The Boarding School Experiment Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    Laughter, chatter, and loud music filtered steadily through the wall. I breathed in and out. One Mississippi, two Mississippi.
    Thump, thump, thump. The noise sounded like the side of a fist high against the door. “We don’t hear any kissing.” The behemoth followed his remark with the smacking sound of fake kissing.
    They’d pay. I dropped my forehead to my knees, knowing I didn’t really have time to make them regret this. I might be leaving in the morning, depending on Rhys. My heart thumped harder. I hadn’t even packed. My wardrobe of T-shirts, shorts and jeans wouldn’t be warm enough in Alaska. I could layer, I guessed. My old coat didn’t fit anymore.
    The music shut off, creating a sudden void. The silence gave clarity to the voices in the room, the inane chatter.
    A panicked voice said, “Cops.”
    My eyes widened, and my heart rate increased. From the other side of the door, plastic cups thumped against the hardwood and shoes scurried. Thane’s expression was unreadable in the dark and I dropped my gaze back to the light under the door. I imagined the embarrassing headlines: Selectees lose their positions in National Immersion Program due to underage drinking. Further investigation reveals cheating scandal. Trallwyn teens head straight to Juvie.
    “IDs, everyone,” an authoritative voice said. “Take them outside. Your parents will pick you up or you can ride back to the station with us.”
    Partygoers spewed out feeble protests. The idiots shouldn’t have been so slow to run. The slowest always got caught. I’d have escaped, if I hadn’t been locked in here.
    Abrupt silence filled the room, and the light clicked off. My heart pounded hard like I had made a run for it. I grabbed for the doorknob, pulling myself up. “Hey,” I said, and banged on the door.
    Thane sprang up beside me, his big body taking up the space, and his hands closed over my fists, stilling them. “Stop it. Shut up.” Thane whispered something else, but I couldn’t distinguish the words. My focus was stuck on the horrible darkness. His face lowered to mine. “Shh.”
    I twisted free, threw my arms around his neck, closed my eyes, and kissed him. Looking for escape, I used his warm, smooth mouth as a distraction. I didn’t expect the jolt of electricity that shocked through me when our lips touched.
    Thane’s head jerked back. “Holy shit.”
    If he didn’t talk, I could pretend he wasn’t Thane, and I wasn’t here in the dark. I had to shut down more brain cells before I became a screaming lunatic. I leaned into him. “Don’t talk.”
    My mouth met his, and his hands dropped to my waist, lowering us back to the floor. He tugged me onto his lap. The hardwood pressed into my knees and I sank against him, relishing the solid feel of his body beneath me. Keeping my eyes tightly closed, I concentrated on the sensations. Everywhere he touched me tingled.
    His hand slid from my waist to my chest. Blood rushed through my veins, threatening to really pull me under, but I didn’t let it. After a small delay, I moved his hand back to my waist, setting the boundaries. He slipped his thumb under the hem of my shirt and rubbed my skin. The sensation arced through me like Texas lightening, the glowing heat that lit up the clouds during a thunderstorm but never reached the ground. I gasped against his lips and tightened my grip on his shoulders. What was this?
    Thane threaded his fingers into my hair, cradling my head in his palm. He lifted up and turned, shifting me until I lay underneath him with the hard floor against my hips. His lips drugged me. He tasted like mint, and warmth, and light.
    Music jangled through the closet, an insistent repeated chorus. I pushed on his shoulders. “You have a cell.” I meant to express my outrage, but my voice came out breathless. After sliding out from under him, I snared his phone. The screen lit with an incoming call. I hit decline and dialed Piper. She’d get me out. I could