All I've Never Wanted(38)
“Uh…maybe we care a little bit,” Zack allowed. “Come on, get in! We’re going to be late.”
I sighed, but acquiesced. I was too tired to walk anyway. “So, why didn’t Parker pick me up himself?” I asked. I mean, if he was supposed to be my boyfriend, wasn’t he supposed to do this sort of thing?
Zack peeled out of the driveway. “Oh, he’s putting in some new gadgets in his car, so he grabbed a ride with Carlo today. I guess he felt kind of weird asking Carlo to go pick you up…”
“Let’s just tell it like it is. Parker would rather we pick you up than pick you up himself in someone else’s car,” Adriana clarified wryly.
“Oh.” Boys and their egos.
When we arrived at school, I was horrified to see the usual crowd of students milling around at the top of the steps, waiting for the Scions’ arrival.
Oh, crap. I had completely forgotten about that!
“You guys,” I hissed, sliding down in my seat. “Can you just let me out at the back entrance or something?”
Zack pulled into his parking space and turned to stare at me.
“What? Why?”
“I’m…um, not feeling well,” I replied lamely.
“Maya,” Adriana gently scolded. “You have to get used to this if you’re going to date a Scion. Besides, this way, everyone will know your change in status.”
Yeah. That was exactly what I was afraid of.
I stared out the window, the dread building in my stomach when I saw Carlo’s and Roman’s cars appear in the lot.
“It’s time,” Zack announced happily. “Ready for your first walk of fame, Maya?”
No. Not at all. I forced a smile. “Sure.”
I thought I saw Adriana give me a knowing look, but I was distracted by the deafening screams that erupted when Zack opened the door.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly followed Zack and Adriana out of the car, trying not to flash everyone.
The minute I got out, the crowd went deathly silent. I swallowed hard, falling into step next to Adriana as we headed up the stairs.
Even though I tried my best not to stare at them, I could feel everyone’s gazes on me.
Adriana reached over and squeezed my arm supportively. I flashed her a grateful smile, but I was more than aware that the rest of the students had broken out into shocked whispers.
“Oh my god, what is she doing getting out of Zack Perry’s car?”
“You know, I think someone told me she was dating Parker!”
“What a lucky bitch. She’s Valesca royalty now.”
“Hmmph. I wonder what she did to get that kind of cachet.”
The implication behind the last statement was clear.
I sighed, the dread spreading from my stomach to the rest of my body.
What had I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER 10
Crap. Where do I go, where do I go…?
I glanced desperately around the hall, searching for an escape route even as I heard them getting closer. The sound of stilettos on marble was unmistakable.
It’s a sad, sad day when a bunch of twigs in four-inch Louboutins can catch up to me.
Right? Or left? Making up my mind out of sheer panic, I darted right, panting slightly from the exertion. God, I really need to join a gym or something.
“There she is!” I heard someone shout.
I let out a small groan. Why oh why do these things always happen to me?
I was trying to figure out the best way to lose them when the girls’ bathroom door opened and smacked me right in the face.
“Ow!” I cried, bringing my hand up to my stinging forehead.
“Oh my god, I’m so—Maya?”
I blinked. The person who’d opened the door was Venice. “Hi, V.” I waved weakly.
“I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed, running to my side. She gazed worriedly at my forehead. “Are you ok?”
“I—“ The sound of stilettos were almost on me by now. I grimaced. There was no way I’d be able to outrun them now, especially since I was feeling a bit dizzy. “Do you have to open doors so hard?” I grumbled, resigned to my fate.
Venice was staring, open-mouthed, over my shoulder. “Are they harassing you again?” she exclaimed. “But you’re dating Parker now!”
I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “Oh, they’re harassing me all right,” I muttered. “Just not in the way you’re thinking.”
She looked confused. “What are you talking—“
“Maya!” A perfectly manicured hand grasped by arm eagerly. When I looked up, I saw it belonged to a whip-thin blonde who wore a pair diamond earrings so huge I was surprised her earlobes didn’t fall off. “Finally, I caught up to you,” she simpered. “You know, you’re really…uh, athletic. In the best way possible, of course,” she added quickly. Apparently, in her world, an athletic girl wasn’t a compliment.
I forced a polite smile on my face, wishing for the umpteenth time that day that my parents hadn’t taught me the value of good manners so I could tell her exactly where to shove those earrings of hers. “Thanks, uh…”
“Agnes. Agnes Welden, of the Welden textiles fortune,” she pronounced smugly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Anyway, you left before I had a chance to ask you, where did you get those fabulous shoes? They’re amazing!”