Page 7 of I Don't Need Your Protection

This guy has experienced loss, too.

He takes hold of my arm again. “We need to get you settled in and not arouse suspicion.”

“You’re…you’re my bodyguard?” I ask. “But you’re just a kid.”

His grunt is so loud I bet they can hear it on the other side of the country. “Don’t ask questions and do as I say.” He pullsme, but I yank my arm back.

“How do I know you’re my real bodyguard? For all I know, maybe you’re here to hurt me.”

He sighs heavily like he’s losing patience.

“I don’t even know your name,” I go on. “Or anything about you. Why should I blindly follow you?”

He grabs hold of my arm again, gazing into my eyes with frustration and irritation. “I told you not to make this difficult, Addilyn,” he hisses.

I shove him off me. “Will you stop grabbing me? I’m not some prized possession. I’m a human being and I deserve to be treated as such.”

“My priority is your safety, nothing else.”

I throw my hands on my hips. “I don’tneedyour protection.”

He’s about to retort, but a female voice says. “There you are!”

I turn around and find a girl with red hair and green eyes bounding toward us. “I was waiting upstairs, but you were here this whole time.” She smiles. “I guess you’re a little late, but that’s totally okay. It’s Addie Nelson, right?”

I just stare at her.

Still smiling, she holds out her hand and I shake it. “Carly Simmons. I’m supposed to show you around. You and…” She glances around until her gaze lands on the guy. “Um, hi. Caleb Foster, right? Both of you are new.”

My eyes meet his. He’s also enrolled in the school?

I guess it’d be strange for an adult bodyguard to follow mearound. Having him pose as a student makes sense…but how old is he? Maybe he’s not my age but looks younger.

Carly looks from me to him. “Are we ready to start the tour?” She notices my backpack. “Oh, we can have someone bring that to your room.”

I back away. “No. This doesn’t leave my arms.”

“Okay. Ready?” She looks at the guy—Caleb—who doesn’t even glance her way. He just stands there with his arms crossed.

Carly leads us up the stairs, where she talks about the history of the school. When it was founded and by whom. Apparently, there was this rich family called Harrington who founded the town, Harrington Bay, and they opened the academy. The family still owns the school and the principal is their great-great-granddaughter.

As she talks, Caleb walks behind me, arms crossed, his eyes scanning the area. He’s so focused on his task I doubt he’s even listening to her. And he’s still sporting that scowl.

“Principal Harrington wants to see you, Addie,” she tells me as she gestures to the office. “I’ll wait out here until you’re done.”

I thank her and enter. My bodyguard enters with me, but he slips into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

The office is a large room with a few inner rooms in the distance. A woman at one of the desks lifts her head as I approach.

“Can I help you?” she asks.

“I’m Addie Nelson. I’m supposed to talk to the principal?”

“Of course. She’s ready for you in her office.” She nods toone of the rooms in the distance. After thanking her, I make my way there. Before I walk in, I peek inside. An older woman, maybe in her fifties, sits at her desk and is jotting things down on a paper. She’s dressed in a suit that looks like it cost more than my entire former wardrobe. She’s dripping with elegance and money.

My shoes squeak on the floor, causing her head to lift. As soon as she sees me, she smiles, clasping her hands together. “Hello, Addie. Why don’t you take a seat?”

After I do so, she tells me how glad she is to have me in her school. I can tell she cares more about the school’s publicity than the new “scholarship kid.”