I replied coolly, though a sense of anxiety gathered in my gut.
With graduation just around the corner, I wasn’t in the mood for any last minute demerits or lectures. I’d barely survived as it was. It was hard juggling the need to take risks with my desire to finish school and get out of here. Knowing her, she’d fail me on an easy subject just to keep me under her thumb for another semester. My mother would probably tip her for it, maybe buy the school a new wing.
Poppy shook her head, her eyes oddly lit up with excitement that I wasn’t used to seeing from her. “You don’t get it. There’s some hot guy here saying he’s friends with your mother. Everyone is talking about it,” Poppy rushed out with a smirk, and I had a feeling the only reason she was here was to report back on who this mystery guy was. Being at an all-girls school made my classmates dick-crazed. I was sure everyone was snapping photos and drawing hearts around the poor guy’s name.
A hot guy? My mother? That could only mean one thing. I cringed.
I stood up and fluffed out my blonde hair that flowed down to the middle of my back before tightening the drawstrings on my sweats. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“I’ll come with,” Reed said before a thump sounded behind me.
I turned around to look at Reed and laughed when I saw him sprawled out on the floor, his tongue flopped out. He was trying to lick his lips but kept hitting his chin. “That’s okay. You should probably stay here. You’re high as fuck.” I snickered, though the sound felt forced. I was glad we decided to let loose tonight; otherwise, he would’ve insisted on coming with me. He always had my back, and I had his.
“You’re probably right,” he replied before rolling his neck and stretching out onto the floor. He jutted out his hips before spreading his thighs apart to rest his hand between them. Poppy stared at him, licking her lips before shaking her head. Yeah, she had it bad.
“Okay,” I said, bending down to peck a kiss on his forehead. “See you later.”
“See ya,” he said, breathing out another puff before waving me away.
I bumped Poppy’s shoulder on my way over, motioning for her to descend the stairs. She eagerly placed her Mary Janes on the steps and scaled down, and I followed after her, closing the trap door behind me.
I was so preoccupied with getting to the ground that I didn’t notice scraping my palm against a rough patch of wood until blood started trickling down my arm. I winced at the pain. “Dammit.”
“You okay?” Poppy asked once my feet were firmly planted on the ground. She gave me a cool once-over as I cradled my hand against my chest, accidentally smearing more blood against my shirt and skin.
“Just a little cut,” I gritted out. If I took off my necklace and let my Void out, I knew it would heal. But I would rather stay another semester at Coxcomb’s than risk Mother or one of her associates catching me without it on. The council would have a hissy fit.
“You gonna go change before seeing the Headmistress? It’ll be a demerit if she sees you strutting around like that,” Poppy said, nodding at my outfit.
I looked down at my clothes and shrugged. “It’s nearly lights out. I can say she caught me mid-sleep, and these are my pajamas. I’m not getting changed for a late night summoning.”
Poppy rolled her eyes. That was the problem with her; she followed the rules a little too closely. I saw the desire to be more in her eyes though. “Okay, I’ll uh...see you around,” she said before spinning on her polished heel and heading toward the dorms, her skirt billowing up with a swish on each step.
I stared at her retreating back for a moment before turning in the opposite direction and heading down the dim hallway toward the front office. My flip flops slapped against the cold tile as I walked, making the noise echo around me. Class portraits were framed and lining the walls, each photo filled with fake smiles and gloomy skies. When I finally made it to the front, Headmistress Coxcomb—or Mistress Cock, as Reed and I liked to call her behind her back—was pacing the floor in front of her office. The moment her blue eyes landed on my casual strut, she frowned.