Nik smirks when he notices Natalya coming right toward us, but Rosa’s expression is more of a grimace. The girl doesn’t have a bad bone in her body.
I march toward her and notice Natalya’s lips move as she mutters something to her new friend.
“Well, well, look who we have here,” I say, smirking. “Gurin always has to latch onto the newbies, because she has no fucking friends.”
Nik and Rosa chuckle behind me, backing me up.
“Fuck off, Elias,” Natalya says, trying to pull Eva away from me.
I block her with my arm. “That’s rude, Natalya. Introduce me to your friend.” I look over at Eva, who is wearing a pretty floral blouse which cuts low between her breasts and a black pair of pants that hugs her curvy figure. I get why so many of the guys think she’s hot, as her figure is perfect, but somehow when I look at her, she inspires no arousal.
A flash of hatred enters Natalya’s eyes. “Take your hands off me before I land you in the infirmary.”
I laugh, struggling to imagine Gurin doing anything but submitting to me, more so now I hold such valuable information. “I’d like to see you try.” I look at Eva again. “Elias Morales. Who are you?”
The girl looks nervous as her attention moves between me and Natalya. “I’m Eva Carmichael.”
I shove Gurin out of the way and step closer. “Beautiful for an Irish girl,” I murmur, before glancing back at Nik and Rosa. “Let me introduce you to Rosa Cabello and Nikolai Kushev.”
I clear my throat, drawing Eva’s attention back to me. “You should be careful about who you make friends with.” I give Natalya a dirty look.
“Yes, I will be.” She swings away a good meter from me on her crutches, glaring at me. “I certainly won’t be friends with you, that’s for sure. I’d rather be friends with a fucking corpse.” The new girl holds her chin high, as Natalya gasps.
I tilt my head, angry that another fucking newbie is disrespecting me. What is with them lately? “Is that right, Carmichael?” I glance at Natalya. “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
Eva steps forward and shoves me in the chest with a crutch, forcing me out of her way. “Now move the fuck out of our way.” Natalya follows, but I can see the uncertainty in her gaze as our eyes meet. Careful, Gurin. This little Irish girl can’t save you. No one fucking can.
They head down the corridor, and then Eva calls back, “We don’t have time for assholes.”
I clench my fists. “Fucking bitch will wish she never stood up to me.”
Nik places a hand on my shoulder, smirking. “And here I was thinking you’d gone soft, letting Rizzo get away with it.”
I glare at him. “Rizzo is alright. Even you like him.”
He nods. “Hate to admit it, but the kid is a tough cookie and I like him, yeah.” He glances after Eva. “But what exactly are you going to do to her?”
“I’ll make sure she knows no one stands in between me and Natalya.” I clench my jaw as I watch my nemesis walk away, thinking she won the battle. The war is only just starting and I’ll make sure the entire academy knows Natalya answers to me and me alone, or her brother won’t last long.
Nik runs a hand through his hair. “Forget them for now. We’ve got anatomy class with Nitkin,” Nik points out.
Rosa sighs. “Yeah, can’t be late for that.”
I nod and lead the way down the corridor, after Natalya and her new friend. Natalya is also in anatomy class, so I intend to call her up for her shit. It’s as if she’s not taking my threat seriously, which means I need to up the stakes and change tactics.
Natalya doesn’t notice me as I enter the classroom, too busy chatting with Eva. I sit right behind them rather than in my usual seat at the back. Nik looks confused but sits next to me, and Rosa takes a seat next to him. “What’s with the change in seat?”
I nod to the two girls sitting in front of us.
He shakes his head. “You are crazier than ever this year with Gurin. What’s it all about?”
“It’s our last year, so I’ve got to make it memorable.” I wink, which makes him laugh.
Nitkin’s signature rap of his ruler against the wooden desk echoes through the classroom, drawing everyone’s attention to the front.
“Page Seventy-five,” he orders.
I grumble as I flip to the page, watching the woman in front of me. How dare she act as if I hold nothing over her head in front of her new friend? She should have been the one to call Eva out for her shit, but instead she followed her like a lost puppy.