Page 91 of The Silent Note

“I overheard the calc teacher complaining about it. Apparently, they’re going to discuss this whole Harris thing.” Lifting a leather-clad arm, she adds uncertainly, “or so I’m assuming.”

“Thanks.” I give Serena a friendly shoulder squeeze and she blushes all the way to her hair. I glance at my brother. “Catch you guys later.”

It doesn’t take me long to get to the teacher’s lounge. Which is where I’m assuming they’ll have the meeting. I have no idea where the teachers actually gather to have their staff pow-wows. Never really gave a damn about that kind of information before. But even if it’s not in the staff room, I know I can find a teacher there who can point me in the right direction.

When I get there, the teachers immediately stop talking. I’m used to it and just head straight to Grey’s desk.

There’s her coffee cup with the ‘Greek tragedy tears’ label. There’s her scrunchie with the black polkadots for when she wants to put her thick, black curls up and distract me with her perfect, lickable neck. There’s her stack of books, including our AP class’sRomeo and Juliet.

But there’s no Grey.

I whirl around, my gaze hooking on the teacher across from Grey’s desk.

“She-she’s with the Vice Principal,” the old woman stammers.

I storm back out without another word to anyone.

Whispers blaze the moment I’m out of sight and I come to a standstill.

“That Zane boy frightens me. Why does an eighteen-year-old have so many tattoos?”

“I can’t believe he was her step-brother the whole time.”

“I know right!”

“Can you believe all the gossip saying they were sleeping together?”

“This is why you shouldn’t believe what the kids say. They only know how to invent scandals.”

“And here I was, avoiding her at lunch because I thought she was creeping around with Zane Cross. Should I invite her to the group chat? I think we should all try and be nicer to her now. After all, she’s a Cross.”

I incline my head toward the half-closed door, listening keenly. Who told the staff we were step-siblings?

Was it Jinx?

I grab my phone and check Jinx’s app.

Nothing.

Then I check my texts. Jinx contacts me personally from time to time with exposès that I can pay to keep from hitting the web.

Nada.

So who told?

I wanted to keep our family relations a secret until the end. It’ll be hard enough when people find out Grey married a student. But there’s another layer of hell if people know I’m her step-brother on top of it all.

“I just hope she doesn’t rat on me like she did to Harris,” someone whispers,“now that her step-father is running for governor, anyone named Cross will have more power.”

The news about dad’s political campaign is already out?

Gasps erupt from the room. I guess I’m not the only one who’s surprised.

I step closer to the door to hear better.

“They announced it this morning.”

“And people aren’t laughing? He’s a musician, not a state leader.”