Saint (Angelview Academy #1) - E.M. Snow Page 0,17
day becomes too much, and I lose it. I leap to my feet and whirl on her, red spots blurring my vision.
“You got a problem with me, Laurel?” I bark. “Why don’t grow a pair and say whatever you want to say to my face instead of sicing your collagen stuffed airheads on me?”
The gym goes quiet, but I can sense the excited tension mounting around us. Laurel’s eyes tighten into slits and she takes a step toward me.
“You know what I want to say to you, you hick piece of shit?” she hisses, low enough that Mr. Norris won’t possibly hear her. “Go back to whatever cousin-fucking town you came from. No one wants you here. You don’t belong here.”
That much is obvious, but I’m not about to be chased away by some entitled Princess with fake tits and a bad nose job. I tell her as much, and her eyes go wide with shock as the crowd around us “ooooohs”. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the boys have begun migrating to our side of the gym to catch a peek at the show.
“Ladies, that’s enough,” Mr. Norris shouts, but he’s blocked by the other students and can’t get to us right away.
It’s enough time for Laurel to charge me, her expression wild. I dodge her easily and my hands come up instinctively as I slip into my boxing stance. Laurel tries to attack me again, but I slip out of her way, staying light on my toes as I dance around her.
“Fucking hold still!” she shrieks as she dives headfirst at me. I let her catch me around the middle, but I wrap my arms around her torso and lock her in a bent over position. She struggles to break my hold on her, but I’m too strong.
Suddenly, Mr. Norris breaks through the crowd and grabs me by the arm. He gets a hold of Laurel’s shoulder and yanks her away from me.
“Vanderpick, Headmaster Aldridge’s office, now!” he orders.
She gives him a shocked look. “B-but, sir! Mallory started it!”
“Not from where I was standing, she didn’t,” he snaps. “Now get going.”
She shoots me a glare, and I try not to look overly smug as she storms to the locker room. Mr. Norris isn’t quite done, though, as he turns to glare down at me.
“Ellis, I’m giving you a pass because Vanderpick clearly provoked you and you’re new here, but you pull this crap in my class again, it’ll be a month’s worth of detention at best. Got it?”
I gulp and nod. “Got it. Sorry, sir.”
He lets me go and turns to the rest of the class, barking at them to get back to their games. I take a moment to catch my breath and let my nerves calm before I rejoin the girls. As if they have a mind of their own, my eyes stray to the other side of the gym, and I meet Saint’s gaze. He’s gazing at me, his face an unreadable mask, though his eyes still burn like blue fire.
After gym, when I return to the locker room to change, I find that someone has exacted Laurel’s revenge and destroyed my school uniform. I stare at the shreds of fabric scattered in front of my locker for several long minutes as the other girls move around me as though nothing has happened.
I’m tired. So, so tired. I don’t even have the energy to be properly enraged about this, even though the uniform is going to be expensive to replace. I don’t say anything to anyone, just grab my backpack and walk out of the room with my gym clothes still on, my white t-shirt with its Angelview Academy crest sticking uncomfortably to my chest.
The bell hasn’t rung yet, and the halls are blissfully quiet as I make my way from the gym. I’m not a quitter and am determined to stick it out here until the worst of this hate passes, but I just want to go to my room and hide out for the rest of the day. Soon enough, all these people will realize I’m not worth all the effort and leave me alone because they’ll forget about what happened this morning. They have to.
They just … have to.
Rounding a corner, I come to an abrupt halt and my heart stops. I hadn’t expected to run into anyone as I made my quick escape, but he’s standing up ahead, leaning against the wall as if waiting for me.