Isaiah
“Because you remind me of someone.”
Hearing my uncle and Gemma get to their feet and walk over to the door of his office, I scooted back slightly from the hinges and rested my back along the stone wall behind me.
Gemma was the first to walk out, stopping dead in her tracks at the sight of me sitting in the same spot she had sat a few days ago, when she’d eavesdropped on my conversation. There was a slight dip in her brows, her pale lips pursing. She recovered quickly, darting further away when I shot her a wicked grin. I cocked an eyebrow as if I were saying, “See? I can eavesdrop too.”
“Isaiah?” My uncle cleared his throat, breaking Gemma and me away from our silent spar. She quickly shot me a withering stare before turning around and walking down the hall in her tight skinny jeans, which I may have preferred over her uniform. The uniform showed smooth legs, but her jeans fit her like a glove, showcasing her tight ass and curved hips.
My uncle cleared his throat again, and I finally tore my longing stare away from Gemma. “What do you need?”
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I really only came down here to ask why my uncle needed to talk with Gemma, but after I’d heard their voices filtering through from the other side of his office door, I couldn’t help but listen.
I needed—okay, fine…I wanted to know more about Gemma because there was absolutely more to her than met the eye. At first, she looked innocent, and there was no doubt in my mind that she was. She was shy, blushed a fuck-ton, which was actually kind of cute in a way, and fell into herself anytime there was attention on her. But she had a fire inside of her too. Gemma was fueled by something. Something dark and unforgiving. I was beginning to learn that she was hard to read, but all in all, she appeared good and respectful. For fuck’s sake, she called my uncle sir, and each and every teacher adored her. I’d heard them discussing her in the teacher’s lounge the other day when I bluntly walked in to use the vending machine that was off limits to students. Gemma was a good girl, even if she hated when I used that little pet name, and I wanted to know more.
After striding into my uncle’s office and plopping myself down onto the leather seat at his desk, noting it was still warm from Gemma, I hiked a foot onto his desk. “What did the SMC say?” I had been acting nonchalant since we’d talked last, but after speaking with my father, I was on edge. I hardly slept. Instead, I stayed up until three, playing video games with Cade, and I never did that. Video games were like a suspension from reality, and although my reality sucked, I still liked to be in control of it.
He grunted. “You’re on probation.”
I paused. “What the fuck does that mean?”
My uncle ran a hand through his hair, looking more tired than usual. He put his back to me and angled his head up to the ancient map framed on the wall behind his desk. I followed his line of sight, roaming my gaze over each and every valley of earth, reminding me that there was so much more out there than this dreary place I called home.
“It means you have one more chance. You and Ms. Glenburg put them over the edge.”
My nostrils flared as my boots thudded to the floor. “I talked to Dad.”
He cocked his head over his shoulder. “I did too.”
Silence fell upon us as it often did when my father was brought up. I ground my teeth, gripping onto the arms of the chair tightly. “He threatened Jack.”
That had my uncle turning around with a disapproving scowl etched on his features. His hands graced his hips angrily. “Of course he did.” Shaking his head, he sat down into his seat.
“So, I basically can’t get kicked out of St. Mary’s and also have to keep tabs on Bain, who loves trouble as much as any of us.”
The scratching of my uncle's hand against his pebbled five o’clock shadow caused my eyes to drop down. He huffed out a sarcastic laugh, but I stayed silent. Thinking. Pondering.
“Why exactly can’t you give my father updates about Bain?”
I’d never really thought of it before because when my father forced his little scheming plan of sending me to boarding school to keep watch on his enemy's son, Bain, I didn’t really care. I was happy to be away from him and his bullshit, albeit a little worried about Jack, but with our nanny and Mom’s nurses as a buffer, I was sure Jack was mostly fine. But now I was wondering. And I mean, did I have a choice? No. But why did I have to be his little spy when my uncle was the headmaster, for fuck’s sake?
His answer came swiftly. “That’s easy, Isaiah. Your father doesn’t trust me.”
I squinted. “That makes no sense. You’re his brother.”
My uncle darted his eyes away from me. “And you’re Jacobi’s brother. Do you trust him?”
I grunted. Touché. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my older brother—he’d never blatantly lied to me—but I had been betrayed by him, and that was similar enough.
“The real question is”—his hands came and rested along the desk—“how are we going to keep you out of trouble but allow you to keep an eye on Bain? I know that when you sneak out, it’s because of him, and the SMC will not allow me to make excuses any longer. I cannot be your cover. The SMC no longer believes my lies.”
His admission didn’t phase me. I knew he was aware that I snuck out, because he was always the one that had the final say in punishments, even if he wasn’t the one who had caught me sneaking back in. It infuriated me beyond belief that Bain always snuck back in undetected, though. He was a sneaky little fuck.
My fingers came up and drummed against my chin for a second. “So, I need to quit getting caught or at least have a better cover for when I do get caught…”
“And you need to get your grades up. You’re smart, Isaiah. So why on earth are you flunking?”