callan
“Turn to chapter eighteen in your books,” I announced, standing in front of class.
Sakura flipped the pages of her book and stared up at me, her eyes wide, as if she wanted to talk. I pulled my gaze away from her and walked to the other side of the classroom, gazing aimlessly at the students who didn’t care for Literature.
Looking over her shoulder, Sakura followed my gaze and pressed her lips together, spotting some cheerleaders in the back that she must’ve thought I had been staring at. She flared her nostrils and glared down at her book.
Possessive.
My girl was possessive over me.
I needed to talk to her, but—I glanced at the window that had been bugged, probably this morning by Vaughn or someone who worked for the mob—it wasn’t safe to talk to anyone at school about anything anymore. I had noticed the bug last class and didn’t want to remove it or else they’d know that I was onto them, that I had something to hide.
We would need to find another way. Maybe tonight.
Fifteen minutes later, someone knocked at the door, and Vaughn walked into the class.
“Good morning, Sakura,” Principal Vaughn said, addressing her and nobody else.
Maddie—someone who I’d seen Sakura talk to briefly every now and then—gave her a funny look. Sakura forced a smile and looked back down at her textbook, knee bouncing underneath the table.
I balled my hands behind my back and clenched my jaw. What the fuck is that?
“Can I talk to you privately, Mr. Avery?” he asked.
I sighed and followed him to the door. “Begin reading the next chapter.”
We walked out of the class, and I shut the door behind us.
“Sakura sits up front,” he said. “How … great that must be for you.”
“That has been her assigned seat since the beginning of the year.”
He nodded. “Have you seen the Redwood social media lately?”
“Vaughn, I’m teaching a class.”
“Vera Rodriguez is a phenomenal writer. Her words …” He rocked back on his heels and whistled lowly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Have you given it any thought? I think she’d be perfect for you, if you’re against Sakura.”
“I haven’t had time,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I need to get back to class.”
“Make a decision by the end of this week,” he said. “Your boss has been itching for more clients and more girls. These young pretty cheerleaders go for a lot of money, but those nerdy, shy ones sell for even more.”
My fist twitched. And I almost hit him square in the jaw.
“Sure,” I gritted out. “Will do.”
After talking to that fucking idiot, I walked back into the classroom and sat at my desk. I couldn’t even think straight anymore, couldn’t even begin to teach class again. If he planned on taking Sakura next, I swore I’d kill him my fucking self after Jett was handled.
Ignoring Sakura wouldn’t get either of us anywhere.
I wanted to talk to her so badly, to tell her to stay safe, but my fucking room had been bugged. But if anyone found out about us, they would use her against me.
And if I didn’t get my act together and stop showing interest in Sakura, Vaughn might snatch her into this sex trafficking ring himself because she was another of Redwood Academy’s good girls, who he suddenly had a thing for. I needed to keep my distance.
João had better have taken me seriously and had plans to kill him because I couldn’t get my hands bloodier. Not right now. Not with people connected to the mob, as I was desperately trying to get out of this fucking life for Sakura.
“Mr. Avery,” Sakura said, walking up to me at the end of class. “Can I talk to you?”
I fucking forced myself to keep my gaze glued to the stack of exams in front of me, aimlessly marking them up with red pen. “I’m busy now, Sakura,” I said, flipping the page and ignoring her. And I fucking hated it.
She shifted from foot to foot, her skirt scrunching between her thighs. I clenched my jaw and drew my tongue across the back of my teeth, pants tightening around the crouch. Part of me wanted to lock the door behind all the other students, bend her over my desk, and fuck the truth out of her.
Had she really asked Poison for a gun? Did she want to kill me because of what I had done?
I gritted my teeth and dug my red pen into an exam. How could she do such a thing? João had to be lying, loved stirring up drama in Redwood Academy so his gang could fly under the radar. She didn’t have a harmful bone in her body.
“Please, Mr. Avery. It’s important,” she said. “It’s about Gunther.”
Fuck, if she opens her mouth and says something about him here … I’ll be screwed.
“I don’t know why Gunther hasn’t been here, Miss Sato,” I said, voice hard. I straightened out my shoulders and looked up at her, gaze stiff. “You’re going to miss class if you don’t leave, and I’m not going to write you a late pass.”
Her brown eyes widened. “B-but …”
“Leave, Sakura. Now.”
She swallowed and turned on her heel, hands looped around her backpack straps as she dragged her feet to the door. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, pausing in the doorway without looking back. “I’m so sorry.”