Page 100 of The Devils They Are

Thankfully, I'm able to squeeze in an appointment tomorrow afternoon. Normally we have to wait for ages, but the receptionist said there had been a cancellation.

Cancellation, my ass. It was one-hundred percent a pity appointment. I'm not stupid enough to believe that divine timing has fixed the atrocious healthcare system. But I'll take what I can get. The sooner I can get peace of mind, the better.

The rest of the day goes relatively quick. There's a weird change of atmosphere around Willowbrook as the dance approaches. The cheerleaders are walking around, acting all high and mighty, while staff still beg for volunteers. I'm surprised they haven't just told Cedar Heights students that it's mandatory to assist. After all, they do love their free labor.

When I walk into my last class of the day, Biology, I'm surprised to see a familiar face. Mr. Martin hasn't changed in the slightest over the past two months, still rocking a mismatched jacket and lavender hair. He smiles at me when I enter, giving a little wave before scanning the rest of the class.

I can see the Willowbrook students sneering, some baffled at the newcomer. But the shit-eating grins on the Cedar students are the icing on the cake. Suddenly, I'm filled with hope. We might survive this torture after all.

"Hello friends!" Mr. Martin grins when I take my seat. "I bet some of you are wondering who I am." He pauses, winking at me.

I can't help but smirk in response, shaking my head as I look down. There's nothing but silence in response, quiet enough that you'd hear a pin drop.

"I'll be taking over from your regular Biology teacher for the next few weeks. As you might have guessed, I'm from Cedar Heights."

My hand covers my mouth quickly, muffling a laugh as someone scoffs in disgust. Mr. Martin grins in their direction, tugging on his jacket lapels. The black jacket has patches of blue sewed onto it—all different shapes, the quirky attire appearing out of place in the building of snobs.

I meet the eyes of a few Cedar peers, happy to see them react in the same way as me. Scanning the other faces, I realize where the sound of disgust emerged from. Liv is in the front row, leaning on one elbow as she sneers at Mr. Martin while whispering to Sierra. It takes all my willpower to stay calm, knowing if I start cackling like a hyena it's going to send the room into chaos.

It becomes my favorite lesson to date, and by the end of it, I'm practically skipping out of the room with a dopey grin on my face.

When I get back to my truck, I catch sight of Sophia sprawled over the bonnet, eyes closed like some kind of reptile in the sun. She cracks an eye open at the sound of my approaching footsteps, still not moving.

"Carry me home," she begs.

"Still fucked from gym?"

All I get in reply is a long groan and the sound of flesh sliding down metal. Crawling into the cab, she drops her head back with a frown.

"I'll never recover from that. My legs were already sore from Klein chasing a fox yesterday. And then Coach Carter had to make it worse."

"Well, at least you get to go home and rest now," I laugh.

She sighs blissfully. "Thanks for the lift again."

Pulling out of the parking lot, I put some music on. "I'm heading to your house anyway. Saves you from having to carpool with your brother."

"We should carpool on Friday," she says, finally straightening up. "You, me, Abby and Archer."

I groan playfully. "If you insist."

Sophia elbows me. "You're going to have fun. Don't try to bullshit me otherwise."

"A night with Willowbrook's finest? How can I resist?"

"Why, thank you! I am pretty fine."

We pull up in front of Sophia's—and Tai's—house, the two of us disembarking mid-conversation about hair and makeup for Friday. For a girl that hates attention and is a living definition of introvert, she sure is bossy. I guess when she has her sights set on something, she'll take charge and wear you down until you give in. Huh—She's like Tai after all.

Speak of the Devil and he shall appear. The crunch of gravel has us both turning our heads as we watch his car pull up behind mine. He flashes both of us a grin as he heads through the front door, apparently in a better mood than yesterday for our study date.

"Let's do this!" he excitedly shouts, grabbing my arm and yanking me toward the stairs.

"Jesus, Beckett. Chill!" I beg, managing to catch my footing as I'm dragged toward his room.

I look over my shoulder, watching as Soph shakes her head with a snort before disappearing out of view.

"Why the madness?" I breathe out when we're in his bedroom. "I nearly died in gym today. You can't force me up stairs at that speed."

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