Hi guys, this is a very long chapter. About double the length I usually post for updates, this is because I ran out of sick days and had to go into work today but would much rather write than do paperwork. I hope you all are doing well! Happy reading! ~ K.A.

NAOMI'S POV:

*Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! *

The sun was beaming through my blinds, causing me to stir from my peaceful sleep. I had always been a morning person, but it was hard for me to fall asleep last night because I knew that when I'd awake, I'd owe an explanation to the Administrators. Now my body is regretting the blissful snooze that left me even more sleepy.

Opening my eyes, I could hear birds chirping outside my window. Probably enjoying their breakfast by now. It was nearly seven-thirty and being summoned to Mr. Davis' office 'first thing in the morning' meant I had to be bright-eyed, and bushy tailed in his presence at eight. But the crispness of the autumn day was causing me to appreciate my bed more than usual.

What am I going to do? Do I tell Mr. Davis the truth or continue denying? Last night, I played out both scenarios in my head but neither ended well. If I told, I'd face the risk of being exposed and then having to deal with Ryan's retaliation. Not to mention the same from other students, since most of them already assume I run to the Administrators any time I could. I've lost so many friends after the adoption...

If I continued denying, then I'd probably be subjected to another spanking from Mr. Davis, not to mention enduring his disappointment, which was somehow just as unpleasant as his punishments. I drew the tips of my fingers along the opening of my pillowcase, taking comfort in its coldness but not being able to mask my apprehension.

*Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! *

"Alright, alright, I hear you." I unplugged my alarm clock, forcing myself to push my comforter off my body to begin getting dressed.

Putting on my uniform, I tried splashing some cold water on my face to wake me up but it did little to settle me. The 'fight' response had been engulfed by my fear and my tiredness was causing my brain to react frantically; not being able to process anything around me or move in an orderly fashion. I even put my shirt on backwards.

Brushing the knots from my hair, I tilted my head to the side to gather it but then saw a little piece of paper sitting just an inch from the bottom of my door.

Everything will be alright; I'll take care of it.

The note was block crypted, though I was certain it came from the one person who would rather go toe-to-toe with Ryan in my place. Jasper.

"What the hell are you up to?"

_____________________________________________________

JESS' POV:

I was stunned to hear that my parents have decided to sell the house and move the entire family to Ohio. They had been talking about moving for the last year, but I didn't think it would be out of state. That means I'll be out of here in two days. They wanted me to spend my last few weeks at home to say goodbye to house and other family in the area. But I think it's really because they want help packing.

I keep replaying the idea in my head, but somehow it still doesn't feel real despite the information coming directly from my mom and being confirmed by Mr. Patry. He woke me at six this morning to answer the phone call, which was really annoying. Afterwards, he brought me to his office and began discussing my leave; how to pack, what belongings I need to return, the room inspection, etc. And then he told me to call my parents as soon as possible and begin planning, but there's someone who I need to talk to first.

*Tap, tap*

"Come in." He responded almost immediately as if he were waiting for someone.

Turning the knob, I looked back once more to ensure the hallway was empty before opening the door and quickly entering.

"Jess." He said somewhat shocked, finishing a text before giving his full attention to me. "What can I do for you?"

My heart was palpitating immensely, somehow beating faster with every passing second I stood in his presence. It was normal to quiver near the Administrators, almost everyone did, but right now I feel like I'm about to begin digging my own grave. This didn't seem as scary when I formulated it in my head an hour ago.

Come on, you can do this.

This is for Naomi...and Jasper, but mostly Naomi. And to get back at Ryan for all the horrible things he's said and done to everyone, of course. But Naomi has been the most genuine friend I've had since arriving here, she doesn't deserve to be tangled in the middle of all this. Only I would be able to resolve this for everyone, it's the least I could do before moving too far away to ever return.

"Are you okay?" He asked, still waiting for a response.

"Yes sir, I'm fine." My throat went dry.

Smiling, he leaned forward. "Well, there must be some reason for your visit."

"Yes, yes there is. I came here because," I took a deep breath and forced myself to move forward. "because I have information you need but I want something in return."

His smile disappeared almost immediately. "We don't make deals with students. If you have any information that you think I should hear, then you should tell me." He motioned for me to take a seat.

"I can't tell you unless I know you'll commit to fulfilling your end of the bargain." I tried to keep my eyes focused on his, but my I felt like my chest was about to explode. "It's really good information, in fact...it concerns the safety of students and faculty, which I know is important for the Academy's..."

