It was comfortable enough. I placed my elbows on his clean desk and rested my head on my clasped hands.
“What is the issue?” I asked.
Jeremy nodded. Instead of taking a seat on the side, I should have been seated on he leaned against the wall. I liked that about him. He knew his place, but he wasn’t a complete pushover. I could respect a man who didn’t need constant hand-holding.
“First day. I think it’s best we get this out of the way.”
I nodded for him to continue. Sometimes being in charge meant I was left listening to information I had no interest in. I knew firsthand any information was useful when used correctly.
Once Jeremy was done catching me up on the incoming freshmen and the current events for the school, I stood up and headed for the door.
“What was she in here for?”
“Huh?” Jeremy looked genuinely confused. “Oh, you mean Keegan Quell? She allegedly assaulted another student on the way to her class.”
I would have known if she’d done something like that. I nodded. “Next time, send her my way.”
I grabbed my phone and sent a quick message to the guys.
Lux: Anything to report on the new girl?
Hawke: Corpse?
Rem: Duh, and nothing here.
Sam: She was late for bio-chem.
My fingers hovered over the keyboard.Do I intervene now or wait?I wanted to see what Keegan was made of. She met us with blazing fire, but how would she fair against the system that was Aridole?
* * *
“She lookslike a kid in a candy store,” Rem said.
I couldn’t agree more. Keegan was practically drooling as she looked at all the food options we had at Press Prep. Samson cleared his throat, and I turned away from the temptress that had entered my halls.
“Update?” I asked, getting down to business.
Rem lounged back, eating her sandwich. Unlike me, she kept her eyes trained on Keegan, watching her every move. Hawke was somewhere else. He wasn’t one to sit still when given freedom. He was probably on the roof or swimming.
“There are already a few parties planned. Supply is good. The Hellraisers are supplied with high quality. Current bet pool has already started. The top three are Keegan Quell quitting school, Bolton and the others following Henry have been silent, but whispers are going around. Nothing for us to worry about yet.” I nodded. I trusted Samson’s word. There was a reason he collected information. He was meticulous in what he did. “Stock is up, and the school’s funding is managed.”
“Who’s running the one about Keegan?”
Samson didn’t look up from his tablet, although he was just with us, and no one could hear him. He still kept the smile on his face. The first time I’d met him, I’d punched him, trying to knock the grin off his face. My knuckles had split along with his lip, but he’d never dropped it. It wasn’t until we were alone inside that I saw the true monster behind those lifeless eyes.
“Cheri Butler along with—”
“Lisa Sullie,” Rem said.
We both looked her way. She focused on the commotion that started to rise in the middle of the cafeteria.
Lisa Sullie stood over Keegan, her boba tea turned upside down, and the contents dumped over Keegan’s head. Rem’s feet came off the table, but she didn’t move to help, and neither did we.
Eyes flashed our way. We’d claimed the new girl, but we hadn’t exactly said how. As everyone saw we weren't going to make a move, laughter built in the cafeteria.
“Oops, I thought you were the trash can,” Lisa said.
I waved the teachers off, and they made themselves scarce. All that was left were the students.