I consider her words for a few seconds and nod. “Yeah, I will.”
And I try to do just that. Again and again I try, but I can’t seem to catch him alone at all throughout the day. He’s either surrounded by other people as he moves between class, or so far ahead of me that I can’t catch up. It doesn’t escape my notice, either, that Liam seems even grumpier than usual as the day goes by. I should probably talk to him and explain what happened with the dress mix-up, but my first priority is getting Saint alone.
It’s not until after enduring another painful History class that I corner him in the hall.
“Angelle,” I shout, snagging his arm and holding him back before he can make it to the building’s main door. “I need to talk to you.”
He looks down at me, appearing mildly surprised but also distracted.
“What is it?” His tone is a little sharper than usual, but I don’t let it deter me.
“I wanted to ask you why you want to go with me to prom?”
He stares at me with a furrowed brow for a moment before shaking his head and shrugging my hand off his arm. “I don’t have time for stupid questions today. I’m focused on the track meet tonight. I can’t afford distractions right now.”
His dismissiveness makes me dizzy. I can’t help but wonder if he’s really so concerned about his track meet, or if he’s just looking for an excuse to blow me off. Did I truly hurt him by not giving him an answer last night?
The thing is, I can’t imagine Saint ever getting his feelings hurt.
“Okay, fine.” I hold my hands up in front of me and back away. “Can we talk after your meet, then?”
“Whatever.”
Despite everything inside me screaming not to let him go, I silently watch as he makes his way out of the building and disappears from sight.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, I follow after him a few moments later to find the head groundskeeper so I can get my last day of detention over with. Once I’ve changed and collected my supplies, I begin wandering campus, picking up trash and counting down the time until I can go back to my dorm. I don’t really feel like doing anything tonight. I think about ordering a pizza and locking myself in my room, all alone.
Honestly, it sounds like heaven.
But as I work my way across campus, I find myself unwittingly stumbling right back into hell.
By the time I spot Laurel and her crew, it’s too late to avoid them. They’re all dressed up for a night out, which is weird since it’s still so early. Maybe they’re heading into the city or to one of their multi-million-dollar beach homes—like they did all last semester. Wouldn’t that be nice, a few hours on campus without her toxic presence?
Laurel comes to a stop when she’s directly in front of me and her army of idiots stand in formation around us.
“You’re back?” I yawn.
She makes a show of gazing around at the near empty courtyard. “I don’t see Saint anywhere, do you?” she asks, her voice vicious. “Looks like you’re all alone, bitch. No knight in shining armor to save your trashy ass this time.”
“I don’t need Saint to save me,” I retort. “But it is satisfying to watch him reject you over and over again.”
Her face grows red, and I’ve definitely struck a nerve. That sense of savage satisfaction begins to bloom in my belly again.
“You act all high and mighty because he’s fucking you again,” Laurel snaps, her voice shaking with her rage. “When he goes to Cabo for Spring Break, and you’re not around to confuse him, he’ll probably fuck his way through his resort. I wonder how many girls he’ll let bounce on his dick this time?”
Her words sting, but I refuse to let her see that. Instead, I shrug, dart my eyes around her circle of friends, and casually say, “No clue. How many of those bitches have bounced on it?”
All the color drains from Laurel’s face, and for a moment, I think she’s going to pass out. Then, her eyes go wide and her jaw grows taut, and I know she’s on the verge of exploding.
“You think you’re funny, huh?” she cries. “I should shove my fist down your slut throat.”
She looks like she’s about to, and I tense as I ready for her to attack. It’s the same situation Saint interrupted yesterday, but Laurel was right when she said that I can’t rely on him showing up now to pull me from the fire.
She takes a step toward me, and I ball my hands into fists, ready to fight back.
“Mallory, I’ve been looking for you!” a sweet voice suddenly calls.
I stare at the crowd, searching for the speaker, and the next moment Rosalind pops out into the open and rushes toward me. She smiles, ignoring the tension in the air and the fuming Laurel at her back.
“Headmaster Aldridge is looking for you. You need to come with me.”
Oh, my God, I get another reprieve. Is my luck finally starting to turn around?
Rosalind whirls around, flinging red hair into Laurel’s face and casting the blonde a syrupy smile, and then leads me away.
When I know we’re well out of earshot, I ask, “What does Aldridge want now?”
I’m already in detention. What more could he put on my shoulders?
She snorts. “Aldridge doesn’t want you. I made that up to get you out of here. The only thing he’s said to me all year was ‘Welcome back, Ms. Bianca.’ I was on my way to the track meet and spotted Laurel surrounding you, so figured I’d lend a hand.”
I gape at her, shocked. “What…why would you help me like that? After everything that went down with Saint at the beginning of the semester?”
She casts me a curious look. “He never told you, did he?”
“Told me what?”
Rosalind gives me a faint shrug, then saunters toward the track, leaving me behind to finish my detention. I think about her question for a moment, but then shove it into the back of my mind. There’s no time for that right now, and I simply don’t have the energy to spare.
With a groan, I resume my detention duties, but after about fifteen more minutes of clean up, I feel my phone buzz in my pants pocket. Digging it out, I see I’ve got a text from Loni.
ALONDRA JAMES: Hey, just a heads up, the Thornhaven guys are hot and all, but I think something’s going to go down. Saint and Phoenix Townsend have already had
words.
My heart hammers nervously, even as I tell myself that Saint’s a big boy and more than capable of handling things himself.
So why do I abandon my detention duties and head for the track?
I reach the gate but don’t go inside. Instead, I watch through the fence, realizing that I’ve arrived just in time for Saint’s race. He’s lining up with the other athletes, and my heart hammers at the sight of him in full competition mode. I’ve never seen him like this, and I’ve got to admit, it’s exhilarating.
When the race gun goes off, the runners go flying. I watch with bated breath as Saint reaches the hurdles and begins soaring over them with ease. He’s so graceful and swift, despite being so tall and muscular, it sends a thrill coursing through me. I’m so caught up in his performance, that I almost don’t see the Thornhaven racer moving closer to him. When I realize what his intentions are, it’s too late. He rams into Saint, sending him flying into the next hurdle.