"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
I looked around to see Burn, somehow half-hidden in the shadow next to the lockers despite his towering height. His close-cropped, curly hair swayed in the breeze, his eyes tiredly watching me with none of Wolf's venom or Fitz's amusement. He just looked utterly bored.
"Jesus on a cheese platter! You scared me!" I hissed.
"Sorry," He muttered. "Wasn't my intention."
"What is it with you Blackthorn boys and annoying me today, huh? Is it 'bother Beatrix forever' day? Did you not hear me when I told you all to keep away from me?"
"I heard you," Burn said, voice getting softer even as mine got louder. He was so calm I felt somehow foolish for getting so worked up. I took a deep breath.
"Did Wolf put you two up to this?"
Burn's face didn't make many movements, but he quirked a bit of an eyebrow for this occasion.
"Us two?"
"Fitz talked to me, too. Tried to tell me how weird it was you guys got up early, or something? I don't know, I stop listening to condescending voice tones when they go on for more than five seconds."
I heard a chuckle, and blinked. That couldn't have been Burn. I'd never so much as seen him smile, let alone laugh. But there it was - the smallest of grins on his face, though it faded quickly when we locked eyes.
"When Wolf first started, I didn't agree with his methods," Burn said. "I still don't. When he told me what he planned to do, I tried to talk him out of it."
"That obviously didn't go too well."
Burn kept on, his voice steady. "I didn't help him, at the beginning. Neither did Fitz. It was a fool's errand, we thought. But then we saw it."
His jade-green eyes got a little distant, like he was deep in a memory.
"Saw what?" I tried.
"The school. It...transformed. It got better. Everyone was scared of Wolf, and he knew it, and he used that. The red cards made people think twice about doing terrible things."
"Sorry, I'm must be slow or something, because I'm seriously not understanding what's so great about bullying people into making them do what you want."
Burn studied me - not devouring me whole with his eyes like Wolf did, but a slow, even stare straight to my face. No fire, no acid. Just neutrality.
"I hope you stick around, Beatrix," He finally said.
"Why?"
Burn was quiet again, and then he murmurs, almost to himself; "I've never seen Wolf get that close to someone."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"
"He doesn't...do the whole touching thing." Burn said. "And he hates getting physically close to people. But you - that day with Eric and the red card -"
He trailed off, but the moment he was talking about hit me in vivid memory. Wolf's body heat, the way his shadow danced over my skin. He'd gotten way too close. But apparently that wasn't a thing with him.
"Burn, what the hell -"
"Just...do me a favor," Burn said. "And stay in this school. If you can."
Without another word, walked away. I sputtered into the air, throwing my hands up in confusion. Not only were the Blackthorn brothers annoying as hell, they were obtuse. All three of them were very different, but they shared one thing in common - never stopping to explain themselves.
"Fine." I shoved my books in my bag. "Fine! Don't explain anything ever, that's fine and dandy and definitely something normal people do!" I moved to tear the red card up in my frustration, but something stopped me. If I did, Wolf would be more pissed, wouldn't he? He'd lower that guillotine blade down on my head even faster. Argh! I hated that I was making any decisions because of him in the first place! It was bullshit, and he was bullshit, and -
My bag buzzed, and I took out my phone. Dad was calling me. I gripped the phone hard, the plastic of its edges sinking like teeth into my palm. I told him I was almost home, and was running late for the bus. Which I was, thanks to a certain Blackthorn brother. I hung up with a hot knot of dread in my stomach.
"I'm not at Lakecrest for me," I rested my chin on the cool metal of my locker and muttered into it. "This isn't about me. This place is for Dad. NYU. NYU. New York University, Bee. Don't get it twisted. That's all that matters. So what if you hate Wolf's guts? Just ignore him. Ignore him, and do what you have to do to get out of here with a shining college resume."
I repeated it to myself the entire walk to the bus stop. If I said it enough times, it would cement itself in my brain as truth, and I could stop catching on offended fire every time I saw Wolf's face. In theory. But dear god, my theories had been awful lately.
I brought out one of my psych books and started pouring over it, so I didn't notice the sleek black limo pull up to the curb. Even if I had, I probably would've just thought it was somebody getting picked up at school by their private driver - something I'd seen way too many times at this point to be surprised by. So the low voice startled me when it said my name.
"Miss Cruz?"
I looked up to see the handsomest older man I'd ever seen sitting in the backseat of the limo, his window rolled down. His hair was nearly all white with age, but his face had fine, deep lines that somehow made him look more regal. His brows were thick and his nose was slightly hawkish, and his lips formed a smile.
"So you are Miss Cruz. Forgive me for the intrusion. My name is Nathaniel Blackthorn. I serve as Chairman of the School Board for Lakecrest Preparatory."
Wolf's dad. The guy I submitted my essay to for the McCaroll scholarship. The guy Fitz hacked to get that same essay. I'd been so worried about impressing him when I was trying to get into this school. My heart suddenly felt like it'd been home-runned straight into my voice box. I stood up and smoothed my skirt.
"H-Hello, sir. Sorry, I didn't know -"