Page 66 of Wylder and the Secret Rockstar
“It wouldn’t kill you to skip a practice every once in a while to catch up on sleep.”
“Says the girlnothere on a sport’s scholarship.” Killian reluctantly found his jeans and shoes to finish dressing.
“Should we ask Logan?” Killian asked.
“Definitely not, and we only have a few minutes to get through security before this gets a lot harder.”
“Well, we could just stay home and not go anywhere.”
“Not an option.” Wylder tugged his hand and towed him down the hall to Diego’s room.
“You’re not dressed yet?”
Diego looked up from his work and scowled at Killian. “You were supposed to say no.”
“Wylder?” Killian turned to her with his hands on his hips.
“Whatever, we’re all up and dressed so let’s go.”
“I’m not dressed,” Diego protested.
“I’m still in my pajamas, you’re fine.” In truth, Diego was much more adorable in his matching red plaid pajamas and his blue monster slippers than she was in her baggy black yoga pants that had never seen one second of yoga—and her worn out red hoodie with unicorn slippers and fading blue hair.
“But …” He glanced at Killian. “Pajamas?”
“You’re fine.” Wylder took his hand and ushered her boys out the door.
“Shouldn’t we invite Will? Or Logan?” Diego asked.
“Will sleeps like the dead, and it’s a hard pass on Logan tonight.”
Wylder led them through the basement door to the back of the dormitories and along a side path to the visitor’s parking lot hardly anyone used.
A long brick wall loomed in front of them, but she punched in the new code for the side gate. She’d lifted the new codes from the security office the day Nicky picked her up. It helped that most of the guards were completely oblivious to the fact that the girl they hated was so much smarter than them.
“The codes change every semester.” Killian shook his head. “How do you always manage to get your hands on them?”
“That’s top-secret information.” Not that it was hard when the guards kept a copy of the current codes taped to the filing cabinet in the office, and all she had to do was snap a picture of the sheet when she got in trouble.
People thought she was some kind of mastermind troublemaker, but it didn’t take a genius to sneak off this campus.
“How will we get past the main gates?” Diego asked as he followed her across the parking lot.
“We’re already past the school walls, boys. The main gate is at the end of the long driveway, but you see that trail over there?” She pointed to the narrow path through the strip of woods bordering the visitor’s lot. “That leads to the landscaper’s shed. There are no cameras over there. Nothing between that shed and the street but one more gate I have the code to. I have an Uber waiting for us down the street.”
“Howdo you know all this?”
“I have my ways.” Wylder picked up her pace along the path.
“She’s some kind of evil genius.” Killian shook his head with a grin.
“It feels good to get out of prison every now and then.” Wylder ducked at the edge of the woods, glancing around the landscaper’s shed to the side gate beyond. As soon as they were through, she felt like a ten-pound weight lifted from her shoulders. There was no doubt Defiance Academy was good for her, but it could be so stifling sometimes.
“I guess I could go for a shake and some fries.” Diego smiled at her as they slipped into the waiting Uber. “Oh no! I forgot my travel mug.”
“It’s okay, Diego, the Main uses glasses for their shakes, so the environment won’t suffer this one time.”
At the Main, Wylder helped herself to some menus and led her boys to her favorite booth. The Main was like home to her. After Nicky spent the summer working at the Main last year and she’d spent every day working at her dad’s hardware store across the street, they were used to her presence.
