Page 14 of Crew
Jordan opened his mouth.
Mr. Neeon pointed to the right corner of the ceiling. "We had cameras put in over the summer."
Jordan's mouth closed with a snap.
"Surprise." Our principal's smile didn't reach his eyes. He raised his voice, booming again as he scanned the entire hallway. "That message is for everyone here. Roussou High School will not tolerate violence. Any violence! No violence." His eyes fell to me. "That goes for anybody, crew or Normals."
I didn't react. I didn't even blink.
Alex coughed, clearing his throat. "As an honorary member of Student Council, I think we need to make sure students' rights aren't being violated as well."
Principal Neeon turned, his hands going into his pockets. "An honorary member? Did you just nominate yourself?"
Alex grinned, a twinkle in his eyes. "I doubt they'll kick me off, and I'm serious, Mr. Neeon. We need to make sure our privacy and confidentiality are maintained."
The principal just stared.
Alex didn't buckle. He kept that cocky smirk on his face, and along with us, he was one who could. His group had around thirty members, ranging over all the grades, so he was protected. His older brother had established their crew, and when Drake graduated last year, Alex stepped into the leadership role.
It didn't always happen that way, but it had with their group. It was good as long as the previous leader okayed it, and he had. I would know. I'd dated him until he decided he was done with everything in Roussou. Everyone too.
"Bathrooms and locker rooms are protected. There is no surveillance in those places, but everywhere else?" He stepped closer to Alex, towering over him. "You're damned right I put those cameras up."
Alex's twinkle looked a bit more forced. "Well, thank you for that respect of privacy."
"The times when you guys could walk around this school, literally shoving around your weight, is over, Mr. Ryerson. When you're on my grounds, there is no crew system."
"That's just--" Alex swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Wonderful."
Principal Neeon looked at Jordan. "I am going to review those tapes, and if I find any violence on there, the appropriate persons will be penalized." His gaze fell to me. "Now!" He glanced back to Alex, his tone lighter. "Mr. Ryerson, if you could come with me to my office. There's someone here to see you."
"What?" Alex frowned. "I didn't do anything..." His voice trailed off as he gazed down the hallway where Principal Neeon had come from.
The rest of us looked too.
And there, standing unperturbed by the attention, was a guy.
His dark hair was rumpled. He had a bulldog-type face, with his mouth pulled close to his nose and his eyes set close to each other, but with a square jawline. He shouldn't have been good-looking, but with his broad shoulders and athletic build, he was. It was also in the defiant way his nostrils flared, his head rising as he looked at everyone staring at him.
There was something about him...
The way he stood there, a backpack thrown over one shoulder, his hand in his pocket. A familiar feeling tingled at the back of my neck.
When Alex said his name, it all clicked.
"Fuck, Race. What are you doing here?"
Race Ryerson.
This was Drake and Alex's cousin, the one I'd never met.
"Language, Mr. Ryerson." Principal Neeon extended a hand toward Race. "And this is why I asked for your presence. I'll let, uh, your cousin give the explanation." He looked at Race. "You have your schedule?"
Race came over to us, nodding. "I do. Thank you, Mr. Neeon."
"Yes. Well..." Our principal scanned the group one last time. "I'll leave you to it then."
Alex didn't look like his cousin, or his brother either. While both of them were dark and somewhat rugged, in their own way, Alex's hair frayed at the ends. It fell to his shoulders, but he had it pulled back today.
