“I’m good,” I say.
Danna continues with her look of concern. “It’s just—we texted you. I didn’t hear back. I got concerned.”
I laugh. “Did you think the Beaststook me? Kidnapped me?”
Danna doesn’t seem impressed. “I’m still seriously concerned about them. You didn’t give me a chance to talk to you at the party before you left.”
“And after you left the party, Nat didn’t exactly want us to stay,” Bryce says with a smile.
“Fuck that. I didn’t want to stay,” Danna says.
“I thought you were done being a reporter, Danna?” I say.
“Like I said, we need to talk, but not here.”
“They could be listening, right?” I say with a smirk.
“What’s your problem?” Danna asks. “Why are you not taking this seriously?”
“I only have to make it one year in this place, and I win. I get my scholarship to any university. I become successful. None of this high school shit matters. Fuck the Beasts. Fuck Lance Cain, and fuck Selina and her two bitch friends. Relative to my life, this will go by in a blink of an eye. Whatever weird shit goes on in this Academy after dark is none of my concern.”
Bryce looks at Danna. “She has a point. I don’t know what happened that night we snuck into the school, and I don’t care to find out either.”
Danna rolls her eyes. “Well I do,” she whispers. “That big ancient clocktower in the middle of campus means something too. I’ll figure it all out soon enough. Just do me a favor and don’t say anything to anybody about what we saw. I’ve been warned.”
Bryce squints his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“Not here. Later, we can talk.”
Bryce waves his head. “You know what? Never mind. Not worth it.” He looks at me. “What exactly happened after the party?”
“Jaxson took me back home. He stayed with me until I was better.” Danna and Bryce both look at me with equal smirks. “We didn’t fool around or anything. He was sweet, honestly.”
“Star quarterback with a heart of gold,” Bryce says with a smile.
Danna looks behind me. “Speak of the devil.”
I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn, and Jaxson is smiling at me. I stand up, and he hugs me. “I’ve been thinking about you,” he says.
“Me too.”
“So, when are we hanging out?”
“When are you free?”
Jaxson smiles. “Day after tomorrow work?” I nod my head. “I’ll come by your place and pick you up. Did you get a new phone yet?”
“Not yet,” I say.
“It’s like I’m seeing some girl from the 90’s or something,” Jaxson jokes. Just then, Lance Cain walks past us. He looks at me with a smirk and at Jaxson with a cold stare. Jaxson turns to me. “You give me the word, and I’ll kick the shit out of that guy. I can’t fucking stand him already, and he hasn’t said a word.”
I grab Jaxson’s side and bring him closer to me. “No need. I can handle a guy like him.”
Jaxson looks back at Lance, who is giving him a challenging stare. “Pretty sure it’s going to happen, no matter what.”
I use my hand to turn his head towards me and give him a peck on the lips. That seems to cool him off.
“Day after tomorrow,” I remind Jaxson. He nods his head and leaves the cafeteria. I watch him as he goes and hope he turns back to look at me. When he does, he gives me a smile.
I sit back down with my friends, who gawk at me.
“Did you just kiss Jaxson Davis in front of everyone?” Danna says with a smile.
“So, I guess you’re not seeing Chase anymore?” Bryce asks.
“I’m not really good at this playing the field thing,” I say embarrassed.
“I think you’re doing quite well,” Danna says, fanning herself. “Watching you two is like watching a romance movie in real time.”
I look at Bryce. “What was this band thing you were telling me about before class?”
Bryce smiles. “Nice. Use me to ignore a conversation, but I’ll go for it since it’s about me. The end of Summer Gala is coming up. It’s a fancy dinner that we use to raise money for the band for the year. I’ve got a star solo in one of the songs.”
“Don’t you play clarinet?” I ask, confused. “I couldn’t imagine the squeaky sounds that thing makes having its own solo.”
Bryce shakes his head and smiles. “Clarinet has a bad rep.”
“Besides, Bryce Jamison can work that squeaky instrument like a pro,” Danna chimes in. “That’s why our boy is a shoe in for Julliard.”
Bryce smiles. “Fingers crossed. With a solo like this, it definitely helps when I apply.”
“I didn’t know you wanted to make a career out of music,” I say.
“Yeah. It’s about the only thing I’m passionate about. My parents can’t stand the idea. They think I’ll be another starving artist, which is why they never come to the galas in the past.”
Danna looks at me. “I feel like a single parent when I go and watch him. I video Bryce and cheer for him when appropriate.”
“Your cheers are never appropriate,” Bryce says laughing.
I hit my hand on the table. “Well, no more single parenting Danna. I want to come too.”
Bryce smiles again. “Really?”
I nod my head. “We’re The Outsiders. We stay together, right?”
Danna laughs. “Is this where we put our hands in the middle and chant ‘one for all, all for one’?”
“We’re not that dorky,” Bryce says. “Tickets are a hundred and fifty bucks each though.”
“What!” I yell. “Are they lacing the food with drugs or something?”
“Charity events for the rich,” Danna reminds me.
I sigh. “Well, I do live with a billionaire who seems pretty charitable.” I point at myself. “I suppose I can find a way to get the money.”
“What’s it like living with Arthur Cain?” Danna asks.
“Besides seeing him around his home from time to time, he’s pretty hands off. I do my thing, and he does his.”
“I guess that’s good,” Danna says.
“I suppose. A few days after
