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“What?” Gio snapped, then the entire class groaned.
“Don’tohhh me,”the teacher snapped. “You all knew this was coming. I gave an entire lecture on this last week.”
“But I wasn’t here last week.” I searched the faces of my other classmates.
But it didn’t matter, they didn't hear me. No one did under the muttered swearing and pissed-off groans.
“I don’t care…” The teacher shook his head. “Three thousand words on legislative social reform of the nineteen twenties,” he called out as the bell rang and we all rose and shoved our chairs back.“And it better be well researched, it’s going to make up twenty percent of your overall grade!”
Twenty percent?
Twenty goddamn percent? The classroom seemed to blur under the weight of my panic.
“Ms. Castlemaine.”
I froze at the sound of my name, halfway to the door, and turned. Heads turned toward me and I caught a glimpse of snarls from a few of the girls, and in an instant, that mark on my cheek started to burn.
“Yes?”
“I expect you to be able to catch up,” Davidson, or whatever his name was, said. “I won’t be giving any special favors, even under the circumstances.”
“Yeah, that she lives with the fucking Banks. Stuck-up bitch,” someone called out.
I jerked my gaze around the room, scanning those who were looking at me. But they just stared…until Gio stepped in. “Enough. Come on.” He motioned me forward.
“What the hell was that?” I glanced his way, unable to comprehend what had just happened. “What were they saying?”
“Nothing.” He didn’t meet my gaze, just ushered me out of the room.
Something was happening though. There was a shift…a dark, hateful shift happening all around me. I hadn’t noticed it before, maybe I wasn't looking. But I felt it now, felt the anger and their stares. I glanced over my shoulder as they glared. The moment I stepped through the door and into the hallway, I was hit from behind.
“Get out of the fucking way, you traitorous cunt.”
The impact slammed me off balance. I stumbled sideways and glanced toward them. But they were gone, striding through the crowded hallway filled with students.
“Jesus.” Gio grabbed my arm, pulling me toward him. “You okay?”
“Fine,” I answered. “What the hell was that about?”
“Nothing. Come on.” He tried to pull me forward again, until I jerked from his hold.
“You keep saying nothing, but there’s clearlysomething.What’s going on here, Gio?”
A tortured look rose in his eyes before he pulled me gently, guiding me through the students toward our next class. The moment we were inside the classroom, he stepped in front of me. “Look, some of the students here are friends with the Rossis.”
The Rossis?
The blood drained from my face.
Dad…that’s what this was all about.It was about dad betraying them. I slowly shook my head. “But that’s got nothing to do with me.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he muttered, and glanced over his shoulder. “Not to them. Which is why you need to stay with me, okay?”
I glanced around his body. “All of them hate me?”
“Not all.” He met my gaze.
I knew then, knew why he was so insistent for me to sit with him in class and at lunch. But what I didn’t understand was why him…and why me?
