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CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
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UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
CHAPTER 37"Come in," Mrs. Wilkins' gravelly voice demanded from within.Miranda braced herself with a haughty flip of her blonde hair before clutching the tarnished doorknob and storming into the dingy office like an enraged prima donna. She held back a scowl of scorn at the small, barely lighted chamber crammed with stacks of disorganised folders and worn books."Mrs. Wilkins, we need to talk," Miranda said without hesitation, firmly placing her palms on the broken desk that separated them. "This pathetic little game you're playing with the group assignments is unacceptable."The desiccated teacher slowly lifted her rheumy eyes from the documents before her, completely unimpressed by Miranda's theatrical display of entitlement. She gave the glowering socialite a glare that might curdle milk."Is that so, Miss Prescott?" She rasped in her distinctive snarl of scorn and nicotine. "And which part of my precise instructions on the matter were too oblique for your pampered supremacist se
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
CHAPTER 38Lila couldn't contain the little bounce in her step as she ran down the cracked sidewalk to her family's modest duplex home. Despite the lingering knot of dread in her gut about the Wilkins Group Thunderdome, she felt a sense of hope she hadn't had in years.This was her one chance to finally overcome the mediocrity and stagnation that had plagued her life for so long. She does this not just for herself, but also for her father. If she could just secure this prestigious Willhaven scholarship and receive access to their world-class speech therapy tools, it could be the breakthrough they've been waiting for.Her pulse raced a bit faster as she imagined her father's warm, careworn face beaming with delight rather than the continual undercurrent of sorrowful resignation that he could never fully cover. Not if his daughter became the first member of their family to attend a prestigious university and leave their humble beginnings behind. Lila was so engrossed in her thoughts of
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
CHAPTER 39"This has nothing to do with petty material trifles, Mother," Miranda bit out, trying to keep her rage under control. "This is about my future - our _family's_ legacy - being jeopardized by the actions of that addlebrained old crone Mrs. Wilkins!"Now she had their full attention. Grant lowered his cigar, a concerned expression on his face. "Wilkins? "What did she do this time?"Miranda braced her hands on the back of the sofa as if to keep herself stable. "That woman is in charge of some savage scholarship competition in which kids compete like gladiators. And she had the unmitigated nerve to place Caleb in the same group as that...that stuttering little freak, Lila Emerson!""Good heavens," Judith exclaimed, putting a perfectly manicured hand against her chest. "You can't be serious, my dear. Even with Willow Creek's notoriously inadequate academic requirements, forcing your Caleb to socialize with such...undesirables seems out of the question.""I only wish I _was_ jokin
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER 40The next morning, as students filed into Willow Creek High for the first period, there was a tangible sensation of expectation in the air. Following yesterday's terrifying announcements, it felt like the entire school was holding its collective breath, ready for whatever new chaos Mrs. Wilkins planned to unleash next.Lila kept her head down as she walked through the throngs of people, attempting to avoid drawing unwanted attention. She could practically feel the weight of furtive eyes and badly hidden whispers coming at her from all sides. No doubt, knowledge of her "elite" group assignment with Caleb Matthews had already spread like wildfire through the painfully incisive social circles.As she approached her first-period English lesson, Lila couldn't help but look around for her newly designated colleagues. Part of her was morbidly fascinated about how they would react in the harsh light of day. Had the dust calmed sufficiently for Caleb to resume his customary rude arro
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER FORTY ONE
CHAPTER 41*** AFTER MID-DAY BREAK ***The classroom was alive with restless energy as students trickled in and took their normal seats. But the air felt thicker than usual, more charged as if the entire place was a powder keg ready to detonate at the least spark. And, as expected, the room fell silent when Mrs. Wilkins walked through the door with her usual glower. Nobody dared to budge in their creaking seats as the dour teacher approached the lectern, appearing like a puritanical hanging judge about to sentence them all.Lila kept her gaze front and her back straight. She could feel the weight of Mia's watchful sidelong glances from her left, no doubt aimed at Caleb's imposing figure on the opposite periphery. Even without looking, Lila could see the disdainful scowl distorting the cocky jock's features as he awaited Wilkins' new edicts.For a long beat, the wise teacher merely stood there, raking the assembled students with her distinctive basilisk gaze. When she eventually spoke
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER FORTY TWO
CHAPTER 42The house was swathed in stillness when Lila finally trudged through the front door that evening. Despite the warmth of the setting sun filtering through the curtains, an inescapable chill seemed to permeate every nook and cranny. She raised her hands and signed, _"Dad?"_ more out of rote instinct than any real expectation of response. The lack of an answer only confirmed her suspicions - Ethan must have been pulling another graveyard shift down at the cannery to make ends meet.Lila sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly as the silence pressed in all around her. While she tried not to dwell on it too often, there was always an undercurrent of melancholy that came with being home alone these days. Almost like the walls themselves were haunted by specters of better times when her mother had still been around to imbue their humble dwelling with warmth and levity.Shuffling towards the kitchen, Lila's eyes were immediately drawn to the collage of old family photos Blu-Tacked
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER FORTY THREE
CHAPTER 43Caleb's alarm pierced the early morning calm like a scorching knife. He grumbled and swiped at his bedroom table until his fingers found the snooze button, which temporarily silenced the unpleasant sounds. Caleb allowed himself a few indulgent seconds to lay amidst his rumpled sheets and silk pajamas, squinting against the hazy streams of dawn that filtered through his bedroom window. The advantage of coming from a wealthy family was that he could enjoy leisurely mornings like these while the rest of Willow Creek's peasantry was already racing off to whatever menial task occupied their sad existences.Of course, such leisurely respites seldom lasted long in the Matthews home. Not when their illustrious family lineage necessitated the ongoing cultivation and upholding of the highest standards in every possible field.Caleb's eyes rolled up in disgust as he heard a loud tapping on his door. "Yeah, yeah—I'm decent. Julia, you are welcome to come in.The door flew open, reveal
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
CHAPTER 44By the time Julia and Caleb made their way downstairs, their usual squabbling had subsided into an uneasy truce. Caleb marched ahead in sullen silence, while Julia trailed slightly behind, giving her brother tense back furtive glances every few steps.She couldn't resist the nagging suspicion that Caleb's obvious animosity towards this scholarship competition originated from more than just his normal rebellious behavior. There was an apparent undercurrent of worry and dread in his statements, which felt out of character for her generally calm sibling.Of course, making such observations openly would only invite Caleb's scorn. He had little regard for any hints that he was straining under the tremendous expectations that weighed heavily on their privileged family. Julia knew better than to poke that particularly territorial bear without a verifiable reason.Instead, she merely let the tense silence to stretch between them as they approached the huge circular driveway where C
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