Page 75 of The Silent Note

“Hey, I don’t want to be here as much as you don’t want me here.”

My steps slow. I give her a thoughtful scan. “Sloane, you still haven’t told me. That night… what happened?—”

“Oh look. Sol is here.”

I look head and notice Sol striding through the hallway. When I glance back, Sloane is gone.

Huh.

When I return my attention to Sol, he’s spotted me and is coming over. As usual, the crowd parts for him. He’s a head and shoulders above them, wearing a faded Redwood Prep jacket, vintage Tee and casual jeans.

Almost everything he’s wearing is against dress code.

But no one’s going to tell him anything.

Sol is one of The Kings. Although he isn’t a Cross by blood, he carries the same dangerous charisma. In fact, thedangerousend of that charisma has only gotten stronger since his debut as a school arsonist.

It’s funny how, if it had been any other student, I would have reported the crime immediately. And yet, because the culprit is a scholarship kid like me, I did my part in covering it up and even encouraged Sol to set more fires.

I really am a hypocrite.

Sol gets closer to me and tips his chin up. Usually, I’d respond with a calm ‘good morning’ and keep on walking. I used to steer far,faraway from The Kings outside of class. Not only because of Zane but because of their real-world power.

I wasn’t afraid of them, but that didn’t mean I had noreasonto be. Getting on The Kings’ bad side would have meant possibly losing my position. I saw what they did to Mulliez. One word from them and my closest co-worker turned friend lost his reputation and his career in a day.

My mission to investigate Sloane’s death meant too much. I didn’t want to throw it all away because I corrected a few over privileged, bullying teenagers.

And now you’re married to one of those over-privileged teenaged bullies.

I paste a polite smile on my face. “Mr. Pierce.”

He nods and strides past me.

I spin and blurt, “Can I speak to you?”

Sol twists around to look at me, an eyebrow arched. His gaze meanders down to my bare ring finger before he meets my eyes with a smirk.

“He let you leave the house without your ring on?”

My hackles rise in an instant.

The answer is simple. Zane didn’tletme do anything. And also… we never had that conversation.

Zane was gone when I returned from the precinct and he didn’t come home all night. He also didn’t answer any of my texts and I ended up hate-deleting all of my ‘where are you’s and ‘are you okay’s before bed.

Not that I could actually sleep.

The pillows still smelled ofus.

So I ended up tossing both his pillows against the wall and turning all the lights off.

Didn’t help.

My nightmares returned, and I couldn’t sleep a wink.

This morning, when Zane still wasn’t back, I was oddly irritable and even snapped at Viola when she offered to do my makeup for my return to Redwood. It’s been a really crappy morning over-all and I don’t need Sol’s snark on top of it.

I shoot closer to him and hiss, “This discussion is better had in private. I’ll head to the guidance counselor’s office. It should be empty now. Meet me there in five?—”