Night School: Resistance (Night School 4)

‘Hey, Allie.’ Katie’s familiar Chelsea accent stopped her outside the common room. Turning, she saw the redhead hurrying towards her, blue pleated skirt flaring around her perfect legs.

Oh good, Allie thought, despairing.

She braced herself for Katie’s wall of sarcasm. But it didn’t happen.

Instead, the other girl seemed almost nervous. She kept toying with a delicate gold bracelet that dangled from her slim wrist. The light from the chandelier above them glinted off her hair, making it sparkle like fine strands of copper. Her skin was poreless.

‘This is going to sound odd,’ Katie began. ‘But I just wanted to say I’m glad you’re back. And … I know you don’t like me and I don’t blame you. I’ve been a total bitch. I’m sorry … kind of.’ She stopped playing with her bracelet and looked up at Allie with the sharp green eyes of a pedigree cat. ‘You were a bitch to me too, you know.’

Briefly, Allie considered defending herself. But she changed her mind. What Katie was saying was true. She gave as good as she got.

‘Anyway,’ Katie continued, ‘then Nathaniel happened and you were like some kind of superhero. I don’t know if I ever told you that I thought it was amazing what you and the others did. I don’t know how you’re so brave. I just …’ She bit her lip. ‘I just know that I’m not. Brave, I mean.’

Allie was flabbergasted. Whatever she’d expected Katie to say it wasn’t this.

‘And now … the thing is … I don’t want to be your enemy,’ Katie said. ‘I think we have enough of those right now. So, I’d like to declare a truce. With you. For a while, at least.’ She paused before adding, ‘When it’s all over we can go back to despising each other if you’d like.’

‘You want … You … To be … friends?’ Allie found it hard to say words that made any sense.

‘I know, right?’ A rueful half-smile touched Katie’s lips. ‘Quel oddity. But you did save the school. And I’m not a complete cretin. Besides, I mostly hated you because of Sylvain anyway. And I’m over him now.’

She smoothed the lines of her skirt with a demure sweep of her hands.

‘Is this for real?’ Allie finally recovered the power of speech. ‘You seriously want a truce?’

‘I seriously do.’ Katie held her gaze. ‘This is not a game. What do you think?’

This was huge. Allie and Katie had hated each other from the first time they met. Katie had been so vicious, so cruel. Allie wondered if it was possible to put that behind her. To try again. But Katie had helped them when Nathaniel came for the students. And everyone else seemed to have forgiven her.

The least she could do was give it a shot.

‘OK,’ she said after a long pause. ‘Truce. But it’s weird.’

‘Isn’t it?’ Katie’s lips curved up. ‘Welcome to the new normal. It’s all messed up.’

‘Katie! Over here.’

They both looked up to see Lucas waving from across the common room.

Most of the remaining students seemed to be in there, but the room still felt wrong. On a normal night in the old days, it would be packed at this hour. The sprawling space with its tall bookshelves stacked with games and books looked the same, but its leather chairs and sofas were mostly empty. The baby grand piano in the corner sat silent.

Katie waved back at him. ‘I should go.’ She tilted her head to one side. ‘I’m really glad we sorted this out. I think I’ll like not fighting with you.’

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and sashayed across the room. From the doorway, Allie watched her walk to where Lucas sat on a sofa. He welcomed her with a jovial insult but Allie didn’t miss the way his eyes skated approvingly across her figure.

A frown creased her brow. Lucas was Rachel’s boyfriend. Katie and Lucas weren’t exactly cuddled up together but they looked awfully cosy.

Something drew her glance to the back of the room. In a dim corner, Carter sat alone in a deep leather chair. A heavy book was open in his lap and he was reading it intently .

A lock of dark hair had fallen forward into his eyes but he didn’t seem aware of it. His long legs were stretched out in front of him. He looked older than she remembered. More grown-up.

She wondered if she looked older now, too.

She wished they could just be friends without all this … stuff between them. One of them was always mad at the other one. They were always finding reasons to be upset with each other. While she’d been away she’d missed him more than she’d expected to, and it threw her into confusion. Lying by the pool pretending to study, she’d find herself wondering what he was doing. If he missed her at all.

But Sylvain’s constant, attentive presence had made it hard to know how she felt.

Now, with both of them around, things weren’t getting any clearer.





7





Seven





When Allie reached the back door, a dark-haired female guard with a torch attached to her utility belt like a handgun opened it for her before she asked.

‘Uh … thanks,’ she said, trying not to sound as weirded out by all of this new security as she was.