Page 200 of Depraved Boys

She wound down the window and frowned. “What are you three doing out of the academy?”

“What’s happening with Kash?” Leopold pulled open the car door.

I clasped my hands to my chest, trying to stop my heart from breaking through my ribcage. If the headmistress was leaving already, it had to be a bad sign.

“An important statement has come in, implicating him in Ashley’s assault. They’re going to keep him for an extra day.”

My nostrils flared. “Do you honestly believe Prakash would beat a girl bloody and then leave her in his room for the police to find?”

Mrs. Benazir pursed her lips. “The matter is out of my hands. I suggest you return to the academy now before I take disciplinary action.”

“What are you doing for him?” I asked. “Have you appointed him a lawyer?”

The headmistress’s mouth gaped open, which was answer enough. “Go back to your classes now, or you’ll find yourselves suspended.”

She wound up the window.

“Wait!” I shouted.

Mrs. Benazir slammed the door shut, started the ignition, and pulled out.

Leopold placed a hand around my waist and pulled me out of the road. “She’s incompetent and is in over her head. Sebastian’s already made arrangements via the club. Let’s go back to Brittas and wait to hear from his lawyer.”

We arrived at the Academy in time for lunch. With the spring sunshine brightening the brick facade and reflecting off the arched, floor-to-ceiling windows, the building looked like it could be a spa. But its breathtaking beauty was lost on me. All I could think of was a poisoned apple that hid its corruption within a beguiling exterior.

As we walked through the hallways, younger students whispered and gaped. Gossip traveled fast in such an enclosed environment, and I imagined everyone wanted to know why I was standing by the best friends of the boy arrested for hurting my sister.

If they’d thought beyond the latest scandal, they’d remember that Ashley had done the unforgivable, and our relationship was irreparable.

In the dining room, all conversation petered out to the barest of whispers. The usual students who rushed to serve the kings turned their backs on the boys, and we walked to the serving hatch to fetch our own meals.

After we had settled in the royal table, Geraldine and Bianca sashayed over. I cast them the barest of glances before busying myself with my chicken biryani.

“How the mighty have fallen,” said Bianca.

I glanced up. The two girls stood with their hands on their waists and with one hip cocked out like mirror images.

“Do tell,” said Leopold. “After a trying day, I welcome the entertainment.”

“Kash, of course,” said Geraldine. “We heard that Ashley offered herself up to him for a spit roast, and he was so offended by her porcine pussy that he beat the pig shit out of her.”

“I suppose you’d know about that,” I muttered.

Geraldine reared back. “W-we’re not into girls!”

Sebastian placed his fork on his plate, leaned back in his seat and fixed his gaze on the self-styled queens. “That’s not what I heard. Every recruit has to hone her cunnilingus skills on the pair of you.”

Bianca’s cheeks reddened.

“He’s not complaining,” said Leopold. “Just stating the facts.”

“I would never turn my nose up at girl-on-girl action.” Sebastian picked up his fork. “Unless it involved either of you.”

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. This conversation was so juvenile yet so effective. Geraldine’s lips trembled, and she cast the scholars’ table surreptitious glances. Perhaps she didn’t want Cormac to overhear that she’d been cheating on him with younger girls.

“Go to hell,” Bianca spat.

Leopold snorted. “Right now, with the pair of you hovering over us like ravenous succubi, it feels like Dante’s Inferno.”