Chapter 45

                                    

                                          
Chapter 45- Ella's POV
                          

                          
I stared at my brother, who never failed to surprise me whenever he opened his mouth to speak.
                          
"What do you mean?” I asked.
                          
Malcolm smirked. "I have my ways," he answered. His gaze flickered over to Nathan. "Hi, Nathan," he said.
                          
I turned my eyes to Nathan in shock, surprised at the fact that the two of them knew each other. He looked at me sheepishly and looked at my brother. "Hi," he murmured.
                          
I frowned. "You two know each other?" I asked.
                          
My brother snickered. "I know a lot of people, Ella. Which is probably the reason why you haven't been expelled today." He didn't give me a chance to answer him, snapping his fingers when I opened my mouth to speak, and continued, "I should call mum. She's worried about you. The principal called her and she wasn't able to come here because her boss didn't let her leave. So she called me." His eyes narrowed at me, but I could tell that he wasn't angry about the situation; he was merely observing me through it. Of course, I probably looked like a confused fool right now. His lips parted into a smile and he left the room, phone in hand, to call mum.
                          
I turned to Nathan immediately. "How the heck do you know my brother?" I asked.
                          
He shrugged. "I just do. It's a small world."
                          
I took a deep breath, analysing the situation. I didn't want to think about it... but it was possible. I knew it was bad to think about, especially since he was my brother and he had been the one whom, I presumed, had just gotten Edward and me out of huge trouble, but still. How would he know so many things and so many people if he didn't observe? Was Malcolm the stalker after all? All of this was very uncanny.
                          
"Nathan. He's not... the stalker, is he?" I said in a low voice, looking at him with pleading eyes. He glared at me and crossed his arms.
                          
"You know I'm not going to talk about that. I really can't say anything," he replied shortly.
                          
"Nate, I'm in danger here!" I exclaimed. Nathan just shook his head and looked on. As if on cue, Malcolm marched into the room.
                          
"Mum's relieved," he said, eyes darting from Nathan to me. I knew he could tell that something was up but he didn't comment. He sat on a stool. "So do you want to know what happened with the principal?" he asked. He popped a piece of gum into his mouth and put it back into his pocket without offering to anyone.
                          
"Yes, of course I do," I said, though at the moment, he was the last person I wanted to talk to. Every move pointed to him right now.
                          
"Mhm," Malcolm said, chewing in a very annoying way. "So, I was called into the office since mum couldn't make it. Your boyfriend was in there, with that annoying English teacher or whatever he is," he continued, referring to John. He ran a hand through his hair. Even that simple act made me look at him suspiciously. "The principal explained everything to me... though of course he didn't need to, I knew all of it. And he did it with those two present- very stupid, I must admit. I mean, why in front of them? It may be their business but he should have called me in privately."
                          
"Just get to the point, Malcolm," I said, gritting my teeth. If anything, I wasn't a patient person.
                          
His eyes locked with mine. "I am," he said. "He told me that both teachers were going to be fired and you would have to be expelled. I said that it wasn't fair and he didn't need to do that. His response was that he had the right to take the guys to court, and I said, no you won't. Then I told him that he couldn't possibly expel you, because if they did, I would take them to court and spread it on the news that this college encourages teachers to have affairs with their students, and they get away with it because in the end the student is expelled and gets all the blame." Malcolm raised his eyebrows. "Of course, he didn't like this. He objected and said you were expelled anyway. But then I told him that I'm a lawyer." He paused. "Well, I'm not, I'm studying for it, but he'll never know that. And just like that, I managed to convince him that you are not to be expelled. I may have actually threatened him with a few other things I know about the school, but that's not important. The important thing is, you're okay."