A Murder Of Crows {23}

Keeping Jamison distracted for the evening wasn't hard. He texted me after his run with Nia, and I met up with the Crows for dinner.

I tried to be a little more talkative, but it wasn't much. Still, Jamison noticed the effort, and tried to help me into the conversations.

Once dinner was over, I invited Jamison back to my room to do our homework together. He happily joined me, and I knew Cole was headed to Val's room to study with her.

So the two of us went into my room together, and Jamison made himself comfortable on my bed. I sat at my desk, taking my schoolwork out.

"Hey, Cor," Jamison said after we'd been working in silence for a bit.

"Hm?" I didn't bother looking up from the worksheet I was doing.

"Sorry to distract you while you're working, but I think we should talk," he said.

He sounded a little more serious than usual, so I looked up, giving him my attention. Was this about the Collectors? Was it about Kieran being off campus? He'd surely signed off by now, and I'm sure someone had alerted Jamison to it.

"Have you ever dated before?" he asked, which caught me completely off guard. Okay, this was not the conversation I'd been expecting.

"I...No, I haven't," I said, hating the wild way my heart beat. Was he going to ask me to...?

"Me either," he said, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck. "I put all my focus into school and the Crows. I guess I isolated myself. I stuck to my little friend group and never gave my full attention to any boy. I was too busy. But school doesn't last forever. I've been thinking a lot lately, about how I need to stop focusing so much on my work and give myself a chance with other things. With other people."

It was a nice speech and all, but I was still internally freaking out a little. Kissing him was one thing. Kissing him wasn't a commitment. But dating someone? That required trust and effort and promises I wasn't sure I could keep in my current position.

But Jamison seemed to notice my panic. "Oh, hey, I'm not saying we need to date right away. I think both of us need to take this slow. But I just want to know if this is something that can become more."

Could it become more? I thought hard, thought about the future and where I would go. I wanted to get away from here for college so I could escape the Doctor and the Collectors and people like Val. Could I really handle a relationship? Would it work?

I closed my eyes. This was what I wanted, wasn't it? A chance at something more? A chance to let my emotions run free and logic to take a backseat for once?

I thought of my parents. They did so much together, but I'd never seen them acting like the couples I saw on TV. They didn't hold hands and kiss and tell each other they loved each other. They would just sit next to each other and read, their knees touching just the slightest. Dad would have dinner ready when mom got home and they'd eat together outside. They'd take walks around the neighborhood on nice days. Mom would find the books dad needed and stack them on his desk. They'd research together for hours, sometimes barely speaking a word.

It was quiet. It was companionship with something stronger underneath.

"Yes," I said, opening my eyes. I wanted it to be something more. I'd always loved to learn, and there seemed to be so much Jamison could teach me.

Jamison seemed truly surprised by that. But then a smile spread on his face, genuine and joyful. It made my heart stutter to see it. How could I make someone so happy with just one word?

How could someone make me so happy with just a smile?

I felt too hot all of a sudden and realized I was blushing. I quickly turned away from Jamison, picking up my pen.

"Let's just get back to work. I have a lot of homework," I said.

"Mind if I borrow some notes?" he asked.

I passed my bag back to him. "Help yourself."

"Thanks." I wasn't facing him, but I could hear the smile in his voice, and it made a small one appear on my own face.

Happiness. That was the word that encompassed everything I wanted.

***

Jamison ended up staying my dorm until it got late, heading back only when he got tired. He kissed my cheek before leaving, and I laid in bed now, hand resting over the spot.

Sleep didn't come easily. My mind was wild with thoughts. I thought of the present, the future, the past. I thought of my parents and Aria and Kieran's group. I thought of Jamison and the Crows. I thought of kissing him and his smile.

I finally did manage to fall asleep. When my alarm went off though, I still felt tired.

I showered and got ready for class, leaving the dorm. I hadn't heard from Kieran or Mia or Val, which was weird since Val had said she was going to stop by my room.

That bad feeling in my stomach reemerged. Val never skipped on a chance to annoy me or tease me with information. Even if she'd been busy with Cole, I was surprised she hadn't stopped by later at night, at least.

