Page 11 of Save Me (Maxton Hall #1)

James

On Monday morning, the party is all anybody’s talking about.

The school’s web forum practically melted down over the weekend because everyone was sharing photos and videos and commenting on them.

Now we walk down the corridors and people high-five us, thanking us for the amazing evening.

Our little event didn’t just hit the headlines locally, it’s the talk of other English schools too.

Obviously, I assured my parents that it was nothing to do with me, and obviously they didn’t believe a word of it, but in the end, they were angrier with Lydia for not putting in an appearance at all.

So, all in all, a total success.

That is, until the loudspeakers crackle in the hallway and an announcement echoes around the school.

“James Beaufort to Mr. Lexington’s office immediately.”

I’d been expecting that. Every Monday morning, there’s an assembly in Boyd Hall before lessons begin, so Lexie’s already expressed his disappointment over the incident and reminded everyone of the Maxton Hall code of conduct, his voice laden with significance.

It’s always the same—we pull a prank, he tells the whole school how shocked he is, summons us to his office to give us a warning, and five minutes later, off we go.

“Let’s see if he gives the same lecture as ever,” Wren says, draping his arm over my shoulder. He gives me a quick squeeze. “Don’t let the bastards get you down.”

“I never do,” I reply, saying goodbye to him and the others and strolling toward the head’s office. When I arrive, his assistant points silently toward the door.

Without hesitating, I knock twice.

“Come in.”

I walk in and shut the door behind me. As I turn around, I freeze. Mr. Freeman is standing by the head teacher’s desk, and sitting directly in front of it is…Ruby. She throws a quick glance at me over her shoulder, then turns her eyes back straight ahead.

“You wanted to speak to me?” I ask. I’m slightly surprised to have an audience.

Lexington waves me toward the chair next to Ruby.

“Have a seat.” His tone is different from normal.

He generally sounds irritated and annoyed in equal measure when he speaks to me, as if the whole thing is a massive pain in the arse and he’d rather turn his attention back to the more important aspects of his work.

This time, his voice is worryingly quiet.

The furrows in his brow look deeper than normal too.

Seems like I didn’t pick a good day for a lecture.

I drop into the chair in front of his desk.

“Is it correct that it was you who hired certain…” He clears his throat, evidently searching for a suitable word to use in these hallowed rooms. “…entertainers, and that it was they who caused the commotion at our party at the weekend?”

I have to suppress a laugh at the word “entertainers.”

“That depends who you mean by that, sir,” I say slowly. “I swear the DJ was nothing to do with me.”

Ruby gasps with outrage. I look at her, but she won’t meet my eye.

Mr. Lexington leans across his dark mahogany desk. The light shining into the room from outside is illuminating only half his face. The hush in here suddenly strikes me as almost ghostly.

“Tell me, Mr. Beaufort. How do you think this incident will reflect on the reputation of our school?”

I take a moment to think about my answer. “I think it might do us some good. This place is way too uptight. There’s no harm in relaxing a little now and then.”

“You must be out of your mind,” Ruby breathes.

“Miss Bell!” Mr. Lexington snaps. “It’s not your turn to speak.”

Ruby’s face drains of color. She presses her lips hard together and lowers her gaze to the green backpack in her lap. It looks like it might fall apart at any moment.

“Mr. Beaufort, your actions have crossed a line. I cannot tolerate such actions at Maxton Hall.”

…and so I’m giving you an official warning. If there is any repeat of this kind of behavior, you will find yourself facing the consequences.

I know Lexington’s sermon by heart. I’d love to join in with the words, just to see his face.

“You are a grown adult now, and this is your last year of school. It is high time you finally learn to accept responsibility, and to realize that your actions have an effect on others,” Lexington goes on.

Oh. This bit is new.

“Seeing that you ruined the first party of this academic year, I think it’s only fair for you to share the work of the school events committee for the rest of term. We can call it community service, under the supervision of Miss Bell.”

A second of silence. Then…

“What?” Ruby and I exclaim at the same time.

Now we’re staring at each other.

“Absolutely no way,” I say, and Ruby mumbles, “Sir, I don’t know…”

Lexington raises a hand for quiet. He looks at me over the top of his rimless glasses, and his eyes seem to bore into mine.