"Jess, I am going to give you the benefit-of-the-doubt and assume you are not completely reckless, despite this little power move you're trying to pull." Scolding me, his eyes pierced through my façade, exposing my frightened interior. "You've exposed yourself too early, now you're not allowed to leave until I hear this information."

He stood from his desk, resting his knuckles flat on the surface, causing me to grab the ends of the chair.

"Yes sir." I looked down, trying my best to avoid that glare.

"I assume you're able to tell me who is responsible for the smoke bombs coming in?" Glancing at his watch, he rolled his sleeves to his elbows.

I nodded. "Yes sir."

"What is it you think you should get from revealing the student?"

I took another deep breath and tried to sit straight, figuring I should at least try to look sturdy. "I can tell you...I just want to make sure you don't confront the student before I leave so they can't retaliate. That's all."

"In the future, you should ask rather than demand."

"Yes sir, I'm sorry."

He came around front and leaned back against his desk, allowing his hands to rest on its rims.

"You didn't have to try to go 'toe-to-toe' with me on this Jess. The information you give me will, of course, be in confidence and I'll make sure to protect you as the source."

"Thank you."

"The administration would never put you in harm's way."

I was beginning to calm down, taking comfort in his agreement to conform. "I appreciate that."

He studied me for a minute or two, contemplating on what to say next. "First, I want to ask why you're doing this? Not a huge fan of Ryan, are you?" Smiling, he shifted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh, definitely not." I smiled too. "I'm doing this to get you off Naomi's back."

Scoffing, he glanced to the left and smirked. "I'm her guardian, I will always be on her back."

"Yeah, I figured that. But she..." I stopped, not sure if I wanted to finish that sentence. "Wait a minute, I didn't say...how did you know it was Ryan?"

He pointed in the direction of his glance, revealing Naomi sitting in a chair in the left corner. From where I was sitting, the corner was behind me just enough to be out of my peripheral vision. How did I not see her when I came in?

"Naomi? You told him?"

"I panicked. When I got the note I immediately thought of you," She tilted her head some to indicate she also thought of Jasper. "I just didn't know what to do and clearly didn't have a lot of time to think about it. I didn't want anyone to get into trouble."

"You told him about the note too?" I glanced at Mr. Davis, who was relishing in everything unfolding exactly the way he predicted it.

"Well, that was," She looked to him. "that slipped out."

"So, you were just entertaining that whole..."

"I was curious to see who else was holding information from the administration." His administrator tone was setting in. "I was hoping this information would come naturally from Naomi." He said spitefully, giving her an alarming glare. "But now that you're here, we can talk about why you both should have come forward."

Naomi and I looked to each other, recognizing the familiar twitch ignited from a punitive threat by an Administrator.

Not that I was keen on throwing anyone else under the bus, but there is strength in numbers. Everyone knows that smoke bombs are Ryan's gig. If I tell him everyone knows, would the administration really single everyone out for punishment?

"Take a seat over here girls." Mr. Davis motioned to his guest chairs before assuming his seat behind his desk.

That's a stupid question. Of course they would.

_____________________________________________

JASPER'S POV:

We were plucked from our beds an hour before breakfast. Apparently Mr. Patry had something to announce, so he forced us to stand outside our doorways. Most of us were trying to dedicate our attention to him, but some yawns and sleepy eyes were interfering.

"Listen up," He stood before us. "it has come to the attention of the Administration that someone is sneaking in contraband."

He glanced toward me, but I quickly shielded my eyes to avoid suspicion, though he still made sure to establish eye contact with everyone on the floor.

"Contraband?" Matt asked, trying to hold back a smirk. "We're all good students here. What kind of contraband?"

Unamused, Mr. Patry put his hands to his sides and condescendingly replied: "Any kind, but right now we're investigating into smoke bombs."

Everyone in the hallway exchanged looks, making sure not to keep their focus on Ryan for too long.

"Smoke bombs? I thought Jasper was caught with those." Ryan added.

"Yeah, what more is there to investigate?" Matt followed, twisting his arm behind his back to suppress the tension forming in his head.

"It turns out there is someone, or others, bringing in the same contraband."

Ryan skimmed his eyes across everyone, trying to sort out who his new competition would be since he seemed to believe the half-truth from Mr. Patry. Little does he know the Administrators discovered I wasn't the culprit.

"Anyone caught bringing in, handling or bartering with this contraband will be punished with the utmost severity and have their record fully stricken."

