Chapter 211

Tessa’s POV

“Remind me again why you dragged me here?” Ruby asked, her messy bun flopping over one side of her face and her eyes drooping from exhaustion.

It was early and getting Ruby to wake up and join me in the school’s auditorium to help the committee prepare for graduation was like pulling out teeth. I knew she wasn’t going to want to do this, but as soon as Dean Miller called and asked for this factor, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to say no.

“Because you are my best friend and I really didn’t want to do this by myself,” I told her for the hundredth time.

She rolled her eyes and fought against a yawn that soon consumed her entire body.

I frowned at my friend as she helped me unfold a banner that was meant to hang over the stage that read: Congratulations!

“Did you not sleep well last night?”

She narrowed her eyes at me.

“How are you so well-kempt?” She asked, furrowing her brows together. “You drank just as much as I did.”

“That’s what’s wrong?” I asked, stifling a smile. “You’re hungover?”

“Obviously,” she said in return.

I shrugged.

“I guess I just drank a lot of water,” I told her.

There were a few others in the auditorium also setting up for the big graduation, but there weren’t nearly enough people. No wonder Dean Miller called me for help. I was glad I brought Ruby as well because, at this rate, it was going to take a miracle to get this auditorium ready for the big day.

Butterflies assaulted my belly as I thought about graduation.

My father and Penny were both going to be here to watch me graduate and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to face either of them after finding out that my father knew what I was this entire time and tried to hide it from me.

I shook my head at the very thought and placed the ladder against the back wall of the stage before beginning my venture up the steps, holding onto one side of the banner. Ruby did the same with another ladder and the other side of the banner.

“Do you remember last night at all?” I asked her, curiously.

She had mentioned that Carter told her about being a vampire. When Joseph brought her home, she brought it up to him as well. He told me he used his mind manipulation to convince her he was joking, not that she believed Carter anyway. But now that Carter has loose lips, he needs to be watched.

I worried he was going to tell Ruby everything.

Ruby only shook her head.

“Not much,” she said. “Only that awful joke Carter played on me. Something about him being a vampire. He’s so stupid.”

I frowned at her; the way she said that I could hear the pain evident in her voice and it made my heart squeeze painfully in my chest.

I didn’t want her to hate Carter.

“Sorry,” she murmured, shaking her head. “I know he’s your cousin.”

I completely forgot about that lie I told Ruby about Carter being my cousin and instantly felt heat rush to my cheeks. I didn’t want to lie to my best friend, but I also wasn’t sure what else to say.

Once the banner was hung across the stage, I climbed down from the ladder. There were a couple of girls sprawled out on the ground, making posters and banners for the audience to wave around in support of the graduating class.

I recognized both girls as Kenzi and Margot, members of the student committee and two of the smartest girls in the school. They were kind enough, not that I ever really spoke to them. We always ran in different circles They had their own group of friends, and they were popular in their own ways.

They were nothing like Brian’s friends though, which was what I admired most about them.

They were popular but humble.

“Do you think there’s going to be an after-party?” Margot asked, peering over at her friend who was using way too much tape on their flyer.

It was clear she was more smart than creative.

Ruby noticed this too and rolled her eyes as she sat beside Margot, grabbing the tape from her hands.

Ruby was very creative; she loved anything that had to do with art and designs. Her dream was to be a fashion designer, which meant she needed to learn everything about not only fashion design but art as well.

She was born and bred for this kind of thing; another reason why I brought her along with me.

Margot gave her a small smile as Ruby helped her with the banner.

“Doubtful,” Kenzi answered as she stood and went over a bunch of unopened boxes. She opened one and I saw a bunch of deflated balloons. “The machine is broken so we have to blow these up the old-fashioned way,” Kenzi sighed before looking at me. “Want to help me.”

I wanted to say no, but I didn’t.

I just nodded and took a seat beside her, grabbing one of the rubber balloons and started to blow air into it.

“Why doubtful?” Margot asked. “There’s always a party after events. This school is known for the famous after parties.”

“Yeah, but that was when Brian was still here,” Kenzi reminded her.

Her words left me feeling paralyzed and Ruby lifted her gaze from the poster to look at me. I’m sure I was a bunch of different shades of red as the two girls looked at one another with sorrowful expressions.

“His parties were the best,” Margot sighed. “Someone should take over the party planning.”

“Pretty big shoes to fill,” Kenzi shrugged. “But maybe someone will. I always hear when there’s a party in the works and I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“So, I’m guessing Brian isn’t graduating?” Ruby asked, surprising me.

Both girls looked at her with timid frowns; then they looked at me and I felt my face heating again. Their eyes landed on one another before they looked back at Ruby. It was as if they had a secret conversation before deciding to answer her question.

“You hadn’t heard?”

We both shook our heads; I was now invested and telling from the look on Ruby’s face, that she was also very invested.

“Brian was expelled,” Kenzi told us, making us both gasp loudly.

“Expelled?” Ruby asked; I was thankful she was capable of speaking because I certainly wasn’t. “What do you mean he was expelled.”

“She means he was kicked out of the school,” Margot answered, a little snarky.

“For what?” I finally found my voice, turning their eyes to me.

“I’m surprised you don’t know,” Margot said, raising her brows. “Weren’t you two a thing?”

I shook my head quickly; maybe a little too quickly because I found myself lightheaded.

“We broke up a while ago,” I corrected. “We haven’t been together in a while.”

“Didn’t you go to the homecoming game to see him?” Margot asked, folding her arms across her chest. It was obvious she was sizing me up and judging me. My cheeks flushed as I stared down at the balloon in my hands. “And he confessed his feelings for you; did he not?”

“We aren’t together anymore,” I said again, biting my lower lip to keep myself from saying something I would seriously regret.

“Interesting,” Margot murmured, and it was obvious she didn’t believe me.

“There was a huge scandal that was released about Brian’s father’s business,” Kenzi broke in, stopping the conversation from escalating even more than it already had.

“A scandal?” I asked, raising my brows. “What kind of scandal?”

“A drug mule,” Kenzi said, a hint of amusement on her face. “I always knew that business was sketchy as fuck. But now the entire world knows. Most of their family income was from drug trafficking. Including the money that was used to start their business and the money used to send Brian to this school.”

My eyes nearly popped out of my head.

“What?!” Both Ruby and I gasped at the same time.

“Are you serious?” Ruby was the one to ask.

“I don’t lie about shit like that,” Kenzi said just before she blew up another balloon.

“That explains why he was expelled,” I breathed, shaking my head with dismay written all over my face.

Ruby nodded in agreement.

“And what about his father’s business?” Ruby asked. “What’s going to happen.”

“It got shut down,” Kenzi answered. “Now the family is broke; his father is in prison and Brian’s entire family is probably splitting apart.”

For some reason, my heart squeezed for Brian and all he was going through. Not enough to go see him, but maybe a text or a phone call might be good. As I got lost in thought, the girls started to talk about the after-party again.

“It’s just a shame because if anyone was going to throw an after-party, it would have been Brian,” Margot breathed.

Kenzi nodded in agreement.

They both fell silent and then before I could stop myself, words were tumbling out of my mouth.

“I might know a place where we could have the after-party.