Free Red Dawn by J.J. Bonds Page B

heard all this before. And it never gets any easier. Maybe I would have been better off with Talent Development today.
    “You mean my future isn’t written in stone,” I reply. “Too bad Damian can’t say the same.”
    I glance at Anya and the look of pity on her face makes me sick to my stomach. I am not pitiable. I just have to be tougher. What choice do I have but to suck it up and deal? I just have to figure out how to bear the weight of my sins better.
    “You need a break,” Anya decides. “What are you doing for the holidays? Going home to see Aldo and Lissette?”
    “I wish,” I respond, returning to my chair. I notice that Anya hasn’t had the torn fabric replaced yet. “He and Lissette are travelling and doing the diplomat thing. I’m going home with Shaye to visit her family in Colorado.”
    “That sounds nice,” Anya tells me wistfully, her blue eyes glazing over. “Colorado has such wonderful skiing!”
    “Yeah, if you’re into that sort of thing.”
     

 
    Chapter Eleven
     
    “I never thought I’d be so happy to be sitting in one of Pratt’s inane assemblies,” I tell Nik, dropping into the empty chair on his left and propping my feet up on an empty seat.
    “You’ve got to be kidding?” He gives me a questioning look. It’s no secret that I have a zero tolerance policy for anything Pratt related. Winter break is over and the assembly is Pratt’s way of welcoming us back to Crossroads.
    “I wish I were,” I respond. “That was quite possibly the longest two weeks of my life. Shaye’s family was great, but, well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
    “They’re all eccentrics?” Nik guesses. He smiles and I’m in heaven. It’s been two whole weeks since I’ve seen that dimple. I can’t help but smile myself.
    “You have no idea,” I say, checking to make sure Shaye isn’t within earshot. I’m extremely grateful for her family’s hospitality. It’s not like they had to invite me into their home for the holidays and I certainly didn’t have anywhere else to go. The last thing I want to do is hurt her feelings. But couple their eccentricities with Shaye being sick in bed half the time, and I am more than happy to listen to one of Pratt’s droll speeches.
    “And here I thought maybe you were just excited to see me,” Nik says, arching his eyebrows suggestively.
    “You’re cute, but not that cute,” I tell him, planting a light kiss on his cheek. “Any idea what this is all about?”
    “Couldn’t say. Let’s just hope it’s not another revision to the handbook,” he whispers as Pratt enters the room.
    “Indeed. Things around here are oppressive enough as it is.”
    Pratt steps up to the front of the room looking even more irritable than usual and I make a mental note to stay as far away from him as possible for the foreseeable future. I’m enjoying my freedom and have no desire to go back to scrubbing dishes any time soon. I wish he’d just get on with it. Surprise assemblies make me nervous. In my experience, they rarely mean good news.
    “Silence!” Pratt barks. The room falls deadly silent. I shift uncomfortably in my seat as tension fills the room. Why can’t it ever be anything good? Is it too much to ask for a day without classes or a weekend pass?
    “It is with great displeasure that I address you today. It has come to my attention that we have a serious problem at Crossroads Academy. One I cannot abide,” he says, scanning the room. What he’s searching for, I have no idea. “We are very clear about the type of student we accept, and despite our rigorous enrollment process and thorough screening, our campus has been breached by the lowest of the low.”
    Pratt’s gaze rests on me and I struggle not to avert my eyes. I can’t do anything that might be construed as an admission of guilt. Whatever he’s talking about probably has nothing to do with me. I’ve been keeping my nose clean. Still, it’s comforting when Nik takes my hand.