Fae Fiefdom - M. Sinclair Page 0,26

clingy bitch with people who didn’t even act like friends for most of the day. I deserved better than that. It was time to end this. That reality made me feel sad and strong at the same time.

The car door opened and then, right at that moment, was when the annoyance from yesterday hit me. I met Bard’s measured expression, and he winced, looking frustrated as Koa climbed into the back of my car. Wonderful. So let me get this straight? They were now both using me for a ride? Okay. Cool.

I inhaled feeling like I was screaming inside but I’d become a master at keeping my emotions blank, so luckily I didn’t react. I looked back at Koa, finding his gaze far darker than normal.

His eyes were shaded with an emotion I didn’t understand, and he was watching me with predatory intensity. Instead of saying anything, I turned back to the wheel and enhanced the volume on my calming music before pulling away from the curb. The drive to school wasn’t a long one, but the tension built throughout it. The more I thought about the situation, the angrier I became.

Originally, I was just going to distance myself, but now? Now I needed to say something.

“Bard,” I chimed trying to hold back the sarcasm seeping into my voice, “quick question for you.”

“Yeah, beautiful?” he asked, looking at me cautiously.

“Why don’t you drive your car to school ever?”

Koa mumbled something from the back that made Bard look back at him in a sharp movement. Why were the two of them always so fucking weird around me? Were they this weird when they hung out by themselves? Turns out, he didn’t feel the need to answer me. We pulled up to the school, and almost as if it was serendipity, all of their friends were waiting by the car right next to mine. Good. This was going to highlight what I said next.

“I won’t be able to pick you up anymore,” I stated evenly.

I wasn’t going to give an excuse or reason. I didn’t need one. It was something I needed to work on. Not everyone was owed an explanation for your actions. Sometimes you just said ‘no.’

“Ophelia,” Bard growled softly and I turned off the car, looking back at Koa.

“I’m done with this,” I stated softly, feeling my eyes prickle just slightly, “I’m tired of feeling like I am somehow a pariah in this community. But you know what? That’s not even the worst part. The worst part is that the friends I do have? You still act like I don’t exist around others.”

Koa’s chest rumbled and I silenced him with a look. “Don’t even get me started with you, Koa. You act like such an ass whenever you’re with Bard or your other friends, but the minute we are alone you’re a different person. Bard, you’re no better. Kirin may not want to spend time with me, but at least he isn’t fake. From now on, get a ride with your ‘real’ friends.”

I was getting out then heard their doors close as they scrambled to follow. I clicked the lock on my car and walked past the large group of students hanging out together. Didn’t hear them calling me back, and I smiled sadly at that because there was nothing quite like the dull hollow satisfaction of realizing you were right about something that shitty.

At least it was a new school week, one of my last ones…that was something to look forward to. I graduate the first weekend in May. We had two regular weeks left including finals. I could do this. Hell, this semester honestly had been by far the easiest out of my four years here.

Village Worth Preparatory Academy.

The school itself was almost brand new but designed to look centuries old with its tall peaks and dark walls. As I stepped through the main doors into the grand foyer, the sounds of lockers and voices rose. There was something very calming about it despite feeling isolated from the experience. I climbed the first floor steps and made a left towards my locker.

It had been simple getting into Trinity University, especially since I wasn’t trying to get a particular talent scholarship. Harp was more of a personal thing and equestrian competition was best done outside of universities. So I applied the old fashion way and was accepted nearly right away, which didn’t surprise me as my GPA was a 4.0, and I had scored a 35 on my