Aria shrugged. “Well? He is. Strictly a player. He doesn’t get serious with anyone but definitely not withBenders.” She looked to me. “You have to know that, right?”
Of course I know. Because this is real life. No maybes in sight.
Both girls stared at me with pitying, cringey smiles, actually waiting for me to answer. A wave of homesickness came over me. InPittsburgh, I hadn’t been the most popular girl in school, but I’d been comfortable. Confident. Here, I was out of my element. Naked and raw.
I balled up the paper towels and threw them into the wastebasket, feigning the courage I used to have. “I have a question. Because I’m new here and all, maybe you guys could help me out.”
Aria’s eyes flared with anger, catching on immediately. Her smile widened until it was all teeth. “Of course.”
“Do you honestly believe all the royalty and nobility bullshit? Or do you have to work at convincing yourself of your own superiority?” I cocked my head. “Nah, never mind. If I were as ugly as you, I’d do my best to pretend I was better than everyone else too.”
My heart thudded against my chest, sure I was about to get my ass kicked, hair pulled, face scratched. The two girls glanced at each other, and then burst out laughing.
“Oh my God, you aresocute,” Aria said, though not one shred of humor touched her eyes. “Are you, like, some kind of philosopher orsomething?”
“That was really deep,” Elowen said, nodding with mock thoughtfulness. “I’m going to go home and think about what you said for a long time.”
Aria moved closer, eyes boring into mine. I could smell the peach flavor of her lip gloss. “Let me be plain. Stay the fuck away from Orion or we’ll make your life at CHA a living hell.” Her fake smile returned. “And honestly, it’s not so much a warning but a favor. You don’t want to embarrass yourself more than you already have, do you?”
My cheeks burned as Aria gave me one last appraising glance, taking in my overalls with a patchwork design.
“Cute outfit. Kinda like the Bratz doll I had when I was a kid. The one that liked thrifting, which was the only one I threw in the trash.”
Then they turned and walked out, chatting about something else entirely, as if that whole entire conversation had never happened. As if I no longer existed.
I gripped the edge of the sink and took several deep breaths, my heart still pounding. I told myself it didn’t matter. They were superficial Richies who cared about all the wrong things. Their bullshit didn’t bother me. Still, it took me ten minutes to feel calm enough to leave the bathroom, which had never happened to me before. Even when my mother was drinking and some drunk asshole boyfriend was staggering around our apartment, I’d been in control.
If you can handle that, you can handle some rich-bitch bullying. You can handle all of this.
This.
Being uprooted, Dash being left alone, my mother’s slap, the bullying, the pressure.
And Orion…
Mymaybehad been built on beautiful music floating on air, not solid ground. I’d been smart to protect myself that night after all. Even if Orion wasn’t the manwhore Aria claimed him to be, we were too different. Guys like him didn’t date girls like me. In stories, maybe,not in real life. Not in places like Castle Hill Academy. I’d almost let my guard down. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to make that same mistake twice. Not here. Not when this place was doing its best to chew me up and spit me out.
“It’s only been five days,” I told the girl in the mirror. “Pace yourself.”
I splashed cold water on my face, took a deep, steadying breath, stood up straight, and walked out.
***
Dr. Langford was ten minutes into explaining the lab for today, when I finally made it to chem.
“So glad you could join us, Ms. Bennett.”
“Sorry,” I murmured.
“Page twenty-one in your books,” Dr. Langford said. “Chapter three on your iPads. Galvanic cells and Nernst equations. Enjoy.”
The class got busy, talking in low murmurs. I pulled my iPad from my bag and flinched when I felt Orion’s soft touch on my arm.
“Hey,” he said in a low voice. “You all right, love?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” he said. “You look—”
