Charity Case (Kings of Knightswood Academy Book 1) Page 7

  “What are you talking about?” asked Zoya, reaching me.

  My chest felt too heavy and I was on the verge of tears. Grabbing her hand, I muttered, “It’s nothing.” Stepping around Nikolai, I walked out of there.

  Outside the cafeteria, I was able to breathe again. The afternoon sun shone down on me and a cool breeze played with my skirt.

  Are you okay?” asked Zoya in a small voice. She looked scared and upset, her soft eyes brimming with tears.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “This is why I didn’t want to step into Knightswood again,” she shouted. We were at the edge of the woods near my cabin. “I warned you again and again. No matter how shiny it looks from the outside, the people are rotten. I hope you’ve had enough of your dream academy. Let’s go back to Kensington High.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “So they broke a bowl and asked me to pick it up. Big deal!” I said.

  I was still fuming about the way Liam treated me but it made things easier. I knew where I stood with him. There would be no awkwardness between us. To me, he would be an asshole. To him, I would be the stray puppy his mom brought home. For a single second, the memory of my breasts pressed against his hard chest flashed through my mind. My heart raced as heat spread through my veins.

  I kicked at the grass in frustration. Why did he have to be so hot and handsome? My body seemed to love being close to his.

  “You don’t know Brianna like I do,” said Zoya, bringing me out of my thoughts. “She is evil.”

  “I got the vibes.”

  “The evil trinity, Brianna, Holly, and Gianna…people stay away from them at this academy. They are the queens of Knightswood Academy. Their words are like commands.”

  I sniggered. “Seriously?”

  “It’s not funny, Paris!”

  “Well, then, who are the kings here?”

  “They are. Liam, Gabrielle and…Nikolai.”

  “Nikolai?” I asked, turning to her in surprise. “He seems too quiet to be popular.”

  “Other than a few guys like Liam and Gabe, most guys are scared of him. The girls think he’s handsome but his reputation keeps them at bay. No one can bully him here.”

  “That’s good. You’ve got a king on your side.”

  Zoya shook her head. “Not really. He won’t even acknowledge the fact he knows me,” she said in a small voice.

  “That’s twisted. Did you get to whack him with Martha’s Hulk dildo yet?”

  That made her giggle. “No. After mom called me that day, I forgot all about it. I still have it in my bag.”

  “Gross! Get rid of it already.”

  She grinned, moving closer to lay her head on my shoulder. The moment was peaceful with the trees gently swaying in the breeze. With nothing but the woods around us, we could pretend the mean girls at the academy didn’t exist.

  Zoya moved away from me and let out a long sigh. “I can’t wait to get out of here. The weekend can’t get here fast enough!”

  11

  Paris

  Thanks to the TLC Zoya got done on the cabin, it felt extremely cozy that night. The location was away from the main campus but I liked it that way. From now, this would be my space. Away from the bullies and the people who thought I didn’t belong there.

  Campus security patrolled the grounds all night. While some people might find it scary to stay alone in a cabin in the woods, I felt safe and secure. The neighborhood I grew up in was scarier. From a young age, I was taught to fear predators with human faces. They had the ability to hurt me more than ghosts or wild animals.

  Zoya went home for the rest of the day. She didn’t want to stay at the dorms all by herself with Brianna and her friends nearby. She wanted me to go with her as well, but it was about time I stopped relying on people around me. With Mom gone, I was left alone in the world. It sucked but I didn’t want any more charity from people.

  Lately, I’d come to hate the word.

  I wanted to look after myself on my own. It would be hard but nothing was impossible. Mom was only a few years older than me when she had me and worked tirelessly to keep the bakery open.

  If she could do it, I could do it too.

  Firing up the laptop, I used my new username and password to log into the school portal. The first step to cement my place at the academy was to get ahead in academics. I downloaded the syllabus and immediately made a note of all the prescribed textbooks. Clara left me a credit card as promised. Using it, I placed the order for all the books I’d need.