That caused some uproar in the hallway. Everyone knew a fully stricken record only meant one thing: a written recommendation for an extended stay. In my experience, most parents wouldn't object once they heard the powerful concern from the Administrators. No one wanted to be here longer than necessary, but everyone still seemed fixated on remaining silent.

"Anyone with information on who is responsible for these smoke bombs, and who knows what else, should come forward immediately. We are..."

*Ring, ring, ring*

"One minute." He said, pulling out his phone and turning to face the other direction.

My head dangled to the right, locking eyes immediately with Ryan. What I wouldn't do to watch you slip and fall. Neither of us withdrew our glares, not wanting to be the first one to back down but my focus was interrupted when Jeremy snapped his fingers in my face. He motioned me to return my eyes to the left, where Mr. Patry stepped forward and finished his call.

"Oh, I see." A small beam escaped his face as he made eye-contact with Ryan. "Thank you. I'll be over soon."

A wave of panic began mounting on Ryan's face. We all knew too well that Mr. Patry's body language was suspicious, too suspicious. It resembled that of someone who basked in their victory after defeating a long-time rival.

"You can all resume whatever it was you were doing."

______________________________________________

NAOMI'S POV:

"You're leaving?" That was the only thing I heard. "T-that's great, I'm so happy for you. I hope you like Ohio." I tried putting on a happy face for her.

She smiled, "Thank you but now we need to make sure Ryan doesn't know it was you who told on him, so he doesn't retaliate."

"Ryan won't be retaliating against anyone." Mr. Davis declared, shifting his weight forward.

"Oh why? Are you going to send him away?" Jess asked, her sarcasm blatantly visible.

"Mind your attitude, Jess. Don't forget that you're still a Braxton Academy student until Tuesday." He warned, giving her an annoyed glare.

"Mr. Davis, respect and all, but there are a lot of ways students can get to one another without the Administrators knowing...you have to know that's true." I hinted at his experience as a Braxton student.

He nodded, but still seemed determined to make sure Ryan has no evidence to suspect another student.

"Mr. Davis, why don't you wait until Tuesday?" Jess asked, glancing at me to see my reaction. "Please? I'll tell Ryan it was me."

I reached across and grabbed her wrist. "That's not a good idea."

Jess was a good person, I know she was, but I'm not sure who she is in her home environment. It would be awful for her to get her hopes up and then have something happen. Two days is like a month in this place. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

"It's the best idea. I'm moving two hours away to a rural town in Ohio, I won't be back here. And I'll make sure to only tell him while I'm on my way out just in case something happens with my parents picking me up."

I looked to Mr. Davis for a response, "Are you sure you want to do this Jess?"

Apparently he didn't seem so confident either in her assurance either.

"Yes sir. I was coming here to take the fall anyway."

Nodding, he looked to me and I nodded as well. We were all on the same page.

"Great." She began standing but Mr. Davis shook his head and motioned for her to resume her seat.

"Not so fast. We haven't handled you're keeping of serious information from the Administration." His voice went stern as he looked at us both.

________________________________________________________

JASPER'S POV:

Whispers began filling the hall after Mr. Patry exited down the stairs to his left. I glanced back to Ryan, who scoffed, before tapping Matt on the shoulder and approaching me.

"What the hell was that?" He began.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I tried not to smirk, but I couldn't help it.

"The hell you don't! You think I'm an idiot?"

Don't answer that, Jasper. For the love of God, just stay silent.

"You get caught with my stash and then a few days later the Admin suddenly knows who it actually belonged to when they didn't talk to anyone else but you."

"I didn't say a word." I said sternly. "If I sold you out, why would Mr. Patry have punished me? Think about it."

He looked for a moment as if he believed me, but I'm sure he'll be damned if he'll admit it.

"Did you say something? Have you been slacking?" He abruptly asked Matt.

"No, no man. I didn't say anything."

He's become so paranoid that now he's even questioning whether his shadow turned him in. The wordiness on his face, his inability to control himself has really just made my day.

"It had to of been you then." He said back to me.

"I already told you I didn't say anything." I stood my ground.

"It doesn't not look that way, does it?" Matt added.

"I don't care how it looks. If you don't believe me, well then that's your problem." I shrugged, turning back to go into my room but he blocked my way.

"I am going to bury you, you're never coming back from this."

Everyone in the hallway had gathered to hear our dispute, eager to see a fight break out.

"It wasn't me, Ryan."

"Was it your girlfriend?"

Naomi was the first person to come to mind when Mr. Patry indicated he knew who it was, and I felt my heart fall into my stomach. But I can't act panicked, that would only expose her.

