“When are you not?”
We laugh together as we walk down to the eatery, Mikhail a constant shadow. Their companionship buoys me. With my sister, my best friend, and even Mikhail with me, I’ll be fine.
“So, Genevieve, how was Belgium?” Adrienne asks as she loops an arm through mine.
On my other side, Genevieve beams. On a happy sigh, she tells us all about her family’s trip to Bruges, where her grandma lives. It sounds wonderful, and I let myself get distracted by it as the beguiling smell of breakfast grows. I’ve never been to Belgium, and I would love to go sometime. Maybe Adrienne and I could visit Genevieve there this summer.
Assuming I’m not in prison.
The thought douses my enthusiasm. I can’t think like that. I have to focus.
Everyone has pulled out the stops for the first day of school. I catch glimpses of new, expensive jewelry, watches, shoes, and even some brightly colored socks as the four of us navigate the hallway.
We’re in front of the health center when its door swings open, and Kenneth comes out.
I stop in my tracks as his eyes focus on me, like twin blue laser beams. I never noticed it before, but Adrienne’s nickname for him is intensely accurate. He does look like a Ken Doll. An unwelcome one.
“Charlotte, nice to see you.” He gives a polite smile.
My hands find my hips. “What are you doing here? We broke up, remember?”
Mikhail’s eyes move between Kenneth and me as he assesses the situation. Not missing anything.
Eyeing the guy at our side, Kenneth shakes his head. “Don’t you remember? You set up a rotation for me here with Doctor Paloma last semester.”
Icy remembrance hits me like a wall of frigid air. I did that, but I hadn’t heard from him until last night, so I assumed it hadn’t been approved. Doctor Paloma didn’t sound convinced when I talked to her in early December, but she must have changed her mind.
“You couldn’t get out of it?” Inside, mortification is burning me up, but I don’t let it show. To think, at the time I was excited that I’d get to see him every day. Maybe I’d even fake another bee sting.
“It was already set. Will you come inside so we can talk?”
My jaw almost drops, but I stop it. Reigning in my composure, I give him a dismissive smile. “I can’t now. I have to eat breakfast before class.”
Kenneth steps closer. “Please. I have to talk to you. It’ll only take a minute.”
I feel the unwelcome burning of eyes on me.
Adrienne is gaping at Kenneth, clearly as surprised as I am that he’s here. Genevieve is more composed, and puts a hand on my arm as a show of support. Standing at her full height of 5’8,” she’s not easy to dismiss. Kenneth’s eyes rake over her, and then my stepsister, before returning to me.
“Charlotte?” He opens the door wider, beckoning for me to precede him.
Shaking my head, I glance up and down the hall. We have an audience, and it’s growing. Those closest to us are watching with interest, and awareness is spreading down the corridor. A short girl at the end of the hall goes up on tiptoes trying to get a good view, her dark eyes all I can see above the shoulders of the crowd. Gul. Curse everyone at this school and their drama radar.
“Charlotte, maybe you should talk to Kenneth?” Genevieve prompts, questions in her eyes.
Making a snap decision, I plead with my eyes for her to understand. Then I hook my arm around the elbow of the nearest boy. It’s pure coincidence that he’s so close. I’ll regret this later, I am sure, but for now, it’s my best and only move. With a yank, I pull him around to face my ex.
“Kenneth, have you met my new boyfriend, Ricardo?”
Ricardo’s eyes go wide as he looks down at me, but he smothers his surprise quickly. His signature cocky grin spreads over his features. Holding out a hand, he says, “Kenneth. I’ve heard a lot about you, none of it good, I’m afraid.”
Kenneth starts to splutter, his eyes swinging from Ricardo to me and back. “You… He… You…”
Ricardo winks at me, and my insides rankle.
Cool it, Char. You can strangle him later.
With satisfaction I notice that Ricardo is taller than Kenneth. I don’t know why, exactly, but I find it immensely gratifying that my ex has to look up to my current, admittedly fake, boyfriend.
“Yep. I have a new guy. I don’t waste time when I find what I want, unlike someone I know.” My pointed meaning is not lost on Kenneth, whose skin flushes angry red.
Immediately the whispers move down the hall, rippling outward like a shockwave from where I’m standing at ground zero. In less than ten minutes, everyone in this entire school will have heard about me and Ricardo. Oh, joy.
Raking a hand over the back of his neck, Kenneth retreats into the health center, shutting the door behind him. He’s put off for now. It’s only temporary, but it’ll give me time to formulate a plan to handle him.
Trepidation wells as I turn to focus on Adrienne and Genevieve. Adrienne looks like she’s about to burst, and is the first to speak. “Is this why you were so vehemently against us getting to know each other last semester? Because you had a crush on him? That makes so much sense. I knew you seemed unreasonably mad at him! Wow, I’m so happy for you.” She gushes, beaming at us. “My best friend and my sister. Eek!” She throws her arms around us and jumps up and down.
Laughing, Ricardo says, “You got us, chouchou.”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes at his cutesy nickname for my stepsister.
Ricardo takes my hand, twining our fingers.
It’s all I can do not to yank my hand away. The way he’s looking at me, with feigned affection, is making me want to punch him in the face. Of course, I’d never do that. I would never lose control in public like that. Or ever, really. I force myself to smile back, sweetly.
Maybe I should take up Krav Maga again so I have an excuse to beat the crap out of my training partner, even if it’s not Ricardo. My grin widens. Maybe I could get Ricardo to come too. Then I really could punch him in the face.
Genevieve stands apart from us, her blue eyes watery as she stares at us, lips parted in cruel surprise. Her aghast expression drowns my sudden craving for violence.
I reach for her hand. “Gen, let me explain. Please.”
Shaking her head, she bolts toward the women’s bathroom.
A bunch of people swivel to watch her go. One whistles, irking me.
Untangling my fingers from Ricardo’s, I excuse myself. I have to go talk to my bestie.
A cacophony of vibrations and ringtones fills the hallway, making me pause.
“What’s this?” Adrienne says, showing me her phone screen.
“An all-school alert?” I mutter out loud, digging my phone out of my bag. Opening it, I click on my messages. There’s a new one—from Headmistress Morgan.
Embassy Academy Alert
Attention, students.
All students and faculty who have a car registered here at Embassy Academy are hereby requested to refrain from driving off campus for the next several days while the police conduct their investigation in the vicinity outside our campus. A personal shuttle will be made available to students who require a mode of transportation for off-site appointments.
The crowd parts as Cal lopes toward me, looking up from his phone. Asif is with him. “Hey, Char, have you seen this? Where’s my car, anyway?” Cal shows me the screen as he stops in front of where I’m still standing with Adrienne and Ricardo. “Uh, why are you holding hands with Rico Suave, here?”