Compulsion - The Greenhouse Academy

20: D e d i c at i o n

When everyone had piled outside and gathered in the front garden facing Louis and Jason, it was nearly time for the ceremony. Behind the principal was a large object covered with a cloth. Adalynn assumed it was the memorial stone and stared at it soberly. She still couldn't believe that Ryan was gone.

"Hey Stanton."

"Oh for the love of ..." Adalynn stopped herself as she glanced over at a smirking Leo. "STOP doing that!"

"Doing what?"

"Scaring me."

"It's not my fault if you're so jumpy," Leo teased. "I'm just taking advantage of it, no biggie."

Before Adalynn could retort, a cry rose up among the students, "The Woods! The Woods' family are here! And so is a bunch of camera-men!"

Adalynn stood up on her tip-toes, trying to see over the top of the tall boy in front of her, but she couldn't so she eventually gave up and waited until the Woods rounded the corner of the school building and came into full view.

Hayley and Alex were gazing fixedly at the ground, purposefully ignoring everyone, while Mr Woods strolled along behind them, one hand on each of their shoulders. Eric was hovering nearby as where an entire film crew and a load of reporters.

"I wish they'd just leave them alone," Adalynn moaned as she glared at the paparazzi. "Don't you think they've gone through enough already?"

"I'd say," Leo grunted in response.

Adalynn's gaze followed the Woods as they came to a stop near Louis. Alex began crying silently, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Hayley slipped a comforting arm around him and bowed her head to hide her own tears.

Tears pricked Adalynn's eyes as she watched.

"Students!" Louis spoke up loudly as he clapped his hands together to get their attention. "Today, we are here to pay our respects to one of NASA's most brilliant scientists, to one of the world's best mothers, and to the one and only beautiful Ryan Woods."

Everyone gave a polite round of respectful applause before letting Louis continue.

"We are here today to honour Ryan, who attended this school as a teenager and made a massive impact here with her discovery of the magnetite meteor. She will forever be missed."

A low chuckle sounded from behind Adalynn and her eyes widened in surprise and anger. Who could be laughing at such a sad occasion as this? The Woods couldn't even have a proper funeral because Ryan's body had been decimated in the explosion!

Adalynn whirled around, a scowl on her face and a hot red flush crawling up her neck. Suddenly, she paused. The person who'd laughed was standing right behind her. The person who'd laughed had their arms around Daniel Hayward's shoulders. The person who'd laughed was none other than Judy herself!

Adalynn's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the tall African woman. No hint of sadness or regret could be found in Judy's eyes, instead, she was whispering a comical joke to Daniel about the informal-ness of the occasion. Then her eyes locked with Adalynn's.

"Can I help you?" Judy demanded, eyebrows raised and an arrogant air to her tone.

Adalynn shook her head mutely and quickly turned back around. She could hear further chuckles and knew it was Daniel and Judy laughing together .... at her.

"What's going on, Stanton?" Leo leaned over to hiss in her ear.

"N-nothing," Adalynn replied shortly.

Leo's brow crinkled in suspicion as he pulled away.

"... And now students comes the unveiling of our memorial stone!" Louis was saying. "Jason, Carter, would you like to do the honours?"

As the two men stepped forward, Adalynn's gaze was once again drawn to Hayley and Alex. The immense amount of pain and sadness she was feeling would be nothing in comparison to theirs.

"This is like - even more awfuller than a funeral," Jackie spoke up softly from beside Adalynn.

Adalynn stifled a startled shriek as she whirled around to face Jackie. "Geez, Jackie."

"What? I'm just saying."

"You scared her," Leo explained. "That's like the - er - second or third time today? Aye, Stanton?"

Adalynn just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the scene at hand. She was just in time to see Jason and Carter pull the cloth off of the beautifully engraved memorial stone.

"That's - that's soo cool," Max's voice reached Adalynn's ears. She turned to see him standing next to Jackie. Where had those two come from anyway?

"How miserly!" Judy was exclaiming from behind Adalynn. "With all the money the Woods have you'd think they could've made the memorial stone look that much nicer? But again, there's no fixing up that - er - motley look."

A flame of rage erupted in Adalynn's chest. She gritted her teeth as she reached over and tapped Max on the shoulder. "Hey, Maxie, can you spare a minute?"

Max nodded. "Hey, sure. What's up?"

"Max," Adalynn hissed under her breath as she drew him aside and glanced around furtively. "Max, I - I ..."

"W-what? What is it?" Max questioned worriedly.

"Max ... I need your help."

~~~~

Gif: Hayley and Alex at the dedication.

A/N: Whooohoo!!! So what do ya all think?? Is Judy someone they should watch out for? What about Daniel? Is he somehow involved? What r ur thoughts on the brutally blunt Aspen? What would u have done if u were Adalynn?? Pls comment ur opinions below, I'd love to hear from you!! Sorry for the late update!! Thanks for reading!! Have a great night 💕💕