Page 37 of Boys Who Taint (Spine Ridge University #5)

Levi

The next day

When the door to the dean’s office opens, the shouting still hasn’t finished. I’m impressed he stood his ground against my mother. It’s not often someone lives to tell the tale after meeting her.

Dad’s still sitting on that chair in the back of the room, and his eyes connect with mine. He hasn’t moved an inch since their conversation about what happened at the Phantom Society began, but I do know they’re trying to protect me from whatever consequences it might entail.

After Felix was done scolding me for my participation in the fight at the Phantom Society, he told me to exit the room so he could have a more private conversation with my parents. Whatever that means because I could still hear everything.

“He wasn’t the one doing the killing!” Mom shouts.

“He instigated it by putting the target on his back,” Felix retorts.

“What target? The ones you put on him?” she retorts.

“Lana, calm down,” my dad says.

“No, I will not calm down.” She slams her fist down onto the dean’s desk. “Goddammit, Felix. Give us a goddamn break. You know as well as I do that Apollo murdered that kid. Not Levi.”

“There were multiple injured people. And the fight broke out because Levi was there in the first place.”

“He’s a Phantom. He has every right to be there.” She folds her arms. “Unlike your son.”

“I dealt with my son on my own terms. That doesn’t mean your son is off the hook,” Felix says.

“He did nothing !”

“Then tell me why I have to explain to the parents of that dead kid why he died!”

They’re quiet for a second.

“That was Apollo, and you know it.”

“Who was defending your son.”

“Levi’s already been punished enough for his crimes,” Mom says.

“Something happens on this campus again that involves him, and he’s out,” Felix growls back. “End of story.”

She grinds her teeth, then waltzes off, her heels click-clacking on the wood as she marches through the door. I sit up straight when she walks by.

“Don’t do anything stupid, got it?” she says as she leans over to look me dead in the eyes. “Before your dad and I are forced to do something we don’t want to do.”

I know what she means. They’re gonna pull me out of Spine Ridge University if this continues.

Behind us, Dylan, Aspen’s father, walks up the steps to the dean’s office, and the moment she spots him, the entire room loses ten degrees in temperature.

“And stay the hell away from Aspen,” Mom adds.

But that’s just the thing. Aspen is right there, sitting in the seats across from me, staring us both down through the invisible barrier that separates us. Mere feet away, but oceans apart from each other.

My dad exits the room too and bumps shoulders with Dylan, their eyes shooting lightning bolts at each other. The air is thick with tension, enough to suffocate everyone here.

“Kai, let’s go,” Mom tells him.

Dad’s nostrils flare, but instead of starting something with Dylan he turns to me.“Just keep your cool, okay? Stay out of trouble.” He pats me on the shoulder.

I nod, but it doesn’t even matter at this point.

They glance at Aspen, who tucks her hands between her legs as she tries to mind her own business, but I know she was listening.

When they leave, Aspen’s mom, Penelope, crosses paths with my mom, their eyes briefly connecting as she makes her way upstairs. I don’t know why she’s here or what she has to do with anything.

But then Aspen’s half brother, Silas, comes up the stairs behind her, and it suddenly makes all the sense in the world.

“Aspen. Your turn,” Felix says, before he glances at me. “Levi, stay there.”

Woof.

Silas raises his lip at me, baring his teeth like he intends to bite off my neck. I’d love to see him fucking try. I keep my eyes on him as he saunters into his dad’s office like he’s the high and mighty king of this campus, when we all know that’s a lie.

Suddenly, Penelope stops right in front of me, her purple hair falling over her menacing face as she bends over to look me directly in the eyes.

“Stay away from my daughter, or I will kill you myself.”

Not a single shred of doubt in those words. Not one.

I swallow as she narrows her eyes, and Dylan comes out of the office to grab her shoulder. “C’mon, Pen. Let’s go inside and have a chat with Felix about what happened at the Phantoms.” He pulls her away, but not before he throws one damning look at me.

That wasn’t just a warning.

It was a threat.

They waltz inside the dean’s office, slamming the door shut behind them. Aspen’s eyes find mine in the flurry of emotions shrouding me, and I just know she heard what her mother just told me.

The sword of Damocles hangs above my head, and sooner or later, it’s going to fall.

Aspen

I’m playing with the water in the fountain as my mind is somewhere far away, while my friends chat about everything that happened at the party. Everyone who got injured was taken care of by the school’s nurse, except for the dead guy.

Sometimes I wish I could chain my brother to his dorm so he wouldn’t come out to destroy everything in his path. But at the same time, I understand why he is the way he is. That same hatred he feels still flows freely through my veins as well.

