Chapter 5

I took a leave of absence to deal with visas and paperwork at home. My parents felt that whether or not I was moving abroad, I still needed to keep up with school, so I went back to class.

The girls who'd set me up looked awkward when they saw me. Some of them looked guilty. None of them apologized.

Madison walked right up to me, easy as anything.

"Oh hey, Ava, you came back to school? You didn't walk in with me and Sebastian today?"

She grinned. "I figured you'd dropped out."

I looked up at her, and in that second I understood her completely.

Madison knew exactly what she had been doing. She knew it was bullying. She had never thought it was "just a joke." She had been trying to break me down until I left school.

I didn't answer her. I bent my head to the work I'd missed.

Sebastian started drifting over to say something, but Madison blocked him.

"Don't, Sebastian. She's still upset. I've apologized and she still won't speak to me. Give her a couple more days. If you say the wrong thing now, there'll be no coming back from it."

Sebastian hesitated. He had regretted it the moment he got home that night. He'd spent days wondering if he had gone too far.

But now here he was, days later, and I still wasn't speaking to anyone. Not even to Madison, who had supposedly apologized. In that second Sebastian decided I needed to be taught a little humility. That way I'd finally understand how good I'd had it under his protection.

He didn't come over. I exhaled.

I didn't know how to face him. I couldn't forgive him. I couldn't control the hate either. But I understood that if I openly broke with him, Madison and her crew would have a green light to escalate.

Instead of Madison's daily "jokes," the whole class turned on me at once. Cold, clean, unanimous.

I'd walk into the classroom and the chatter would stop dead, like I was some chemical that killed conversation.

When the TA handed out papers, she skipped my row on purpose and left the last copy on the teacher's desk so I had to walk up and get it myself.

The girl at the end of the row wouldn't stand to let me through, no matter how politely I asked.

In the dining hall, I'd set my tray down at a table and the whole group would stand up and move, scattering to other seats.

Then someone sat down next to me. It was Sebastian.

"Ava. Let's walk home together today."

I ignored him. I finished my lunch in silence, returned my tray, and went back to the classroom without saying a word.

Back in class, Madison, who hadn't spoken to me in days, piped up loud and clear. "Ava, your bra strap is showing. It's pink."

The room burst out laughing.

I knew she was doing it to humiliate me, and knowing didn't help. Every eye in that room was on me and my face was burning.

Just as the tears were about to spill, Madison added coolly, "Don't start crying on us. It was just a joke. Can't you take anything?"

When I did start crying, Madison's face went sour.

"Oh, come on. Stop crying, Princess. I hate girls who go straight to tears. Like I did something wrong. Maybe the real issue is your ego. The only reason you pad your chest that high is so people will talk about it."

That was the exact moment Sebastian walked into the room. He looked at my red-rimmed eyes. He looked at Madison's annoyed face. "What's going on?"

Madison snorted. "What do you think? I said the wrong thing again and offended Her Highness."

Sebastian crossed the room and stood in front of me.

"Ava. You need to get this crying thing under control. You can't just play victim every time. The whole class hates you because you're a drama queen. Maybe spend some of this time thinking about your own behavior for a change."

I looked up at him. I couldn't stop myself from glaring.

The hate in my eyes pinned him in place.

Sebastian froze. Something unfamiliar flickered across his face. Does she hate me? Really?

No. Impossible. We grew up together. We promised each other we'd go to the same college.

She was just so used to being protected by me. Even a small bruise was too much for her.

Give it time. She'd see what I was trying to do for her.

The way childhood friends always fell back into step. He was certain.

Sure enough, the moment passed. He looked away and followed Madison out of the room, casual as ever.