Page 76 of A Ballad of Betrayal and Beauty

My eyebrows rise. “Petition?”

This time she rolls her eyes. “Yes, Prentiss, the petition.”

“Remind me what it’s for?”

She crosses her arms. “To have that cheating harlot, Dusty Connors, expelled.”

I lean forward so fast my chair almost tips. “Wait, what?”

“I heard Mrs. Smith say she’s testing at the top of her class. She’s obviously cheating.”

“So because she’s smart she’s automatically cheating?” I press.

Cynthia scoots forward on her chair. “She dresses like a street walker, she smokes, and I heard from Emory Radcliffe that she was looking to”—Cynthia looks around then lowers her voice—“score drugs.”

My face scrunches. What a load of nonsense. Dusty and I have been secretly dating for months and never once has she mentioned doing drugs. She smokes, yeah, but who doesn’t? “Cynthia, that’s insane. Also, Radcliffe has never told the truth in his life, so I doubt it. There’s nothing wrong with her.”

Cynthia huffs, turning to the group. “You see? Even our very own choir boy Keith Prentiss has fallen under her spell.”

I roll my eyes. “Spell? She’s not a witch.”

Another girl, Karen, with headgear and long brunette braids, leans forward. “She may as well be. I’ve seen the way you look at her. Like you’re . . . thinking sinful thoughts.”

“It’s not a sin to have thoughts, Karen,” I retort. “But if that’s what you believe, it would explain a lot about you.”

She scrunches her nose. “You know that’s not what I mean. She’s a temptress. And if we don’t stop her, how many others are going to follow down that path?”

I scoff. “Oh please. She doesn’t even have any friends. She’s always alone. Who is she going to influence?”

“Clearly she’s influenced you,” Matthew says from beside Cynthia.

I narrow my eyes at him. “What?”

“She’ll be your carnal sin, Keith,” he says, sitting back in his chair looking pleased with himself. “Your fall from grace.”

Cynthia and Karen sneer at me. “She’s trash, Keith,” Cynthia says. “And you know where trash belongs? At the dump. Not our school.”

I’m on my feet so fast my chair tumbles backward. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that,” I yell.

The moment the words leave my lips, I know I fell right into their trap. The girls cling to each other, and Matthew smirks.

“I’m sure Reverend Hollis would be very interested to hear why you’ve taken such an interest in her. Your parents will be disappointed.”

“I haven’t taken an interest in her. I just don’t think it’s right that we judge someone to the point of bullying them out of school. I thought it was god’s job to judge us. Since when do you all consider yourselves above the lord?”

I see them squirm in their seats. See Cynthia’s eyes move to her clipboard and petition, then tuck it away in her backpack.Point for Key.

“Love thy neighbor,” I say, doubling down. “Isn’t that right? Or have you all forgotten?”

They cast their eyes away, and I grab my bag before heading out of the library, pushing through the doors and into the empty halls. I wipe sweat from my forehead and take a deep breath. That was too close. It still could be. Those narrow-minded jerks could still go to my church—my parents—but at least for now, I think I’ve stopped them.

A sharp whistle grabs my attention, and there’s Dusty, smiling at me from behind a door to my left. I take one last quick glance at the library to make sure no one from Teens for Christ is watching me then jog after her into the room.

When the door snaps shut behind me, it takes me a second to recognize the school auditorium, or rather backstage—the curtains hanging around us block out the lights from the seating. Dusty’s hands find me in the dark, weaving through my hair, and I wrap my arms around her waist. Our lips meet and we melt into each other. We take our time, and while I know it’s something I shouldn’t be doing, I let my hands wander.

Dusty lets me explore her curves, her edges, and everything in between.

“Key?” she whispers.

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