Chapter 11
“Why are you limping?” Cress squealed.
She was already dressed in her school uniform and looked far cuter than I thought possible for someone in plaid.
I think it came down to the accessories.
She wore a set of black heels and a long dark cardigan she’d belted at the waist. I looked at my uniform, which I’d laid out on the bed the night before.
I imagined the drab, formless sweater we were supposed to wear wasn’t going to look as nice on me.
“I twisted my ankle on my run.”
She rushed over. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s really no big deal.”
“Are you sure?” Her brow was pinched with concern, and it touched me to see how much she cared.
“I just have to walk it off.” My words didn’t seem to do anything to ease the worry on her face, and I quickly continued. “There’s not much I can do about it now anyway, so I’m going to hop in the shower.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the nurse?”
“Nope, I’m all good. I better get ready so I’m not late on my first day.
” I was already short on time, so I left the room before Cress could continue to worry over me.
My ankle was starting to feel a lot better, so I was fairly certain it wasn’t badly damaged.
I could imagine nothing worse than spending my first weeks at my new school with my foot in a cast or crutches under my arms.
I had a quick shower before changing into my school clothes.
I hadn’t tried them on yet, but they fit me perfectly, almost as if they’d been custom-made to fit my body.
The white button-down shirt was tailored to follow my curves, and the tartan skirt sat comfortably around my waist, ending the perfect distance above my knees.
The check pattern was mostly navy, but it had subtle hints of red threaded through it, and the tie was made to match.
While the sweater wasn’t particularly fashionable, the material was so soft I couldn’t bring myself to take it off.
I wasn’t sure how much time I had so I swiped some mascara across my lashes and quickly ran a brush through my hair.
“That will have to do,” I murmured as I looked at myself in the mirror.
It was a struggle to tame my hair on the best of days, and today was no exception.
It was as wild as ever and distracted from the smart, neat fit of my uniform.
I might have looked the part of a Weybridge student, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel it.
“Aww, you look adorbs,” Cress said as I reentered the bedroom. “Not many people can pull off the school sweater. I’m impressed.”
My cheeks warmed as I tried to figure out if she was making fun of me. “You don’t have to lie to me, you know.”
She smiled brightly. “I never lie when it comes to clothes.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I laughed as I picked up my school shoes and went to sit on my bed so I could put them on.
I was still struggling not to hobble as I walked and could only lightly press down on my foot.
It was going to be a long day walking around school if my ankle kept complaining this way.
“You should really get that checked out,” Cress said. She sounded just like her cousin.
“It’ll be fine. It’s already feeling much better.” Was I in denial? Probably. But admitting I was in pain felt like giving into it, and I refused to let my ankle hold me back today. I quickly changed the subject. “How was the rest of the party last night?”
“It was fun, but I wish you had stayed. Did you find a ride home okay?”
“Yeah, I went back with Lily.”
“Oh yeah, she’s sweet.”
“Do you know her well?”
“Not really,” Cress said. “She mostly hangs out with the other scholarship students.”
“Oh.” Cress didn’t sound like she was judging Lily for being here on a scholarship. Not like Veronica had. But her response made me wonder how the rest of the school viewed Lily, and whether she was only friendly with other scholarship students because she wasn’t welcomed by anyone else.
If that were the case, then it was completely unfair.
Lily might not be ridiculously rich like the other kids here, but she still belonged.
She had earned her place at Weybridge Academy by being smart.
I definitely couldn’t say the same. If anyone at this school was a charity case, it was me.
Would I be treated differently if the people here knew I came from nothing?
I wasn’t sure of the answer to my question, and it worried me. I’d lost too many friends recently, and I wasn’t sure I could handle being ostracized again.
A knock came at the door. “I’ll get it.” Cress hurried over to the door and pulled it open to reveal an older woman standing in the corridor.
“Good morning, Cressida,” she said. “Is Isobel here? I hear she had a fall, and I’ve come to take a look at her ankle.”
“Oh, sure. Come right in.” Cress stood back as the woman entered the room.
“Hello, Isobel. I’m the school nurse, Miss Ludwell.” She introduced herself as she came over to me. I was still sitting on the edge of my bed, and she lowered herself to kneel by my foot, setting her bag down at her side.