Something was wrong.

My mind whispered it on repeat, over and over again as I walked towards the academic building. I didn't like this.

I reached the academic building and saw Jamison with his friends in the corner of the hallway. I walked up to them, slowly in case it was wrong of me to do so. But Jamison noticed me and gestured me over, so I picked up my pace and joined their group.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Yea, morning," I said.

I wanted to ask Cole about Val, but I didn't want to raise any suspicions. Maybe they really had been too busy for her to stop by my room last night. Or maybe she knew something about Kieran and it was too late to tell me now.

"Are you ready for your test today?" Kenz was asking Cole.

"Yes, mom," Cole said, looking exasperated. "I studied all night with Val. When I get a good grade, you and Jamie can hang in on the fridge and tell all your friends that your son's a smart lad."

"Careful, that kind of attitude will get you grounded," Nia said.

Cole turned to me. "Run while you can."

"You're so dramatic," Jamison said, rolling his eyes. "Cor actually does his work, unlike you. There's no need to get on his case about any of it."

Nia was laughing, but it cut off as she looked past me. Her eyes widened and she reached out, gripping Jamison's arm.

"Jamie," she said urgently, nodding.

We followed her gaze and my eyes widened at the sight. Shit. My bad feeling had been right.

Mia and Kieran had just entered together, and it was not a pretty sight. Kieran's face was busted up.

His bottom lip was split open, his cheek was swollen and bruised, and he had a black eye that was nearly swelled shut. There was a cut on his eyebrow, and smaller bruises decorating his face, including on his neck.

"Holy shit," Cole whispered shakily. "Who could've...?"

Jamison was staring in shock. His mouth opened, but no sounds came out. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Kieran.

"Kieran's never gone down without a fight, even when he's outmatched," Kenz said, though she looked just as shocked as the others. "Whoever did that is dangerous."

Jamison walked over there, and I followed him. Cole and Kenz followed as well, though Nia seemed more hesitant and stuck to the back of the group, a safe distance away.

"What happened?" Jamison asked.

Kieran shot him a dirty look. "Why should I tell you?"

"Dammit, stop being stubborn for once," Cole snapped, surprising Kieran. "Did you pick another fight?"

"This wasn't my fault," Kieran said, gesturing to his face.

Cole clenched a fist. "Who...Why..."

Jamison put a hand on Cole's shoulder. "Was it part of the Doctor's attacks?"

"I don't have to tell you shit, president," Kieran said coldly.

"You do, because I am the president. We're investigating the attacks. The safety of students-" Jamison started.

Kieran cut him off, his voice furious. "The safety of the students? Don't feed me that shit. I bet you're happy to see I got my ass kicked. I bet you're jealous you weren't the one to do it. You only give a damn about the safety of students if they don't know your real self."

Jamison narrowed his eyes, anger flashing on his face. But he looked over Kieran's injuries and took a deep breath.

"It's my responsibility to look over the safety of all students, not just ones I deem worthy. You're a Crowe Academy student, and we have a duty to investigate what happened to you and make sure you're safe," he said.

"Don't make this difficult," Cole said. He was still horribly angry. "Let someone look after you for once in your damn, stubborn life."

"I'd rather not let people watch my back when I know they intend to stab it," Kieran said.

"Don't make me drag you to Headmaster Crowe's office. You know that regardless of if you tell us, we have to contact your parents," Jamison said. "So make this easy for everyone and cooperate for once, Kieran."

"Jesus, you're a fucking pain," Kieran said, irritation growing rapidly. "I picked up my mom's medication from the pharmacy, and I got jumped on the way home. They stole her medicine, my wallet, and my watch." Kieran held up his arm, where there were bruises in the shape of fingers near his wrist.

"How many? Did you see their faces?" Jamison asked.

"Two. They were wearing masks," Kieran said. "Is that enough for you, president?"

"We'll need you to come down to the Nest and fill out an incident report. And like I said, we'll have to call your parents," Jamison said.

