See No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy #1)(8)

These Eton cavemen eat five times as much as I do. I’ve always been a pigeon eater. How am I supposed to compete with them? But I have to try, right? Or I’ll give myself away.

Shuffling forward, I finally reach the trays and grab one, gripping the brown plastic and swallowing the burning sensation in my throat. My stomach is pitching like a tsunami is threatening to take me out. I don’t know how I’m going to eat.

A large white plate is slapped down on my tray, then piled high with food. Slop, tap, slop, tap…the metal spoons dump more and more food on my plate, weighing me down. Balancing the tray, I collect my cutlery and search for a place to sit.

Every table is filled with gorillas, with the odd skinny chimp perched on the end of a row. That’s going to be me. I’m cool with it as long as no one notices me. I don’t want to talk or answer questions. I just want to nibble what I can and then disappear to the safety of my room.

Clearing my throat, I edge towards a spare seat on the far table to the right. I nearly make it. But the scary-ass weasel who eyed me up in the corridor earlier today won’t let me.

His foot shoots out without warning and I trip to the floor. My tray smacks against the hard wood, followed by my body. I land in my mashed potatoes, gravy spurting onto my neck and face. Everyone around me bursts into laugher. It’s loud, grating…humiliating.

Clenching my jaw, I force myself up, refusing to look to my right and acknowledge the world’s biggest asshole. My sweater is covered with slop. It runs down my clothes, and a couple of big chunks drip off my chest and plop onto the floor beside my shoe.

Sharp footsteps approach and a teacher starts yelling at me. “What’s going on here?”

The laughter dies down to a soft snicker. I stand silent, waiting for someone to turn Evil Eyes in, but no one says a word.

Oh, I get it. The bully everyone’s afraid of.

The teacher rolls his eyes. “For God’s sake, don’t just stand there. Clean up this mess and get yourself a new tray! And try not to be so clumsy next time.”

My lips part in anger. I’m so close to pointing at the idiot who tripped me and letting rip what really happened, but I catch a movement to my right. Trey is staring at me, shaking his head ever so subtly. The look in his eyes tells me to just take it.

Grinding my teeth together, I crouch back down and collect my tray, refusing to look at the snickering moron who thinks he can get the better of me. He’s not getting squat. He thinks he’s a badass? I’ve seen worse, which is why I’m here. Which is why I’m going to dump my tray and forget about eating anything tonight.

Because I owe Robbie. Because I want to see a little justice in this screwed-up world.

Sliding the tray into the dirty dishes trolley, I don’t even bother looking over my shoulder as I quietly slip from the room, determination keeping me from falling apart.

I can do this. I can survive this place. I’m not going to let these assholes beat me. I’ll get some sleep in the safety of my locked-up room and start the next day anew.

Everything’s going to be okay.

*****

Normally at this time of day I’d be sitting in Economics next to Charlize. She’d be talking about her date with Matt and how they got it on in the backseat of his Mustang. Anything to avoid fiscal policy, right? Or maybe it’s that Charlize and Matt are obsessed with each other and she never knows when to shut up about it.

Normally, I’d sit there staring at the teacher like I was listening while grinning at my friend’s detailed descriptions. She’s a great storyteller.

I wonder who she’s talking to right now.

Does she miss me?

Is she worried? Will my runaway story hold up?

They all think I’ve flown the coop after a big fight with my dad.

It’s not completely out of the question. I wouldn’t say my family was disjointed. I mean, I love my parents, I just…

A spitball hits the side of my face. I flinch and press my lips together, not wanting to make a fuss. I don’t need any more eyes on me.

The teacher is still droning. Stirling’s Formula. Equations are all over the board. I can’t understand any of them.

All I can think about is Charlize and her silver nail polish, her glossy lips, and the shapes her mouth makes when she’s telling a story.

Then, inevitably, my mind swerves to the look of wonder on Robbie’s face as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I giggled. He blushed. We were only new friends. We hadn’t kissed before. I didn’t even know if I liked him that way. But it’d been a fun night. I was tipsy on happiness and I couldn’t resist turning back to sweeten the moment.

I shouldn’t have turned back.

Another spitball hits my neck. I grind my teeth together and force myself not to spin.

Don’t give in.

Stay strong.

Stoic.

Mocking sniggers wear away at my resolve.

I want to spin and unleash a verbal lashing—small dicks, puny brains. Rain down a little she-hell on their asses. But I can’t.

I have no power here.

The only control I have is what I’m going to say on that witness stand, and that’ll be worth nothing if I don’t make it there.

A gunshot in the back of my mind.

Robbie’s foot twitches.

A pair of pitiless eyes stare down at his lifeless body.

I run.