sure, she was in Miles-mode now, but who knew if this would last?
"Alright, let me jot that in my calendar real quick. Sorry, students. Your headmaster is notorious for emailing us about our meetings at the last possible moment." As she began to type on her tablet, Jeno's eyes narrowed against Miren's. She rolled hers.
"Leave." Her glared warned him.
"Not until you give me some answers." His warned back.
As Ms. Cowdry straightened from her desk, Jeno nodded in dismissal.
"We'll talk about this later." Was his sour peace offering.
"Like hell we will." Miren almost snorted.
When he finally left the room, she knew she would finally be able to have something that at least resembled armistice, even if it only lasted this hour.
"Oh, I didn't get your paper, Mr. Ellison." Make that three seconds. The woman's blue eyes were mostly calm like the sky is resembled, but Miren could find no peace in them. "I know you just came back from Toronto, but the assignment was on whiteboard online for over a week now. You should have had plenty of time this weekend to complete it."
Miren closed her eyes. Of course she completed it. It was just in the rush to make the fake pass to cover her tardiness, she had forgotten to pick it up from her desk...
"I actually left it in my room..." she began carefully, hoping the dragon woman wouldn't torch her before she got all of her words out. "...I can go get it after class. Or I could email it right now."
"Unfortunately, because of all the plagiarism that has been going on, I needed a hard copy. And you know the rules," the woman said matter-of-factly. "All assignments not turned in before the end of class automatically receive a zero. I'm sorry."
There were some "Oh's" and "Damns" but Miren could barely hear them. Is she fucking kidding me? She stood up from her chair. "I said that I could go get it. I could even go right now! Even you can agree that my circumstances are a little complicated. But it's done. Just let me go get it. It won't take five minutes."
"So are you implying that the rest of my lesson isn't important? There have already been enough distractions today, and your tardinessâalthough excusedâwas one of them." The woman folded her arms, irritation seeping off of her form. Somehow it just fueled Miren's own anger. Why the hell is she irritated?!
But she knew what this really was. She was Cowdry's best student. If the teacher bended the rules for her, then everyone would throw a bigger hissy fit. Well, a bigger one than usual. And as the only black person (aside from Parker and all of his biracial, ethnically-ambiguous glory) in the class, wasn't it her racial obligation or something to do the Black History Month themed essay?
Miren wanted to call bullshit on everything, but she also realized how this would all go down. Cowdry would probably let her make up the assignment since they were undercover BFFs, and everything would probably be fine. Probably.
Then again, Miren was tired of people making an example of her.
"Why don't you stop pretending that a writing a ten-paged paper is a productive use of anyone's time?" Miren snapped. The class actually fell silent as Ms. Cowdry looked at her with bewildered eyes. "I spent time I could have used to mourn my grandfather on it, and you don't want it? Why? Because even you don't want to read it? If you hate your life so bad, why don't you just quit your job and suck Dr. Edsel's dick for a living?â"
"MILES ELLISON!"
"I know, I know." Miren raised her hands up in defense, like she was being apprehended by a police officer. "I'll take my detention slip and be on my way. Funny how I could have just retrieved the paper in the time you decided to hold me upâ"
"OUT."
Miren wrinkled her nose before collecting her books, her backpack. She was bombarded by laughter, but she ignored it, her eyes narrowing against her instructor. Her mouth parted to say something witty or foulâshe no longer had control of her mouth. But then the bell rang, and she considered herself saved by it. So she just locked her jaw and left.
Leaving a sea of baffled boys in her wake.
***
The sea continued in the hall, but before she could get lost in a wave of students, and hand latched over her arm. She stumbled backward, and before she could scream bloody murder, she was in janitor's closet.
Darkness bathed the space, but Miren actually felt the calmest she'd felt since...who was she kidding, she didn't know what peace was! There was a click and an exposed, overhead light turned on. She should have been surprised that Jeno had abducted her, but surprises were getting old fast.
In the dim glow of the single light bulb, he looked demonic, so she averted her gaze, focusing on a dirty mop bucket that had seen better days.
"How cliché," she said with a pout, rubbing her arm. It didn't hurt, but she didn't remember him being so strong. "And don't grab me again."
"Don't lie to me again."
She cursed. "Look, I'm not some rich kid with a trust fund. I literally cannot afford to run away. So stop acting like I wasn't coming back," she spat, narrowing her eyes against the jaded boy. "Stop acting like a victim."
Jeno just stared down at her. It was then that she realized why he needed such fiery eyes; he was as rigid as a statue. As stoic as someone far beyond his years. Without them, it would be so easy to dismiss his not-so-pity affections toward her, or that fact that he cared. Why couldn't he just stop caring?!
"You're right," he said after a while, his gaze softening. But she wasn't. How could she not realize that not knowing where she was, even if she were right under his nose, was utterly terrifying? But they weren't together. He didn't even know if they were still friends. "Where are you staying?"
Miren gritted her teeth, realizing this discussion would have to come sooner than later. "There's a room on the attic level. You know, the haunted one?" she lied. Like she'd ever live in a haunted attic. She had enough things keeping her up at night. She closed her eyes, squeezing the skin between her eyes. "But I swear, if you come up there to visit me, I will ice you out completely. I just need space to think about how to fix this."
"And what if it's irreparable?" Jeno considered, folding his arms. "You were right. Maybe you should just come clean. Roger will understand, and I don't doubt he'd be helpful."
"And I didn't doubt I could trust you," Miren fought the urge to say. She bit her lip. "Well, considering the fact I just told his girlfriend to go suck his dick, I don't think that's gonna work."
"Jesus, what did you do?"
"I got a detention. Don't care. Cowdry was being a bitch." She tightened her grip on her backpack. "But I don't need another one. So I'm calling this little meeting to a close."
"So that's it?" Jeno said in an annoyed hush. "You turn into a juvenile delinquent and ruin Rinzen for yourself too?"
"Are you trying to imply that I ruined Rosemunde for myself?" Miren clenched her fists. "All this time I thought I was the one who had changed for the worst. But you're doing yourself no favors."
"What's the point of trying to get on your good side when you insist on pushing me away?" Jeno scoffed, his hand already on the doorknob. "I'll keep working Penelope. See if I can get some intel. Just tell me if you need anything."
"I won't," she said sharply, meeting his gaze. They were so close that she could feel his soft breath, smell the peppermint on his lips. And maybe it was sexual tension or stupid teen girl hormones, because her eyes found them just as the five-minute bell rang. She hissed, turning away. "Look, I'm not happy with you. But it would be wrong not to acknowledge your help. If you find anything useful, don't hesitate to contact me."
"Alright." He watched her glow in the light. Despite the uniform, her face was still distinctly girl. Her full lips were pouting and soft and kissable...the three-minute bell rang and he snapped back to reality. "Let me know what you decide to do."
"I will." She nodded once. "There's a little birdy named Olive who wants to clear my bad name. And we know how good intentions usually go."
Jeno lifted an eyebrow. His interaction with the girl was limited, if nonexistent. But he did hear Jemma go on about how interesting she was. And very few things caught her interest.
"Be careful," he offered. The urge to pinch her hand came, but he used his to push open the door carefully. And then that was that. They had a plan in action.
But like most plans, it was more destined than not to fail.