I sigh out loud.

Apparently, the cleanup of the aftermath went smoothly, and there’s only minor damage left in the Phantom Society house, such as the bullet holes.

Everyone at Spine Ridge is talking about the fight, and who they’re rooting for, and something about that just doesn’t sit right with me. No one should be taking sides. Not with something like this.

I splash the water away in anger.

That damn stalker of mine managed to fold me up like a paper doll and twist me into something I don’t even recognize. And now a remnant of him, that plug, still exists inside me, a stark reminder of the power he holds over me.

I need Ghost to get revenge.

Silas killing him would only start a war between our families.

It has to be someone from the outside. Someone no one will ever find or suspect.

“Hey, watch it!”

The second splash accidentally hits Orion, and he lifts his pen and paper in the air before it gets soaked.

“Sorry,” I say.

“It’s only my most important notebook that nearly got wet there,” he laments.

“What’s in it?” Océane asks.

“Things,” he responds, rolling his eyes. “None of you can appreciate.”

“Wow. Okay. Now I’m slightly offended,” Ivy responds.

“Try me,” I tell him.

He narrows his eyes, approaching. “Fine. You wanna know?”

He flips open his notebook and reads the words out loud.

Oh, gentle verdant storm

Whisked away by madness

All that dares

Wilts and wanes

Shredded and torn

Leaves dance in tune

Spinning the world on its axis

Leaving a heart in ruin

Everyone stares at him like he’s lost it.

“What?” Ivy mutters.

Orion’s half-mast eyes focus on her. “It’s a poem.”

“Aha … Yeah, I don’t get it.”

“Is it about a hurricane?” Océane tries to guess. “A tornado?”

“Oh my God.” He buries his face in his hands. “Never mind.”

“I thought it was beautiful,” I say, smiling.

His face lights up momentarily. “Thank you. Wrote it myself.”

Sunny Reed approaches from behind, and I immediately lean away so she doesn’t lock eyes with me. I don’t want to remind her of the last time we saw each other. She narrows her eyes when she sees us and sneaks up on Orion, then snatches his notebook right out of his hand.

“He—” His words are cut off when he lays eyes on her. Like he just froze over and turned to stone.

“Nice,” she says while reading. “Needs more violence, though.”

She chucks the notebook back into his hand, and he tucks his hair back after an obvious blush appears on his cheeks. “Thanks.”

“You’re creative,” Océane says. “Unlike the other Torres boys.”

“Not a Torres, though,” Orion muses, tucking his pen away. “Navarro. And proud of it.”

“I’m amazed you and Heath have the same mom,” Ivy jokes. “You’re nothing alike.”

“Excuse me, are you slandering our family?” Heath joins the conversation, and he throws his arm around Orion.

“No, just making observations.” Ivy winks.

“Say, why is it that only you, Apollo, and Atlas have those Greek names?” I ask Orion.

“Oh, our mom wanted to stay in the Greek theme, since she’s with Ares too,” he replies.

I glance at Heath. “But you’re … just Heath.”

Heath laughs. “You think my dad would agree to name his kids after some Greek philosopher bullshit? Not one fucking chance.”

“They’re gods. Not philosophers,” Orion says, rolling his eyes.

Heath sighs. “Whatever.”

“At least you guys have names that fit your personalities,” Sunny says, inspecting her sharp black nails.

“What do you mean?” Orion asks, tilting his head while smiling.

“Do I look like a goddamn Sunny person to you?” she barks back, throwing him such a violent look that he immediately steps back.

“Well, you are the star of the campus,” Heath says.

“That’s just my friends.” She shrugs, oblivious to how many people look up to her just for her sass. “Anyway, I’m off. Have some classes or some shit. Bye.” She winks, and her heels click clack on the pavement as she walks off, her hair swaying in the wind, but Orion is still staring.

Ivy snorts. “Apollo, Atlas, Orion … and ‘just Heath.’”

“What’s so funny about that?” He approaches her and steals her away from us. “Should I be twisting your nipples already?”

“Oh my God, Heath!” she says as he drags her away, while the rest of us laugh.

“My family are absolute animals,” Orion mumbles as he walks off. “Animals, I tell you.”

“At least they know where their names came from,” Océane mutters under her breath.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I only have my mom. She gave me my name.” She smiles. “I don’t know who my father is.”

“Oh … I’m sorry,” I reply.

“It’s okay. I mean, Mom never wanted to tell me anyway, so I figured she must’ve had her reasons.”

“Maybe she will, someday,” Ivy says.

“I don’t know. I’m too old to care now. I don’t really need a dad anymore. I mean, look at me … I’m in college, I have a great boyfriend.”