TUTORING LUCAS HALE

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Chapter 2 TWO

MADELINE REYES' POV

As soon as I stepped out the door and into the hallway, my stomach twisted in knots and I felt like I was going to curl up on the floor and just vomit until I couldn't feel the dread anymore.

I couldn't help scanning the crowd for Stephanie. If I was going to sneak into her uncle's office as planned, I had to make sure she hadn't grown suspicious of anything yet. Every time I spotted a group of girls gathered by the lockers, with blonde hair tied up in high ponytails like hers, my gaze would immediately shoot over. My eyes darted back and forth through the crowd, but I still couldn't find her.

The entire space was packed with students, converging around lockers, girls giggling as they gossiped about others, and some boys just talking about the lacrosse game from last week that the school had lost to the opposing team. The first in two years that I'd been here.

I caught some other side conversations as I brushed past; someone was whispering about how the meeting they'd called was because of the game we lost, but I didn't stop to catch the rest of the conversation before I turned down the hallway leading to the principal's office, and my breath snagged in my throat.

Breathe. I commanded myself, just breathe. You planned it. Just check it, and be right out.

I paused by a line of lockers and looked around. This side of the hall was mostly silent. That was because the principal was a strict prick and anything was punishable as long as he could pin a name to it on the school's book of rules and conduct. Students liked to avoid him at all costs. While I was just about walking into the lion's den.

I felt a bead of sweat roll down the nape of my neck.

The office was just a few steps away, yet, it looked like it was miles.

There's no one around, I thought to myself again. Breathe.

Then, I took off.

The Mary Jane pumps I had on pounded the floor with every step, and my fingers dug into the straps of the bag. The moment I was standing right in front of the door, the realization of what would happen if I was truly caught felt like a hook in my neck.

I reached out, my trembling fingers wrapping around the brass handle. It was freezing, the cold metal biting into my clammy palm. I braced myself for resistance, expecting a solid, unyielding lock that would force me to turn around and accept my fate. But the moment I applied downward pressure, the handle gave way with a soft, metallic click.

He hadn't locked it. Oh, God. This was really happening!

The heavy oak door glided inward on silent hinges, spilling the muted, sterile light of the hallway into the Principal Aldrich's office. I didn't think twice before I stepped inside and clicked the door shut behind me.

It was dark. The aroma of wood and coffee mixed in the air smelled expensive, but I didn't even do some sightseeing. I immediately dug my phone out of my blazer pocket.

Wren picked up on the first ring.

"Tell me…" she whispered.

I gulped in the air. "First off, thank you for not truly backing out of thi—"

"We don't have time for this, Maddy."

Even though she couldn't see me, I nodded. "Yes. Yes. I know that. It's just I thought you were trying to change my mind a few minutes ago. I was going to be cooked if I had to do this alone, you know?"

"Well, technically, you're still alone," Wren pointed out.

"I'm alone in person. You're the principal's personal assistant. You're the only one who could possibly have the password to his laptop, if I get caught and I get asked and I—"

"MADDY!" she screeched into the phone.

I let out a cold breath, my fingers trembling around the device. "Yes, yes, no time…"

"What do you see?" Wren asked.

I took a quick look around the office. The blinds were pulled close. Everything looked in place, not a single pen or paper not neatly kept away. There was a desk situated in the center of the room, and in front of it was a huge, leather principal's chair, like a king's throne. It was so intentionally placed I could almost imagine him just sitting there, sipping his coffee while he dismissed yet another student from this "prestigious school we were so privileged to attend." His words, not mine.

The sunlight peeking through the window caught a glint of gold on the shelf. Left and right, just gold. Awards stacked top to bottom, all from games won. I was once again reminded of the school's obsession with lacrosse.

It made sense somewhat that there was a meeting called because of one failed game. I was almost curious to know why, of all games in the world, they chose this to be obsessed with...

"Hey! HEY!" The crackling sound of Wren hissing on my phone yanked me back from the thoughts.

"I'm here…." I cleared my throat.

"You have less than fifteen minutes left, stop getting carried away…"

"Sorry—"

"What do you see?"

"Well for one, the school has an obsession with—"

"Lacrosse. Yes, I know, irrelevant details right now, Maddy. What else do you see?"

"Why do you keep repeating that, why do I have to see something?"

"The principal might not be gone…"

I laughed dryly, taking another quick glance around. "Trust me… there's nothing here but a—"

The sound of footsteps shuffling in the distance cut me off abruptly. I didn't react immediately, but my fingers tightened around the phone in my hand.

"Is there a coffee cup on the table?" Wren asked.

I didn't answer immediately. The shuffle of footsteps I'd heard wasn't from outside the door, or inside this office, but it definitely left me frozen on the spot.

"No…" I said absentmindedly. "There's no coffee. Is there something I should—"

She didn't let me finish. "Good. He's out of there. Now listen. Records are not in the main office. Where are you standing?"

"In front of the desk…"

"Turn to your left…."

I turned immediately to a door on my left and the shuffle of footsteps returned. This time, it was followed by a heavy thud and a grunt behind the door.

I froze. And in some way, I pictured Wren standing frozen at the other end of the phone, too.

"Was that… was that you?"

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