Page 18 of Betraying Bexley

He held the door open for her and she caught a glimpse of his tattoos. Weird. She'd been so anxious to leave his place she hadn't taken the time to look at him. Like, really see him. He had several tattoos. Some of them were gang-related. Another was a set of rosary beads and prayer hands. She shuddered. Her father's men had those too. She swallowed hard and took her first tentative step into the school building, pushing away all thoughts of her father or his men. The blast of warm air from the heater suffused her chilled skin and she sighed.

“See you.” Alé waved as he headed down the hall.

Bex blew out a breath. Before she could return to class she had to check-in at the office. Usually, her father handled this part of her absences, but this time, he wasn't the one to cause the injury. She stepped into the room and went to the counter. The women behind the counter carried on a hushed conversation about some man who'd been there the week before while Bex had been home—hiding. The longer Bex stood there waiting for one of them to notice her, the deeper her frown became. If she didn't know any better, she swore they were talking about Noah, Mr. Aquino's husband yet it didn't make sense. Why would Noah be at the school?

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the woman said, painting on a cheerful expression. “I didn’t mean to be so rude, Bexley. How can I help you?”

She knew Bex’s name. Surprise lit inside of her “I-I was absent. F-For a w-week.”

“We heard,” the woman said, in a gentle calming tone. “Are you okay?”

She rolled her shoulder. “S-Same s-stuff. D-Different d-day.”

The woman frowned. “What can I do for you?”

“N-Note?” Bex lowered her head. “I-I d-don’t h-have one.”

The woman waved her off. “All taken care of. Mr. Aquino let us know there was an accident with your leg.”

An accident with her—Bex nodded. “R-Right. M-My leg.”

“If you need any help, please let us know. We’re here for you.” The woman smiled. It was full of reassurance and kindness, something none of the staff besides Mr. Aquino showed her.

Bex didn’t believe it for a second. If they were kind and if they meant a thing they said, Sasha, Valerie, and Marybeth would be expelled from the school. No, they only said those words to keep up the appearance they cared, especially if Noah had been there. “S-Sure. C-Class.” She hooked her thumb toward the door.

“Have a good day, Bexley.”

She started for the door when the woman gasped. “Your leg.”

Bex frowned. Had she scratched it or bent something? Bronx spent a lot of time on the prosthesis. The paint job alone had to take six hours with all the details, not to mention all the gears and mechanisms she put into the actual limb. She glanced over her shoulder, afraid of what the woman might say. “Y-Yes?”

“Oh!” The woman shook her head. “Nothing bad. It’s beautiful. It also looks slimmer. Did you get a new one?”

“I g-guess.” It did feel better and her sores, even though it’d only been a week, were going away.

“It fits you now.” The woman smiled again. “You seem more confident walking on it.”

Why was the woman talking to Bex like she knew Bex? If it’d been a month ago, all of the administrated staff would have avoided Bex at all costs. “T-Thanks.” She exited the office and started for her first period. She only hoped she could keep up. As it was, even though her leg felt stronger, she was weak. It’d been stupid, now that she thought about it, going home. If she’d stayed with Alé and Bronx at least she would have been warm and had more to eat than ramen and spaghetti-o’s.

Maybe if she’d stayed, Bronx could have helped her shower too. Because it’d taken longer to get ready than usual due to her arm, and she’d missed breakfast which also meant, she was famished. Her stomach growled and she grit her teeth. It wasn’t the first time she’d gone without and it wouldn’t be the last. Panic set in. What if she passed out due to not eating enough? What if The Bitches found her? They’d not only eat it up, but who knew what they’d do to her while she couldn’t defend herself. It was bad enough what they’d done to her last year, the fact Bex realized it could get worse, only made the situation more dire for her. Bex’s stomach cramped in fear and hunger and she whimpered softly.

“You’re late.” Bronx joined her. “Here.” She handed Bex a lunch bag. “I figured you enjoyed breakfast with us Saturday morning.”

Bex inhaled and her mouth watered. “T-Thank you.”

“What are friends for?”

“D-Dunno,” Bex replied. “D-Don’t have those.”

Bronx frowned. “Are you saying I’m not a friend?”

Heat filled Bex’s cheeks. “N-No. Y-You’re a n-new friend.”

Bronx giggled. “Damn right I am. Come on.” She threw her arm over Bex’s shoulder. “How’s your leg? Work better? I’m recording the data from your knee and foot/ankle sensors.”

Bex stopped walking. “Huh, r-recording?”

Bronx glanced back at her. “Yes. If I’m going to keep it tuned for you, I have to get accurate readings.”

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