“I won’t act as if I know what you’re going through. I obviously never lost my mom. I haven’t changed schools. Just know that you’re family, and us Covington’s value family.” Victoria’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“I’m not a Covington. Hell, I didn’t even know the Covington name until Alice showed up.”
“You’re a Covington by blood. I know you don’t feel that way, but you are. Promise me one thing though. Don’t break my mom’s heart. She already lost your mom. Don’t make her lose you too.”
“I can’t make that promise.”
Victoria cuts her eyes to me, a myriad of emotions filling them. “Fair enough. Give this place a shot. You never know. You might end up liking it.”
As we come to the end of the road, a car shoots out in front of us. Victoria slams on her brakes as her arm flies over across my chest.
“Son of a bitch!” she exclaims. “Are you okay?”
I watch the fancy black car speed off as we idle in the middle of the road. I glance up to the driveway it came from. The house is humongous, set farther back from the road than any other house on the street.
“What a fucking douchecanoe. They didn’t even care if they fucking hit us,” I spit, looking over to Victoria. “Entitled fucking pricks.”
She sighs. “You’re not wrong. I think I should go over a couple of things with you before we get to school.”
“Okay?” I question.
She starts driving again, this time never taking her eyes from the road.
“There is a hierarchy that rules Brighton Academy. The Yates brothers are at the top with Sterling Brooks and Finley Abbot. The pricks who just flew out in front of us? Those were the Yates brothers; Reed and Keaton. Stay out of their way. As long as you leave them alone, they shouldn’t bother you. Below them are the girls. Well, other than Tinsley Yates. She’s at the top with her brothers. Blair Betchel, Poppy Sinclair, and Ingram Humphries. Ingram runs that crowd and thinks of herself as the queen. Since the guys allow it, they get away with pretty much anything. Stay far away from them. They’re vindictive.”
I digest what she says before asking, “Where are you in this hierarchy?”
She turns and gives me a wink after parking her car. “Near the top, of course. Our name holds weight in this town. We might not be royalty, but they’ll think twice before starting shit. Dad is the go-to guy when it comes to investments. They all think that if his hands touch a company, it’ll turn into gold. He hasn’t made a bad investment yet.”
“Wow, way to be humble.” I don’t bother hiding my sarcastic tone as I slide out of the car.
She pauses before leaning against the top. “This isn’t your normal high school, Sage. These people are virtually untouchable. You use what weapons you have at your disposal. You’ll learn to do that too. Otherwise, they’ll bully you into doing whatever they want. They take sick enjoyment out of breaking others.”
I roll my eyes. “Great. Just the people I want to be around. Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself. Thank you for the advice though.”
She laughs. “You think you’re tough now, but heed my warning. I’ll do what I can to protect you because you’re blood, but I will not involve myself in unnecessary drama.”
“Understood. Point me to the office and I’ll get out of your hair.”
She shakes her head but answers me. “In through the front door, then the second door on the right. Come find me at lunch. Mom made sure they paired us so you didn’t have to sit alone.”
I bite back another sarcastic response. Alice has been nice so far, and she doesn’t deserve my wicked tongue.
Yet.
They always show their true colors eventually.
“Sure. See you then.” I turn and leave without waiting for her response.
There are groups of people standing around as I make my way up the stairs to the front door. Even the building screams money. Brighton Academy is an older brick building with tall intricately decorated pillars. Walking through the front door, I expect to find a hallway filled with lockers, but instead it’s a long corridor of brick walls littered with doors on each side.
More students mill about inside, but I avoid their stares. Instead, I make my way to the door Victoria indicated was the office. It’s more like what I’m used to: walls with pictures of former students, a large reception desk, two doors, and a waiting area. I make my way to the empty reception desk as I look around. A book sits on the front of the desk asking for visitors to sign in. Flyers are littered around advertising school events.
As I continue my examination, an older lady comes out of the back office. She pauses when she notices me standing at the desk.
“How can I help you?” Her friendly appearance is nothing more than a facade. Her voice is emotionless.
“I’m here to pick up my schedule. Sage Miller.”
“Of course. Mrs. Davenport told us to expect you today.” She shuffles through some folders before pulling out three papers. “Here is your class schedule. We tried to place you in similar studies to what you were taking at your previous school.” She hands me the first paper before shuffling the second one in front of me. “This is your locker assignment and combination. We weren’t able to put you in the senior hall, as all those lockers are accounted for, so we placed you in the junior hall. This is a map of the school. If you go to the library, they can sort out your text books for you.” After she hands me the last paper, she turns back to her folder.
I stand there looking at my schedule. Advanced placement history, English, chemistry, drama, algebra, leadership, and finishing class.
I snort at the electives. Who are these people?
“You’re dismissed, Ms. Miller.”
I glance up to find the old hag sneering at me.
“Of course I am,” I mutter as I turn to leave.
Once I exit, I find the hallway has filled up. There are twice as many students, which disorients me for a moment. I catch their whispers, but I ignore them. Glancing down at my map, I turn right and make my way to the library to get my books. Only getting lost once, I make it there right before the first bell rings.
“How can I help you, dear?” I look up at the kind voice to find another older lady standing at the door. Unlike the bitch in the main office, this one gives me a friendly smile.
“I was told to come here to get my textbooks.”
“Of course. I just need your schedule to make sure I have everything. Come in.” She ushers me inside as I hand her my schedule.
Once at the desk, she turns and grabs a stack of books. “I was expecting you, Ms. Miller. Here are all of your books. They can be a bit heavy, so if you need to leave some here and come back later, I can hold on to them for you.”
Her genuine personality makes me smile. She reminds me of my mom, kind and caring, even to a stranger.
I pull my backpack off my shoulder and start loading the books inside, only keeping my first three classes out.
“I think I got it. My backpack can hold most of them. You can call me Sage, by the way.”
“I can see that. Can’t remember the last time someone carried a backpack within these halls.” She reaches out to touch my hand. “If you need anything at all, come find me. I can help with quite a bit.”