Page 56 of Riot Rules
I sigh, laughing at the irony of the accusation. “Didn’t I tell you so?”
23
CARRIE
I remembermy first day at Wolf Hall like it was yesterday. It was the middle of August, and the temperatures were so high in New Hampshire that I gave myself heat stroke dragging my suitcase up the long, winding road to the academy. Alderman had refused to take me any further than the foot of the mountain. I’d cried as I’d lugged that suitcase behind me, all three miles in the blistering midday sun. Alderman had been the very embodiment of kindness to me since the day he picked me up off the side of the road in Grove Hill, Alabama, and so I couldn’t figure out why he’d just dump me three miles short of my destination—a destinationhechose for me—without seeing me safely to the front door. It made no sense.
I didn’t answer his calls or respond to his texts for the first month of school, still bitter over the fact that he’d treated me so callously, but eventually I cracked. I wanted to know what I’d done to upset him so much that he would have abandoned me, and so I’d finally picked up the phone and screamed the question at him in a pique of rage. During the long moment of silence that followed, I began to think that I’d accidentally hung up on him amidst all the shouting. But then he said, “I didn’t abandon you, kid. I took you as far as I could. You needed to realize you were capable of taking yourself the rest of the way.”
I’d wanted very badly to go to high school. Alderman had known that, but he’d also known how scared I was to leave him after what happened with Kevin. I’d just started to feel safe again, and he’d wanted me to know that I was still strong enough to fend for myself. I didn’t thank him for the lesson, then. I was still peeling from the sunburn and far from approving of his behavior, but I’ve since come to acknowledge that there was method to his madness.
He’s taken care of me in every way possible since that terrible night in Grove Hill. He’s clothed me, fed me, and sheltered me, and given me access to the best education money can buy. Everything he’s done has been for my own good. Even the rules he created and made me promise to abide by, though they’ve chaffed and worn at me over the past three years, were for my own good. And what have I done to thank him for all of his kindness? I’ve disobeyed him. Flouted his rules. I wasn’t strong enough to survive without friends.
And now…there is a boy.
I grin like an idiot as I hurry inside the academy. I’m still grinning, freezing cold though now mostly dry as I cross the entry way and hit the stairs. I can’t wait to get into bed and pull the covers over my head so I can replay all of the moments of tonight, turning them languorously over in my head like they’re pieces of melting chocolate, to be savored one at a t—
“Highly irregular, Miss Mendoza.”
Shit!
I’m a living statue, one hand on the banister railing, one foot lifted between the first and second step of the stairs. A cold shock of adrenalin hits like a wave. Oh god, I think I’m going to throw up.
Principal Harcourt’s kitten heels click-clack on the polished marble floor as she slowly approaches from behind. I turn, rigid as a board, shoulders up around my ears, and there she stands, still immaculately dressed in her pressed pant suit, her collar so starched it looks like it could cut. It’s well after midnight and the woman looks freshly ironed and ready to start a brand-new workday; it wouldn’t surprise me to find that shesleepsin a freaking pant suit.
With a withering look of disappointment on her face, she folds her arms across her chest and regards me. “It’s very late for shenanigans, Carina. This sort of nonsense is something I’ve come to expect from the other girls, but not from you. I’ve always thought we were of one mind, you and me. No nonsense. No fuss. No trouble. And yet here you are, in the middle of the night—”
“I’m so sorry. I—I—” I’ve never been in trouble before in my life. I have no go-to excuse for this kind of behavior. What would Mercy Jacobi say? Probably something about sacrificing kittens to the blood moon. Fuck, no, that’s not gonna work…
“I’d hate to think there was any coercion involved here,” Principal Harcourt says stiffly. “That would be very disappointing.”
“Coercion?”What the fuck? Does she think Dash forced me to—no, that doesn’t make sense. Does she thinkIforcedDashto—
“The fourth floor isn’t the warmest, I know, but the rooms are significantly larger than the rooms on the other floors. Most girls’ parents pay more for that luxury. Alderman—” She lowers her voice. “Once upon a time, Alderman was a good friend to me. I made sure my gratitude for his services was reflected in your tuition bill. I’d hate to think that he was trying to, ahh, push the friendship, as it were.”
“Tuition bill? You—wait. I’m confused. The fourth floor?” I’m struggling to keep up here. My brain’s too sluggish. None of this is making sense.
Principal Harcourt purses her lips, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently, as if to say,Keep up. It’s late. I don’t have time for this.
“I’ve spoken with the other girl and she’s assured me that everything was mutual and above board. I have no choice but to take her word for it. You’ve both left me in tight spot, though. Chloe was the student-teacher liaison for the fourth floor. None of the other girls are suitable for the role, so that means you’ll have to take on the job, amongst your other duties for the science club. I take it that won’t be a problem?”
“Uhh…” Still no clue. Like, none whatsoever. “Sure?”
“Good.” Principal Harcourt sighs wearily. “It would have been better to do this during daylight hours, Carrie, but what’s done is done. I assume everything’s okay up at the observatory?”
Oh, shit. Shit, shit,shit.She knows I was up there? This is really fucking bad. “Yes?” I wait for the axe to fall but she simply nods her perfunctory, businesslike nod and cracks her thumb knuckle.
“Excellent. That damned telescope’s a hinderance. Making sure that building remains watertight is a year-round challenge. When you check for leaks next time, remind John that he needs to dig a drainage ditch…”
She keeps talking. I keep nodding. The high-pitched buzz of white noise roars in my ears, drowning out Harcourt’s words. On the one hand, I’m so grateful that I appear to be getting away with my midnight jaunt up the hill that I’m too scared to ask questions. On the other, just…what? What the hell is goingon?
“Goodnight. I’ll have Bea email you the student-teacher liaison handbook in the morning. Review it carefully. And make sure you take this new responsibility seriously. It’s an important role, and I need you to treat it as such. Are we on the same page?”
Have I slipped into an alternate reality? Am I losing my mind? Did I agree to something in my sleep this morning? I smile, big and bright. “Yes, of course, Principal Harcourt.”
Harcourt spins and stalks off down the hall, in the direction of her office; even the tap, tap, tap of her heels as she walks away sounds disapproving.
“What the hell wasthatall about?” I take the stairs two at a time as I race back to my room, trying to untangle the stilted information I received in that bizarre interaction. Highly irregular. Coercion? Tuition fees. Alderman’s friendship with Harcourt?Friendship? I knew they were acquainted with one another, but by the sounds of things, their connection goes way beyond that. On the third floor, I open the door to my room, shrugging out of my damp jacket, and I come to a stumbling halt when I find Chloe Khan asleep in my bed. Or she was asleep. She wakes with a jolt and sits up, eyes the size of the moon. “Hey! What the hell are you doing?”
