Page 151 of The Ruthless Note

The floor drops from under me.

“Expelled?”

She grabs my hand and holds on so tight her fingernails dig into my skin. “I swear to you, Cadence. I didn’t do it. I swear.”

“Serena…” My voice is hoarse.

A tear spills down her cheek. “Does it even make sense that I’d try to burn down the building? I fought to survive in this hellhole for over two years.” She squeezes her eyes shut and croaks, “You know what hurts? I thought I could make it. This close to the end, I got a little hopeful. The finish line wasrightin front of me. To come this far and just… fail…”

I look into her eyes and struggle to find words of comfort.

She swipes her tear away with a nail tinged in black. “Why would someone want to do this? Why would they blame it on me?”

“Miller’s ultimatum,” I whisper with dread.

Her eyes meet mine. They’re watery and scared.

The door opens again and a police officer walks out. It’s the same guy who dealt with Christa during the morning assembly.

“Let’s go,” he says, giving Serena a hard stare.

I step in front of him. “Where are you taking her?”

“To her locker,” Principal Harris says. He appears in the doorway and looks down his nose at me. “Miss Cooper, why are you loitering outside my office? Shouldn’t you be in class? Especially now that Miss Parker has solved the problem of who will remain in the music program for us.”

Serena’s bottom lip trembles. She wraps an arm around my neck and whispers urgently, “They won’t listen to me. They don’t believe me when I said I didn't do it.”

“I believe you,” I say strongly.

A tear spills down her cheek.

The officer steps forward, silently nudging Serena to finish the conversation and get on with it.

Serena can't speak without her voice cracking. “I guess I’ll… I mean, I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”

I can only stand back helplessly and watch Serena be escorted out like a criminal. She looks so small and helpless next to the police.

A wave of guilt crashes through me. This churning in my gut is familiar.

This is exactly what happened to Mr. Mulliez.

He was my light in a cold shark tank like Redwood Prep. The only teacher I could trust with all my secrets. He had my back in all the ways that mattered. More than my own mother ever did.

And just because he went out of his way for me, he lost his job. He lost his reputation. He lost the trust of all his colleagues and the students he’d taught and inspired through the years.

It was unfair.

It was untrue.

It was done because Dutch said it would be so.

And yet, all I could do was watch while Mulliez suffered because of me. I couldn't do anything about it.

Something deep and dark pulses in my heart.

No.

I can't let it happen again.