Wrath - 4 by Robin Wasserman Page A

future.”
    Was her loyalty to a girl she barely knew and barely liked real y worth getting into even more trouble? Miranda didn’t know—but she knew she wasn’t a rat. Once Beth found out they’d been caught, she would surely insist on turning herself in—say what you wanted about Beth, she at least had principles—but Miranda wasn’t about to make the decision for her, no matter what it cost. She lifted her head up and crossed her arms in an effort to look resolute—and to stop herself from trembling.
    “I’m sorry. I wish I could help you, but I can’t.”
    “This is a one-shot deal, Stevens.Tel me now, and I can help you. But once I’ve decided on your punishment—”
    “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I can’t.”
    “Very wel , then.” He rubbed the large brown birthmark on his forehead, then looked down at his desk and began flipping through a stack of papers, as if to signify that she was no longer worth his time. “A month of detentions, then, starting today.”
    Miranda got up to leave, doing her best to hold back the tears. Harper would never cry in a situation like this. She would just grin at the vice principal, making it clear that nothing he could do or say would affect her in the least. Miranda couldn’t manage a smile, but at least she didn’t cry.
    “Stevens,” the vice principal said as she was almost out the door, “you’ve made a very poor choice here today. I hope, for your sake, you don’t look back on this moment and realize it was a huge mistake.”
    Kane ambushed her right outside the vice principal’s office. She’d caught him at his weakest moment, so it seemed only fair to return the favor.
    “I have to admit,” he said, slipping up from behind her, “I didn’t think you had it in you.”
    Miranda flushed and looked away, one hand flying up, as if on its own, to check that her hair was sufficiently in place. The smal gesture was al it took to confirm Kane’s suspicions.
    “Didn’t know I had what in me?” she asked in confusion, smiling widely despite the tears forming at the corner of each eye.
    “I think you know what.” He jerked his head back toward the office. “What’d they give you? Life without parole? Plus a little community service?”
    “A months detention,” she said rueful y. “Wait—you know, and you’re not mad?”
    “Mad?” Kane grinned at her, delighting in the way the blood al rushed back to her face. Not that there weren’t plenty of girls fal ing al over themselves to have him, but Miranda was different. She’d always been a bit of a riddle, and there was something almost comforting about being able to tuck her neatly into a recognizable category. Something a bit disappointing, as wel —she didn’t belong with the bimbos. “Why would I be mad?” he asked, stroking his chin in deep thought. “Just because you spread a bunch of embarrassing rumors about me to the whole school?” She raised her eyebrows as if to say, wel … yes .
    “I was mad,” he al owed. But it had, after al , been such a feeble scheme. And there was almost something endearingly pathetic about Miranda’s little attempt to strike back.
    Like a kitten trying to take down a tiger. “I was mad,” he repeated, “but it’s not a deal breaker.” He put an arm around her, the way he had a hundred times over the course of their friendship—except, this time, he noticed the way she brightened up at his touch. “Besides, I’m kind of impressed. It’s good to see you raising a little hel .”
    “I learned from the best,” she said teasingly.
    “Then you didn’t learn enough. I know better than to get caught,” he boasted.
    She ducked her head and giggled. It wasn’t a sound that suited her. She wasn’t a giggler.
    “How did you know they caught me, by the way?”
    “A master never reveals his secrets,” Kane swore. His network of informants depended on his discretion—and his power depended on his access to their information. “Let’s just say