Feral (22 page)

“Well…yeah.”

Bacchus smiled roguishly.  “And by ‘can of worms,’ you mean inviting me to hit on you?”

“Yes,” I answered
impulsively.  I felt bad for shooting him down, but I didn’t need any more drama from uninvited attention, and questioning his feelings was definitely opening a can of worms.  “Sorry.”

“
No need to apologize,” he dismissed, but he eyes took on that far away look again.  He turned toward the window again, using the butt of his fist to clear the glass.

The warning bell rang.  I only had five minutes to get to first period.

“It’s because he can take better care of you than I can.  I know you worry that we’ll get hurt trying to protect you, or that you and Icarus will be separated, but that’s not the case.  We’re old enough to get along without him.  If those lycan come for you from up north, Icarus can take you away from here.  Somewhere safe.”

Insistently, I shook my head.  “I can’t break your family apart.”

“It wouldn’t be permanent.  We would meet up later, when you’ve settled in elsewhere,” Bacchus pressed.  “And these are all ‘ifs.’  Things might never come to this.”

“I’m going to be late,” I said,
popping the door open.  I grabbed my backpack from the floor and jogged toward the front entrance, but I couldn’t escape Bacchus’s last words.

“
Don’t be stubborn and refuse what he’s offering, Thale.  He’s a good man.”

Chapter 12

“You look like crap.”

Glaring, I stared at Mike with blatant aversion. 
He really didn’t know when to call it quits.  I had no interest in him.  He was a phase of my life that was over.  So over.  I had a zillion other things to worry about.  The last thing I needed was his continued badgering.

My top priority at the moment was passing my calculus test.  East’s curriculum was about two weeks behind West, and having missed a week of school,
that left me three weeks off the pace.  I was struggling to catch up.  Mrs. D assigned double the homework every night, but that was only math.  I still had homework assignments for three other subjects to complete as well.

Dropping his tray on the table, Mike straddled the stool across from me.

“Sure, have a seat,” I said sarcastically.  As if I were inviting him.  As if anybody else were sitting there.  I’d been so bogged down with work that I hadn’t had time to befriend anyone.  Not even old classmates from before the school division.

“Late night?”

“None of your business.”  Bored of the routine, I went back to my work.  Perhaps he’d get the point that he wasn’t welcome and go away.

“You’ve been sittin
g by yourself all week.   I’m just trying to be courteous.”

“I’m studying, and you’re disturbing me.”

“What’re you studying?  Maybe I can help.”

“Perhaps
,” I said, packing up my things, “you can help me with practicing language arts.  Goodbye.  Au revoir.  Sayonara.  Arrivederci.  Adios.”

Moving to a table on the other side of the cafeteria, I resumed my studying in somewhat peace.  Around me, I could hear the hiss and snickers
of our senior classmates as Mike’s tray once again plopped down opposite me.

“Perhaps I wasn’t clear.  Fuck off, Mike.”

“That’s harsh.”

“Yet, here you sit
.”

“
How many times do I have to apologize, Thale?  I was sixteen, and drunk.  And vainglorious.  I was trying to look cool in front of the guys.  It was stupid and immature, I know.  And I’ve regretted every minute of it.”

I wondered how long it took for him to compose that small speech.  About a week was my guess. 
“Every minute since last Monday when I told you I knew about the bet?” I countered.  “I’ve regretted it for two years and running, Michael, so excuse me if I come off as bitter.”

Homework. 
Concentrate.  I was
so
going to fail calculus.

“Thale.”

…antiderivatives of functions which contain
th roots of
or other expressions
.  WTF?  I was so going to fail calculus.

“Thale.”

Frustrated, I looked up.  “Michael.  Can you not see that I’m busy?”  I gestured to the books splayed out in front of me with a fan of my hand.

“I meant every word I said. 
Back when we used to talk about college and our future together.  I swear.  What happened at the party that night, it was all a show for the guys.”

“What do you want
from me?” I said with an aggrieved sigh.  “Are you looking for some kind of absolution?”

“I want a second chance
.”

“
I’m not interested,” I said, returning to my work.  I read the same equation for the third time.  It made no more sense now than it did the first time I read it.

“Thale.”

Only because of Mike’s solemn tone did I look up.  What I saw in his eyes, I almost couldn’t comprehend.  This was the same Mike to whom I used to pour out my soul.  Those green eyes used to look at me with the same reverence, as if I were a treasure.  Those lips used to speak our shared desires.  They made promises of a future filled with love and devotion.

“Thale
ia?” said a girls voice behind me.  “Thaleia Llorente?”

Pivoting
on my stool, a short, blonde-haired girl handed me a pass.  “You’re wanted in the principal’s office.”

Gathering my things, I shoved them into my pack , thankful for the diversion.  Principal’s office or not, it was welcome.

“Later, Thale?” Michael called out.

“Don’t count on it,” I called over my shoulder.

As I disposed of my lunch, I could hear Mike’s buddies chortling behind me, thumping him on the bicep in a show of male camaraderie.

“
Man, she shot you down like a lame horse.”

“For now,” said Mike.  “Give me a few weeks.  She’
s coming around."

“Keep dreaming, man.  She’s with the twin’s c
ousin.”

“She’s not
with
him.  I saw her at Jack’s party.  She walked right past him.  Didn’t give him a second glance.”

“
I hate to point it out, but she’s living with him now.”

“I’m telling you, give me a little time and I’ll have her purring like a kitten.”

“Willing to put some money where your mouth is?”

“You’re on.”

