the guy is fire. He and I were like this.” She held up her hand with her fingers crossed.
“Funny.” I cocked my head. “He never mentioned you.”
“I transferred here as a sophomore, and he’s a year older, so…”
“Transferred? Were you expelled from Pembroke?”
“Maybe.” A wicked glint lit her eyes.
“I’d love to hear that story.” I smiled, encouraging her.
“That’s old news.” She waved it away. “I don’t mess around with boys anymore. Got my sights on a man. A man in black.”
“Father Magnus?”
“Of course. I have plans for that holy creature the next time I get him alone.”
Was she crazy? I couldn’t get the unholy sound of his roar out of my head. Had he never yelled at her like that? Or looked at her like he wanted to beat her black and blue?
“Doesn’t he scare you?” I asked.
“Totally.” She pinched her nipples and arched her spine, humming, “He scares me so hard.”
Frustration tightened my shoulders. I wasn’t going to get anywhere with this hussy.
“I only met him last night, and I thought…” How did I say this without sounding like a snowflake? “He’s meaner than I expected.”
“Oh, he’s mean. But every time I look into those sexy blue eyes, I go all melty and do whatever he demands.”
“So he hasn’t punished you?” I scanned the room, scrutinizing the reaction of each girl. “Any of you?”
Some of them shrugged. Others nodded with pursed lips. None of them looked scared or abused.
“I’m Carrie, the big sister on this floor.” The black girl raised a hand, gave a prim wave, and returned it to her cocked hip. “If you piss him off, he’ll make you do things, detention, extra work, shit like that. It’s not all bad. Some of us even like it, you know, when we get one-on-one time with him.”
Her smile made me relax. Maybe I’d overreacted to the whole thing last night.
“I don’t know.” A tall blonde stepped toward the door and paused. “Remember what happened to Jasmine last year?”
A wave of discomfort rippled through the room. Some of the girls drifted into the hall. Others stared at the floor.
Clueless, I tried to interpret their expressions. “What happened to Jasmine?”
“She stayed after class, took off her clothes, and straddled his lap. She told us she was going to do it.” Carrie lifted a shoulder. “She was gone the next day. No one’s seen or heard from her since.”
“But she doesn’t have all this.” Nevada slid her hands along her voluptuous figure. “I’ll succeed where Jasmine failed.”
“You’re going to get your ass expelled, bitch.” Carrie laughed on her way out.
Expelled.
I didn’t have the curves, confidence, or sex appeal to seduce a man like Father Magnus. But I didn’t want to succeed. I wanted to get thrown out.
As I wandered back to my room, I turned the idea over in my head.
Not gonna lie. He still scared the bejesus out of me. But if his corrections were as bearable as the girls claimed, I could power through them to earn the one punishment that would send me home.
CHAPTER 8
MAGNUS
The buzz of eighty chattering girls filled the front lawn of Sion Academy. I stood at the entrance of the main building, invigorated by the energy in the air.
White shirts and plaid skirts gathered in four groups, representing each of the four grade levels. Each group of twenty students was assigned to a teacher, an escort, who would lead them off campus for the short walk to the church.
I glanced at my watch, and right on time, the groups began to file through the gate. Plaid uniforms bounced and twirled, wriggled and skipped, constantly moving. Teenage girls and their endless energy.
The trail of green plaid streamed through the gate and down the street until one group remained.
I checked my watch. 7:50.
The last group didn’t move.
“Father Isaac?” I met his eyes over the crowd of students. “What’s the holdup?”
The elderly priest adjusted his glasses and squinted at his phone. “I’m missing one.”
“Who?” I made my way toward him, scanning a few of the faces in his group.
Seniors.
I knew who the no-show would be before he said, “Tinsley Constantine.” He looked up at me. “I’ll go get her.”
Father Isaac was a brilliant music teacher, exceptionally attentive and good-natured. The students adored him.
Tinsley would eat him for breakfast.
“Wait here. I’ll deal with it.” I turned to the girl at my side. “Carrie. With me.”
I walked fast, cutting the ten-minute trek in half. Carrie tried to keep up, her shorter legs forced into a jog.
“Have you seen Miss