Chapter 4 HERE COME THE CONSEQUENCES
MERRIELYNN.
The days passed by swiftly.
And quietly.
It was already Friday, the first week of the semester coming to a… peaceful close.
Everyone had seen what happened to Cormac’s car. It had been the talk of the school for the last four days.
But no one had seen who was responsible.
I thanked the goddess for that.
But from the whispers and conversations I couldn’t help but overhear as I walked the halls of the school since it happened, I could say one thing for certain.
Mr. Vaughn was right. I had spent every waking second hoping Cormac never knew.
Everyone was dying to know who did it, they were all so freaking curious about who had the guts to cross Chaos. It was scary how surprised and transfixed everyone was by it.
All the attention it got just further made me wish I hadn’t done it.
Yet when it came to the victim himself… I got nothing.
He had been a ghost of a presence.
Chaos ignored me steadily, almost enough to make me think that Monday night never happened.
I passed by him in the halls, and it was just as though I wasn’t even there. Like we had never had any sort of interaction or encounter before.
Like we weren’t even mates.
I was torn by it, and I hated it more than anything. I shouldn’t have been bothered about whether or not someone like Chaos gave me the time of day. I didn’t want his attention.
And now I was content knowing that as long as the truth about his car didn’t get out, and I kept my mouth shut about what I saw between him and Ms. Elizabeth, then he would leave me alone.
The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. I packed up my things and headed toward the auditorium for the mandatory end-of-week assembly. The hall was buzzing with chatter and laughter as students filed in, finding their seats. I spotted Emorie waving at me, sitting next to her friend Tobias. I wove through the crowd and plopped down beside them.
The assembly droned on as usual. Announcements, awards, the usual reminders about behavior and upcoming events. I zoned out, staring at the clock, willing the minutes to pass faster.
Just when it seemed like it might never end, something strange happened.
Out of nowhere, loud music suddenly blared through the hall, making everyone jump.
A dozen students stood up from their seats, moving in sync to the music. They started dancing, their movements wild and chaotic. My eyes widened in disbelief as they began stripping down to their underwear. The hall erupted into chaos—laughter, shouts, gasps filling the air.
Teachers rushed around, trying to regain control, their faces a mix of anger and confusion. In the midst of the madness, the auditorium doors swung open. A naked man strode in, holding a massive signboard.
My blood ran cold as I read the script typed in bold letters.
REQUESTED BY MERRIELYNN FORBES.
All eyes turned to me.
My face burned with embarrassment as the strippers continued their act, dancing around me. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Laughter and pointing surrounded me, making me feel smaller and smaller. The teachers looked furious, their attempts to stop the chaos futile.
I curled into myself, trying to understand why this was happening. Who hired these strippers? Why target me?
My eyes darted around the room, and that’s when I saw him.
Cormac, standing at the back, a wicked smirk on his face. He tipped his head at me, his smile widening.
A breath shuddered out of me.
He was behind this? Emorie noticed me glaring at Cormac and gasped.
“Holy shit, Mer! Did Chaos do this?” she asked loudly.
Her voice carried, catching the attention of the teachers.
They looked between us, piecing it together. Suddenly, a staff member grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.
“Come with me.”
Emorie’s mouth was wide as I got up. I turned toward where I knew Cormac was standing with a look that could kill, seeing as another staff member spoke to him sternly.
The teachers tried to get things back in order as we were both ushered out of the auditorium.
––––
We sat side by side in the waiting area outside the headmaster’s office, the seconds ticking by slowly.
Cormac leaned back in his chair, looking annoyingly calm. I, on the other hand, was a mess. My mind raced, trying to figure out how I would explain everything.
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of the fluorescent lights overhead. I tried to focus on anything but Cormac, who sat too close for comfort. His presence felt like a looming shadow over me.
“So,” he began suddenly, leaning in so his voice was barely a whisper, “I have one more welcome present for you.”
I tried to ignore him, staring intently at the floor.
“Leave me alone, Cormac.”
“Cormac?” he teased, “Are you warming up to me already?”
I didn’t answer, keeping my eyes trained on the ground.
“Don’t you want to know what it is I have for you?” he pressed.
“Not interested.”
He chuckled softly, his breath warm against my ear.
“Oh, but you should be. This is something you need to see.”
Before I could react, he dropped his phone on my lap. My heart skipped a beat, and I glanced at the screen. The images that greeted me stole my breath away.
It was a series of photos showing me and Mr. Vaughn, the teacher I spoke with after I slashed his tires on Monday. Only, the pictures had been edited to make it seem like we were having an intimate encounter.
Like we were caught making out.
Goddess.
I swallowed hard, my fingers trembling as I scrolled through the images. Each photo looked more damning than the last. My chest tightened with a mix of fear and disgust.
Cormac’s voice was low and cold as he spoke.
“These photos are very convincing, aren’t they?”
“If they get out, you’d be expelled before you even had a chance to explain, to say they were falsified. Your scholarship, the reputation you don’t have—everything you’ve worked for would be destroyed.”
My breath came out in short, shallow bursts.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I know it was you who trashed my car.”
My spine stiffened.
How…?
“Don’t stress about how I figured it out,” he said. “It wasn’t that hard considering you’re the only person within these concrete walls that would be stupid enough to do something like that to me. And you wanna know why?”
“Because you’re the only person here who has no idea what I’m capable of.”
My voice trembled.
“What do you want from me?”
Cormac’s smirk widened, clearly enjoying my distress.
“It’s simple,” he said. “You do whatever I say for the rest of your time at Pinnthorpe Academy. You obey every command, no matter how degrading or impossible. And if you refuse, I’ll make sure these photos get leaked to the headmaster. And it would be that easy,”—he snapped his fingers for dramatic effect—“for me to destroy you.”
My heart raced, and I tried to think of a way out, but the fear of the photos being exposed clouded my judgment.
“And if I agree?” I managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Cormac leaned in even closer, his voice dripping with malice.
“If you agree, then if I demand you clean every inch of Pinnthorpe with your tongue, you’ll do it. You follow my orders, and the photos stay hidden. I’ll keep your precious little secret.”
I turned to him with a watery bite in my voice, trying my best not to let him see me cry.
“It’s not my secret.”
He brushed a loose curl away from my forehead, studying my face carefully. And then he smiled.
“It is now.”
The weight of his threat settled heavily on me. It felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room anymore.
The door creaked open, and the headmaster stepped out, his face stern.
“Merrielynn, Cormac, come in.”
“But…” Cormac dragged out the word as the headmaster retreated back into his office, “There’s always the option to refuse. Then I can just have them dropped in his mailbox right away. The choice is yours, Merrielynn.”
And he stood up.
My body followed in an instant, and the absolute fear of the situation exploding had me giving an answer before I’d even fully processed it.
“Okay,” I whispered, my heart heavier than lead. “I agree. I’ll do whatever you say.”
He didn’t say a word. But the slow grin stretching over his face as he walked away let me know that he heard me.
Venomous rage filled me.
I followed him into the headmaster’s office, wondering how on earth I ended up in this situation.
And that was when I realized… I really did make the worst possible mistake.
Now, I just had to pray I made it out alive.