The Secret Girl (Adamson All-Boys Academy #1) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,17

with tears, and I'm just so … so … pissed. “You want me to repent? For what?”

“For being the rudest guy in school,” Ranger says, scowling at me and ruffling up his blue-streaked black hair. “You've been standoffish and weird since day one. We're giving you a chance to fix things.”

“You just threw spiders on me!” I sound hysterical, and my voice is just a little too high-pitched to be believable. Spencer's grin fades, and he tilts his head again, turquoise eyes narrowing. Crap, crap, crap, he can tell! I remember his expression when he grabbed my wrist, and I just … panic. “Leave me the fuck alone!” I move forward fast and shove Spencer in the chest with two hands. If he were expecting it, I never would've touched him, but he's so surprised that he ends up stumbling back and slamming the base of his spine into the corner of the counter, knocking several candles over and spattering wax.

“You prick!” he shouts back, launching himself up and at me. Only Ranger stops him from throwing a punch my way. I swing my backpack, hit both twins as they approach, and then duck past them all, going for the dining room door.

It's unlocked this time, and I manage to make it out into the hallway before Spencer catches up to me.

“You are so dead, Chuck!” he shouts after me as I take off toward the staircase. I don't stop running until I get back to my dorm.

I think I only escape because he lets me go.

The thing is: I can’t exactly avoid him forever, now can I?

There's no point in telling Dad about what happened after Culinary Club. He apologizes for not getting my message, telling me he was in a school board meeting. I shrug it off and tell him the janitor let me out, no big deal. If I snitch to Dad about what the Student Council did, I'm going to pit the whole school against me. As of right now, the other boys just avoid me like the plague.

The last thing I want is to be bullied by everyone.

The Student Council is doing a good enough job on their own.

“Chuck, mop the floor,” Ranger demands, putting the handle into my hand. “You can wash all the dishes before you go.”

“That doesn't seem like a very fair division of labor,” I mumble as the twins move up to stand on either side of me, like prison guards. Shoving the mophead into a bucket, I go about cleaning up the giant mess of flour on the floor.

“You missed a spot,” the twins say, smearing their feet through the water and leaving dirty streaks. My nostrils flare, but I don't fight back. I've been fighting for weeks, and today, I'm just tired.

“When you're done there, you can alphabetize these cookbooks on the shelf beneath the window,” Church says as he places a box on the counter, smiling cheerily at me. He's the least mean, and he's always smiling, but when his face shuts down, it's a little dark and scary. He reaches for a cup of coffee and sips it. Pretty sure he’s addicted to the stuff. I rarely see him without a caffeinated drink of some sort in hand.

“Nobody uses cookbooks anymore; it's all online recipes” I grumble, and then I feel a lightness in my pocket. The twins have pilfered my cell. I drop the mop and turn around to grab it from them, but they're stupid-tall, and they toss it effortlessly between them.

“What's on there, Micah?” Tobias asks, grinning as I curl my hands into fists and grit my teeth.

“It's locked, Tobias,” the other twin whines, and then they exchange a look. “Do you think there's a way we might be able to open it? An unconventional way?” Tobias darts around the counter as Micah grabs my arms and holds me back.

“Don't you dare!” I snarl, but Tobias is already grabbing a meat tenderizer from a drawer and laying my phone on a cutting board in front of him. “This I will tell my dad about. He'll freaking destroy you!”

“Your dad?” Church says, folding his arms over the front of his navy blue blazer. “The headmaster who was making pennies in California until he moved here? You think he has real power over us? That's amusing.”

“Give. Me. My. Phone.” My voice is shaking I'm so mad. Tobias looks up at me, emerald eyes darkening with mischief, and then he smashes the screen while the other boys