  The syllabus told me the classes were more advanced than the ones in Kensington. Principal Thorne hadn’t exaggerated that bit. I had to teach myself some of the advanced calculus that was required in the physics and chemistry classes. It would be hard but not impossible.

  I ended being awake until midnight, making notes of the calculus formulas and solving problems I found on a tutorial website. It felt good to get back to studies. I was a nerd at heart. It was something Mom was able to bring out in me.

  She’d been interested in Science as well and even had scholarships and acceptance letters from top universities. Mom gave it all up for me. I’d found those envelopes in one of the boxes while cleaning out a closet in the bakery. Pride had filled my heart but soon, sadness replaced it. Mom’s life was hard solely because of me. It was at that moment, I vowed to do well in academics.

  Over the years, Mom helped me with my studies. No matter which grade I was in, no matter how bad the teacher, I always managed to do well.

  Mom may be gone now but I was determined to keep doing well in my studies.

  I woke up early the next day. The cool morning air seeped inside the cabin, making me shiver in the skimpy nightdress I’d brought from the wardrobe in my room in Clara’s house. Fall was on its way and I’d soon have to worry about extra heating in the cabin if I wanted to survive the winter.

  Freshening up in the small bathroom, I dressed up in my academy uniform. While the school was strict when it came to discipline and academics, I’d already seen how lax they were about the dress code. The skirts Holly and Gianna wore were risqué. They could flash someone just by bending a little.

  As for me, I preferred the length of my skirt, six inches above my knees, leaving me to be as flexible as I wanted without giving people glimpses to my goods for free.

  It was still early when I reached the cafeteria. It was emptier than yesterday and the only students who looked wide awake and energetic were the ones wearing the academy-issued jerseys and sweatpants. Members of various sports teams joined several tables together to sit and eat with their teammates. They ignored me completely as I went to sit at the same table as yesterday.

  A fresh menu lay on the table. The list of items was longer than the lunch menu. Before I could finish perusing the list, a waiter appeared at my side.

  “Toast and eggs,” I said. “And cinnamon rolls and coffee.”

  “I’ll be right back,” said the man, noting down my order.

  I looked out of the window. The academy’s main building was visible in the distance. My heart soared at the sight of it. I’d finally be starting my classes today.

  My breakfast arrived in another fifteen minutes. To pass the time, I took out the sheet of formulas I made last night. The cafeteria was quiet and helped me focus.

  I was smiling by the time the food arrived. Every formula on the sheet was memorized.

  The food was excellent but the cinnamon rolls didn’t taste as good as my mother’s. They felt too sweet and too heavily scented. It lacked the subtlety my mother’s rolls had. At that moment, I realized it would always feel that way. Even the best cinnamon roll in the world would pale compared to the taste that still lingered on my tongue.

  Before I could let that train of thought carry me into an abyss of uncontrollable grief, I drank the last of my juice and stood up. With no one standing in my way today, I hurried to the science section of the campus.

 
Just being there made my heart lift. Pulling the strap of my satchel higher on my shoulder, I walked into the science building which housed my first class of the day.

  Checking the schedule, I arrived at my first class located on the second floor. I was fifteen minutes early and the classroom was empty except for one person at the back. He lifted his head to glance at me.

  My surprise and curiosity were mirrored in his eyes.

  A very pretty boy with sandy-blond hair stared at me. His eyes were rimmed with dark kohl and his lips were painted a glossy cherry pink. Silver earrings dangled at his ears. He looked something out of a K-pop video.

  “Who the hell are you?” he asked, his voice echoing in the empty room.

  “I just transferred here,” I said, setting my bag on a desk in the front row. “Name’s Paris. What’s yours?”

  “Lucas Bettencourt.” He watched me closely as he said it.

  I shrugged. “Nice to meet you, Lucas.” Taking my seat, I brought out my laptop. The school published notes and slides an hour before classes started. It would help to acquaint myself with the upcoming lesson before class began. I didn’t want the teacher to think he had to hold back because of a new transfer student.

