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11
When I enter the politics classroom, Dr. Moncrieff is mid-speech. He takes one look at me and says, “Jessa, you’re fifteen minutes late.”
Jessa. No other teacher calls me that. It’s allMiss Weirthis andDetention, Miss Weirthat.
“Sorry, sir. I had an early detention.” I try to keep this quiet for the students in the class who are mere faces in the background — I don’t need strangers judging me, too.
He regards me for a long moment before waving me into class. I’m grateful. I’d half-expected him to give me detention just for being late, but it’s nice to know that this school isn’t just populated with twisted sadists.
As I think that, I notice Rory idly twirling a pen around his fingers. I wish it would explode and splatter him in ink.
I take my seat beside Arabella, who shuffles to the edge, disgruntled that she no longer has the entire desk to flaunt her stationery collection.
“Today you’ll be working in pairs, researching your presentation,” Dr. Moncrieff informs us. “I want you to finalize your topic. This is part of your research module so I want you to pay particular attention to your sources. What will you be using? Where will your data be coming from? What can back up your claims?”
“Thanks a bunch,” I mutter under my breath in Arabella’s direction as Dr. Moncrieff continues to talk. Arabella seems startled by this.
As we pair off for the assignment, I find myself scowling at her.
“What didIdo?” she whispers back to me, casting a glance at Dr. Moncrieff as if to make sure she’s not going to be told off for speaking to me. Apparently my detentions are contagious.
“Nothing.” I stare at her in irritation. “You knew I had no involvement in what went down this morning, yet you stood by and watched me get punished. For no reason. You could have said it wasn’t me. There were a thousand things you could have said!”
“What did you want me to do, Jessa?” she snaps, violently flicking through her textbook. “Stand up to my aunt? In front of everyone?” She shakes her head. “I’m trying to pretend I’mnotrelated to her and now you’re asking personal favors from me?”
There’s sincerity in her tone and I wonder if Arabella really is just trying to keep a low profile.
Maybe Arabella has a point.AmI being too demanding?
“Pssst.”
The sound comes from the direction of Rory and Finlay, and I hold back a groan. Whatnow?
Despite my best efforts, I’m intrigued. What could they possibly have to say that’s so important?
I turn around.
“How was your breakfast?” Rory asks lightly, his gray eyes gleaming like two polished stones. “I heard you had porridge with leaves.Verynutritious.”
Yeah. That was so important for me to hear. After waking up at six in the morning, I’m utterly starving, and the reminder of breakfast provokes a violent jab to my stomach. I think I’ve had my fair share of porridge, however. I’m not sure I ever want to see it again. The smell of it will never leave my nostrils.
“Get fucked,” I snap, and Rory’s eyes widen in delight.
“Are you offering?” he asks. “Because if you’re not, I could report you. That’s not even a micro-aggression but a full-on macro-aggression,andan attack on my good character. I’d be careful throwing that kind of language around at your Head Boy, little saint.”
With a scowl, I turn back to Arabella, but her head is deep in her notebook, scrawling words I don’t understand. I’m at a loss in this class already, and being paired with her is making it a hundred times worse. “Can I dosomething?”
“I don’t know, Jessa, can you?”
My mouth swings open in shock, but then Arabella’s irritated expression softens. “Look. It’s best if I do the presentation. I told you, we’ll both get good grades from it.”
“But I’m learning nothing.”
Arabella shrugs. “So read your textbook. It covers the basics, and the whole library is available to you for supplementary reading. There’s no excuse for slacking, Jessa.”
She says things so simply, like maybe Iamthe one at fault. Maybe Iamlazy and stupid and should pull myself up by my bootstraps.
But I swallow, thinking back to the last time I stepped foot in the library. Li bent double, Rory inside her, the muffled groans and slick skin, the air heavy with an energy I didn’t understand…
