affluenza (1.) | ✔️

The Ball

I PACE NERVOUSLY outside of Dean Windsor's office, biting my nails. He'd been in there for what seemed like an hour, but my clock told me it was only twenty minutes. The door finally clicks open and I stop my pacing, watching as he storms out of the office. His eyes find mine for a moment and then he's placing a chaste kiss against my mouth.

Then he's walking out of the school, but not before turning around giving me a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "I'll call you!" he calls out.

But he doesn't.

The hook ups stop abruptly. He stops coming to school again. There's rumors that he's been expelled, but no one knows for sure. Some people even go so far as to say they think he'd disappeared because he was in huge trouble—like, facing time in jail kind of trouble. But no one seems to know anymore than I do.

        After a week or two, it doesn't matter to anyone anymore. They're too busy with buzz about the Ball, too curious to see who's going with who and how they'll ask them. School has become a flurry of roses and chocolates and it makes me sick. I've gotten into the habit of hiding out on the bench in front of the school, the one where Sebastian and I had lunch for the first time. I'm almost happy the Ball is tonight so that I don't have to watch anymore proposals at school.

        I'd finally managed to look to see if I got into Berkeley, nearly a week after decisions came out. The good news was I somehow was accepted. Oba, the twins, and I jumped around for at least fifteen minutes after reading my acceptance letter.

        The bad news was that once I got my financial aid letter, it seemed Berkeley was simply too expensive for me to go to. I knew Oba would pay for my schooling but she's got her own kids to worry about, what with tuition at the Academy. Not to mention, the woman's given me everything. How can I add this to the table?

         I hadn't told anyone I didn't plan to go.

         It's the type of thing I'd tell Sebastian, but he's been so damn MIA that I wasn't even sure how to reach him anymore. I'd stopped by his house so many times. Rachel or Victor answered every once in a while saying that he was out of town. I didn't know if he really was out of town or if he was having them lie. Either way, his car was gone.

        I supposed I could've told Hiro about it. We've been talking on the phone incessantly since February. But I knew he'd just tell me some speech about how good of a person his dad was and encourage me to use the money. Robyn doesn't know because I know she'd try her hardest to convince me to still go, especially with her so close by at UCLA. Devin, Hunter, and Hayley are guilty by association. And Oba wouldn't get it.

         So, there's no one to tell.

        "Braylen!" Hayley's voice snaps me out of my daydream. I lift my eyes and look at her through my reflection in the mirror, eyes widening. She grins wickedly. "How did I do?"