  Soon, the room began filling up. Every person entering the place looked at me.

  I kept my gaze on the laptop screen, ignoring their curious stares, looking up only when the teacher arrived. To my surprise, Liam and Gabrielle walked behind him. Gabrielle gave me a wink as he passed by me to reach a desk in the back. Liam didn’t even bother looking at me.

  “You must be the new transfer student I was briefed on.” Focusing my attention to the front of the class, I saw a tall, reedy man close to his late fifties towering over me.

  “Yes, Sir,” I said.

  “You will stand when you address me,” he said stiffly.

  A few sniggers reached me. Sighing, I got to my feet.

  “Introduce yourself,” said Dr. Joseph Lincoln, my new physics teacher. Dressed in a tweed jacket, he looked like a university staff member.

  “I am Paris Johnson,” I said in a clear voice.

  “Miss Johnson attended Kensington High,” added Dr. Lincoln as if that completed my introduction. “This class may be too advanced for you,” he said, directing his gaze at me. “You should spend your time elsewhere.”

  “I can handle it, Sir,” I said through gritted teeth.

  Mr. Lincoln didn’t look convinced. Clearing his throat, he gestured for me to sit down.

  He began the lesson, bringing up a problem on the calculation of potential energy of a wound spring. It was something I’d already learned that summer before school started.

  “Do you have any idea what I’m talking about, Miss Johnson?” asked Mr. Lincoln, rounding on me.

  “Of course,” I replied coolly. “Force equals half times k and x. K is the spring constant and x is the displacement.”

  “You’ll stand while you speak to me!” he hissed.

  I stood, matching his haughty glare.

  “Sit down,” he said, looking irritated. People at the back sniggered.

  For the rest of the lesson, he didn’t pick on me.

  When the bell rang, there was a scurry to leave the classroom as soon as possible with the teacher shouting to make himself heard about a pending assignment. At least, this part wasn’t too different from Kensington. Smiling, I packed up my laptop.

  “Miss Johnson,” said a soft voice. Looking up, I saw Dr. Lincoln looking down at me. The irritation was gone from his face. “I expect you will maintain the same standard of focus in future classes.”

  A smile rose on my lips. Dr. Lincoln’s hatred for me seemed to have lessened since the beginning of class. “I will do my best,” I said, slinging my bag on my shoulder. Struggling not to grin too broadly, I hurried out the room. This was the first step in securing my position at the school. I was going to make sure all the teachers saw the real me and not judge me by the place I came from.

  I ran all the way to the main school building where English would take place.

  I dashed past groups of chattering students to haul myself up the flight of stairs to reach the second floor. Out of breath and thighs screaming, I ran down the corridor to reach the classroom.

  Panting and gasping for air, I stared out the vast room before me. The rows of seats rose in circular tiers, all facing the elevated podium in the front. Since English was one of the mandatory subjects, students from every discipline took the class.

  “Paris! Over here!” I heard a voice call out to me.

  Turning to the right, I saw Zoya waving at me from one of the rows. Grinning, I hurried over to her. The classroom was already full and I was the last few to drag myself inside.

  “Settle down,” said the teacher lazily, switching on the projector. She was a well-dressed woman in dark pantsuits.

  Hopping up the aisle and then crab-walking through the row, I reached Zoya.

  “You scared me!” she chided as soon as I sat down.

  “Why?”

  “You were late to class,” she said, looking angry. “I was worried sick about you.”

  “I had a class before this in the science wing. It takes time to run all the way here.”

  She looked slightly more relaxed now. “I was afraid Brianna did something to you.”

  “Liam is the one to look out for,” I muttered darkly, spotting him two rows down from us. He was sitting with Gabrielle and laughing about something. From this distance, he looked utterly mesmerizing. His easy laugh totally changed his appearance. When he wasn’t being an ice prince, he looked beautiful. My heart thudded in my chest as warmth rose on my cheeks.

