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“We don’t have time. The exam is about to start. Go take your seat. You know which table is yours.” Cynthia’s cold tone makes the dread feel heavier.
I don’t go to my seat and instead follow her up the front of the hall.
“What’s going on? Why are you being a bitch to me?”
“Remember who you are talking to right now.” Cynthia hisses, spinning on me and gritting her teeth.
“Right. Principal Rogan. I forgot I have to wait until school’s over to speak with my mum.” I snap, but she just glares at me. “My mistake. Not my mum, I guess. Just Cynthia.”
My words are a low blow, and I can’t even stop myself from saying them because I’m fucking hurting right now and confused as fuck. My words have the effect I was hoping for, though, pain slashing across Cynthia’s face at hearing me take back her title as my mum. I spin on my heel, glad the crowd of students is loud enough to drown out Cynthia’s voice as she calls for me, and I start weaving through the rows of tables.
“Whore.” A male voice snickers beside me, and I turn to look for who said it. No one in my vicinity is looking at me, so I keep walking.
“Slut.”
I spin again, trying to find who said the words. A girl's voice this time. Again, I don’t know who said it. Frowning, I keep walking, wanting to get to my seat.
“Oh Daddy, does it feel better?”
I spin to glare at the voice, and this time I come face-to-face with Daniel, Lexi’s ex-best friend’s vile boyfriend slash forced fiancé: it’s a whole fucked up story that I don’t have time to get into right now.
“What the fuck did you say?” I sneer at Daniel, and he chuckles like he’s all fucking that.
“Oh Patty, suck it like a lollipop.”
Daniel throws Brian’s words from the video at me, and I flinch back, almost tripping over and stumbling into someone behind me.
“Give it to Daddy.” The deep voice of some other guy I don’t know rasps against my ear, and I throw an elbow back, turning on him with wide eyes as everyone around me starts laughing.
“Sit down, please, everyone.” My mum’s voice fills the room coming from the speakers, and students hurry to sit, leaving me standing there in shock.
“Rhee, I got you.” Marcus’ voice wraps around me, and I turn to him, looking up into his brown eyes.
“What’s going on?” I whisper, and he shakes his head.
“Let’s get you to your seat.” He whispers back, placing his hand on the small of my back, urging me forward. I let him guide me, my eyes darting around to see most students peering up at me, their heads cast low so they don’t make it obvious. It’s obvious to me, though. So are the words “Sick bitch,” that floats to me from somewhere.
Marcus gets me to my seat, sitting me down, before darting off to his own as the exam starts, leaving me in a state of utter fucking confusion.
Something has happened, and I know deep in my gut it has to do with the video Julie leaked, and not about Tyler. That’s a good thing, right? If people find out about Ty, it would be devastating for him. Not me. I don’t fucking care what happens to me. I just care about him.
It’s impossible to concentrate on the exam, so I accept that it is another exam failed. What’s the point, anyway? What does it matter if I pass or fail at this point? My life is falling apart, and I couldn’t care less about school or these stupid fucking exams.
For two hours, I sit and stare at nothing. I think about Tyler mostly because what we shared last night is my happy place right now. I felt safe there. I felt happy. The outside world didn’t matter in the slightest.
When the exam finally finishes, and the hall fills with chatting students, insults assault my ears from all directions, and I can’t bring myself to stand from the small desk. Marcus and Garrett reach me first, pushing through the crowd and help me out of my chair. I’m too stunned to stand by myself, apparently, and then Shaun and Simon reach us, surrounding me as the hall empties out.
“What the fuck is going on?” I whisper, finally meeting four sets of concerned gazes.
“Eric Carter won the contest,” Shaun explains. “A new video came out this morning about half an hour before the exam started. Eric won the money.”
My brows shoot up. “So, Julie went through with it anyway, even after I turned up at the prison?”
“It looks like it,” Garrett grumbles, and my shoulders drop.
“Right. Well, that’s that then.” I whisper, looking at the floor and shaking my head. “You guys don’t have to hang around me, you know. You don’t have to deal with my bullshit.” I move to step past them, but Garrett’s firm grip wraps around my wrist.
“We aren’t going anywhere, Rhys. This doesn’t change anything between us.”
