“Never mind, I don’t care.”
The teacher didn’t even start off light but instantly started in on the lesson. Math wasn’t exactly my best subject. I was decent enough to get by, or so I’d thought. Ten minutes into the class and I realized that my old high school had been far behind.
“Are you taking notes?” Hawke asked.
Was I not supposed to? One look around, not a single person had their notebooks out. Most of them were either on their phones or staring off into space.
“Shut up,” I whispered.
A gasp pulled my attention to the guy on my right. Sweat beaded his brow as he glanced my way and then at Hawke. Right, the entire school was afraid of the kings. Me telling one to shut up was probably seen as a sin. Well, they might as well get used to it. I had no issues trying to blend into the background, but I wasn’t about to bow to them.
“Ms. Quell, please come up and solve the equation on the board.”
My heart rate picked up as I stared at the board and then at the teacher. It was nothing but jumbled-up letters and numbers. He might as well be asking me for the answer to the meaning of life. I could guess, but I wasn’t remotely going to get close.
“I don’t think she knows it, Mr. Cromwell.” The girl who’d shoved me first was smiling triumphantly as if we were in some competition.
I had no idea what her issue with me was, but she was better off wiping the smug look off her face.
“Is that true—” Mr. Cromwell looked over a piece of paper, squinting even with his Coke bottle thick glasses on. “Keegan?”
At least he’d stopped calling me by that god-awful last name. It made the situation no better. I stood up and headed for the board with my heart in my throat. There was no way I was going to get it right, and the likelihood of me making a fool of myself was all too real.
I took the marker from him and turned around, slamming it on the girl’s desk. She jumped back in surprise. “You have so much to say. Why don’t you show me how it’s done?”
She glared at me. “Just admit you’re stupid.”
“Just admit that you are crying for attention.”
“Says the girl chasing after the kings like some pathetic bitch in heat.”
The first day and already, I’d gained the hatred of some rich girls. Telling her I didn’t want them wouldn’t do much to solve my issue.
“Well, if you stopped showcasing your daddy issues for everyone to see, they might just pay you some attention.”
The classroom burst out laughing, and the girl’s face went a stark red. Good, I’d been pulling that insult out of my ass. I really didn’t know shit about half the people in this school, but it was a good guess that most of them had some type of mommy or daddy issues. Not that I was one to talk. I was the fucking poster child of mommy issues.
Mr. Cromwell sighed. “Ladies, there is no need to disrupt the class any further. And, Keegan, if all you are going to do is make a mockery of my classroom, I’d prefer if you’d keep silent.”
Yeah, and I’d love it if you never called on me.I tossed him the marker. “Fine by me.”
I took my seat, and Mac gave me a look as if I’d caused a scene purposefully. Rolling my shoulders back, I forced myself to relax. If the first class was anything to go by, the rest of the day was going to be pure agony.
My only hope was that I had no other classes with the kings. Hawke’s eyes on me made me feel as if I was under a microscope, and there was no ignoring it either.
Seven more hours of torture.
The school’soffice came into view as I stepped through the fogged glass doors. An overpowering scent of lavender made my nose itch and my stomach roll. The marble tile flooring was polished to perfection, and the granite countertops were free of any clutter. There was a secretary who looked as if she belonged in a lawyer’s office and not a high school.
The moment the secretary laid eyes on me, she sat up straighter. Her painted red lips stretched into a bright smile. If I weren’t me, I’d be fooled into thinking she was happy to see me.
“Is Jeremy in?” I asked.
The secretary glanced down at her computer. “Mr. Humphrey is currently in a meeting. If you don’t mind waiting, he will be with you shortly.”
“I do,” I said.
She blinked rapidly at me as her brows dipped, and her smile dropped as she stared at me. “Excuse me?”