Page 40 of Wylder and the Secret Rockstar
“Come here, little lady.” One of the officers stepped down to reach for her hand and help her up the bank. She was shivering and her teeth were chattering, and she felt like a complete idiot for causing so much trouble over a simple dip in the lake.
Someone wrapped a warm blanket around her, and she turned to gather her clothes. Headlights flooded the trail, and a car door slammed.
“What on earth possesses anyone to go swimming in Ohio in September at night?” Ms. Jones marched across the clearing to join the security guards. “Of all the stupid stunts I’ve seen, this one takes the cake.”
“Sorry,” Wylder managed to say through her chattering teeth.
Ms. Jones stood in front of her with her hands on her hips, shaking her head. “Why is it whenever I hear someone’s done something off the charts stupid, it’salwaysyou, Ms. Anderson?”
Wylder just shrugged, eager to get through whatever punishment was headed her way so she could escape to her room and disappear from existence for a while.
“Get in the car. Both of you.” Ms. Jones pointed to her SUV. “We’re going to go have a little chat in my office.”
Wylder climbed into the backseat, still clutching the blanket around her. Logan wouldn’t even look at her before he slid into the front seat. He’d managed to put his clothes back on, but he was still shivering.
“Honestly, of all the epically stupid…” Ms. Jones continued to mutter as she drove them back up to the administrative building. Wylder had enough time to wiggle back into her jeans and t-shirt. She felt a little warmer now that she was out of the cool evening breeze.
Wylder used the edge of the blanket to squeeze the water from her hair, the hair that had started this whole thing. Cutting it was supposed to make things better, but she was in it deep now. She just hoped she didn’t get expelled. She wasn’t sure she could survive that experience a second time.
“Inside.” Ms. Jones held the office door open and pointed down the hall. “I’m going to call Wylder’s parents and your brother, Mr. Cook. You will sit in my office and you will not speak until I join you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Wylder trudged down the hall leaving little puddles of lake water behind.
Fuming, Logan threw himself into the chair beside her.
“I’m really sorry,” she said, keeping her voice down.
“We’re not supposed to talk.” Logan leaned away from her.
Wylder tapped her foot against the hardwood floor, wondering how long it took to expel a student from Defiance Academy. It was a quick and painful process at Twin Rivers High, but here they might put her through some sort of peer trial to decide her fate.
“What were you thinking?” Ms. Jones stepped into the room.
“I don’t know.” Wylder sighed. “I just needed to cut loose and relax, I guess. I dragged Logan along. This isn’t his fault.”
“While that is very admirable of you, Ms. Anderson, I do believe Mr. Cook has a mind of his own. He’s perfectly capable of making sound choices for himself.”
“I went along with it.” Logan looked down at his lap. “It seemed like a fun idea at the time.”
“The lake is off-limits. You’d know that if you paid attention to the rules, Wylder.” Ms. Jones sat back against her chair.
“It won’t happen again.” Logan leaned forward on the edge of his seat.
“Your brother is waiting outside for you, Mr. Cook. You may go.”
Logan glanced at Wylder and back to Ms. Jones. “It really wasn’t just her fault.”
“Oh, I have no doubt of that, but as this is your first offense, I will leave the bulk of your punishment to your brother, and we will see you in detention on Saturday.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Logan stood, hesitating for a moment.
“Good night, Mr. Cook.”
He nodded, refusing to look at Wylder. “Good night.”
Wylder stared at her lap until Logan was gone. This was where everything went from bad to worse for Wylder.
“Seriously, what were you thinking?” Headmistress Jones asked, tapping her foot against the edge of her desk.
