Page 14 of Disobedient Pawn

“Now, Ren. I understand that this is a huge ask, especially with this particular student,” he said, and I felt like waving and yelling, ‘Still in the room, asshole.’ “So this is what I will offer you as a compromise.”

“I’m listening,” she said.

“I am still here, ya know,” I mumbled, but neither of them looked at me.

“For helping Myles, I’m going to give you this.” Dean Henry opened a drawer and pulled a large keyring out that looked like an old school set you’d see in a prison. Pulling off a key, he handed it over to Ren, who stared at it as confused as I was. “That is a key to the art room door. Your father mentioned that you like art. This will allow you to use the room after hours. I’m trusting that you will be respectful with the space.” Ren took the key, staring at it in her palm. “The second thing I’m going to do is offer you this. For every five percent higher you manage to help Myles reach, you can choose something extra to add to your college admission package.”

“What do you mean?”

“For example, you will want glowing reference letters from all your teachers. I’m also aware that since you’re not legacy, some schools wouldn’t consider you for a sorority house, but that would change, and you would be given legacy status.”

“Ya got to be joking? I get threatened, and she gets all of that? That’s not fair,” I blurted out, and the dean’s hard stare found me, making my mouth slam shut.

“Then I guess you should’ve taken your classes more seriously. Oh, and Ren, I’ve decided to implement this new protocol in all the classes you share with Myles until graduation, which means even more opportunities for extra freedom and college bonuses. That should be more than enough incentive for you to want to help Myles pass his classes.” The cell phone on his desk rang and vibrated loudly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a call I need to take.”

I stood at the same time as Ren and walked out the door, fuming.

“I hope you’re happy now,” I growled at her as we left the office.

She spun into my path, and I almost slammed into her. The air felt charged around me with her suddenly so close. Fuck, there was just something about her and her fearlessness that was sexy.

She poked me in the chest, and I grabbed her wrist. “I wouldn’t touch me unless ya plan to fuck me,” I said, and her eyes narrowed into slits. I let go of her wrist. Her soft skin was making it hard to think straight.

“I’m not happy about any of this. I don’t want anything to do with you,” she said, and I believed her. Why that made her more appealing was baffling. “I don’t even want to be in this place, but I didn’t get a say in that matter either. I will make sure you pass your classes so you can have a life outside of shoveling shit for a living.” Shoveling shit? “But trust me. There is nothing the dean could give me to make me happy to spend more time than necessary with you.” She held out her hand. “Phone, now.”

No girl had ever ordered me around like this, and I licked my lips, picturing what she’d be like under me. Reaching into my back pocket, I produced my phone and unlocked it before handing it to her.

“There is my number. Send me a text so I can reach you.” She marched away before spinning around to face me again. “Oh, and Myles, I’ll have a tutoring schedule for you by the end of the day.”

I watched her ass wiggle as she stomped away, the kilt showing it off and making me hot all over. Oh, I couldn’t wait to tell Blake about this girl.

NOVEMBER 4 - THURSDAY 12:03 PM

Ren

I’d been in classes for a whopping four hours, and I already hated everything. I chose not to return to calculus class. Instead, I found a washroom to rinse my face off and collect myself before my economics class with Mr. Sharp. Thank god I didn’t have Myles in that class, but I did have my oh-so-lovely roommate Vicky.

The only spot left in the class was beside a girl named Chantry, who was so painfully shy that it took me all class to get her to say her name louder than a mouse squeak. Meanwhile, Vicky didn’t waste any time making it known that I was her annoying new roommate that snored. Vicky and her friend Raquel would take turns making snorting noises all through class.

I don’t snore.

Randomly throughout class, when Mr. Sharp—who seemed older than the next coming of Christ—wasn’t paying attention, she made snoring noises while everyone laughed. Joy, oh fucking joy.

I didn’t care what the hell she did as long as she didn’t mess with my grades. I’d dealt with Witches of Eastwick before, and they were all the same. They would bully you until you cried and then bully you some more unless you didn’t let it bother you or you punched them in the face. I was trying for the first option, so I didn’t end up with a suspension in my first week.

Mr. Collier had been right about one thing. The rules here were fierce. I’d gone to a semi-private school back home, but it wasn’t very strict. This place felt more like a jail than a school. Once again, I had to remind myself it was short-term for long-term gain. I needed that tattooed on me somewhere.

At least the lunchroom was easy to find. It was also the assembly area, with a stage on one end. Talking and laughter echoed as I walked into the main hallway from outside. That was one thing I didn’t understand about this place. All the main halls where the classes were held were in separate buildings like this was a massive university complex. I didn’t care that I had to go outside, but it seemed strange.

Walking in, I looked around for Ivy and spotted her sitting with Chantry who I met in economics. The line wasn’t long, so I veered toward it first to get something to eat since I only had a bowl of oatmeal and an apple for breakfast. I wasn’t the chicken salad type and gave the greens a dirty look before moving to the hot food.

“Hi there. What can I get for you, dear?” The woman working the hot food station smiled. I glanced at her name tag.

“Hi Betty, I’m not familiar with the daily meals. What do you have,” I asked, smiling at the woman.

“I thought you looked new. You seem way too sweet for this place.” I had to agree with her there. “We have chicken parmesan or shaved beef on a bun with au jus and fries,” she said, and my eyes went wide. Those were the fanciest options I’d ever heard for school lunch.

“Um….”