October Academy

Chapter 56

this chapter is dedicated to @idontdoanythinglol thankyou for all your *highly* entertaining comments. they make my day <3

His lips meet mine with an untamed ferocity. My body takes over, moving my lips with his and closing my eyes.

But only for a second until I realise what the fuck is going on.

I push him off of me. "What do you think you're doing!" I yell at him. "Are you delusional? You broke things off with me, remember?"

"I fucking remember."

"Good," I say, turning away from him, fighting the urge to slap him. "I'm with Darcy," I say resolutely, as if that will take back the guilt of letting him kiss me, even if it was just for a second.

"He'll never accept you," he says, "you will always be less to him."

"Fuck off," I growl, "don't ever touch me again."

I walk away, steps loud and heavy on the bitumen beneath me.

"I never should have taken that fucking job," he murmurs under his breath, so quietly that I'm not sure I heard him right.

I waltz back into the Nine Lives, wipe the residue of him off my lips, and tell Ben I'm going home.

On the drive home, I focus really, really hard on wiping the memory of Callum kissing me from my mind.

.

.

.

Another note rests innocently on my desk.

I pick it up. The writing is messy and scrawly, somewhat resembling my own. It says the abandoned building isn't as abandoned as you think. Fires don't start themselves.

Ah yes, the fire that I was accused for starting.

So if it wasn't a student messing around with a durry, what caused the fire? And what does it have to do with me or Tim?

I call Acacia first. Partially because I don't trust Xander anymore, and partially because I know Perry would be too scared to go exploring abandoned places. Then I call Darcy too, and I don't know why. He said he wants to come with me next time I might get into trouble. Now, I'm holding him to that promise.

The two of them meet me at the stairwell of the dormitories. I half expected neither of them to show up – I mean my text was pretty blunt. Explore abandoned wing with me? Suspicious Vibes.

Curfew has already started, so we should be able to sneak around without being seen. The only problem will arise if Svetkov plants herself at the entry to the dorms again.

"So what's the plan?" Acacia asks me, eyeing Darcy up and down as if she's seizing him up. "I didn't sign up to third wheel," she laughs.

Darcy rolls his eyes.

"The plan is to go to the abandoned wing," I say simply.

"Should've known better than to think you might have an actual plan in place," Acacia jokes.

"You thought about being a comedian?" Darcy says sarcastically.

I think for a moment how perfect they would look together, but push the thought aside.

"Side note, my bodyguard has to come," Acacia says.

"Uh, does he mind that we're breaking school rules?" I ask.

"As long as he can follow me, he doesn't care what we do," she laughs, glancing over to the doorway to the stairwell.

I notice Topaz, Acacia's tall, bronze bodyguard standing there.

The four of us make our way around the edges of the courtyard, sticking to the shadows and hiding in the darkness.

Darcy takes my hand in his and warmth spreads through me.

Guilt does at the same time. Should I tell him about Callum? It's not like I had a choice – he pinned me against the wall and held the back of my neck. I want to believe that it was all him.

But there were seconds where I allowed it, and even if it was only seconds, guilt doesn't differentiate.

The door to the abandoned building is locked. I don't know why I thought it would be otherwise.

"Topaz, will you do the honours?" Acacia says, giving Topaz a wink.

He looks humble when he nods, his dark eyes glancing over her in one swift motion. He kicks down the door in a singular movement and Acacia and I gasp lightly.

"Impressive," Acacia says, "Big dick energy."

Topaz blushes, but his expression remains lethal. I think he might be Samoan. He has a natural sense of strength to him, a natural beauty. Acacia seems to notice this too, and I hope that maybe something can blossom between them. I just want her heart to fix after Xander broke it.

We make our way into the cold, dark hallway. This wing has been closed for ions.

We keep walking down the hall until the light of a keypad shines through the darkness.

"What are they trying to hide?" Acacia seems nervous for the first time.

Topaz takes a protective stance in front of her, leaving Darcy and I to traipse forward.

I run my hands over the keypad. "Whatever I'm looking for is behind this door."

"We'll never guess the code," Darcy whispers to me.

Unable to see through the darkness, my other senses are heightened. Darcy's hand in mine, and his breath whispering against my cheek, is enough to send chills through me.

I focus on the task at hand. "One-two-three-four?" I suggest.

Darcy puts in what I suggested. The light illuminating the keypad flashes red.

"Four ones?" Acacia suggests from behind us.

We try that too. Red.

"Wait," I say. I take a step forward, running my hands over the soft plastic keys. I put in Gladys' birthday.

The door opens.

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My new story Good Boy Gone Bad is now up!! If you like my hard to choose love triangles, you should check it out!!