Page 128 of Faux Real
Mrs. Patella stops, a sympathetic gleam in her eyes as she says, “Kennedy, dear, I think it is very admirable that you don’t want to get your friend into trouble but—”
“But nothing!” I say, frustration oozing from my pores. “It’s me. Really! Ollie is covering forme!”
“Go now.” Mrs. Patella lets out a sigh, motioning for Oliver to follow another teacher. Oliver doesn’t look back as he disappears through the door. “Please write an incident report, Miss Carmichael, the headmaster will want to read it.”
“Oh my God...” I expel a maniacal laugh. “What incident? Nothing happened. It’s not his! Why aren’t you listening to me? It’s mine.Mine. Mine. Mine.”
“I know it’s difficult dear,” she says, patting my shoulder. “Sometimes upholding the rules isn’t easy, especially when the repercussions are as serious as this, but you already did the right thing by confiscating the drugs.” She smiles at me. “The hard part is done, Miss Carmichael.”
“Are youfuckingkidding me?” Am I in a parallel universe right now? “Are you deaf or something?”
“Now Miss Carmichael,” Mrs. Patella scolds, frowning. “Look what this boy has turned you into.” She clicks her tongue. “With a record like his, I knew granting him admission was a bad idea.” She exhales, turning away. She heads to the door, closing it behind her, whispering under her breath, “But does anyone listen to little old me? No. Never.”
“Wha—” I blink as the door slams shut, unable to process what just happened.
“Kenny.” Max runs up to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Dude, are you okay?”
“No!” I cry, shrugging her off. “I need to stop this. He can’t—”
“Relax, Ken,” Max says, brows furrowed. “Just calm down.”
“Calm down?” My body vibrates at the injustice of it all. “Did you not just see what happened? You saw that right?! She just brushed me off, Max! What the actual fuck.” I turn on my heel, determined to right this wrong. “I need to—”
“Ken, stop!” Max grabs my arm, preventing me from exiting the cabin. I turn around, dumbfounded. “Don’t do this.”
“What?” I ask, losing my damn mind. “Don’t tell the truth? Max... he’s going to get expelled.”
“I know,” Max swallows. “Butyou’renot.” She sighs, her gaze sweeping the ground. “I like Ollie, I do but—” She glances at me. “I love you more, so please, just let him do this for you.”
“No.” I shake my head. “No way.”
“Kennedy—”
“No!” I reach for the door handle. “He’s not doing this! No fucking way!”
“Kennedy, wait!” Max calls out as I step onto the porch, thankful that my nosy-ass classmates have decided to call it a night. “Dude, stop! What’re you doing?!”
“I’m going to go find Mrs. Patella and tell her to let Ollie go,” I state, marching down the stairs.
“But what about Harvard, Ken?” Maxine asks, rushing after me. “You realize what you’re about to do, right?” Max grabs my arm. “Kennedy, stop and think for just a second!”
“Think about what?” I ask. “Think about Oliver throwing his whole future away just so I can go to Harvard? There’s nothing to think about. He isnotdoing this for me.”
“He already has, Ken,” Max says in a soft tone. “It’s done.”
“It’s not done until I say it’s done,” I declare, continuing to walk toward the teacher’s cabin. “I’ll just have to prove to them that the pills were mine.”
“And how are you going to do that, huh?” Max asks, joining my side. “Clearly, Mrs. P doesn’t believe you, so what are you going to do, Ken?” She lowers her voice. “Just let it go, Kenny. Let it go.”
“Seriously?” I stop outside the washrooms, crossing my arms as I glower at Maxine. “Howare you okay with this? You don’t think it’s a bit fucked up that just because Ollie has a bit of a past, he’s automatically the bad guy here? That itmustbe his? That there’s no waysweet, innocentme could be taking drugs? You don’t think that’s messed up?”
“I do... but—” Maxine shrugs. “Reputations matter and yours is just... cleaner than his.”
“I don’t care.” My jaw clenches. “This isn’t right.”
“Maybe you should wait until the morning,” Max suggests. “Give yourself some time to cool down and—”
The door to the washroom opens, the motion sensors lighting up Corrine’s face as she exits. “Oh, it’s the pill popper,” she chides, blowing air out her nose as she strides toward us, the stench of vodka on her breath. “I’m going to get you, Kennedy, believe me, bitch.” She grinds her teeth. “If you think you can get away with fucking me over like this?” She lets out a laugh. “Think again.”
