Chapter 7 #2
Celeste was a whole other problem altogether.
She didn’t care that I hadn’t picked a side yet.
Her grudge against me seemed more based on the fact that I’d come from The Hill than anything else.
Most likely, she felt intimidated and was striking first before I could step on her toes.
It made the most sense. She had probably lived in rough areas her whole life, and this was how she kept her power on top.
I had no intention of “taking her place” especially since that place seemed to be at Hunter’s side, but I was determined to get my earrings back. Fucking bitch.
Then … there were the boys.
What the hell was I going to do?
Why was Vail so angry? Why was Lee so… silent?
And Shaw… my God. My heart ached at the way he trembled when he held me, the way his voice broke, everything.
Seeing the three of them again had affected me more than I thought it would.
I didn’t know what I was hoping for, but it hadn’t been this reaction.
The hostility, the confusion, and clear aversion…
well, except Shaw. Lee was flirty at first, but he changed completely, going cold when he realized it was me.
There were brief moments where his facade broke, but he quickly regained his composure and stood with Vail, who had been furious to see me again.
I was just going to have to ignore them.
It made my heart hurt at the thought, but that was what they wanted or agreed to, at least, on their part.
Why? I didn’t know and most likely would never know.
So I had to concentrate on myself and think about how the hell I was going to survive until graduation.
Head down, get my earrings back, and act like those three didn’t exist.
The next day, I was a little more careful with what I picked to wear for school.
Going to the Academy meant uniforms, so I never had to think about selecting an outfit unless I was going out with friends.
But as I rummaged through my stuff, I realized how out of place I actually was.
Mom had bought me all designer stuff, high-end, and even the plainest clothes screamed a high price tag.
The simplest thing I could find was a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a black, loosely fitted top that I tucked into the front, and dark heel wedges.
I left my lilac hair down in its usual waves but wore no jewelry today. I wasn’t making that mistake twice.
Despite what I told Vail by my locker yesterday, it did hurt that the earrings gifted to me from my mother were taken by a bitch like Celeste Wood.
But I wouldn’t allow my pain to show. It would only give the kids at this school something to feed off of.
If they didn’t know who I was and why I was suddenly a part of the student body, then they would have less ammo to throw my way.
I kept my makeup simple since I already had pink pouty lips and long, dark lashes, which I’d been told gave me a dreamy resting look, so I just put on some lip balm and liner with a touch of mascara. I had really hoped my choice of dress today would have helped me blend in better.
How wrong I was.
Not only did Celeste and her Skank Squad corner me again right at lunch, but this time they stole my small leather backpack.
Luckily, my wallet was in my locker, as well as my phone, but all of my loose money and my student ID were in there, along with any pencils, pens, and my notebooks.
To add insult to injury, the bitch was wearing my mom’s pearl earrings today.
The girls left me sitting on my ass on the hallway floor, and I wiped a tiny smear of blood off my lip with my wrist. Luckily, that seemed to be the only injury I obtained from their attack.
Other students skirted around me as I picked up my textbooks and threw them into my locker.
I grabbed Othello and my wallet, and trudged off to the cafeteria, keeping my head down as I bought the same lunch I had yesterday and sat in the corner again, minding my business.
But I could hear Celeste sitting with Hunter and his crew, laughing loudly and tucking her hair behind her ears as she showed off her new bling. I silently seethed, but I didn’t let it show on my face. I bent over my book, tucking a wavy strand of hair out of my face, and quietly ate my food.
While I ate, I kept scoping out the cafeteria, taking in as much as I could.
Any information would be key to my survival here.
The general school population was made up of jocks, nerds, band geeks, and all those in-between.
I’d also noticed there were groups of girls that seemed to be groupies, who wandered between the tables of harder-looking kids who must be part of smaller crews and gangs, throwing themselves at the guys, hoping for attention of some sort.
Some of the girls got it, a guy wrapping an arm around their waists, and they would pull her in.
They would giggle and might even sit on their laps or get a kiss, but then she would be sent on her way.
They weren’t members. The girls who were, were then treated differently…
with more respect, at least. Meredith was one of them.
