None of that mattered, though. It hadn’t been real. He’d said it before, out loud, in front of Gena. I was nobody. A liability he was forced to silence with an artificial kiss. Lonny had almost killed him over his suspicion that Reece was a narc, and I’d threatened his cover. I’d left him no choice.
The second bell rang.
All I wanted was a ride home.
Principal Romero did indeed see me “immediately.” I sat in the chair across from his desk and looked down at the floor, humiliated.
“You missed first period this morning, Miss Boswell. Care to tell me why?” His tone suggested he already knew the answer, but he’d put me through the act of contrition anyway.
I had the overwhelming temptation to tell him everything. The ads, the numbers, the fights, how I’d seen Posie burning and Marcia on the bottom of the pool. I chewed my lip.
I took a deep breath, decided. I’d be safer under Frank Romero’s wing than in Lieutenant Nicholson’s custody.
“It’s all right, Nearly,” Principal Romero said, interrupting my thoughts. “I am aware of what happened with Mr. Whelan, and I assure you I am taking corrective action. He won’t bother you again. He’s been removed from West River High School.”
“Removed?” My head snapped up, my confessions forgotten. “What do you mean?”
“He’s been expelled. Security escorted him off campus a few moments ago. Now it’s only a matter of some paperwork.” He beamed down at me from his stupid faux-leather throne. Even if Reece had tried to fight it, it wouldn’t have mattered. Romero wasn’t ever going to give him a chance.
“It wasn’t his fault.”
The smile slid from his face. “Excuse me?”
“I was the one responsible.” Romero tossed his pen on the expulsion papers he’d been ready to sign.
I couldn’t let Reece go back to jail for something that was my fault. He’d only reacted because I’d provoked him. My behavior hadn’t left him any choice.
I cleared my throat, preparing to tell a story that I hadn’t quite come up with yet. Some excuse Principal Romero and the rest of the school would be willing to believe. I owed Reece this much.
“I wanted him to notice me,” I said, looking at the principal through lowered lashes, trying to gauge his reaction. “So I tried changing my hair and wearing different clothes. It didn’t work, so I did something stupid. I practically attacked him in front of a million people.” I cringed. It wasn’t entirely a lie. I’d threatened him, which could be construed as an attack . . . of sorts. Then there was the kicking, biting, and slapping . . . And plenty of witnesses to corroborate this slightly revised version of the truth.
“I understand there was blood involved? Did he hurt you?” Romero didn’t look concerned so much as hopeful. His chair creaked as he leaned into my story, waiting for it to crumble.
“No, sir. The blood was Reece’s. I guess I was a little rough.” I blinked hard, provoking a tear. It wasn’t hard, the truth cut deep. “But it doesn’t matter. He made his feelings perfectly clear.”
Romero handed me a tissue, studying my hair and my shirt, as if noticing for the first time that something was, in fact, different.
“That’s probably for the best,” he said. “Mr. Rankin tells me you’re awfully close to earning the merit scholarship in chemistry. I would hate to see you throw that away over a boy.”
I blew all my disdain into his tissue. He sounded like Mona.
“Besides, he’s a bad influence. You would do better not to associate with someone like Whelan. Trouble seems to follow him. Ever since he enrolled, there have been problems.”
I looked at him. “What kind of problems?”
“It’s none of your concern.” He pursed his lips. “The important thing for you to remember is that he’s not the kind of boy you should be friendly with.”
Something inside me snapped. I was sick of people telling me who I should or shouldn’t be “friendly” with. My voice climbed an octave and I stood up before I could rein in my reaction. “Regardless of whether or not he’s a nice guy, it was still my fault. It wouldn’t be fair to expel him for something I did.” I swallowed hard, hoping I wasn’t about to dig myself into a hole I couldn’t climb out of. “You should expel me instead.”
A silence passed.
Romero’s face was red and he loosened his tie with a finger. He only had two choices: Expel us both, or go easy on Reece in light of my admission. A vein bulged at his temple.
“I’ll take that information into consideration,” he said carefully. “Although I can’t guarantee it will change the outcome of my decision.”
We both knew it would.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder. The motion lifted the hem of my shirt, revealing a few inches of bare midriff, and I felt Romero’s gaze linger there.
I reached for Reece’s pendant as an excuse to cover my skin. Mona always said hanging out with boys like Reece would ruin my chances, make me into someone I didn’t want to be. And here I was, exposing myself and dressing in lies. I didn’t want her to be right.
“Mr. Romero?” I turned, one hand on the door. “Why was Reece in jail?” Something inside me needed to know, to reassure myself it had been a petty crime. A misunderstanding.
Romero fingered the expulsion papers, as if reconsidering. “He was responsible for the death of a student.”
“Who?” I heard myself ask.
“A senior. Shot and killed at North Hampton last year.”
I don’t know what I had expected to hear, but I walked back to my locker in a daze. The hall was empty, silent except for the murmur of teachers lecturing behind closed doors. I’d missed chemistry and almost all of physics, and for once I didn’t care. I walked slowly, taking the longest route through the front hallway and staring out the windows at Reece’s empty parking space as I passed. I’d been so close to telling Romero everything, but I’d chosen to protect Reece instead. I’d just saved him again, but why? Every time I thought I knew him—thought maybe I could trust him—I learned something about Reece Whelan that made me realize I didn’t know him at all.
I laid my head against my locker. It felt too heavy to hold up anymore. We’ll talk tomorrow, he’d promised. But what was there to talk about? I had one too many evasive killers in my life already and I wasn’t any closer to knowing who I could trust.
I spun the combination. The door rattled open, and I was greeted by Teddy’s drawing of the two of us holding hands on the carousel. Unable to throw away the yellow scrap of paper, I’d taped the memento inside my locker. It lifted my mood, but only for a moment. There was a note from Anh, folded to fit through the vent.
Leigh—W T F ? You have some serious
explaining to do! Call me later. I want details! Anh
It was stapled to our chemistry homework assignment for the night.
Another folded paper drifted out. I plucked it off the floor and unfolded it. As soon as the first blue letter appeared, my skin prickled, and I peeled the rest open more carefully.
Flowers Delivered