Chapter Fifteen

Tru sat in his car in the far corner of the parking lot, hands clenched tight around his steering wheel. The drive to school wasn’t the same without Sloane in the car.

As if Monday mornings didn’t suck enough already.

At first, when Sloane told him why she couldn’t see him anymore, he’d been angry. Hurt, even, that she would shut him out. All because of whatever bullshit his mother had told hers about his behavior. All because they’d snuck off campus for one amazing lunch.

They had fun together. Whether it was trying indoor skydiving or debating the impact of computers on the art world over lunch, when they were together he saw a brightness in her eyes that wasn’t there when she didn’t know he was watching.

He recognized it because he felt the same brightness. Felt…bigger when they were together. Better.

And for that reason, when she told him she was taking the source of that brightness away, he’d been angry.

He’d wanted to hurt her in the same way she’d hurt him. He knew that hadn’t been her intention, but it had been the result just the same.

Then, last night, as he leaned out his window and stared up at the cloudy sky—forcing himself not to look next door to see if she was out on her roof, doing the same thing—he realized he didn’t need to make her hurt. By pushing him away, she had done that to herself.

He couldn’t even blame her for it. He understood how badly she wanted to be back in New York. Hell, she practically ate, slept, and breathed the Big Apple. She obviously was New York.

Besides, if he had a chance to get the hell away from here, he wouldn’t let anyone get in his way, either.

So by the time he slid into his spot in the school parking lot Monday morning, his anger had faded and he was left with nothing but the dull ache of missing her. And since there was nothing to do about that particular feeling, he would just have to go on with his day. Go on with his life.

Lord knew he’d gone on with worse before.

He felt the buzz the moment he stepped out of his car. An energy crackling among the students of Austin NextGen.

He saw Clay talking to an underclassman, making huge gestures.

“Hey, dude,” Tru said as he walked up to the pair. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, man, it’s legendary,” Clay said, his eyes wide and clearly excited to have another pair of ears for whatever tale he was about to tell. “It’s all over the front of the school. You have to see it for yourself.”

While Tru normally wouldn’t trust Clay’s judgment when it came to anything worth judging, something about the wild intensity in his eyes made Tru turn right out of the parking lot, taking the path that would lead him around to the school’s main entrance.

A crowd had gathered on the sidewalk, staring at Building A.

Tru looked up.

His stomach plummeted like a roller coaster dive. The giant red letters stood out against the glass and metal surface of the NextGen front facade.

“Shit.”

He pushed through the crowd. His only thought was Sloane. She wouldn’t have done this. He had no doubt about that. She wanted to get home to New York too badly to risk this kind of trouble.

But she would be blamed. Whoever had done this wanted her to be blamed. Wanted her to be kicked out of school, even.

He was not about to let that happen.

When he skidded to a stop inside the main office, he didn’t bother flashing Agnes the grin that usually got him whatever he needed.

“I have to see Principal Haverford,” he told her.

“You’ll have to wait,” she said with disgust. “He’s in a meeting.”

The way she said it told Tru exactly who the principal was meeting with.

He started for the door.

Agnes darted out from behind the desk faster than he gave her credit for.

“Truman, you can’t go in there.” She braced herself against the door, blocking his path.

He flashed his most charming smile. “Sorry, Agnes, but I have to.”

Despite her weight pushing against it, he managed to get enough leverage to pull the door open. As he had imagined, Sloane was sitting in one of the chairs facing Haverford’s desk. She looked pale as a ghost. She must have been terrified.

Her mother sat in the matching chair.

Better and better.

Tru smiled, knowing he wasn’t too late.