42. Zane

42

ZANE

T he past week has been eerily calm, like the quiet before a storm. No threats, no confrontations, an uneasy silence hanging over us. It's been enough to make me paranoid, always glancing over my shoulder and half-expecting trouble around every corner.

Lyric and I walk side by side to our shared class, the crisp morning air biting at our cheeks. The campus is bustling, students hurrying to their next destination, but our conversation feels isolated like we're in our own bubble.

"I can't shake the feeling that something's about to happen," Lyric says, her voice quavering despite the cheery demeanor she put on for Eli earlier. She tightens her grip on the strap of her bag, her knuckles white.

I nod, my eyes scanning the crowd. "Yeah, it's been too quiet. Almost like they're planning something big."

Lyric glances up at me, worry etched in her features. "What do you think they might do?"

"I wouldn't put it past them to try and blindside us, but we're ready for whatever they try," I say, trying to inject some confidence into my tone. "We just need to stay vigilant."

She takes a deep breath and nods. "I trust you, Zane. I just hope it's something we can handle."

"We can," I assure her. "Listen, Lyric, we've come too far to let them hurt us now. Whatever they do, we can handle it together."

We reach the doors of the classroom and I push them open, letting Lyric go in first. As we find our seats, I can't help but feel the tension in the air.

Something prickles at my skin, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I don't know what's going to happen, but I feel like the storm is brewing. I can't put my finger on it, but it makes me grip Lyric's hand under our desks.

About halfway through the lecture, the door opens and several campus officers storm inside. They're wearing full uniforms, polished badges gleaming under the lighting. An officer whose badge reads Parsons, calls out, "Lyric Shaw?"

My stomach clenches in a knot and I glance over to see Lyric's face go completely pale. "That's me," she says, voice faint.

"We need you to come with us," Parsons says, his tone brokering no room for argument. He waits while Lyric gathers her things and then they march her out of the room together.

Without hesitation, I throw my stuff in my bag and follow, unwilling to let Lyric face whatever is happening alone.

In the hallway, the officers grab her bag and start examining the contents, roughly going through everything with the force of a hurricane.

"What the hell is going on?" I demand, watching Lyric's face. She looks on the verge of a panic attack, her breathing coming in little rapid bursts. "You have to calm down," I tell her, pulling her toward me.

"You can't be here," another officer says, his voice brusque. "You need to leave. This has nothing to do with you."

"Like hell!" I snarl. "I'm not going anywhere. What the hell are you looking for?"

"If you interfere with a police investigation, you'll be placed under arrest," Parsons snarls.

Anger courses through me. "If you try to arrest me, I'll get my family's law firm on the phone," I grind out. "The Hudson's are some of the biggest donors to this school. The library has a wing named after our grandfather. Do you really want me to get the lawyers involved?" I ask.

Parsons seems to back down slightly at this, glaring at me but returning to helping his fellow officers search Lyric's things.

I glance over to look at Lyric and she's frozen in place. She's got a look of fear on her face that has my stomach in knots. I need to protect her from whatever is happening.

"You'd better tell me what the fuck is going on right now or I'm going to call our lawyers," I tell them, whipping out my phone and starting to dial the number anyway.

"Miss Shaw has been reported for having narcotics," Parsons clips out. "She's facing expulsion if we find them."

"This is unlawful!" I argue. "You have no reason to suspect her!"

"We need you to come with us to the station," Parsons tells Lyric. "We have to do a pat-down."

"You can't take her!" I yell. "I'm going to make your lives hell if you touch her!"

"You can call your lawyers if you want, but if Miss Shaw doesn't cooperate and come willingly, we can always arrest her," Parsons says, a sneer on his face.

"Don't," Lyric says, turning to me and speaking softly. "Don't make this worse. Go get the others. Tell them what's happening. I'll go with them, but I know you guys will be able to help me. I can't do this alone, Zane," she says.

I cup her cheek, glancing behind her at the waiting officers. Parsons gets his handcuffs out, but I take a step back.

"Fine," I say, gritting my teeth. "Go with them for now. But you'd better not hurt her or you'll be facing excessive force charges," I warn them.

It hurts deep inside to watch them escort Lyric away, but I know I have a job to do now. I bypass calling our lawyers and call Archer instead. It goes to voicemail and I remember he's in class.

Well, this is an emergency, so I call him again, twice more. He picks up the second time.

"What's going on?" he asks, his tone short.

"No time to explain. Get Levi and meet me at the dean's office," I tell him. "They got Lyric."

Archer swears and hangs up on me. Knowing him, he's already halfway out the door of the building he's in, so I pocket my phone and start marching across campus to my destination.

When I arrive, Archer is already there, looking harried. Levi is with him and looks up when I arrive.

"What did they do?" Archer demands.

I run a hand through my hair. "The campus police came into the classroom. Escorted Lyric out and started searching her shit. Said something about her having drugs. Threatened to arrest her if she didn't go with them for a pat-down at the station."

Archer growls. "This is fucking bullshit! Lyric isn't a druggie. Whatever is going on, this smells like it's got the Sigma's and Madison all over it."

Levi's face is contorted into an expression of murderous rage. "I'll fucking kill that bitch," he hisses. "I didn't think she'd stoop this low just because she couldn't fucking have us!"

"Whatever is going on, we need to talk to the dean, now ," I tell them. "Before it gets even more out of hand."

Storming inside, the three of us make our way up to Dean Harrison's office on the third floor. We push through the chrome and glass doors, bursting inside and startling the administrator who's manning the desk.

"We need to speak to Dean Harrison immediately," Archer says, his tone level despite the anger on his face. Her eyes widen and she reaches for the phone.

"He might be in a meeting," she warns us.

"We can wait," Levi says, going over to sit down to prove he's not budging. I join him, my knee jiggling as I try to figure out what the angle is here. What did those jackasses do to Lyric? Did they go as far as planting drugs in her shit?

Archer remains standing, refusing to be cowed by the administrator's scowl.

"He's busy," she says after a moment. "You'll have to come back another time."

Archer crosses his arms. "No, we're not going anywhere until we speak to someone. We need to know what the hell is going on and we need to know right now."

"What is this matter regarding?" the woman asks, tilting her head and peering at us over her glasses.

"Lyric Shaw was taken from her class and searched—unlawfully, I might add," I say, standing up. I'm too restless to sit still right now. "And there's been no explanation as to why she's facing expulsion."

"I'll see what I can do," the woman says quietly. I'm not sure if she's annoyed by us or worried we might cause a scene, but she disappears around the corner without another word. The three of us cast anxiety-filled glances at each other, uncertain as to what is going to happen at this point.

"One of us should go down to the station to be with Lyric," Levi says. "I'll go. I want to check on her."

"I should go," I mumble, running a hand through my hair. "I was there when she was escorted out."

"None of us are going anywhere," Archer says, his tone flat. "We need to present a united front here for Lyric's sake. If they're going to attack her, they have to know that we're doing everything we can to stop them."

I settle back down, a bitter taste in my mouth. We just have to wait for now, wait to see what happens.

The silence is deafening as the minutes tick by. I shift in my seat, unable to get comfortable in the plastic chairs. Will Lyric truly get expelled if there's no evidence of drugs on her? Is this all part of Madison and Cameron's revenge plan?

I can't help the sick feeling of dread in my stomach, but I know that right now, we need to be strong. We're here to protect Lyric, to keep her safe. And we need answers. We're not going to get them anywhere else.

So we wait, hoping whatever is going on, it's not too late to stop it.