“Do you mind if I take a look at your ankle?” Miss Ludwell had a very direct tone, and although she was asking for my permission, I didn’t think she was someone who would take no for an answer.
“Oh, uh, sure.”
I leaned forward to watch as the woman lightly touched my ankle in different places, checking it for points of tenderness and assessing my range of motion. “It’s not that bad,” I said. “Cress really didn’t need to call you.”
“It wasn’t me,” Cress murmured.
“Actually, Mr. Hastings came to my office,” Miss Ludwell explained.
“What?” I gasped.
“Noah came to see you?” Cress sounded understandably confused.
The woman nodded. “Yes. I don’t normally visit the dorm rooms, but he was quite insistent.”
“Interesting,” Cress said with a glance in my direction.
My cheeks immediately started to flush. I hadn’t told her Noah had been in the woods with me. I’d already started pretending none of it had happened. Clearly, that wasn’t an option anymore—at least, it wasn’t as far as Cress was concerned.
Noah had surprised me again. He’d clearly gone out of his way to contact the school nurse, which really didn’t fit with the image I had of him in my head. I didn’t know whether to be grateful or annoyed. Who was he to decide whether I needed the nurse or not?
The nurse was nice, and by the time she’d finished with me, I was glad Noah had sent her. She iced my ankle and strapped it up, and she gave me some painkillers to dull the pain.
Just as Miss Ludwell was finishing up, Anna arrived at the door.
She was already in uniform, and like Cress, she’d made an effort to add her own style to the outfit.
She was wearing a gorgeous set of hoop earrings, and bracelets jangled around her wrist. She’d paired it all with a set of heels too.
I didn’t usually wear heels and had no idea how she expected to survive a whole day of school in them.
“You guys ready for breakfast?” Anna asked as she let herself into the room. “I’m starved …” Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Miss Ludwell packing up her bag.
“Are you sure you won’t consider resting in your room today?” Miss Ludwell asked me. “That would be my advice.”
“No, I’m okay,” I said for what felt like the tenth time. There was no way I was missing my first day of classes.
“Very well. Remember to ice your foot every few hours and try to keep it elevated. If you come by my office this morning, I can give you a crutch so you won’t be putting too much pressure on it.”
“Okay, thanks.” I wasn’t going to admit it to her, but I had no intention of walking around school with a crutch.
The nurse gave me a warm smile before leaving the room. As she shut the door behind her, Anna came rushing over. “What happened to you?”
“I fell over on my run.”
“Run?” Anna raised an eyebrow. “Why were you running?”
She looked so confused I couldn’t help but laugh. “Because I enjoy it.”
“Well, that’s just crazy,” she said. “I’m not sure if we can be friends anymore.” A smile played at her lips though, so I knew she was only joking.
“The run’s not even the most interesting part,” Cress said. “Apparently, Noah was the one who went to the school nurse and sent her up to see Isobel.”
“What?” Anna gasped. “Why?”
“That’s what I want to know.” Cress turned to me, an expectant look in her eyes. “What happened?”
I let out a sigh. “There’s really not that much to tell. I fell over in the woods, and Noah happened to be out running too. He saw I was hurt and helped me get back to the dorm. I think he must have known I wasn’t going to go and get my ankle checked out by the nurse so he sent her over.”
Anna started to laugh. “Wow, school hasn’t even started yet, and already, every girl here is going to want to kill you.”
“Yeah, I have a feeling there will be a few girls out in the woods tomorrow waiting for Noah to run past so they can fall over at his feet,” Cress added. “They’ll be kicking themselves for not thinking of that sooner.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose!” I protested.
“Oh, we know that,” Anna replied. “But there are genuinely girls here who would.”
I shook my head. That’s exactly what Noah had assumed. But who in their right mind would fake an injury as a way to get closer to a guy? It sounded like there were some really manipulative girls at this school.
“I still can’t believe he sent the school nurse over to check on you,” Cress said. “The infirmary is all the way on the other side of school. He must have been really worried if he went out of his way to fetch her.”
I thought it far more likely Noah did it because he knew it would annoy me, but I didn’t tell the girls that. I could hardly admit to Cress that I was wary of her cousin. “I think you guys are reading into this far too much. It’s not a big deal.”
“Maybe not to you,” Cress replied. “But then again, you don’t really know Noah. Any other girl at school would be freaking out.”