Page 50 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

B lake

It was too cold and drizzly to be outside today, so tutoring remained indoors.

It was the first time I was forced into a traditional classroom environment, but I kept my usual format.

We discussed ravens and how unique and special they were before I gave them time to work on their current assignments.

I’d gotten a report the other day that in the last few weeks, there were fewer confrontations, grades were inching up, and Camden had been removed from the Red Flag list. At the time, I had no idea what that meant.

Over the years, some of the more difficult students at Wayward had disappeared in the night. Our parents had always told us that we didn’t want to know what the school did with them. I’d laughed it off as Wayward’s version of the Boogeyman, genuinely believing that they had transferred out.

Boy, was I wrong.

This morning, after swim practice, I’d taken the list of students to Dean Henry and asked what the flag meant beside their names. I hadn’t been prepared for the answer I received.

“ T hose are students on the brink of being removed from Wayward for a more structured learning experience.”

I narrowed my gaze. “It’s pretty structured here. I don’t understand.”

Dean Henry sipped his tea and then steepled his hands on the desk. That gesture had the hair standing on the back of my neck, and I knew that I wasn’t going to like what he said next.

“Not classroom structure, although that is part of it. Their entire routine is…more constrained, and they are not allowed to leave the facility.”

Red flags were waving in my mind now.

“Whoa…are you telling me that Wayward has a juvenile detention center? That the rumors of students going missing in the night are true?”

“If you want to think about it that way, then sure, but the students are not missing. It is only for those students who are the most troubled and at risk of hurting others within our walls. We cannot have them on Wayward property.”

“And Camden, Angel, and Troy are all on that list?”

“Yes, along with some others, but you aren’t working with them,” he said.

“What kind of trouble are we talking about here?”

“You are quite safe if that is your concern,” Dean Henry said.

I shook my head. “No, that’s not it. We’ve all done things. The guys and I have broken rules, and we never ended up on a list.”

“How would you know?”

I opened my mouth and then snapped it shut.

“You mean…you don’t tell them?”

“Mr. O’Brien, this conversation is beginning to sound very accusatory, and I don’t appreciate it.”

His eyes were hard, but I sat up straighter, suddenly very defensive and protective of these kids.

“Dean Henry, I have only known you to be fair. But if I was on a list and in danger of ending up in a jail-like school, I would want to know that it was my last chance.”

“I understand your concern. What I can tell you is that we take the removal very seriously, and it is not done on a whim. Now that you know what the flag means, I trust that you’ll keep this information to yourself,” Dean Henry said.

Nothing about his tone suggested that it was a request.

It took everything in me not to continue the discussion, but the look in his eyes told me he was done talking about it.

“May I ask one more thing?”

He tapped his finger on his desk before sighing.

“Yes, but please make it quick. I have another meeting.”

“What do they need to do to get off the list? How much time do they have?”

“Getting off the list is not that difficult, and there is no structured timeline. Once they adjust to the rules and expectations of Wayward and prove they are no longer a threat to anyone here, then the flag is removed. But, if they continue to get into fights, vandalize school property, threaten other students or teachers, then…they will be removed.”

“So you’re saying the kids who are flagged could stay and never even know? They all get a second chance?”

He smirked. “Nash is still here, so you can take that as a yes.” He winked as he stood and walked to the door.

Holy shit.

T he timer on my phone dinged, and I looked up, dumbfounded that the class was over and no one had made a sound after they got to work. Everyone stood at once, stuffing their books in their bags.

I’d been told, not in so many words, that I couldn’t warn them, but it felt wrong.

“Hey, before you go…I just wanted to say that if you ever need to share something you know, or are unsure what to do with information…I promise to keep it between us. This is a safe space, and if you want my help, then I’ll do what I can.”

Angel narrowed his eyes. “You sound like you know something.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Just giving you an option if you need an impartial ear. I’m not a teacher, your parent, or in your circle of friends. No ulterior motive.”

No one said anything, but their eyes shifted around the room, like they suspected each other of saying something that shouldn’t have been mentioned.