I could practically hear the smile in Mike’s voice.  It was that which sent me over the edge.  After dumping my lunch, I placed the tray atop the stack and walked back to Mike and his team of buffoons.  They, all but Mike, scattered like a bunch of filthy cockroaches.

“Thale,” Michael said, his eyes returning to depthless green orbs.
  Phony freaking fake.  I swear there wasn’t a thing he wasn’t good at.  He should’ve been in drama.

Me, I wasn’t too bad myself, but I didn’t feel the need to waste time with pretenses.  I cocked back my right arm and let it fly, decking Michael with a right upper cut to the jaw.
  It mightn’t have been pretty, but it did the trick.  He went down like a pile of bricks.

My
knuckles exploded with pain.  For a few long seconds all I could do was bend over, bracing myself against the agony.

The cafeteria erupted with hoots and
cheers.  Even the sporadic applause.  I was still shaking the pain away when the lunch aides made their way over and dispatched Michael and me to the principal’s office.  I showed them my pass with a small flourish.

“
Already on my way.”

I was feeling rather good of myself until I opened the door to the office and saw the police standing there.
  The officer lifted his hat and scratched his forehead.  “Miss Llorente?”

ΑΒΩ

I sat in the office, inundated with the smell of manila folders and permanent markers.  Roz would occasionally punch her stapler with the force of a jackhammer, staring up at me with her thin-lipped frown.  I swear she looked at me like I were a juicy fly for her consumption.

I was so worried over Icarus’s impending temper that when he walked through the office door, I had to do a double take.  He had cut his hair and shaved
, recently from the fresh scent of cologne emanating from him.  Only a light shadow of stubble darkened his jaw.  He cropped his shoulder-length hair short, looking more like the Greek Apoxyomenos with his loose curls.

If I hadn’t been blatantly gawking, I wouldn’t have noticed the slight flare on his nostrils as he turned toward me.  I flu
shed as his eyes raked over me and came to a rest on my hand, which was cradled gingerly in my lap.  Displeased, his muscles flexed around his squared jaw.

Crossing the small space, he
crouched in front of me, taking my hand in his, gently manipulating my fingers.  “Can you move them?”

“All but my third finger
.”

“It’s
probably just bruised, but it could be sprained.”  Looking up, he met my eyes.  “Did Michael Dougherty have anything to do with this?”

Dropping my chin, I looked up from under my lashes. 
“I hit him.”

A small grin played at his lips. 
“I hope you at least got a good shot in.”

“She cracked
several teeth,” Mr. Fleiss answered.  “He’s currently on his way to the dentist to have them repaired.”

“
When we get home, I’ll teach you how to do that without breaking your hand,” Icarus commended, rising from his crouch.

“
That is a highly inappropriate attitude to have toward physical aggression, Mr. Quirinus.  As you well know, it’s against school policy.  I’m beginning to thi—”

Interupting
Mr. Fleiss’s remonstration, the police officer—Detective Gentry as I was introduced—cleared his throat, gathering their attention.

“Of course,” Mr. Fleiss acquiesced.  “I’ll let you conduct your business
here first. I’m sure you have other work to attend to.”

“
Is there an office available?  Somewhere we can speak in private?” Gentry’s attention focused behind us, at the congregation gathering in the hall, outside the office door and then to Icarus.  “This will only take a few minutes, and then you can seek appropriate medical attention for Miss Llorente.”

Whatever it was, my parents and Benny were ok.  It was the first
thing I asked before Mr. Fleiss advised me to wait for Icarus to arrive before I answered any questions.  Detective Gentry assured it wasn’t needed, but he agreed to wait until I had parental or legal supervision if I were more comfortable.  I was eighteen and I had nothing to hide, but Mr. Fleiss insisted.

For the second time
within a week, I had the hapless honor of seeing the principal’s office from up front and center.  Lucky me.  It was a privilege I could’ve done happily without.

Detective
Gentry turned to Mr. Fleiss, his hand on the doorknob.  “Do you mind?  This should only take a few minutes.”

Mr. Fleiss blinked
, affronted, before recomposing himself and stepping out.

Detective
Gentry was about to close the door when one of the administrators put a hand out and passed him an icepack with a timid smile.  “To keep the swelling down.”

“Ma’am,” he replie
d, passing me the ice bag.

“
You’re in no trouble,” Detective Gentry reassured.  “We’re actually hoping you might be able to help us.  We’ve received report that an acquaintance of yours is missing, a Miss Peyton Schuller.  Do you know her Ma’am?”

My face paled.  “She was my best friend.”

“
Was
, Ma’am?”

“Well, yeah, I caught her sleeping with m
y boyfriend.  My ex-boyfriend.  I think that effectively altered our friendship to a past tense status.”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“Two weeks ago today.”

“Can you expound on that, Ma’am?”

“Two weeks ago, we were at a party together at my friend Jack’s house—”

Detective
Gentry looked up from his notebook.  “On four-thirteen?”

“Yes.  Jack and I
were classmates.  He had a Halloween party.  I arrived with Marcus—”

“Marcus Pera?”

I had to refrain from rolling my eyes.  I felt like I was digging myself into a hole.  “Yes, my ex-boyfriend.  We met Peyton there.  When we arrived, Marcus and Peyton went to find the refreshments.  Not much later, Jack and I were helping another classmate to one of the bedrooms upstairs.  She wasn’t feeling well.  And that’s when I found them.  Marcus and Peyton.  Together.  I was upset, obviously.  I left.  Alone.”