Forever Golden: Chapter 5

BLUE

“So, yeah. That’s everything.”

I’m nervous as hell having just admitted all that, laying mine and West’s entire story at Dr. Pryor’s feet.

In the spirit of full disclosure, we made sure to even include the parts that don’t paint either of us in an innocent light. From West admitting he made me his emotional punching bag for several months, to Parker’s sprained ankle being the result of retaliation on my part. We left no stone unturned.

Now, with it all out in the open, the look on Dr. Pryor’s face has me even more uncertain.

Neither West nor I are squeaky clean, but Parker took things to a whole other level. And, honestly, it just felt damn good to expose her—the video leak, the peanut sauce fiasco, my near-drowning in the pool.

All of it.

But there’s another side of the situation—the fact that I’m not sure any of this matters in the big scheme of things. For instance, potentially getting Parker expelled from Cypress Prep could be somewhat of a moot point. Seeing as how I’m not even certain I’ll be here long. West is holding out hope that things will work out, but I’m nowhere near as optimistic. Then again, I admit life’s left me feeling a bit jaded.

Dr. Pryor lowers her gaze to my file, but still hasn’t said a word. She sort of just let West and I vomit out all this information without any feedback on her part. So, I’m honestly not sure if admitting all this just landed us in hot water right alongside Parker.

Dr. P. reaches for a pen and jots something on the first sheet inside my folder. Sitting here, on the opposite side of her desk, I reach for West’s hand. Maybe this was a bad idea, and we should’ve just taken this whole story to our graves.

“You two were brave coming here today, disclosing this information.”

“It felt like the right thing to do,” I say, flashing a nervous smile.

She nods and seems pretty chill, which eases some of the knots in my gut.

“Well, I’m glad you knew you could talk to me. Of course, I wish you’d come to me sooner, but the important thing is that you’ve given me something to work with.”

“So… what now?” I ask, watching as she closes my file.

“Congratulations, Ms. Riley. You’re officially off probation.”

The announcement is made in that stoic tone of hers, but I know she’s pleased.

I’m not entirely sure what to say in this bittersweet moment, so I keep it simple.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, but let me be clear. There’s still some red tape to cut through, but I’m certain the board will decide in your favor. Besides, I think we all know this shouldn’t have fallen on you in the first place.”

Her gaze briefly flashes toward West, and I don’t miss the cold look she isn’t shy about giving. Actually, she’s been like this since we first stepped foot inside her office. From there, her opinion of him only continued to sour, growing as he confessed to his side of things—like plastering the posters about Hunter all over the halls, and placing a target on my back when I got here.

Trust me, I’ll be the first to say none of that shit was pretty, but as the girl who endured it, I’m the only one qualified to say he’s earned my forgiveness. And in my book, that’s what’s important. Not the opinions of anyone on the outside looking in.

Dr. Pryor eventually tears her eyes from West and I breathe a bit easier. It’s nice being back on her good side, even if I’m not really sure how much that still matters. At least this is one thing crossed off the long list of things I need to set right one way or another, whether I stay or go.

“Well, I appreciate you hearing us out,” I conclude, just before West and I both stand to leave.

“Actually… there is one other thing I need to say.”

We stop and turn when Dr. Pryor calls out to us. Right away, her gaze lands on West again and my heart picks up speed like before.

“While it isn’t lost on me that it took a lot of courage for you two to come into my office today, I’m nowhere near impressed with you, Mr. Golden.”

With that, she clasps her hands on top of the desk.

“For the record, understand that if you weren’t who you are, and if I didn’t know that any action taken against you would result in your father storming this building to raise hell, I would personally see to it that you face the harshest punishment the board would allow. The things you’ve done in the name of revenge are completely unacceptable.”

The room is dead silent now, and somehow, her stare is both cold and hot all at the same time.

I have no idea what’s running through West’s head, but I know he doesn’t take kindly to being called out, talked down to. So, when he nods, I’m even more confused. And if I’m not mistaken, that’s humility I see in his stare when he meets Dr. P’s gaze.

“You’re absolutely right,” he admits. “I messed up too many times to count and I can’t take that back, ma’am.”

“Damn right, you can’t,” she seethes. “Now, I have no clue what you did or said to earn this young lady’s forgiveness after everything you’ve done, but you should be thanking your lucky stars that she came in here to vouch for you, instead of heaping coals on your head.”

West nods again and I catch Dr. Pryor’s eyes when they shift toward me, my bandaged knuckles. Her eyes narrow and I feel the question on her mind before she even asks it.

“There something else you’d like to tell me, Ms. Riley?”

I stand in silence, especially when I take note of the knowing look set on her face. It makes me question things. Like whether she knows about Vin’s visit, heard about it through Pandora’s post. Maybe she even knows there’s more to him than meets the eye.

In short, I’m left feeling as if she’s aware. Maybe not aware of everything, but something.

“N—no, ma’am,” I manage to answer, but that doesn’t seem to ease her mind any.

“Well, should you decide there’s more you’d like to discuss, you know where to find me. My door is always open.”

I nod, still trying to read her. “Of course. Thank you.”

Her stare lingers a moment longer and the tight smile she offers makes me even more suspicious. But then, she lowers her head to focus on the document she’s just taken from the corner of her desk, leaving West and I to assume we’re dismissed.

“One more thing,” Dr. P. calls out the second we reach the door. “You’re to speak to no one about this. Parker will likely be expelled for that stunt she pulled. Once that happens, I can almost certainly say that her scholarship and possibly even her college admission will be in jeopardy. What she did is by no means a small offense.”

“We won’t say a word,” I confirm with a nod.

This time, when Pryor glances down at the paperwork, she doesn’t speak again. I exit the office with West, and while I should be pleased with the outcome of this visit, there’s still a dark-ass cloud hanging over my head.

A cloud with a name—Vin Golden.