  The teacher started the lesson. It was much livelier than my Physics class with several people easily quoting Shakespeare and Keat. My English was weak, especially with these old classics. I glanced at the open book on Zoya’s desk. The Shakespearean verses were difficult to understand. I was going have to pay extra attention in class and spend time looking up essays online to understand them all.

  The skin on the back of my neck prickled.

  Turning around in my seat, I came face to face with Nikolai Ivanov. He was perched exactly behind me, his silvery-gray eyes on me. Frowning, I turned back to focus on the teacher.

  A warm breeze blew the strands of my hair at my back.

  Whipping back, I caught Nikolai blowing air at me. “Stop it!” I hissed, turning to the front again.

  Next moment, I felt a sharp pain on the shell of my right ear. Nikolai had sunk his teeth into the soft curve of my ear.

  I jumped in pain, crying out. He was quick enough to lean back in his seat but I was left standing in a sea of seated students, clutching my ear.

  “Is everything okay?” asked Ms. Benton, staring at me closely. Adjusting her glasses, she moved away from the podium, coming nearer to me. “I haven’t seen you before.”

  “Err, yeah,” I managed to blurt out. “I just transferred here.”

  “Ahhh, Miss Paris Johnson.” Before, I’d been blissfully ignored by the whole eleventh grade at Knightswood Academy. Now everyone knew who I was. Liam and Gabrielle stared at me curiously while Brianna looked like she was trying to decide the best way to kill me. “Take a seat, then. We have a lot to cover today.”

  I sat down and turned around to glare at Nikolai. He stared to the front, looking thoroughly smug.

  “What happened?” whispered Zoya from beside me.

  “He bit me,” I hissed under my breath.

  Zoya’s eyes widened and she turned to look at Nikolai who completely ignored her.

  “I can’t wait to get out of here,” I muttered.

  Let’s go out this afternoon, Zoya wrote on the notebook. Don’t you want to meet people from your old neighborhood? I saw them leave so many messages on Facebook.

  I hadn’t been on social media since the incident. Zoya was the one who was more active, loading up our photos to share with our circle of friends.

  A part of m
e was scared to go there. As long as I stayed away from the neighborhood, I could pretend the house and bakery still existed. Once I saw the real damage, it would make it permanent. Anxiety swirled inside me. It might be good for you, I told myself, hoping it to be true.

  Okay, I scribbled back on the page.

  Three more lessons to go before I left Knightswood Academy to catch a glimpse of life that had been burned away forever.

  12

  Paris

  I hurried out of the science building to reach the main gates of the academy where Zoya said she would meet me. The long length of my indigo-dyed hair flew behind me in the breeze as I ran across the grounds.

  Since it was Friday tomorrow, not many students were going out of the school, keeping the area near the gates relatively less crowded today. Zoya stood to the side, fixing her lip gloss, all her attention focused on the small round mirror in her hand. Weekdays had curfews, mandating students return to the school premises by 9 P.M.

  “Hey!” I called out to her.

  “There you are.” She placed the mirror in her bag and walked away to the westward wing of the school.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, following after her. “Aren’t we going out?”

  “I am taking the car, dummy,” she said. “Javier isn’t free to take us at the moment.”

  My anger and frustration had cooled down by now. The need to get out of the school wasn’t as strong as before. More honestly, I just didn’t want to meet anyone from my old neighborhood and see the pity in their eyes.

  “Let’s forget about it, then,” I said. “We can go another time.”

  Zoya halted in her steps and whirled around to face me. “No, Paris. You’ve got to face reality. I feel like you’re still in denial about what happened. You didn’t even stay until the end of the funeral service for your mom.” Moving close to me, she looked into my eyes. “You’ve got to face what happened,” she said in a soft voice. “None of it was your fault but facing the truth is the only way you can let go of the pain.”