After a few moments of angry shouts, cursing, and wrestling, Gabe and the chaperones manage to separate Liam and Saint. They’re both sporting swollen lips, and I’m sure Liam’s going to have two black eyes tomorrow.
I stand to the side, horrified, as the teachers try to drag them away. Liam’s not done, though, and he glares over at me.
“I thought you were better than this, Ellis. Better than him! You fucked yourself over the moment you started trusting him.”
His words are like a slap in the face, filling me with both pain and anger. I open my mouth ready to retaliate, when Saint beats me to it.
“You’re just mad you didn’t get her first.” He sneers at Liam. “It’d never worked out between you two, though. My girl likes to scream.”
My jaw drops and I stare at him in horrified disbelief. Did he just basically tell the whole school that we’re having sex with each other? Did he really just use that fact to taunt his best friend?
I’m mortified.
I ignore Liam and stare coldly at Saint as the teachers pull him away. All around me, the other students are murmuring and whispering to each other, staring at me with varied levels of shock and denial.
There are even a few jealous glares that find their way toward me.
Don’t worry, ladies. That asshole’s going to be unattached soon enough.
I manage to ignore Saint the rest of the weekend, as well as most everybody else on campus. I’m so humiliated, just the thought of having to face everyone and their fresh wave of ridicule makes my stomach churn. The only person I don’t avoid is Loni. She deserves an explanation, more than anyone else I know.
To my complete relief, she takes the news that I’ve been boning Saint Angelle on the reg fairly well. I think it definitely helps that she no longer believes he’s responsible for Nick’s attack, but he’s still a royal asshole, as he’d proven himself to be the night of the dance. I’d left immediately after he and Liam had been taken away. I’d endured enough for one evening.
It’s Monday morning, though, which means I can no longer avoid the real world, even though I really, really want to. Loni’s meeting me in the dining hall as usual, which I’m so thankful for. I don’t know that I can face the fallout of this alone.
Making my way across campus, I pause when I reach the dining hall doors and take a deep breath to fortify myself for the shitstorm to come. When I can’t put it off any longer, I go inside.
The first thing I notice is how people are staring at me as I make my way through the tables. They’re not glaring, like they usually do. I’m receiving no dirty looks whatsoever. In fact, a few people are looking at me as if in awe.
Apparently, Angelview is the new Twilight Zone.
I make my way toward the buffet, and when the people in front of me notice I’m standing there, they actually step out of my way and let me go ahead of them. I furrow my brow, certain the other shoe’s about to drop at any moment, but I get my tray of food and make my way back out to the main dining hall.
Loni’s at our usual table, and I begin to make my way toward her. I catch a few people’s eyes as I pass by, their smiles and the nods of their heads, almost as if I’m royalty or something. Are people really treating me this way because I’m having sex with Saint? I don’t know how to feel about that, and simply don’t have the brain capacity at present to process everything.
I stop short when I realize Laurel and her crew are sitting at a table directly in my path to Loni. For a moment, I consider just taking a wider path and going around them, but at that moment, Laurel glances up and we make eye contact. I’m not about to look like a coward in front of her, so I hold my head high and march forward. One of her friend’s chairs is too far out from the table and is blocking the walkway. I consider asking her to move it, but then think she’s probably blocking my path on purpose.
“Saydi, get your fucking chair out of Mallory’s way,” Laurel snaps, shocking the hell out of me. Her friend, Saydi, quickly scoots her chair in and shoots me an apologetic look.
Is this real life?
Am I in another dimension?
Have I died and this is a twisted circle of hell or something?
“Thanks,” I murmur, moving past Saydi. I glance up at Laurel, and she’s smiling at me, but her eyes are hard, as if she’s holding back every terrible thing she wants to hurl my way. Why isn’t she unloading on me like usual? The whole school just found out I’m fucking her ex, who she’s clearly not over, but instead of trying to kill me as I would expect, she’s playing nice? I can tell by the stress lines around her mouth that it’s forced, but she’s playing the part all the same.
I shake my head, baffled, and rush past their table.
My gaze sweeps the rest of the cafeteria, and I’m curious about something. I glance toward the table where Saint, Liam, and Gabe usually all sit together. Saint and Gabe are there, but Liam’s MIA. That hurts my heart a little bit.
Scratch that, a lot.
Saint looks up and we meet eyes. He tilts his head toward one of the chairs next to him, a clear invitation to join him.
I give my head a little shake and use my tray to point to the table that Loni’s sitting at. I’m still mad at him for what he did, though not so much as when I thought I’d be tormented mercilessly because of it. Ultimately, though, I’ve already promised my presence to Loni, and I’m not about to ditch her. Making my way over to her, I give her a wide-eyed look and plop down with a heavy sigh.
“What’s up, buttercup?” she asks with a smile.
“Zombies.” I raise one arm and sweep my hand around the room. “Zombies everywhere.”
She takes a bite of her fruit and yogurt parfait and shakes her head. “No, no, no. They’re not zombies. They’re acting respectful of the high god’s concubine.”
A chuckle bursts from my chest at her apt description. “I’m not a concubine.”
She grins and shrugs. “I think concubine sounds better than side-piece or piece of ass. It’s a lot classier.”
“I suppose, when you put it that way…”
She puts her food down and leans over the table to whisper, “Just remember, it’s not that they love you, it’s that they fear him.”
“Thanks for that vote of confidence.”
“I’m just saying, and you know it’s true.”
I do know it’s true. As weird as it is, I know people aren’t being nice to me because of me. They’re doing it because they don’t want to piss Saint off. Still, I can’t say it isn’t a nice change of pace.
It’s a relief not to be called a slut under someone’s breath, or have people try to pelt me with grapes.
“I don’t want to talk about Saint right now,” I tell Loni. “What’s happening in your life? Distract me from this weird nonsense, please.”
“Oh, you want different weird nonsense?” She leans in close to me, suddenly bouncing in her seat. “Have I got some crazy shit for you.”
I’m intrigued. Loni seems to have the best, most random stories.
“So, you know my ex, Brandon?”
“Super-hot jerkface who surfs through life on a wave of privilege and didn’t report Nick’s attackers? Yeah, I’ve heard of him.”