"Why would Naomi sell you out?"

"Everyone knows she close to Mr. Davis, maybe she's become a spy for them." He announced loudly for everyone to hear, already mischievously trying to blame her.

I laughed, shaking my head that fumed him even further. "I hate to tell you this man, but you are the last thing Naomi would even consider. You're not important enough to think about."

He turned and began looking at anyone else who seemed even remotely suspicious.

"How do you know the Admin didn't find your stash and put two-and-two together? I'd be more concerned about that if I were you...smoke bombs are the least of your worries."

___________________________________________________

NAOMI'S POV:

We both sat there in anticipation, waiting to see whether he decides to punish us. Not that I wasn't confident he wouldn't, especially since I knew he recognized our fear.

He sighed, tucking away a strand of hair that fell in front of his forehead. "Listen girls," coming around to the front, he knelt down in front of us. "I understand that you didn't want to inform on another student, especially since you didn't want to deal with the harassment of it, but sometimes you need to look past the near future and do what's right."

Jess and I exchanged looks.

"By not telling us this sooner, Jasper was reprimanded by Mr. Patry in taking the fall for Ryan. We have twelve students here, in a variety of different ages, someone could have gotten hurt. There's a reason why state law restricts the age of purchasing of fireworks to eighteen. Not to mention there could have been severe damage to the building, which includes your personal items," he looked more toward me this time. "and other equipment here."

"Yes sir." Jess and I responded.

"A few years ago, we had an incident where a student thought it would be a good idea to shoot off bottle rockets out in the yard. That caused a fire. Last year, another kid was sent to the hospital after having an asthma attack because someone threw a smoke bomb in his dorm."

"That's awful." I said under my breath.

"It is. We have rules for a reason; they're for the safety and well-being of everyone here."

We nodded, both of us eager to hear our fate.

"Jess, I'll make sure to not confront Ryan until after you leave."

"Thank you, sir."

She looked to me, giving me a small nod of assurance that everything would be okay. Everything involving Ryan, at least, would be okay. But she wasn't too sure of Mr. Davis' response to this entire predicament.

"Alright," Mr. Davis said, recapturing our attention. "Jess you're excused. Mr. Patry will be here in a few minutes."

She stood up, brushing her hands over her thighs, "Is he coming to punish me?"

"If it were up to him, you both would be punished for withholding vital information and conspiring to keep it hidden...but we're going to keep this between us."

"R-really?" She asked, looking down at me to see that I too was shocked to hear his decision.

Nodding, "You were never here. If Mr. Patry catches you leaving my office, tell him I wanted to say goodbye and good luck for your release."

"Thank you, so much, sir." A small smile took over her face, but it quickly disappeared by a dark look from him. "Are you going to punish me?" She had to ask, which was understandable. Sometimes the Administrators will only meet you halfway.

Narrowing his eyes as if he were reluctant to answer, he pointed a warning finger at her. "No. But don't ever try to pull another power move like that again."

"No sir, I won't. Thank you." She took a deep breath. "What about Naomi?"

"That's not your concern." He folded his arms across his chest.

"Right, sorry." She put her chin against her chest.

"Naomi, if Mr. Patry questions you on this, you're to tell the truth; you confessed this morning. He won't let any of the students know."

"Yes sir."

"Jess." He motioned toward the door.

"Bye." She said quietly to me.

Mr. Davis waited until she exited the room, which she did slowly as she was lurking to catch a glimpse of some indication of my fate.

"Naomi." He said clearly, causing my head to snap in his direction. "I'm..."

"I'm sorry I disappointed you." I interrupted, catching a tear before it fell from my cheek.

I've been holding that in since Jess arrived at his door. He told me to not speak a word, desperately waiting to see who else knew about Ryan's secret stash.

He shook his head, "I understand you were reluctant to give up a name, believe me I know how unfriendly students can be to those who side with Administrators, but you have to know that any backlash would be temporary."

"Maybe for Jess," I scoffed. "I'm never leaving."

Nodding, he repositioned the chair to my left, so it was parallel to me. "What I meant is that students here will come and go, eventually Ryan will go home again, and you won't have to worry about him. There'll be new people here and, even for those staying longer, they'll get bored and eventually move on."

"That's really optimistic of you Mr. Davis."

Inhaling sharply, he leaned forward. "I know the backlash seems like a lot, but it's just an obstacle that would result from doing the right thing. Keeping this information a secret only endangers everyone here, not to mention increasing the risk of the students not being able to better themselves because they're toying with things that they shouldn't be."

