To Capture A Heart ✔

Chapter 37

I entered the administration building and started walking towards the staff room when I spotted Josh, the head of our student council – a tall, fairly lean boy with dirty blond hair and cute freckles – running up to me from the opposite direction.

"Hey! Wait up, " he called out to me.

"Hey, " I smiled.

He was slightly out of breath by the time he reached me and gave me a warm smile. He was one of the brightest minds in our school, but it seemed like fitness isn't really his cup of tea.

He was a science geek, whereas I liked numbers, but other than that we had similar interests. We were both the chosen candidates by our teachers, to lead the student council last year. But I backed out of the race, before it even began.

I wanted to focus on my last year in high school and get good grades, so being involved in the student council seemed like a distraction at the time. I was genuinely happy for Josh though, he was a perfect fit for the role and has done a great job at it so far.

"Thank God, I caught you before you went in, " he said and sighed. "Do you know who we are having the meeting with?"

"Andrew Stone, " I muttered. "Max's dad."

Josh was one of the people who knew the entire story of what happened last year and has always been a great friend to me. I guess, the sudden involvement of Andrew Stone in our school management, and this meeting, probably has him worried.

"You can back out if you aren't comfortable with this, " he said. "I can make up an excuse for you."

"It's alright. It's not like I'm meeting him alone, and besides, I don't think he'll risk causing a scene here."

"You're right, " he nodded in agreement. "Just try to maintain a low profile during the entire meeting. Alright?"

"You got it, " I smiled and we joined a group of students waiting outside the staff room.

We were asked to wait outside for a few minutes while Mr. Stone had a chat with our school staff. After about twenty minutes we were ushered inside the room.

There was one long white table set up on a stand so that it's slightly higher than the other chairs, that were placed in front of it. A few of our teachers and the two men I had seen at the parking lot earlier were seated behind the table along with Mr. Stone and Mrs. Smith, who were positioned in the center.  I quickly occupied a seat in the back, whereas Josh had to sit in the front row, as he was the head of the student council and would be easily missed.

The room fell silent as all of us settled in, and we looked at them expectantly. Mrs. Smith was the first one to talk, as she introduced Mr.Stone as one of the newest members of our school's management committee and a promising candidate for the mayor elections this year.

When it was Mr. Stone's turn to speak, I found myself nervously fidgeting in my seat. I had never thought that I would have to ever meet Max's dad, especially in such circumstances. I didn't know how much he knew regarding what happened last year, and what was his opinion about it. Plus, knowing that he was such a powerful man didn't help my nerves at all.

I was blankly staring at him, as he greeted everyone with a warm smile and a calm, but authoritative voice. The longer I looked at him, the more annoyed I got. 

He was here, promising us a bright future and asking us regarding how he could make our school life better, when his son was out there, ruining lives.

When he got up from his chair and started conversing with the students to take suggestions on what changes we would like in our school and city, and explaining his vision to us, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him.

I had the strongest urge to stand up and tell him that, the biggest help to our society would be, if he could manage to get his son under control or behind the bars. Preferably the second one.

As I sat there, thinking about different ways on how I could murder this father and son duo and get away with it, the staff room door flew open and Tyler stepped in. Still wearing his jersey, he looked like he had come here straight from the practice.

"Sorry, I'm late ma'am. We were in the middle of a game when I was informed regarding this meeting, " he said to Mrs. Smith.

Before anyone could say another word, Mr. Stone started walking towards where he was standing, and to my surprise I found Tyler smiling at him.

"Tyler! It's good to see you," he said and clapped his back. "I was beginning to wonder why you weren't one among the brilliant group of achievers sitting here."

Tyler let out a small chuckle and said, "It's good to see you too, sir."

What the fuck was happening here?

"It's alright, Crosby, have a seat, " one of the professors called out to him and he nodded.

When he started walking towards where we all were sitting, his eyes immediately locked onto mine. He gave me a smile and I frowned at him in return. I was still in shock, as he came up to me and pulled out a chair to sit beside me.

"Hey, " he said, in a low tone.

"What was that?" I whispered to him.

But before he could answer me, we were interrupted by Mr. Stone talking again and we looked at him. I wasn't paying any attention to him though, my mind was busy finding a plausible answer to what I just saw.

Soon, the meeting got over and we were asked to leave the room. I got up from my chair determined to get out of here as fast as I can, when Mrs. Smith called out my name. I cursed under my breath before I turned towards her, only to find her standing in a corner of the room, beside Mr. Stone himself.

I guess lady luck is going to be a bitch to me today.

I slowly walked over to them and gave them a weak smile. With a quick glance around the room, I found out that almost all of the students had left, except for Josh and Tyler who were now standing behind me.

"You were awfully quiet today, is everything okay with you?" Mrs. Smith enquired. Usually, I was always fond of how attentive she was towards all her students, but right now I was just annoyed by it.

"I'm fine," I smiled at her, refusing to look at Mr stone, who was standing right beside her. "I just had a lot on my mind."

Satisfied with my excuse she nodded and patted my shoulder. "If there is anything else, and you want to talk to someone, you know where to find me."

I just gave her a tight smile and nodded, getting ready to sprint out of the room as soon as this conversation is over.

"Mr. Stone, she is one of the brightest students in our school. We're proud to have her here, " she said, affectionately and I cringed.

Oh no.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," I said and forced myself to look up at him.

"The pleasure is all mine, " he replied, staring intently at me. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

Here we go.

"Veronica D'costa, " I said.

He furrowed his eyebrows for a second, and then there was an unmistakable flicker of recognition in his eyes, that had my gut clenching.
A long beat of silence passed over the room and I felt both Tyler and Josh inching closer to me as I held my breath, waiting for his response.

"I've heard a lot about you, " he finally murmured, with a smile.

Then he turned towards Mrs. Smith and said, "Do you mind if I have a moment alone with her please?"

A/n :- 👀👀👀