“Yes. I got a scholarship.” Possibly because of your son, I thought to myself.
“I’m not surprised. Your mom talks about how smart you are all the time, so it’s no wonder the school finally decided to snap you up,” he said with a polite smile, all but confirming that he had no idea about the scholarship until now.
“Thank you.”
“How are you finding it so far?” he asked.
I swallowed and averted my eyes, hesitant to let him know that one of his sons was the ringleader of my terrible bullies.
I knew he wouldn’t be mad at me, but he might mention it to Hunter in an attempt to make him stop. Then Hunter would probably torture me even more as punishment.
“It’s been great,” I ended up saying. “I’ve joined a lot of clubs. Made some friends.”
“Excellent." He glanced at his watch. “Anyway, I have a meeting with Headmaster Sanders in a few minutes, so I better go.”
I stepped aside. “Oh, sorry to keep you.”
“No need to be sorry. It was great to see you.”
“You too, Mr. Connery.”
He took a few steps, and then he turned to look back at me. “Are you sure you’re doing okay here, Laney?” he asked, brows knitting.
I swallowed hard. “Yes. I’m fine.”
“All right.” He nodded slowly. “I just couldn’t help but notice that you look a little… frightened.”
“Not at all.” I forced a smile. “Everything is totally fine.”