Chapter 8 – Olivia #2
“How do I use that to my advantage? I don’t know the first thing about being rich. Nor will I blend with these people.” I glanced out the window and sighed. “My last five schools were nothing like this one. And I got bullied and made fun of by at of them.”
“You’re a pretty girl. But you don’t have any confidence.”
“Yes, I—”
“No, you don’t.” Carmella shook her head. “You look down or away when people hold your gaze. It’s like you’re afraid of having anyone notice you. And you wrinkle your nose when you’re nervous. Mean girls can read micro-expressions faster than the latest issue of Cosmo.”
The knot in my stomach tightened as her words of wisdom sank into my brain.
This place would be my hell for the next year unless I outsmarted the mean girls.
Even Drake had tried to warn me. Hence, the Cinderella-style makeover, along with all the new clothes and makeup. He didn’t want me to struggle.
“I was testing you on the way over here to see how you would respond.”
“So, you were intentionally trying to be rude.”
“Yes, but it was for your benefit. I told Drake I would prepare you for Astor Prep. But my methods can sometimes be unconventional.”
You don’t say.
Bitch.
I wanted to like Carmella, but she was making it hard. My old and new lives were so different from each other that none of this seemed real. Neither did her fake smiles.
“Good luck,” Carmella said and clicked a button to unlock the doors. “Call me if you need advice.”
I considered asking Drake to move me to another school, but I didn’t want to bite the hand that fed me.
Drake was like Willy Wonka giving me a golden ticket to a better life.
Graduating from Astor Prep would open the doors to every Ivy League college in the country.
Not only would it look good on my application, but it would guarantee a better life.
So, I got out of the car, despite feeling out of place surrounded by so much wealth. The students spoke using big words that made them sound wise beyond their age. I was at the top of my class at my previous schools. At least in that regard, I would fit in here.
Tate would have hated it. Rough around the edges and more street smart than book smart, he would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
Thankfully, everyone had to wear uniforms, I headed inside the building that loomed over the property like an old castle. Most schools had the same brick facade and generic design elements. Not Astor Prep. It looked more like the estate of a mega-rich family, comprised several buildings.
Even with Drake’s considerable wealth on my side, I was still an outsider. The students turned their heads and stared as I walked down the hallway. In my mind, I was still poor white trash. A homeless girl who ate food out of trash cans.
Can they see it?
Can they hear my heart racing?
I swore everyone had read the lies on my face. Saw right through the carefully constructed veneer. A week ago, I was sleeping in an alley, and now I wore designer labels and had blowouts at fancy hair salons. I no longer had to worry about my next meal or the hunger pains that kept me up at night.
This was my fresh start.
Or so I thought.
A group of girls gathered beside several open lockers, glaring at me. They tipped up their noses. One narrowed her eyes, while the blonde girl applied gloss to her lips, staring at me in the mirror taped inside her locker door.
I forced a smile, even said hello.
A brunette girl stuck out her foot, but by the time I noticed, I was flying down the corridor and face-planting on the tiled floor. My shoulder and backpack broke my fall. But the worst part wasn’t the pain.
It was the laughter.
With my skirt shoved up my thighs, revealing my black lace panties, everyone stopped to point and laugh. Some boys whistled and cheered. A few even commented on my ass.
Fighting the tears burning my eyes, I pushed myself up from the floor, tugged down my skirt, and rushed past the group of students.
Walking as fast as my feet would allow, I kept going until the crowd thinned out.
Eventually, I found the girls’ bathroom and stepped inside before letting the first tear fall.
I rushed into a vacant stall, leaned against the wall, and cried until the first bell rang. And to my surprise, no one followed me. Those were the mean girls Carmella had warned me about. But I hadn’t expected to meet them so soon.
Only two minutes into the start of my first day here, and I was already the girl who fell on her face. The girl with the black lace panties.
My cell phone dinged with a new message.
Drake
How are you making out?
Olivia
Fine.
Drake
What’s wrong?
Olivia
Nothing.
A second later, my cell phone rang. I answered, but my voice sounded raw and like I had been crying.
“Liv, what happened?” Drake demanded.
“I…” My voice trembled as I choked on more tears. “I don’t fit in here, Drake. Those girls… They’re so horrible.”
“What girls? I want names.”
“I don’t know. But don’t get involved. It will only make things worse.”
He sighed into the receiver. “Can you make it through the day? Or do you want Carmella to come back for you?”
I thought about running away and never looking back, but I had to face this problem head-on. Running away never got me anywhere.
“No, I’ll be okay,” I assured him. “I just have to pay better attention to where I walk.”
“What does that mean?”
I heard the anger in his tone and wondered if he could have done something about those girls. He was rich and powerful. Men like Drake could move mountains.
“A girl tripped me in the hallway. I fell. It was nothing.”
“Fuck,” Drake hissed. “By the end of the day, I want names. Understood?”
“Yes,” I muttered, struggling to get out the word. “But it’s really unnecessary. You don’t need to—”
“I do,” he shot back.
Head down, I pressed the phone to my ear and stared at the white and gold tiles. “Okay.”
“If you can make it until the end of the day, I can skip a meeting and be there to pick you up.”
A thrill raced through me. “Yeah, I can do this.”
“Liv,” he said, his deep voice like a rumble in my ear. “You’re smart, talented, and beautiful. Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.”
I choked back another sob. “Okay.”
“When I was younger, school was hard for me, too. I was the only ten-year-old boy in high school. Kids laughed at me. They called me names. I’ve heard it all.
When you’re different, people say stupid things because they don’t understand you.
Some of them might even be jealous. Own your power. Use your intelligence against them.”
“I don’t know how.”
Drake paused for a moment before saying, “Astor Prep has a ranking system. Make sure you’re at the top of that list. All the popular kids are on it.”
“How do I get on it?”
“With your grades. You won’t get a ranking until you’ve completed a few assignments, but once you do, I bet you’ll be number one.”
“I’m smart for public school. I don’t know if I can hack it here.”
“You can,” he said with absolute certainty. “I wouldn’t have enrolled you if I didn’t think this was the right fit for you. Do you trust me?”
With my life.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Of course.”
I heard loud noises in the background that sounded like a man’s voice. Drake covered the phone and yelled something back that was muffled.
“Hey, Liv. I have to go. Today, I’m doing a lot of damage control. If you can’t reach me, call Carmella. Otherwise, I’ll see you after school.”
With that, he ended the call, leaving me with more confidence than I had started with that morning.
I could do this.
I would outsmart those bitches.