“She’s the anti-Christ, I swear it.”
“Yeah, I wonder if she and Vee are somehow related,” I agreed in a shaky voice, rubbing my knee where I was sure a bruise was going to blossom.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Aoife said.
As we entered the classroom, Sally and Claire snickered and whispered to one another. I was distracted by Mr. Kennedy calling my name.
“Estella, I’d like to congratulate you on getting the top mark in last week’s test on photosynthesis,” he said, beaming at me. Mr. Kennedy was a short man with light brown hair and glasses, and he was my favourite teacher because he had a kind face and always had a smile of encouragement for his students. In my life, kindness was a rare commodity.
“Well done, Stells,” Aoife said, nudging me with her elbow.
I cleared my throat, still feeling the after-effects of the humiliation from falling flat on my face in the corridor.
“Thanks,” I smiled, mustering a grin.
Mr. Kennedy handed me my paper, gave my shoulder a pat, then began moving about the room, handing back papers to the rest of the students. I took my usual seat next to Aoife, which just so happened to be right in front of Sally’s desk.
“Kiss arse,” she sneered, but I didn’t turn around. Aoife shot her an unfriendly look and told me to ignore her.
“Thinks she’s better than the rest of us,” Sally went on, not giving up. “Fucking brainbox.”
I grit my teeth and gripped my pencil tightly. She wasn’t worth my anger, even if I was having visions of turning around and stabbing her in the eye with my Stabilo. The name seemed apt.
But no, there were more important things requiring my attention, like the next chapter of the textbook I needed to study up on. Sally finally gave up her taunting when she realised she wasn’t going to get a reaction out of me, and I exhaled, glad she’d decided to shut her vicious mouth for once.
After school I walked home alone, preparing several speeches in my head to confront Vee about what she’d done to Sylvia last night. Deep down I knew I wouldn’t end up saying a word, but it made me feel good to imagine telling her exactly what I thought of her.
My life was on too much of a precipice, and I had to blend in with the furniture until I finished school. If I started kicking up a fuss and challenging Vee on her actions, then I wouldn’t put it past her to kick me out onto the street, rendering me homeless and penniless.
Just the thought made my stomach clench with anxiety.
Slotting my key in the back door, I stepped inside the empty kitchen and dropped my bag on the floor. I went to the sink for a glass of water, thirsty after the long walk home. My knee was still sore from my fall, so after downing the water I put my foot up on a chair and hitched up my skirt to check the damage. A dark purple bruise was forming on my left knee, and I had a few scrapes on my palms as well.
“Somebody’s been through the wars,” came a voice, startling me. I quickly pushed my skirt back down and stood up straight.
Noah stood in the doorway with his arms folded, an indecipherable expression on his face. His eyes landed on mine for a moment before wandering to the delicate gold chain around my neck. He seemed intrigued as his gaze lowered to the small cross pendant that hung on the end of it. It was a gift from Dad I rarely took off. The intense way Noah studied it made the tiny hairs at the base of my neck stand on end.
As he was studying me, I took the opportunity to study him, realising just how physically attractive he was. I’d noticed he was handsome before, sure, but he really was unusually stunning, brooding and intense. He was tall and broad shouldered, with a confidence that seemed almost dangerous. Like he could handle himself in a fight.
“Let me guess, today was P.E.?” Noah said.
I frowned and shook my head, wondering why he cared. “No. A girl in my class tripped me over.”
He tilted his head. “Why?”
I shrugged. “She’s always had a problem with me,” I paused, casting him a quick glance. “She’s also a massive bitch.”
His lips twitched, like he found my statement amusing. He came fully into the room and leaned against the table. “How did you retaliate?”
“I retaliated by ignoring her. She’s not worth my time.”
“Coward.”
I widened my eyes at him. “Excuse me?”
“You know what I would’ve done?” he went on, ignoring the question. “I would’ve taken my maths compass, gotten her alone somewhere and stuck her with it. She wouldn’t be tripping anyone up after that.”
“You’re disturbed,” I said, casting him a wary look.