Are You Willing to Trust?

Chapter 19: Family Meeting

POV: Kota

Glancing down at my phone, my eyes widen at the subject of the text message that appears on the home screen. Glancing at the teacher who is also playing with his phone, I determine it is safe to check the message. 

Subject: Tattoo

Gabriel: Holly fucking shit. Did you see the pictures circling the school? New girl got some tattoos. 

Opening the attached picture my eyes widen in shock at the detail of the roses on her shoulders but what concerns me more are the bandages that can be seen right at the hem of her tank top. Forwarding the picture to Doc, I add a message about the bandages when my phone seems to explode with messages.

Luke: Woah! Those are cool! 

North: Heard some idiots talking about some "whores tattoos" said he was going to "do her" later

Nathan: Same but I heard that she is doing the nurse. 

Silas: Whore? 

Victor: It is a terrible name for a girl, Silas. Don't repeat it. 

Sang: Has someone told her? 

Gabriel: Its probably just a rumor Trouble. She is a pretty cool girl. 

North: Cool? Fuck Gabe we don't know shit about this girl and we are supposed to work with her? 

Gabriel: Fuck off North. Get to know her before you judge. 

Feeling as though this has gone far enough I quickly start to type. 

Kota: That is enough. We will bring it up at the meeting. Everyone get back to class. I will be informing Mr. B about this conversation. 

Taking a quick snap shot of the conversation, I sent it to Mr. Blackbourne and opened up a chat with both Mr. Blackbourne and Dr. Green. 

Dr. Green: I will chat with Angel about it during the family meeting. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. 

Mr. Blackbourne: Thank you for bringing this to my attention as well. We seem to have a lot to discuss this afternoon with everyone and most of it is sensitive information so we will be changing locations to Nathan's house. Please be sure to pick up Victor and Angel at the back of the school so as not to draw attention and I will let the others know. 

Taking a slow breath, I run my hand through my hair trying to relieve some of my frustration as I put my phone back into my pocket. Nothing seemed to be going right. Between the new forced addition to our team to the consistently terrible rumors circulating this trashed school nothing was improving on this mission. 

Hearing the bell ring, I grab my stuff and make my way to my locker to find Victor leaning up against it. His eyes seem distant and I can tell he is focusing on something much darker than the problems in this school. Nudging his shoulder, his eyes refocus on me. 

"Hey we have you covered Victor." I smile placing a firm hand on his shoulder and squeezing. "They wouldn't have sent her here if she couldn't do her job."

"Yeah," His voice is low as we make our way to the car and I know that doesn't help how he feels. Bringing in someone new because of abuse from a parent who is supposed to love you. Putting someone else in danger besides your loved ones. It was definitely a hard pill to swallow. 

Getting into the car, I quickly start up the engine and pull into the now vacant parking lot when Angel appears, basically out of no where, and jumps into the car. "Hey." She states as we pull away from the school. Victor nods in response and I give her a polite smile. 

"So change of plans since my family is home, we are headed to Nathan's place" I state and Angel nods but proceeds to stare out the window the rest of the ride while I fail at making conversation. 

Finally pulling into my driveway, I spot Silas, Gabe, and Luke getting out of the car in front of us and I almost feel relieved. Stepping out of the car, I watch as Angel greets the others and easily falls into step besides Gabe who is chatting her ear off about school. To my surprise a smile appears on her lips as Gabe cracks a joke. 

"Woah, I think I am a bit jealous." Luke states a smile on his face as he walks besides me, Victor and Silas watching how the two get along so easily. 

"Never seen Gabe get along with someone so easily, since Angelle mou." Silas comments as we make our way through the kitchen and into the living room. We are the last to arrive and as we enter Mr. Blackbourne and Doc are already standing at the front and Nathan, Luke, North, and Sang. I notice that North has Sang in his lap and the others are circled around her while Angel sits on the far side of the room on the floor and Gabe sits besides her.  

Taking our places around the room, I glance to Angel who watches Mr. Blackbourne at the front of the room. 

"Now that everyone is here. I would like for Angel to report what she learned today," Mr. Blackbourne states and then suddenly everyone is frozen. 

"I have befriended a girl named Candice. She has stated to me that there is a ring of prostitution occurring between the student body and the staff." I nearly choke on my breath in shock and disbelief. Glancing to the other's their faces also reflect my emotions and it is North that speaks up first. 

"How the fuck did you figure this out? " He growls holding tightly to Sang who slips her hands into his and squeezes. 

Glancing back to Angel, her face is blanked of emotions but her eyes flicker from North to Doc which surprises me before they return to North. " After Doc called me out during class for sleeping and kept me after to talk to me. The idiot assumed that I "did" Doc here and that is why they accepted me into their group." 

"Holly fuck! That's why people are calling you a whore!" Gabriel exclaims his eyes wide with shock and once again, shock courses through me as a fit of laughter erupts from Angel's mouth. 

"It never surprises me how fast rumors get spread around." She smirks. 

"Ms. Black please continue." Mr. Blackbourne states refocusing the group. 

"Wait a fucking second, are you telling me that this is okay?!" North basically bellows and Sang flinches slightly in his lap. Victor makes to take Sang but I shake my head knowing fully well that Sang is the only thing holding North back. 

"If you wanna catch the mother fuckers ruining this school you will." Angel snaps back and the electricity in the air sparks. "Look I get you fucking don't like me but I seem to have been the one to be invited into this fucked up group and have the inside scoop. They invited me to sit with them at lunch and seems as though students sleeping with staff if a fucking regular occurrence. Not just some thing to pass the time in science lab. Jessica, another girl, hinted that she is sleeping with Mr. Smith and that if they service the staff then they get to do what ever they want. " Angel finishes her voice filled with disgust toward the others and yet she has not risen from her seat and hasn't raised her voice. 

There is silence for another couple of moments as we soak in the information. So the staff are being serviced by the students and in turn the students are running the school. What did we walk into?

"Angel is correct." Mr. Blackbourne states glancing toward the others. "She has infiltrated them and even though Sean has been involved that might be a positive later on." Instantly my mind seems to race. 

Just what is going on at Ashley Waters?