callan
The next day at school, Sakura didn’t look at me all class.
Dressed in oversize jeans and T-shirt, she scowled at her textbook until the bell rang with her lips pursed and eyes puffy. I hadn’t even expected her to come in today because if I were her, I sure as hell wouldn’t have.
I didn’t even want to fucking be here.
“Sakura, please stay behind,” I called, hoping she’d hear me out. “We need to talk.”
Instead of listening, she dumped her textbooks into her backpack and walked out of my classroom without speaking a single word to me. I stared at her from my desk and frowned.
God, she hates me. She really fucking hates me.
I’d screwed everything up between us, and I didn’t know if she’d ever forgive me for it.
All the other students piled behind her, desperate to leave Literature. I just wanted the hell out of this school. I debated about finding a substitute teacher for the rest of the day and leaving, but someone knocked on my door. Through the small door window, I saw Blaise.
On the second knock, I opened the door and tugged him into the room by the collar, locking the door behind me.
“What information do you have?” he asked me.
I sighed through my nose and walked back to my desk. “You’re in deep shit.”
“I didn’t fucking do anything.”
“I know that.”
“Well, who the fuck did it then?”
“It was a job,” I said.
“You? You fucking killed her?!” Blaise asked, eyes bugging out of his head. “You?!”
“No, not me,” I said, clenching my jaw. “The mob. I don’t take jobs involving students.”
“Why is the Redwood mob in on it? What’d they want with her?”
“It’s a long fucking story that I can’t talk about in school. There are people here that’re in on it too. I’m trying to stop it.”
“Wow,” he said sarcastically, walking back toward the door to leave. “Great information. This was a really great use of my time.”
I snatched his elbow. “I’m not finished.”
“Well, this shit isn’t my fault!” he shouted, ripping himself out of my hold. “You’re connected with the mob. Do something about it. Tell them not to blame me because they’re not going to win against my father’s lawyers.”
“They’ll eliminate your father’s lawyers,” I said in a hushed tone. “This shit is serious. I’m doing everything in my power to stop this.”
“Well, try fucking harder.”
“They made it seem like a suicide. Sent text messages from her phone beforehand to a therapist. Made her seem crazier than she was,” I started, leaning against the whiteboard and crossing my arms. “Her parents suspected that it wasn’t a suicide, so the mob is scrambling.”
“So, they need someone to fucking blame it on,” he clarified.
“And because you had to fuck her …”
“That’s all that happened between us,” he said through gritted teeth. “Nothing more.”
“Yeah, but you were the only guy at this school that people saw her with.”
“Well, tell them to blame it on my fucking father and mother. Not me. I didn’t do shit.”
“If I try to avert the blame away from you to your parents, your father is going to give me fucking hell,” I said. “Not something I want to deal with right now. I have too many other people to keep safe and away from this.”
“Like Sakura?”
I grimaced. “Yes.”
“What, you guys are actually a thing now?”
“That’s not any of your business.”
“Not my business until I tell everyone you’re fucking a student.”
After balling my hands into fists, I drew my tongue across my teeth, pissed the fuck off.
“Take care of this, Uncle,” Blaise said.
Once Blaise walked out of the classroom, I followed him into the hallway and blew out a deep breath. Between Sakura, Gunther, Blaise, and the fucking mob, I was beyond stressed the fuck out today.
Three of those problems were out of my hands right now, but I needed to do whatever I could to keep Sakura safe. And that meant finding out who the fuck was in this sex trafficking business at Redwood Academy.
Principal Vaughn strolled down the hall, nodding to the female students as they hurried to class. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and perversely watched them walk down the halls in skirts too short for this place.
I balled my hands into fists behind my back and called him over to me. I couldn’t believe that I was fucking doing this, but I needed to do something. Sakura had taken all my free time lately, but now that she was ignoring me … I could only think about how terrible my life was.
I needed something to make me feel like less shitty of a man.
If Sakura wouldn’t talk to me, then I had to save any other girls that I could.
When the hallways were empty, Vaughn stopped in front of me and smirked. “Have you thought about my offer?” he asked, gazing toward the stairwell, where a couple of students were shuffling to class late. “I know she’s not wearing those cute little skirts today, but Sakura would still be a—”
“Who else do you have?”
He widened his eyes. “Who else?”
“What other girls do I have to choose from?” I asked. “The thought of Sakura hasn’t been doing it for me lately. Who else can I … sleep with? I’m sure there are other young girls from Redwood Academy who parade themselves around.”
The thought of being with anyone besides Sakura made my stomach churn. I wouldn’t touch the girls, but I needed to at least figure out who they were so I could help stop this shit from happening to them.
“There are plenty of girls to choose from, Callan. Meet me in my office after school.”
“Great. I’ll meet you there then.”
Principal Vaughn walked down the hallways and disappeared into the stairwell. I blew out a deep breath and shook my head when I heard a sniffle behind me. I twirled around to see Sakura standing at the door for the girls’ restroom, tears welling in her eyes.
She stared at me in agony, like she had heard everything I said.