"Yes sir, I understand." I wiped my eyes and kept them focused on the floor. "S-so what happens now?" I asked, terrified of his response.

He stood from his chair, and I immediately grabbed the arms of mine, the nerves inside of me vibrating uncomfortably.

"Next time, don't hesitate to come to me with any information you have that concerns the wellbeing of others. Do you understand?" The sternness in his voice had grown.

"Yes, yes sir."

"Calm down, that is the end of this. I'll handle Ryan after Jess leaves so no one will bother you." He moved Jess' former chair back to its original place.

"So y-you won't..."

"Punish you? No. Your grounding still stands, but that's all for now."

I'll admit that this felt like a miracle. If my life were a book, this would be a real surprise. I don't think anyone would have seen that coming.

"Okay. T-thank you."

"Come on, I'll walk you to your room." He said politely, though it wasn't a request.

Even though we had a clear, well-established plan with Jess taking the fall, I still felt like I had a sign on me. After all, it was me who turned Ryan in. Mr. Davis hid his troubled face during our walk to my bedroom, and I probably should have done the same to halt suspicions, but I couldn't ignore the feeling that everyone was watching me.

That everyone's whispers were about me. That they all knew I was the snitch. I wonder if Jasper knows how everything turned out.

"Alright, stay inside and I'll see you during meals and tonight when I come say goodnight."

I nodded, opening my door and stepping inside, immediately darting straight for my bed. Today has been such a hurricane, and it's not even ten in the morning.

"Mr. Davis." I stopped him before he could pull my door shut.

Raising his eyebrows, he patiently waited for me to speak.

"Thank you." I put my hands behind my back. "Thanks for being so understanding and for not, not punishing me and Jess."

He looked to me with a soft expression as he stepped inside and pulled the door shut, "I understand what you might have went through by revealing the student. It's not easy to go through, trust me."

"I do."

"Let me know if you need anything." He nodded, glancing down to the left before having to look again at the contents of my garbage after noticing the pamphlet sitting on top.

"Why is this in the garbage?" He asked, pulling out the picture form I got in Homeroom on Friday.

Shrugging, I folded my arms and allowed my elbows to cover my stomach. "I don't need it."

"And why is that?" Turning it over, he reviewed some of the picture packages offered by the school as he waited for my response.

"I just don't." I said condescendingly, slightly bothered that he asked such a basic question.

He took a step forward, folding the pamphlet in half and giving me his undivided attention. How lucky am I?

"There's more to it than that. Talk to me Naomi."

My heart was thumping again. I should have buried that pamphlet deeper in the garbage or just left it in my locker at school. I should have known he'd find it...he finds everything out.

"B-because I don't want to keep school pictures of myself." I offered as a shield to protect me from having this conversation with him.

"And you think I don't either?"

I tried to halt the sickly surprise that rushed through my chest. "No, no I didn't. Do you?"

"Would it make you uncomfortable if I did?"

I didn't answer, mostly because I really wasn't sure how. Adding pictures of me to Mr. Davis' home almost brands my situation as permanent. I don't know if I'm ready to face that right now.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, then we don't have to order any. But I do consider you family now," Taking another step forward, he leaned against my desk. "so, I would like some of your pictures. But I will respect your feelings..."

"Why do you want my school pictures?"

"Well, it would be nice to begin building a foundation for us, and maybe it will help my house feel more like home to you. But mostly," He looked down at me, trying to speak slowly because he knew this was beginning to make me emotional. "so, in the future, we can look back and remember what a strong, confident child you were."

I sniffled, wiping my nose and eyes before anything could escape from them. I knew school would be challenging this year without my parents, but somehow picture day had slipped from my mind. I guess you never really know how emotion things can be until you're required to face them head on.

"Y-you really wouldn't mind getting some?"

"Of course not." He unfolded the pamphlet and began reviewing the packages again. "I think Option C is best, I'd like one for my desk." There was so much compassion in his voice, almost as if he had been planning this for weeks.

"Okay." I tried to hide my smile. "Will you please help me fill it out?"

"Sure honey." He grabbed a pen from my desk and took a seat at my chair while he motioned for me to sit on my bed.

Everything was happening so fast, it all felt so soon. I couldn't break free from the theory that by integrating myself into another home, with another family, I was abandoning mine. Mr. Davis' smile made me forget about that, his enthusiasm was something that always lifted my spirits...but unfortunately that feeling didn't last long and at night I was left suffocating myself with my own thoughts.