When Grace stepped out of the back seat of her father's black Mercedes, her parents followed her immediately. It was formal, cold and it towered in tailored authority while her mother's face was embedded in disappointment.
His father's jaw was tight and his strides were sharp as they cut through the crowd like a sharp blade.
Grace walked between them like an echo of herself, composed on the outside but knotted tightly on the inside.
The students who were nearby, fell silent as they passed. Some heads turned in lecture hall windows as phones were lowered mid-text. The atmosphere didn't feel like this was going to be a meeting, it felt like judgement day.
And it wasn't over yet, because from the opposite side of the quad, they saw Jax. Climbing off his black BMW motorbike with a practiced swing.
He held his helmet under one arm and his sunglasses were pushed up onto his head. His expression was stern like he already knew he was walking into a sentence. His usual confidence was muted.
The students noticed him too and the whispers picked up again, "Is that Jax?" "They came together at the same time?" "Hell is gonna burn hot in that office today."
Grace painfully heard the words, and every one of them stung deeper into her skin but she kept walking straight ahead as the principal's office loomed like guillotine waiting to drop.
As they neared the administrative building, Jax caught sight of Grace and his gaze locked on Grace for a fraction longer than it should have and she didn't look away, neither did he.
A silent conversation sparked between them like it was of an accusation, understanding and it burned briefly but it was searing, and then they were inside.
---
Grace sat stiffly between her parents on the long leather couch as her father's watch glinted as he checked it impatiently. Her mother said nothing, but her gloved hand was clenched tightly around her designer purse.
Jax sat across from them, alone as one leg bounced restlessly. He hadn''t said a word, and he hadn't acknowledged Grace again but every so often, she could feel his stare shift back to her.
There was no casual arrogance in him today, only a quiet fury.
The secretary behind the desk occasionally glanced their way and she was nervous, I mean who wouldn't be? Two of the university's most notorious names, one, the perfect prodigy, the other, the reckless bad boy, they were both there under circumstances no one could pin down.
The principal's door remained closed.
Then a professor or two passed by, they didn't look in but they knew, everyone did.
A group of students had gathered at the edge of the quad and some were pressed closer to the windows, trying to get a peek.
Amber stood there, biting her lip, torn between worry and fear and Maya's eyes flickered between the building and her phone. Rowan and Theo also lingered nearby, tense and guarded.
"What do you think is happening in there?" Maya asked Amber quietly.
Amber didn't answer, she was staring at the black BMW that was parked right by the curb, its engine still faintly warm.
In the principal's office waiting area, followed a sudden click, then the door opened and the principal's assistant stepped out with a blank expression, "Mr. and Mrs. Monroe. Grace. You can come in."
Her mother rose first then her father and then Grace followed.
Jax didn't move neither did he blink but as she passed him, she swore she could feel his gaze graze her cheek like a ghost of touch.
And Jax was alone again only for a moment, until another voice spoke, "Jax."
Then he looked up and Rowan was in the doorway, with a serious expression, but his eyes showed the sign of loyalty, "You're not going through this alone."
Jax just flexed his jaw without saying anything, but the tension in his shoulders eased just a little.
And as Rowan stepped inside, following after Grace and her parents, Theo remained outside with patience.
The Principal's door closed again as they all waited for the murderous thunder to strike.
---
The principal's office was large and imposing. The tall windows let in streams of cold light but it did nothing to warm the place.
The Principal's desk dominated the room. And seated on the opposite side of it was Grace with her parents. Her mother's lips were pressed into a thin unforgiving line.
Her father's fingers tapped against the armrest, each tap felt like a loaded gun that was ready to fire.
Jax took one step into the office after the assistant called him in. He didn't miss the way Grace's eyes turned to him, or how quickly she snapped it back forward. But he caught it and he saw the rage that was brewing behind it.
His eyes skimmed to the left, where Professor Callahan sternly watched and beside him, Ms. Harper had her hands clasped neatly in front of her, as she avoided Jax's gaze like it could burn her.
It probably would have.
The Principal, Mr. Duncan, stood as Jax approached, there was an edge of irritation in his stance and his voice, "Sit down, Mr. Reed.'
Jax slouched into the empty seat opposite Grace and he didn't look at her again, the tension between them felt tangible, thick as a rope.
Mr. Duncan sat down and folded his hands, surveying them like they were an infection he was about to surgically remove, "Let's begin."
Then a quiet dread settled over the room.
"Grace Monroe. We have video evidence of you trespassing in Professor Callahan's office and stealing the examination answers."
Her father's face darkened, "Grace, is this true?"
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, the weight of their anger suffocating her, but her voice wavered a bit as she replied, "...Yes."
Her mother's sharp inhale was a slap across the face and then her father leaned forward with his elbows on his knees followed by a dreadful sharp voice, "What were you thinking?"
But Grace didn't answer, she couldn't. Because she didn't know anymore if she had reasons or any excuses, but in this room they didn't matter.
Mr. Duncan interjected, his tone flat and unforgiving, "Grace. Who filmed you?"
Her finger twisted in her lap as she breathed shakily and her eyes slid to Jax. His expression was unreadable, but his hand rested casually on his thigh as his fingers drummed twice, like it was a signal to say it was him.
And so she did, "Jax did."
Her parents snapped toward him but Grace didn't stop, "He was pulling a prank. It wasn't meant to be serious."
Jax shifted his gaze, he hadn't expected Grace to cover for him like that, not after everything.
Mr. Duncan turned to Jax, raising his brow, "Is that true?"
Jax shrugged with a nonchalant voice but the lie tasted bitter, "Yeah, just messing around."
There was a pause but there was no relief. Mr. Duncan wasn't finished, "And why were you in the building late at night, Mr. Reed?'
The question hit harder than it should have. Then his gaze darted to Ms. Harper for half a second before he schooled it again.
"Does it matter? I wasn't breaking any rules."
"It does matter, and without a legal guardian present, your attitude is only making this worse."
Jax leaned back, forcing his smirk, but his eyes cooled again, "You can't do anything to me, I'm not under your authority without a guardian present."
Then Mr. Callahan cleared his throat with a steady gaze, "Actually, you do have someone here."
Jax's pulse spiked. No. No he didn't. He couldn't.
His stare whipped to Callahan, as if he could set him on fire by looking at him long enough.
But the man just gave him that same smug, a condescending look that made Jax want to break something.
A knock sounded at the door and the assistant opened it and in, stepped a man Jax hadn't seen in years.
Tall, still wearing the same kind of expensive suits, his beard trimmed meticulously, but Jax would know him anywhere, even if he tried not to, it was his father.