I saw her sitting with a group of scary-looking guys, and she was one of the few girls.
But when she spoke to them, they listened.
She didn’t have to flirt or offer herself for their esteem or protection.
I could only assume that these were members of Vendetta, as I had kind of put together she was one of them.
She glanced my way, catching me in my observation, smiled, and gave me a friendly wave which I returned before I went back to reading my book.
“Hey there, princess.” I peered up to see a brown-haired, scary-looking bastard standing beside my table.
When I caught his eye, though, his expression changed, and he gave me a small smile.
At least when he did that, it helped eliminate the coldness I initially felt coming off of him. But, God damn, I hated that nickname.
“My name is Casey,” I said and held out my hand. He took it, the corner of his mouth rising even more at my polite but probably odd gesture. I couldn’t help it. It was instilled in me to introduce myself this way, thanks to the Academy. But I think this guy liked it.
“Casey.” He released my hand and leaned against the edge of the table. He’d just come from that group of jocks, the ones who wear the school’s black and red letterman jackets, with the wolves on the backs. “I’m Peter,” he informed me. “Senior.”
“Likewise,” I told him, wondering what kind of bullshit he could possibly send my way. So far, the only one who had been remotely friendly toward me was Meredith. The odds were stacked against me.
“So you’re on the cusp of escaping this place like me, eh?”
“Can’t come soon enough.” I crinkled my nose as I thought about how much longer we had to go. June just seemed so far away.
He laughed a little, but it seemed genuine. Maybe he wasn’t putting on an act? “You’ll get out of here soon enough,” he told me. “So I hear that Celeste Wood has taken it upon herself to welcome you to Harley.”
He said it like a statement, not a question.
I withered a little, hating that this appeared to be the talk of the school.
“She has.” Just shrug it off. Shrug it off…
“I’m honoured, actually. The fact she even bothers exerting any sort of effort on me is shocking.
Didn’t think I’d be so worth her time, but what can you do? ”
Peter’s brown eyes seemed to dance a little at my statement, and he laughed again. “She’s a typical jealous, spoiled, conniving little bitch,” he told me, “and she’s threatened… plain and simple.”
“Well, I’ve figured that out for myself.”
“I could help you out, you know…” he informed me, lowering his voice.
“What do you mean?” Instantly, I tensed up.
“I can offer you protection.”
I stared up at him, praying that he wasn’t implying what I thought he was. “Meaning…?”
“I’ll make sure no one fucks with you. And she won’t if…” His voice trailed off, and I caught the suggestive undertone.
I held back the urge to gag. Was he seriously going to say what I thought he was?
“Everything comes at a price, princess,” he said at last, biting down on his bottom lip, and I felt myself die a little inside. At his mention of a price, I instantly wanted to curl in on myself. It seemed that was the only way girls could pay for anything around here.
“I see…” I said slowly while I took a long sip of my chocolate milk. “Well, thanks, but no thanks. Not interested, and I can promise you that I never will be.”
“Well, you should think about it. Seems like Hunter has his eye on you.” He glared over to where the Jackals were gathered, and sure enough, Hunter’s amber eyes were on Peter and me in a freaky scowl that made me shiver.
“He’s not worth your time. Neither is Company.
” I noted that he hadn’t mentioned Vendetta.
Honestly, what could I say? I didn’t know enough about these groups to be having an opinion.
If I could have it my way, I’d rather just be left alone by everyone.
Day two, and I’d already been approached by two groups, possibly three if I counted Meredith as part of one.
Then there was the ‘favour’ comment from Vail yesterday.
However, I’m going to assume that was some bullshit, smartass remark he was making in response to seeing me get my ass kicked by a bunch of girls.
If he was part of one of these gangs, which one would he fall under?
I hadn’t seen him at any of the tables at lunch.
“Thanks for the heads up,” I told Peter, a hint of sarcasm in my tone, but he missed it completely.
“No problem, Princess.” He gave me a flirty wink and headed off to where the rest of the jocks were sitting. They all leaned in close to him when he returned and spoke softly amongst themselves.