Eden

“What deal? The one where you fuck me over at least once a week, and then show up at my door expecting to actually fuck me? As if that somehow makes what you’ve done to me better? Go to hell, Angelle.”

We make it to our seats, and Gabe and Liam are already there.

“Whoa, what’s up with you two?”

Gabe recoils when I slice him with a burning look that’s meant solely for Saint. “Nothing,” I snap.

Saint drops into the seat next to me and leans over onto my desk. “That’s not how it is between us anymore, Ellis, and you know it.” He clenches and unclenches his fist on my desk but gradually pulls back and away from me. I hear Liam braying like a donkey behind me, and I bite the inside of my cheek.

“Hey, be careful.”

I jump and turn to find him leaning toward me. His voice is lowered so only I can hear him, but I can sense Saint tensing next to me.

“Remember what I said about pushing too far?” As I bob my head, Gabe continues, “You’re getting there. Just remember who’s more capable of destruction.”

He leans back in his chair just as our teacher begins the day’s lesson, but I can hardly focus as I consider his words.

I do my best to ignore Saint the rest of the day, despite Gabe’s warning, and am pretty successful until History. It’s the period I’m most dreading, and it doesn’t disappoint. Dylan shoots me a venomous look as soon as I enter the classroom. Once I’m in my seat, Saint, Liam, and Gabe all walk through the door and head for me. Saint stares Dylan down before turning his blue eyes on me. I hold them captive for a second, but then look away, not wanting to encourage him to speak to me.

Laurel comes in next, but thankfully, she takes her usual seat and doesn’t come near me, although she does give me a little wave as she crosses the room.

Honestly, it’s a lot of people to ignore all at once.

Dylan gets up and begins his lecture, and I zone out. Even his voice is grating on my nerves. Class seems to take forever, but as Dylan drones on, my mind returns to what Headmaster Aldridge told me. My eyes wander toward him and I study him intently as he teaches. Why would he recommend me for this place? Was it his plan the whole time to get a job at Angelview?

Has this all been some crazy setup for his desired revenge?

Does he know about Nora? Are they working together?

I shudder at the thought. Those two allied together would just be my absolute nightmare.

So many questions buzz through my brain, and I realize, with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, that I need to talk to him.

Fuck.

I’d rather walk on hot coals barefoot than have a conversation with Dylan, but I don’t think I have much of a choice. I need to know why he did it, and if he has any co

When the bell rings, I don’t get up from my seat.

“What are you doing?” a voice demands from beside me. “You’re not sticking around for that asshole.”

“It’s none of your goddamn business.”

“The hell it isn’t.” He towers over me, but I don’t get up from my chair. A part of me worries he’ll try to drag me out of the room if I move. “You’re not talking to that fucker alone. Besides, did you forget about your detention? We’ve got trash to pick up.”

“I can handle picking up litter on my own, thanks. And if I want to talk to a teacher, I’ll talk to them.”

“Right? Because you make the best life choices when you get worked up. I seem to remember a certain apple.”

“Hmm.” But he’s right—I’ll probably never look at a golden delicious again without recalling how I’d earned my place in prep school hell thanks to one. At least, that’s what I thought at the time. Now I know my existence at Angelview was already doomed. “Too bad I didn’t nail you in the balls.”

“You want to be alone with the pervert? I won’t fucking stop you. I’m over this anyway.”

As he leaves the classroom, I close my eyes, a broken breath vibrating my lips. No, I can’t let him affect me like this. Not now. I have to pull it together.

I can’t face Dylan distracted.

I impatiently wait for a few of my classmates to finish talking with him, and when he’s finally alone, I stand.

“I was wondering when you’d come to bitch me out,” he says with his back to me as he clears the whiteboard. When he finishes and faces me, his expression is dark. “What do you want, Ms. Ellis?”

“How are you back?”

“I’m sure you heard the young lady who accused me of inappropriate behavior admitted she’d lied.”

“I heard that but I also know the truth.”

He tilts his head. “You like to think of me as this terrible monster who stole your i

“You were the adult.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself.”

I’m not going to get anywhere with him like this. Taking a deep breath to calm my ragged nerves, I focus back in on the reason I stayed behind to talk to him in the first place.

“Why did you recommend me for my scholarship?”

His spine goes rigid, and I study the flush of red staining his cheeks. I don’t think he’s going to answer me. In fact, I’m pretty positive he’s just going to try and get me to answer his questions about James. I’m so sick of the whole mess, I’m tempted just to tell him the truth and get it over with.

“I didn’t have a choice,” he mutters, and coldness crashes against my core.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Judgment and disdain cloud his eyes as he swipes them over me. “When Je