"That means your dad, too," Cole said. "Your dad, your mom, and Darby."

"So goddamn nosey," Kieran grumbled. "Get out of my fucking way. I'm going to class."

Cole stepped in his way, though. He eyed Kieran's injuries, slowly shaking his head.

"Did you fight back?" he asked.

Kieran held up his hands, flashing his uninjured knuckles at us. "Hard to get a chance when you're pinned down. I didn't get the pleasure."

"Are you..." Cole didn't finish that.

"I'd be great if you'd get out of my way," Kieran said, shouldering roughly past Cole. Mia followed without a look at any of us.

"Do you buy that?" Kenz asked Jamison.

"I'll call his house and ask Darby to verify that Kieran was picking up medication," Jamison said, running a hand through his hair. "If there were no witnesses, all we have is Kieran's word."

"What, and you trust that?" Nia said.

"Kieran doesn't go down easily. He never has," Cole said. "If someone got him, it was most likely by surprise."

"Did he say anything to you, Cor?" Jamison asked.

I shook my head. "Just mentioned he'd be off campus to help his mom."

Kenz was looking at the classroom door, where Kieran and Mia had disappeared into. "He had a good future. It's sad to see what his life's become."

Cole was playing with the worn-out red bracelet on his wrist. "Let's just get to class before we're late."

Jamison put a hand on my back and we walked towards our classroom. He looked at his hand, as if surprised he'd put it there, and hastily dropped it back to his side.

"Sorry," he said. "Guess I'm not thinking straight this morning."

"Careful, some unoriginal freshman will say 'guess you're thinking gay this morning'," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Hey, I don't think I'll be at lunch. I have to report this Kieran thing to Headmaster Crowe so he can call Kieran's family. You're welcome to sit with the others, but if you're not comfortable without me there, you don't have to."

"I'm curious to know more about what happened to Kieran's face, so I'll probably sit with him," I said.

"Let me know if you learn anything. I doubt he'll be very cooperative with me," Jamison said, sighing heavily.

We went into the classroom, dropping the topic. I took my seat, glancing at Kieran's busted up face. Other students were sneaking peeks too, but Kieran stared straight ahead, ignoring all of them.

Surely the Doctor was involved. Whatever Kieran's plan had been, it had failed horribly.

By the time lunch came around, people were still surprised by the sight of Kieran's face. I heard multiple students gossiping about it on my way to the dining hall.

I grabbed a tray, got my food, and sat down at the usual table. Val raised an eyebrow at me.

"Back to us? Maybe Kieran should've called you Boomerang instead of Jpeg," Val said.

"What did you want last night?" I asked.

"To finish our puzzle. But Cole stayed later than I thought he would," Val said, a small grin on her face. "I'd intended to tell you about Kieran's plan, but there's no need for that now."

"How did you know what it was?" I said.

"Because I'm a smart woman," Val said.

I let it drop, knowing she'd just tease without telling. Kieran and Mia showed up about two minutes later, taking their seats.

"So, who beat the hell out of you?" I said.

"Who do you think?" Kieran said impatiently. "I went to the Doctor. I asked for a job. Turns out he's not happy with me for not getting the Crowe Academy situation under control. So he beat me, took my wallet, watch, and mom's medication. Said I could buy it back if I could get the cash for it."

"Did you go home after?" Mia asked.

Kieran nodded slowly. "I went to a back ally, made it look like there'd been a struggle, and called Darby. She asked my neighbors to watch my mom so she could come get me. I made it seem like I was too shaken up to talk to the police, so Darby said she'd report it for me and I could give the details to the police when I was ready."

"So does your mom actually know?" Val said.

"Even if we told her, she'd just forget." Kieran wasn't looking at any of us now, nothing but bitter anger on his face. "She barely remembers who I am most days. I told Darby not to tell her. If she had any clear moments, it'd only upset her."

"So the Doctor is done with you?" Mia said. "You were one of his best Collectors."

"I doubt he's done with me. Just showing me that he's still the leader here," Kieran said. "This will either get them off my back or make them more suspicious. I didn't think the Doctor would beat me like that."