That didn’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling, but I didn’t know what else to do.

Dean Henry’s words were loud in my head, so I let them go and packed up my stuff.

One at a time, they walked past me and out into the hallway.

Camden lingered behind. When everyone else was gone, he walked over to the door and closed it before looking at me again.

“That was about me, wasn’t it?”

Crossing my arms, I leaned back on the desk and understood why teachers struck this pose.

“I wasn’t referencing anything or anyone in particular. Why do you say that?”

He shrugged. “Usually, whenever shit falls, it lands on my head. I just want to know what’s coming.”

“I don’t know of anything about to happen to you.

But tell me something.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, but didn’t tell me to go to hell.

That seemed like a good sign to continue.

“Your file says that you started a fire, and that is why you ended up here. But there wasn’t much else. Will you tell me what happened?”

He snorted. “That pretty much sums it up.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding. “It’s your call.”

I turned around and finished gathering my materials. I was zipping my pack when he spoke again.

“My father cheated on his wife and got a stripper pregnant, my mom. I grew up never knowing who he was until last year.” I faced Camden, and he kept talking.

“He didn’t want me. I was nothing more than a stain on his political career.

He refused to see me or take my calls. Then one day, a lawyer showed up with a bag full of cash and an NDA.

I refused the bribe because I stupidly thought that if he met me, then he’d change his mind. Instead, he tried to have me killed.”

He pulled up the front of his hoodie to show off a long-jagged scar that ran down his stomach.

It took everything I had not to show the shock and anger all over my face.

At least I was a pro at hiding my emotions.

The scar looked like someone had tried to gut him.

Who the fuck did that to their kid? Then again, Lawrence and Owen were no better.

What the hell was wrong with people? There was an epidemic of horrible fathers at this school.

They made mine, despite the affair, look like a fucking saint.

“But I wasn’t dying that easily. Fuck him.”

“So what did you do?”

“I had two operations that I couldn’t afford so as soon as I could I ran away from the hospital and hid out to heal.

Stole meds and shit to stay alive. Then…

I set his house on fire in the middle of the night.

” Camden shrugged. “No one died, but my name and story ended up in the papers. I didn’t hold back and the journalists ran with it.

Too juicy not to post. Then one night I went to sleep and the next thing I knew, I woke up here.

Like that wasn’t fucking terrifying. Guess he couldn’t kill me or put me in prison at that point, so this fancy jail was his next best option.

At least my hospital debt is paid for, I’m getting an education and three-square meals a day. ”

He turned and walked out, leaving the door open and me more conflicted than I was before. Camden shouldn’t have a red flag for that…should he? Fuck this sucked ass.

Tossing the backpack over my shoulder, I opened my phone and checked my messages. My cousin Lisa had sent an invite to a house party. The last time I accepted an invite from Lisa was when I overdosed. That wasn’t ever happening again, so my answer was no.

There was a text from Myles, who was on Ren duty today, saying that everything was good at the house.

A group text from Coach demanded that we be back in the pool for five.

Fuck, my body was still wrecked from last night and training this morning.

I thought I knew muscle fatigue, but I was wrong.

The last message, I stared at without opening.

Dad: Blake, please talk to me.

The rest of the message was cut off, but I didn’t want it to show Read , so I left it alone for now.

I’d forgiven Myles for not saying anything.

When he’d explained what happened, I couldn’t be mad.

Myles had suffered way too much at the hands of his family for me not to understand.

And I would never place any blame on Lip.

I loved the kid. Calling him brother felt natural, but my dad… that was another story altogether.

Not only did he fuck up, but he hurt my mom.

I remembered him being gone when Theo and I were eight.

At the time, they had told us it was for work.

I’d never thought about it again. But finding out now how close they’d come to getting a divorce, knowing that my mother’s heart was broken, realizing that they never planned to tell us, and finding out that a child came of that mistake…

I needed more than a few days to process that.

I stuffed my phone into my pocket and stepped into the foyer just as Nash stormed out of Dean Henry’s office. Oh fuck. What now?