“What’s your point?” Bryce demanded as he leaned back, back in cool control.

Miss Connors watched him and shook her head as a grin tugged at her lips.

“Bryce Scout, you’d be surprised how many times I hear your name in this office. Little girls who think they’re in love. Some just want to lose a few more pounds so you’d notice them. Some try to convince themselves that you’ll love them if they sleep with you or sleep with your friends. And then there’s the scorned ones. The ones who finally realize that you don’t love them and you’ll never love them. Those are the ones that break my heart because they think they’ve lost everything.” She shook her head, astounded. “How do you do that, Bryce Scout? How do you get everyone to want you so bad and they still want you even when you’ve tossed them out?”

Bryce locked eyes with her and neither budged.

I sighed and stated, “I know what you’re doing.”

“Hold on, Sheldon. I’m talking with Bryce Scout now.”

I ignored her. “You’re trying to understand us so you’re going after all of us. You went after me, Bryce, and Corrigan’s next. You want to know who speaks up for who because you want to understand us.”

She ignored me in return and murmured, “So, Bryce Scout, how does it feel to have Sheldon think you can’t handle anymore? She just stepped up to save you, like you did for her.”

“I’m bored,” Corrigan proclaimed.

A smile came to Miss Connors as she reflected, “And your best friend just threw in his bit. He’s trying to save you too.”

“Maybe they’re trying to save you,” Bryce said softly.

“Oh yes,” Miss Connors breathed in appreciation. “I get why all the girls pander for you so much. You’ve got this cool arrogance that make them flock to you. It’s interesting, though, because everyone in this room knows that the one girl you love, you can’t get.”

She looked at me without flinching, “So what’s it about you, Sheldon? What’ve you got that all the other girls don’t? And Corrigan? How do you feel on the outskirts as you mentioned before? You’ve got two best friends who circle around each other, sleep with each other, and there’s you.”

“This is a waste of time.” Bryce yawned, pointedly. “You’re just attacking us.

Where’s the sympathy? We found a dead body Friday night. I thought this was about that.”

Miss Connors looked at him steadily and replied, “Really? You really want this session to be about that when the three of you came in here and gave a dog and pony show for me? Because all four of us know that when you walked in here, there was nothing I could do to hear the truth from the three of you. How it really feels to know someone that died, to know that you were the ones who found her first, to see a dead body, and to know that she was killed by the same pervert who’s sending sick twisted notes to Sheldon.” She waved a finger around the room. “All four of us know that went on and yet, the three of you band so tight together, no one can get in. I knew no matter how much education I have behind my belt, the three of you would never let a stranger into that bond.”

Bryce fell silent.

Corrigan fell silent.

So did Miss Connors.

So I spoke up, “It’s not you, Miss Connors. I don’t talk to them either.”

She was surprised. I saw a brief flash in her eyes, but Miss Connors recovered instantly and asked, “Have you ever?”

“What?”

“Have you ever talked to someone?”

I had. I had talked to my parents. To my father once.

Corrigan and Bryce didn’t say anything, but I knew they both thought the same thing.

My parents were in the room, even though they were across the ocean.

I relented, “My parents.”

“And they left, didn’t they?” Miss Connors asked, nonplussed. She leaned forward. “For the record, Sheldon, I think you have truly awful parents. They left their child when it was legal to leave their child. I can’t do a damn thing about that and they’re very self-absorbed when it comes to their only daughter who has every right to be as bitter and angry as you are. I get why you don’t respect me. I really do. I wouldn’t either if I had a mother like yours. But I want to make one thing very clear—these two guys will not leave you if you talk to them.”

She leaned back again and added, “I’ve talked to a lot of students and the three of you are always mentioned as the top dogs in this school. I’ll be honest, until the last few days, I would’ve thought the worst about you two, Bryce and Corrigan. But I’ve also heard some great things about you guys. You protect Sheldon. The two of you are incredibly loyal to your friends. So I’ll just say, and this is for you Sheldon, that these two best friends you have will not leave you if you talk to them. It’ll draw them closer to you. You will not break down if you cry about Leisha. And that’s it for today. I want all three of you back in here in two days. Have a good day and don’t skip any classes.”

Miss Connors dismissed us and we left, slower than when we’d entered.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

After our session with Miss Connor, neither of us wanted to be in school. After we saw the majority of teachers wandering around, comforting students, and only a handful of students were actually attending classes—Corrigan had bailed. Bryce and I gone after that.

And now I tilted my head back as Bryce’s lips settled on my neck where he sucked, licked, and generally made me melt. One of his hands held my hip while the other slid up and down my thigh in a slow caress. His legs rested on the bed to my side, but the rest of his body lightly rested over me. He traveled up my jaw and found my lips again. I gasped as his fingers worked the inside of my jeans and his tongue swept inside.

We’d taken our time, but twenty minutes of foreplay stretched our limit and Bryce abruptly sat up and quickly rid himself of a shirt. He started on his jeans when I unzipped my own and shimmied out of them. Shirt and bra had already been stripped away, but when my fingers found the straps of my thong, Bryce groaned and stopped me. His hands left his pants and he bent to kiss my hip, just above my thong.

“Bryce,” I moaned, but could only lay there, helpless, against the onslaught of pleasure.

He slipped the thong off and five minutes later, I shoved him away and desperately reached for his pants.