Kieran paused and pulled out his phone. It vibrated in his hand and he pinched the bridge of his nose, swiping his finger across the screen.

"Hello?" I could faintly hear a voice on the other end as Kieran listened. "I'm fine. I said I'm fine, dad. Darby already called the police. No, we didn't tell mom. I didn't want to upset her." Kieran leaned back in his chair, looking tired. "I'm in lunch right now. I'll call you after classes, okay? I promise I'm fine. You don't have to worry. I know, I will. Yea, Darby said she'd call the doctor's office about mom's medication. Alright. I love you too."

He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. It was surprising to hear Kieran sound actually calm instead of angry or emotionless.

"What a mess," he mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose again.

"Should buy us some time, though. If your wallet was stolen, Jamison can't prove you didn't have money to give your mom," Mia said.

But Kieran didn't appear to be paying attention to her. I had a feeling I knew what that expression on his face meant.

We dropped the topic, Kieran clearly too distracted to talk about it anymore. When lunch ended, I walked with Kieran outside, nudging him lightly until he took the hint and walked away from the girls with me.

"You're thinking about ending it all, aren't you?" I said. "Cutting off ties with the Doctor and turning him in."

"Of course I'm not going to turn him in," Kieran said, shooting me a dirty look. "I'm not suicidal."

"Fine, then turning yourself in," I said.

"Even if I did, there's no proof any of you worked with me," Kieran said. "Shouldn't you be happy? You never wanted to be part of this."

"Then why did you make me?" I demanded. "I never had to be caught up in all of this."

"Val," he said. "It's always been Val pulling the strings. Mia and I didn't want you involved. We couldn't trust you. Val forced you on to us."

I felt that anger swirling in me. After all this time and everything that had happened, I still couldn't figure out Val's end goal in all of this. Just what was she playing at?

"Well, I'm here now. So whatever moves you make, they better not screw over my life," I said.

"They won't." Kieran met my eyes, face blank of emotion. "I know you never wanted this. I didn't want to be part of this. Neither did Mia. But she and I made our choices, and we'll live with the consequences. I won't screw your whole life over because of Val."

"And Val?" I said. "What'll you do about her?"

"Nothing. She'll go on living her life and screwing over other people," Kieran said. "There's nothing I can do. I get one bit of dirt on her, she buries me in a pile she's had on reserve the whole time."

It was frustrating, but I knew he was right. I'd searched as hard as I could for any trace on the internet, anything I could use against her. But nothing. She'd been careful, or she'd cleaned things up herself. All I could find were positive things. Successful daughter of successful immigrants, nothing to her name but academic awards and volunteer time in the community.

Still, I glanced at Kieran. He'd protect Mia, I knew that. She seemed to be having problems at home after Kenz turned her in for the drugs, and I doubted Kieran wanted to put her in an even more strained spot with her family.

Our pace slowed a little. Kieran shoved his hands in his pockets, looking at the path in front of us.

"Just one last time Jamison gets to stomp on me," he said, shaking his head.

"He and Cole were worried when they saw you. Kenz, too," I said. I don't know why I felt the need to tell him that. I don't know why any of it mattered anymore.

Kieran reached up, lightly touching his face and wincing. "I hated what they did. I never really hated them." He gave an empty grin, as cold as his eyes. "In the end, what does it matter if the memories are good or bad? My mom forgot everything. Someday I might, too." He looked at the red bracelet on his wrist. "She taught me how to make these bracelets for me and Cole."

It was information I didn't need and didn't know what to do with. Kieran shoved his hand back in his pocket and picked up his pace, leaving me behind.

He was overwhelmed. He was breaking. He was going to turn himself in, because Jamison had finally managed to corner him.

I didn't know what would happen when Kieran turned himself in. Jamison could turn his sights to getting a confession out of Mia, too, or he could be satisfied with stopping Kieran.

It didn't matter. Without Kieran to rally under, they'd have no need for me in the Collectors anymore. Good or bad, one way or another, the game was coming to its uncertain end.