Beloved Purgatory (Fallen Angels, Book 2) by Katherine Pine Read Free Book Online Page B

hand tightened on my sleeve. I leaned into her again
and placed my hand over hers. Her skin was so clammy, and she was
shaking.
    Stop, it's okay, I mouthed. A suspension wouldn't keep her from
getting into Princeton, right?
    She frowned. Either she didn't understand my
message, or my delivery sucked. Probably the latter.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Forneus'
lip twitch. I guess he wasn't won over by my performance. "This
didn't happen on school property, correct?"
    "No," the principal replied.
    "And not during school hours, either?"
    The principal looked over at James' father.
"It didn't appear that way," the dad said.
    "I agree that the two should
be punished ,"
Forneus flashed his teeth and paused dramatically. What was up with
him and the word 'punishment'? Did he have to be so obvious and
disgusting?
    The principal gulped and gripped his hands
together. At least I wasn't the only one unsettled by Forneus'
tone.
    "However," Forneus continued as if there'd
been no awkward pause, "I think that suspension is a bit harsh for
such a childish prank."
    "No it's not," I squeaked.
    All the eyes in the room were on me. They
felt like ants crawling over my skin. I hated this. My throat
closed up. I couldn't think. "I mean, I did the deed," I choked
out.
    The principal frowned. "You did what?"
    Forneus snickered and rolled his wrist,
beckoning me to continue.
    I glared at the devil. "I did..." Wait, I
couldn't say 'deed' again. That's what Forneus wanted me to do. "I,
uh, defiled his car," I spurted out.
    The crease between the principal's brows
deepened. He opened his lips as if to say something--then, I guess,
thought better of it, and decided to ignore me. "If no one has
anything to else add, I think we should--"
    "I'd like to say something." Forneus' voice
slithered from the back of the room. He looked at the remaining
mothers, Jasmine, and then gave me a wink. "Girls, just let me
handle this."
    Girls? Could he possibly be more
condescending? Who would let that chauvinist pig decide
anything?
    But then, none of the
'girls' chewed him out. James mother crossed her legs even tighter,
and my mother's hand flew to her blouse. Please don't pop open another button, I begged.
    Jasmine's caramel hand crept up my thigh. My
heartbeat hammered when she gave my knee a slight squeeze. "Don't
worry," she whispered.
    It felt like her fingers
were clamped around my throat instead of my leg. I wanted to grab
her shoulders and scream: Why are you
trusting Forneus? Why is everyone acting insane?
    Jasmine rested her cheek on my shoulder as
Forneus continued. "My 'little brat' is remarkably impressionable
and naive. On top of this, my ward has never been in a school
environment before, and is desperate for love and attention.
Obviously, this little stunt was an attempt to gain both. As for
Devi..." He allowed his voice to trail off as he ran one of his
purple, immaculate nails over his bottom lip. "She is impulsive,
manipulative, and resentful because she cannot see a place for
herself in society."
    His words ripped through me. My hands balled
into fists at my sides. A screech filled the room as my chair skid
back to the wall. "What are you talking about? I don't want to
manipulate or hurt anybody!"
    I saw a blur of purple as Forneus' fingers
left his lips. "You've done a good job of manipulating my ward,
regardless of whether it was conscious or not."
    His pupils dilated. My extremities tingled.
It felt like he was a lepidopterist, and I was the insect being
spread open and pinned in place for display.
    Jasmine's grip on my knee grew tighter. I
couldn't look at her, though. She was angry with Forneus, but she
should have reserved those feelings for me. His hurtful words were
true, no matter how much I hated them, because Forneus couldn't
lie.
    "That's enough." My mom's whisper sliced
through the room, and for a moment there was no sound but the one
that escaped from her heaving chest. "Don't say those things about
my daughter. She isn't cruel.