Chapter 12
My first class of the day was on the very top floor of the building.
It was lucky we left the dining hall as soon as the bell rang because I was still moving slowly on my ankle, and we barely made it to the room in time for the start of the period.
There were only a few desks free when we arrived, but I was glad to see there were two beside each other so I could sit next to Cress.
As I sat down, the girl at the desk in front turned in her seat to face me. It was Veronica—the girl Cress had dubbed the queen bee of the school. “You’re the new girl,” she said. “I’m Veronica Cordeaux.”
I gave her a tight smile as I nodded in reply.
I wondered if she recognized me as the girl who’d been eavesdropping on her conversation with Noah last night.
She’d been so fixated on Lily that I doubted she’d even realized I was there.
After the way she’d treated Lily, I wasn’t all that enthused to talk to her.
“I’m Isobel.”
“And your last name?”
“Uh, it’s Grace.”
Veronica frowned as though she was racking her brain for any sign of recognition. “Nope,” she responded. “Never heard of you. What do your parents do?”
I struggled to hide my shock at the question.
Was that really the first thing she wanted to know about me?
I’d been here one day, and all Veronica could think to ask me was who my parents were?
I shouldn’t have been surprised seeing how quick she was to call Lily a charity case.
Clearly, a person’s station in life was important to this girl.
“Well?” she prompted.
I swallowed a heavy lump in my throat. I’d been nervous about the idea of anyone at Weybridge finding out about my background.
I’d even been deliberately vague with Cress and Anna.
I couldn’t begin to imagine the kind of reaction Veronica would have if I answered her question truthfully.
I’d never been embarrassed by my mom’s work before, and I wasn’t embarrassed now.
She probably worked harder than most of these kids’ parents.
But something inside me felt like telling Veronica the truth was asking for trouble.
“Leave her alone, Veronica.” Cress came to my rescue as I hesitated to answer.
Veronica gave Cress a saccharine smile. “I’m hardly bothering her.” She turned her attention back on me. “Am I, Isobel?”
I returned her smile with one of my own. “Oh, you’re no bother at all.”
“So, your parents?” she prompted. “Everyone’s been dying to know more about you. You’re practically a mystery.”
“No mystery here. My mom’s in hospitality.” I decided to be vague, hoping she wouldn’t press me for more details. At least it wasn’t an outright lie.
Veronica leaned forward. “And your father?”
“He’s not around,” I shrugged. There was no way I was uttering a single word about Matthew to this girl.
“Oh, what happened?”
My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “That’s none of your business.”
Her eyes sparkled with a hint of pleasure, as though she had achieved her goal of getting a reaction out of me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was a touchy subject.” Her apology was about as fake as her lips. “I’m just trying to get to know our newest student.”
“Well, you might have to save your questions for another day.” Cress chimed in once again. “Class is about to start.”
Veronica’s eyes narrowed at Cress as the teacher entered the room, but she soon returned her glare to me.
It annoyed her that I wasn’t being more forthcoming.
I’d only just met the girl, and I already felt like she was the last person in the world I wanted to discuss the messy details of my family life with.
Some people just had bad vibes, and Veronica’s were the worst.
The teacher cleared his throat and introduced himself to class as Mr. Wagner. Thankfully, Veronica finally released me from her judgmental gaze as she turned to face the front of the room. I let out a long breath and relaxed back into my seat now she wasn’t studying me.
“Don’t worry about her,” Cress whispered. “She’s probably extra bitchy this year because it hurts to talk with those lips.”
I snorted, earning myself a warning look from Mr. Wagner.
I immediately went quiet and focused on the teacher.
I didn’t want to get on the bad side of any teachers—especially not on the first day.
I listened closely as he outlined the class’s agenda for the year.
I’d always had tunnel vision in school back home, and I was glad I could still employ the same level of concentration here.
I’d been worried about my subjects at Weybridge and wondered whether I would be drastically behind the other students.
However, as the teacher went over the material we were going to be studying in English this semester, I relaxed.
It all seemed pretty standard, and I wasn’t nearly as anxious as I’d been when I entered the room.
