“I’m sorry, Ms. Hawkins.” My brother’s voice was low, but I could still hear him. “I understand if you feel like it is necessary for me to go. I know that donations like Mr. Steele’s keep this school going.”
“They do...” I heard her sigh. “But at what cost, really?”
“Excuse me?” Mr. Steel’s voice got even louder.
“We started Grantham University so students like Braden here would have a place to go to school once they were kicked out of every private school in Atlanta. We certainly didn’t want them in public school—no offense.” I heard her sigh again.
“None taken.” Braden chuckled.
“A university for the kids that didn’t care enough to graduate high school with what we hoped would be a motivator to transition them into college once they saw the opportunities we could offer. Yeah, you’re right, Mr. Steele—we wouldn’t be where we are right now if it wasn’t for donations from people like you. Of course, if you gave more shits that donations, this place probably wouldn’t need to exist in the first place.” Her words went from monotone to sharp with no warning at all.
“What are you trying to say?” Mr. Steele matched her sharpness as he snapped back at her.
“I’m trying to say that up until now, I’ve always thought Grantham University was just a waste of time. I wasn’t even in favor of building it, but the majority of the board voted for it, so I was overruled. I’m proud to say that I was wrong. What I see is a school that appears to be thriving. Every classroom we passed was full—all the students are interacting and participating. This place used to be a dump—an expensive dump, but still a dump. Now it looked like it’s a real school.” She shifted her feet. “Mr. Steele, I think you should be congratulating Mr. Thorne for his success, not condemning him.”
“He disrespected me! He doesn’t deserve anything but termination!” Mr. Steele’s voice cracked as he spoke.
“I disagree. If you want to get your lawyers involved, then do it. Your donations, along the donations of all the other parents, have left us in a position to fight any sort of litigation you want to bring against Grantham University or Mr. Thorne.” Her voice went silent and I could hear Mr. Steele’s rage coming out in hurried breaths.
“Fine. You can forget getting another donation from me. Braden will be going to school somewhere else—effective tomorrow.” Mr. Steele’s footsteps started to echo and I could tell he was walking my way. “Braden, let’s go—now!”
“Yes, sir...” Braden sounded defeated as I heard his footsteps following behind his father.
Their footsteps got louder as they approached and I pulled my cap down further over my face and looked at the floor. I definitely didn’t want to be recognized after things had went so well between Sloane and the school board. The two of them turned the corner and I pushed my broom along the floor. They didn’t even bother to look my way. I could hear them arguing as they went down the stairs. Braden didn’t want to go to another school, but his father was not open to discussing it. I was happy that the situation didn’t blow up and my brother didn’t lose his job, but it wouldn’t do anything to repair the relationship I had ruined between us. I leaned against the wall, trying to remember what class Bethany was in. I had walked by them enough that I should have known it by heart, but I always had the computer to reference when I started looking for her. I started to head back down the stairs, but then I heard Ms. Hawkins speak again.
“I must say, Mr. Thorne.” She let out a surprised sigh. “I didn’t think you had it in you to get this place under control.”
“You’re the one who put me here.” His voice was a little tense as he spoke.
“You weren’t our first choice, you were just the only one who didn’t say no.” She laughed and shook her head. “I thought you were a fool, but now I see that I was wrong.”
“I didn’t realize there was an option to say no. I’ve asked you every year to transfer me somewhere else.” His tone reflected annoyance on top of the tension.
“We’ve tried—we just haven’t found anyone else who was willing to run this place. Now that I’ve seen what you’ve done with it, I’m not sure I could easily recommend that you go elsewhere. This place is thriving under your leadership. This is the kind of thing that could one day land you in the superintendent’s chair. In fact, you are now my official recommendation for Principal of the Year.” I wasn’t sure if she was feeding him a line or not but her words did sound authentic.
“Wow...” My brother’s voice hollowed out as he spoke again.
Chapter 16: Bethany
I knew it was Sloane that walked into the school on Monday morning. I had no idea where Anton had gone and I had no way to contact him. Part of me wanted to talk with Sloane to try and repair what damage had been done, but I wasn’t brave enough to do that without talking to Anton first. All of the teachers were worked up in the morning hours because the school board was supposed to be visiting. It was an unannounced visit, but someone downtown had let a couple of the teachers know it was coming. Based on what I had overheard, it was Braden’s father that organized the visit. I hoped Sloane would stand up to Mr. Steele because I really didn’t want everything Anton had done to be erased so easily.
When word spread that Mr. Steele had left in a huff of anger with Braden on his heels—and that Mr. Thorne was still there—I hoped things had went well. I drifted aimlessly down the hallway after my second class, barely even acknowledging Amy by the lockers. As I walked by the janitor’s closet, the door opened and a hand grabbed me. It pulled me into the darkness before I could react.
“Let me go! Help!” I started to scream, but a hand clamped over my mouth.
“Is that any way to greet me?” Anton’s voice rang out and then the light came on. He put his finger to his lips to shush me before releasing his grip on my mouth.
“Anton! Oh my god!” I jumped at him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I missed you too.” He squeezed me tight and our lips immediately met.
It was impossible to get tired of Anton’s kiss. It was a lit match against my skin, just like his hands seared my flesh with a single touch. I melted against him as he ravaged my mouth with his tongue the way he had so many times before. It felt like an eternity since I had been in his arms, even though it had been only one full day. My body quivered with the desire his lips sent through me. I wanted more than just a kiss, but I heard the bell ring for my next class. I had to pull away with his intense stare focused on me. I was torn between obligation and desire—I gave in to desire again. My pulled him close and wrapped my arms around his neck. I hopped up and he caught my thighs, which allowed me to wrap my legs around his waist. My hips started to grind against him. I wanted him inside me. I wanted to feel the passion I knew that he had for me, but after he devoured my lips again, he pulled away.
“You have to get to class.” He released his grip on my thighs and let me fall back to my feet.
“I don’t want to go to class. Where have you been?” I shook my head quickly.
“My brother kicked me out, but I needed to see you again.” He pulled away. “He’s really pissed o