“Mr. Beaufort, over the course of the six years you have been at this school, you have considered yourself at liberty to act in the most outrageous manner,” he continues.

“And you have never once been called to account. I turned a blind eye when you held a motor race on the school grounds. I let it slide when you and your friends thought it would be amusing to dress the statue of the school’s founder in a wig and cheerleader’s outfit.

And then there was the time you set up online dating profiles for me and other teaching staff here.

And when you held an unauthorized party in Boyd Hall.

Not to mention the many times you have arrived drunk at the official parties.

But you have to finally learn that your actions have consequences.

Maxton Hall has built up a certain reputation over the last two centuries.

We are known for discipline and excellence, and I cannot permit your youthful exuberance to repeatedly call that into question.

” His eyes are on me again. I’m starting to feel sick.

“Mr. Beaufort, you are suspended from the lacrosse team, effective immediately, for the rest of the term.”

The blood rushes in my ears. I see Lexington open his mouth and carry on speaking, but not another word gets through to me.

During a match last season, an opposition player tackled me so hard that we both crashed to the ground—and he landed on top of me with his full body weight. I’d never felt pain like it, and for thirty seconds, I couldn’t breathe.

That’s exactly how I feel right now.

“You…You can’t do that,” I croak, hating how pathetic I sound. I clear my throat, take a deep breath, and summon the mask of impenetrability back onto my face, the way my father taught me.

“Yes, Mr. Beaufort, I can,” the head continues calmly, folding his hands over his belly. “And before you threaten me with your parents, let me inform you that I have already spoken to your father this morning. He assured me of his backing in whatever punishment I see fit to impose upon you.”

I certainly wasn’t expecting that. “Sir, with all due respect, this is our last season together. I’m the team captain, my lads need me.” I look up at the coach, appealing for help.

The regret in his eyes feels like a punch in the gut. “This is entirely self-inflicted, Beaufort.”

“Alistair’s out for the next three games. Without me…”

“Cyril will take over as full captain, and there is plenty of fresh blood to fill your role.”

My throat goes dry. I feel the heat of rage flood my cheeks, and my hands start to shake. I clench my fists, digging my nails into my palms until it hurts and my knuckles crack.

“Please, coach.” Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Ruby shifting back and forth on her chair. She seems to find the whole situation horribly embarrassing, but at this moment, I don’t give a fuck what she thinks.

This is my upper sixth. The last few months before my whole life is ruined. I’d do anything to play lacrosse for these few months with my friends. Even if that means I have to beg in front of Ruby Bell.

To my horror, the coach is not budging. He just shakes his head, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Miss Bell, I’m relying on you to show Mr. Beaufort the ropes on the events team,” Lexington goes on, as if he hadn’t just wrecked my life.

“He is to attend every meeting and be involved in every party until the end of term. Should he refuse or cause you any kind of difficulty, come to me immediately, do you hear?”

“Yes, sir,” says Ruby, her voice soft yet firm.

“When is the next meeting to be? Mr. Beaufort can make a note of it in his planner right away.”

Ruby clears her throat, and, very much against my will, I turn to face her.

Her eyes are hard. Mine are harder.

“Our next meeting is this afternoon, after lunch, in library meeting room eleven,” she says, no trace of emotion in her voice.

I grind my teeth. I’m desperately seeking a way out of this situation, but it’s impossible. On top of which, I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to explain this whole thing to my parents.

OK, this time I’ve really fucked up.

Ruby

“What?”

We’re in one of the little group-work rooms, but Lin’s yell is so loud that probably everyone in the library could hear it too. The rest of the team just stare blankly as I make my announcement.

“As of now, James Beaufort is a member of the events team,” I repeat, my voice just as neutral as it was the first time.

Lin bursts into loud laughter. Once she’s semi-composed herself, I start again.

“So, let’s not make a fuss when he arrives in a bit.

” I’m looking at Jessalyn Keswick as I add that last bit.

She’s in the middle of topping up her lip gloss.

The pale pink flatters her Black skin, just as all her makeup does.

Jessalyn is a beautiful person with so much charisma that everyone adores her.

Me included. I could spend hours just looking at her.