Chapter 6 #3
“Is there a problem, Olive?” Mr. Acevedo inquires, suddenly materializing beside her.
Aha, now things could get interesting. She freezes, looks at me. I bestow my most innocent expression upon her. She hesitates.
Go on, rat on me. But she doesn’t. Her eyes are daggers, but she shakes her head. “No, everything’s fine.”
OK, so that’s how you are, Olive Garden. I couldn’t have said for certain that I’d have stayed loyal if it had been me. She stiffens as I slip her my phone under the desk.
“What are you doing?” she whispers, trying to push it away like it’s burning her fingers, but I’m already flipping through my book.
“You’ll help me get expelled or you can get expelled in my place,” I mutter expressionlessly.
She leans down to take a closer look at the photo. Her breath catches for a moment.
“Yeah, that’s you,” I say. It might have been dark, but my phone camera got a great likeness of her. “I’m sure your head teacher would be delighted to find that on her desk. There’s no point trying to delete it. I backed it up long ago.”
She turns her face toward me. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“Olive, Colin, please.” Mr. Acevedo looks sternly at us.
I’m only too pleased to retrieve my phone from Olive and ignore her for the rest of class. With deliberate calm, I unwrap a muesli bar, and she freaks out as I start eating in class.
Normally I’d say something at this point.
Get under her skin by letting her know I’ve got a chronic condition, so she’s the one being fucking insensitive.
But for some reason, I don’t. I just glance sharply at her before I take a bite.
She stares at me in disbelief and looks at the teacher.
He doesn’t say a word. He’s up to speed, like they all are.
The normal rules don’t apply to me. I get to eat in class, use my phone, and walk out any time I please. Amazing.
A while later, the bell goes for break, and fortunately, Olive Garden follows me outside with the others.
“So you’re showing me the way to math, apparently?
” I ask, but that seems to be the last thing on her mind.
With surprising strength, she grabs me by the sleeve and drags me into an alcove along the hallway.
“Or is the nerdy school captain going to do that?”
“Excuse me?” Anger glints in her green eyes. Fuck, he’s a friend of hers. I should have known.
“Nothing, forget it.” I straighten my shoulders, but it seems like she’s only just warming up.
“I don’t care if you hate this school or don’t want to be in class, but anyone who insults my friends will have me to deal with, got that?”
“Oh, no, I’m terrified,” I mock. Then I look her over. I take my time about it, and I can sense it’s working as my eyes roam over her body and her uniform. This ridiculous schoolgirl look. OK, so she’s hot, but I’d never let her know I think so.
“Delete that photo,” she insists.
I give a tired smile. “Sorry, not gonna happen. I need some kind of leverage over you.”
“I’ll go to Mrs. Sinclair and tell her it was you.”
“Why would she believe you?”
“Why would she believe you?”
“She was standing there, in the dark, and I tried to stop her,” I begin, not taking my eyes off Olive. “But she really laid into it. There was nothing I could do.”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” she snaps. “If you’re so keen on getting expelled, go and confess.”
I give a long sigh. “If only it was that easy, Olive Garden.”
“Don’t call me that.”
I’m not reacting to that right now. “I have to be more subtle about it. And I need something better. Something that will leave this head teacher of yours no choice, if you see what I mean.”
“Well, I’ve never been expelled, so I can’t help you there.”
“Oh, come on. I bet you’ll think of something. Otherwise this photo will be going around.”
She eyes me, then shakes her head. “What the hell happened to you to make you this vile?” she mutters. She doesn’t seem to be expecting an answer because she spins on her heel and walks off without another word.
“Hey!” I actually lower myself to follow her. “Wait. I thought you were going to show me the way to math.”
“I didn’t think you cared,” she says, not looking at me.
“I don’t,” I snap back.
“Right, as I thought. There’s a map of the school in your welcome pack, along with your timetable. Knock yourself out.” She marches off, and I’m not going to make an ass of myself by running after her again. I glance furtively around, but sadly, I can’t see that Henry guy anywhere either.
“Looking for something?”
I’m about to say no, but for some unknown reason, I take a liking to the guy stopped a yard or two from me. Maybe it’s his rolled-up shirtsleeves that show me he hates the uniform just as much as I do.
“You’re new, right?” he goes on when I don’t reply.
“Yeah, but you can call me Colin,” I say. It’s a test, which he passes by grinning.
“If I must. I’m Kit.” He holds out his hand to me. There’s no mistaking his Scottish accent, but he doesn’t sound as posh as certain other people around here. He strikes me as chilled. “You’ve got the guts to mess with Olive—respect.”
I give a quiet laugh. “Just a minor difference of opinion.”
“Aye, right, pal. Be careful with her; she’s gone through enough shite lately.”
OK, maybe he’s not so chill. I’m about to ask him what he means by that when a bunch of other students come over.
Kit introduces them all to me. I make a note of their names, and I won’t forget them.
You learn that young when you’re dragged to public events as a kid with your VIP mom and have to make a good impression.
Kit doesn’t mention Olive again, but he gives me a meaningful stare as he drops me off outside the math classroom.
Seems like he has a different subject, because he heads off again.
Luckily for me, Olive Garden’s already sitting next to one of the girls.
She lifts her chin as I walk past and looks pointedly away.
What’s the shit you’ve gone through, Olive Garden? C’mon, tell me. Or else make sure it doesn’t interest me, because that way danger lies.
I sit two rows behind her and spend the rest of class watching her ignore me.