I knew he was going to blow my mind and make me question life as I knew it.
Then Toby pulled out a baggie of Molly and I dived headfirst into the debauchery they could offer us.
I needed it. The previous few weeks at school had been hard going, and add everything Jodie had been going through with the loss of both her brother and her father, and life was tough.
I needed the release, she needed the release, and those two bad boys knew exactly how to deliver it.
If only I knew how thoroughly he was going to consume my life from that day on.
I thought they were going to be one-night stands. Hot, steamy, filthy-as-fuck one-night stands when Toby took us to Hades and let us all play out our wildest fantasies.
Even if I wanted to forget Nico, how was I meant to when he gave me the most memorable night of my life?
“Okay,” my tutor says, studying me for a few more seconds as if she’s scared I’m about to bolt.“They’re expecting you first thing in the morning. Mrs. Hendrix, the Head of English, will be your mentor, and she will meet you in reception. Knight’s Ridge College has high expectations of both their staff and their students, so make sure you go dressed to impress. They will take your appearance very seriously.”
“Great,” I mutter, glancing down at the leggings I’m wearing that are so overworn there’s now a hole on my inner thigh, and the faded floral dress I threw over them before I left my flat this morning that I wore yesterday, and possibly the day before, without a second thought.
“You are a good teacher, Brianna,” she assures me. “Your previous placements have loved you and your observations have been incredible. You have a way of engaging students of all backgrounds, and I have no doubt that extends to the type of students you will find at Knight’s Ridge.”
I just about smother my laugh at the polite way she describes the entitled, arrogant, pricks that I know attend there.
Okay, maybe that’s a bit harsh. I’ve come to learn over the past few weeks that they’re not all like that. Despite Nico’s many, many flaws, his friends are pretty decent.
Toby, despite his initial… hiccup, shall we say, loves my best friend something fierce. He would die for her without even batting an eye, I know he would. Theo, Seb, and Alex are all… unique in their own ways, but their loyalty to their little family is unwavering. Daemon, well, I don’t know all that much about that particular enigma, but I have it on good authority from Calli that he’s pretty epic. I mean, she is secretly carrying his baby, after all…
And the girls… well, I’ve never met such loyal and supportive, empowered women in my life. From the second Jodie and I found ourselves in the middle of their group, I felt like I had found my home.
Other than Jodie, I’ve never really had any solid, ride-or-die girlfriends. Most of the ones I’ve had over the years have turned out to be nothing but shallow users who’d rather bring others down than help build them up. To say those experiences have made me wary of women’s true intentions over the years would be an understatement, but those Cirillo girls… damn, they’re fierce in a way I’ve only ever hoped to be over the years.
“Hold your head up high and walk into that place like you own it. They will appreciate your strength, resilience, and determination.”
“I hope you’re right,” I mutter, feeling anything but confident about what I’m about to do.
“Now go and enjoy an extra day off. Get your head on straight, ready for tomorrow. I’ll be at my computer all day, so if you have any questions or concerns, you know where I am.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to confess that the guy I’ve been fucking on and off for the past few months is a year thirteen at Knight’s Ridge College. That there is no way on this Earth I should be putting myself in the position to stand at the front of a classroom and have to put up with his stupidly handsome face. But my lips don’t part and the words never see the light of day.
Instead, I take the piece of paper with all the information I need about my new placement and stand from the chair.
“Thank you for all your help with this. Let’s hope we can get through to the summer without any more issues.”
“I have every confidence in you, Brianna. There is a school out there that will be very lucky to have you as a member of their staff come September.”
“Here’s hoping,” I mutter, making my way toward the door. Every movement is hard with how tight my body is locked up.
With a grateful smile, I pull her door closed, but I don’t allow myself to react to what has just happened until I’m a safe distance from the university building and then I let out the loudest, stress-releasing scream I can manage.
If only it actually helped.
* * *
By the time I’ve somewhat got my head around the situation, I’m in the middle of the park watching the ducks swim around in the small pond in the hope they bring me some calm.
My tutor is right, Knight’s Ridge College is an incredible school. But is it the kind of school I want to be teaching in? Are the rich, entitled princes and princesses that attend going to be the kind of students I’m able to connect with?
While I might have been worried about the behaviour and violence in Lovell, I can’t deny that that kind of secondary school is something I can understand.
Hell, I went to more than one, after all. Not as bad—nowhere is as bad—but I can talk to those kids. Many have hard lives, parents who either spend all their waking hours working to put food on the table or doing absolutely fuck all and taking every handout they can get while ignoring their child’s existence.