Tasting 184

184–I Look Guilty

Nora:

I was now sitting in the principal’s office, my head down, feeling guilty. He had been pacing angrily

before leaving the office to call Lord Atwood.

I had gotten myself into this mess for no reason. But it was so shocking that April didn’t even seem

to care when I hit her. She provoked me, knowing I would react explosively. Was it just to get me in

trouble? Why couldn’t they just leave me alone?

“Please come inside,” Mr. Fortin returned, holding the door open for his best friend.

I remembered this was where it all began. He had once called in Lord Atwood to discuss how I was

being bullied. Today, he was summoned to talk about how I had become the school’s biggest bully.

Lord Atwood walked in and saw me sitting there. He stood with me and then reached out to gently

tap the back of my hand..

Mr. Fortin had taken his seat and was waiting for Lord Atwood to give him his full attention.

“So, what am I here for?” Lord Atwood questioned. “Has anyone bullied her again?”

I almost bit my bottom lip when I heard him ask that question so confidently. It was as if he was

certain I could do no wrong.

“Actually, it’s quite the opposite this time,” Mr. Fortin said. Lord

Atwood turned to me, making me lower my head even more.

“What do you mean by that? She couldn’t hurt a fly,” Lord Atwood’s unwavering trust in me

sometimes drowned me in guilt.

He didn’t even know a tiny bit about me. He just believed me and wouldn’t question anything. That

kind of blind faith from him was why I felt so terrible about lying and hiding things from him. It also

made me anxious about when he would discover the truth about me. I couldn’t handle it.

“She slapped one of the students. In fact, she slapped Alpha Brody’s cousin. And then she called

her many names, including ‘slut‘ and “whore,” Mr. Fortin shook his head in disappointment, barely

able to repeat those words. But Lord Atwood gasped in disbelief.

“You must have been lied to. Nora is not the type to even raise her voice–” I didn’t know why he was

defending me so vehemently. No one is completely innocent like that.

His expectations of me were sometimes too high. I wanted him to understand that I was not the

person he thought I was. His trust in me was beginning to waver.

“I heard it all myself. And as for not hurting a fly, let me bring the girl in and you can see her check.

Nora left a pretty bad mark on her and she was crying on the floor in front of everyone. She even

threatened everyone and I was there,” as he continued to recount my behavior, I buried my head

even further.

“Nora! What is Mr. Fortin saying? Did you do any of that?” Lord Atwood turned to me, questioning. I

felt so guilty to be in this position. I was only trying to stand up for myself.

I took a deep breath and nodded my head. But before he could dwell

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on my actions any further, I added, “She called me a whore and made Brody block me.”

It was the right thing to do. I wouldn’t hide their cruel games anymore.

“What?” Lord Atwood asked, shocked.

“You didn’t tell me that,” Mr. Fortin, who understood the importance of protecting an Alpha’s Luna,

now looked slightly shaken.

“Did you even ask her why she did that?” Lord Atwood turned to his friend, who gulped.

“I couldn’t. After seeing her behavior, I was so taken aback that I couldn’t question her without your

supervision,” Mr. Fortin explained, sounding subdued.

“And you wonder why she hit her? It’s not a small thing for an Alpha to block his girlfriend,” Lord

Atwood’s voice was tinged with anger.

“April told me that she did something and said something about me to him that made him angry at

me. I haven’t even spoken to him yet and I’m worried about what he might be thinking,” I uttered

anxiously, rubbing my palms together.

“Let me call Alpha Brody here and ask him what those nasty snakes have done,” Lord Atwood took

charge, gesturing for Mr. Fortin to step aside from the speaker.

“Alpha Brody, you’re needed in the principal’s office,” Lord Atwood announced himself. I could only

imagine how furious he would become at those two girls when he found out how much hate they

had been stirring against me to Brody. It might also send a message that these two should not enter

the mansion when I’m not around.

“Is Brody in school today?” It was only after making the announcement

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that Lord Atwood asked Mr. Fortin, who nodded. My heart was pounding now. What could they have

possibly shown him to get him so riled up?

Then a knock on the door revealed Brody, who entered the office and frowned upon seeing all of us

staring at him.

“Nora!” he said my name before turning to Lord Atwood and giving him a slight bow.

“Save your greetings. Don’t you think you should first come talk with my daughter when somebody

accuses her of something instead of blocking her?” Lord Atwood was no longer playing around. His

voice raised so much that Mr. Fortin, reached for a glass of water, only to abandon the idea when

Lord Atwood shot him a deadly glare.

I didn’t want Brody to be scolded, but why didn’t he speak to me? He could have just told me what

those two had said about me and given me a chance to explain whatever was shown to him.

“What? When did I block her and who accused her of what?” Brody, who seemed genuinely

confused, looked at me.

My heart sank and skipped a beat.

“April and Natalya, what did they tell you about my stepdaughter?” Lord Atwood wasn’t screaming

anymore, but his reaction was still intense.

He looked around at everyone and then at me before replying, “Nothing.”