When the class ended, Cress started sniggering. “You didn’t hear a word I said that whole period, did you?”
“You were talking to me?”
“Yeah, I was talking to you.” She chuckled. “At least, I was trying to. It was like you had earmuffs on or something.”
“Sorry, I should have warned you.” I grimaced. “I tend to get hyper focused in class.”
“I’ll remember that next time. Maybe I’ll try drawing on your arm or pulling your hair to get your attention.”
“Oh no, not the hair!”
She wiggled her eyebrows at my reaction. “Looks like I’ve found your secret weakness. I’ll try to use the power I now hold wisely.”
“Okay, thank you.” I laughed.
Cress’s expression turned more serious as we made our way from the classroom. “I’m sorry Veronica was so nosy. It wasn’t exactly the nicest welcome to your first class at your new school. She can be such an Umbridge sometimes.”
Even though the memory of Veronica grilling me made me uneasy, I smiled at Cress’s Harry Potter reference. “It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting the inquisition.”
“That’s Veronica for you. She’s like a shark. The slightest scent of blood, and she goes in for the kill.”
“She sounds like a delightful human being.”
“Tell me about it.” Cress shook her head. “So, you said your mom’s in hospitality. What does that involve?”
“Uh …” I stuttered as I tried to think of a response.
I didn’t want to tell Cress that my mom worked day and night at a struggling café and could barely make ends meet.
I was scared about how she’d react. As we walked out into the corridor, my eyes flicked from side to side, looking for some kind of inspiration or escape.
My eyes landed on a poster board on the opposite wall, and I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Lobsters.”
“What?”
Lobsters? What was I thinking? Lobsters weren’t a job.
I glared at the poster on the wall. It showed various diagrams of sea creatures and seemed to be just outside the entrance to a biology classroom.
My eyes must have landed on the picture of the lobster.
Why did that have to be the source of my inspiration?
But I couldn’t blame the lobster. Clearly, I had just cracked under the pressure and was a terrible, terrible liar.
I took a deep breath and tried to recover.
“Uh, she owns a chain of restaurants that specializes in lobster. Well, seafood.” Was chain lobster restaurant owner a legitimate-sounding business for a rich person to have?
I didn’t really know, but it was a better answer to Cress’s question than just lobsters.
“Oh, yum. I love all seafood, especially lobster,” Cress replied. “You must get to eat so much good food. You’ll have to take us to one of her restaurants sometime.”
I smiled and nodded even though I knew that was never going to happen. Not when said lobster restaurant didn’t exist.
“So, what class have you got next?” Cress asked.
I was relieved I didn’t have to keep talking about my mom’s fake lobster business, and I quickly pulled up the schedule on my tablet.
“Math.” Thankfully, the classroom was only a few doors down so I didn’t have far to walk.
I was already wishing I’d gone to the nurse’s office and got the crutch she suggested I use.
“Cool. I have French now, so I’ll see you in the dining hall for lunch?”
I nodded and tried to ignore the way my stomach dipped at the thought of Cress leaving. She’d been by my side practically since the moment I’d arrived at this school. I wasn’t looking forward to walking the corridors without her.
I knew I couldn’t rely on her to hold my hand through the entire school year, so I gave her a smile. “Sure, I’ll see you then.”
Cress waved before taking off down the hall in the opposite direction. With a sigh, I started making my way to math class.
People were watching me as I hobbled down the corridor.
There were far fewer students at Weybridge than my old school, so it was harder to disappear into the crowd between classes.
It also made it more obvious when people looked my way—something I was noticing far more now that I no longer had Cress as a shield.
I hurried to math as quickly as my aching ankle would let me.
Students were still slowly entering the room as I arrived, so thankfully, I wasn’t late.
I scanned the room for a familiar face and was met with a sneer from Veronica.
Apparently, I shared this class with her too.
But even though she was one of the few people I’d talked to in this school, I had no interest in taking the free seat at her side.
Our brief conversation in English had already convinced me she wasn’t interested in being my friend.