"Ms. Cruz, are you with us?"
The sound of Mr. Brant calling my name snapped me out of it. I straightened in my desk and nodded.
"Yes. Sorry."
"Can you tell me what we were discussing just now?"
My eyes darted to my textbook, to the whiteboard, but there was nothing on it. I chewed the inside of my mouth, the feeling of a dozen eyes on me making me queasy. I always had an answer for Mr. Brant. That was, like, my thing. History is my best subject.
"I can't remember."
"Well perhaps you'll remember better if you listen next time." Mr. Brant insisted. I nodded as a murmur ran through the class. In the very back, I could see Fitz, hair sleep-mussed, his chin on his folded arms as if he'd just looked up from his usual place sleeping on the desk. His green eyes caught mine, and I quickly looked away.
The last thing I needed right then was Blackthorn attention. But I got it anyway. After class was over, Fitz walked up to my desk.
"Hey there, scholarshipper," He smiled. "I don't think we've been formally introduced yet."
"Unfortunately, I already know who you are," I said, hurriedly stuffing my books in my bags. "And triple unfortunately, I've got another class to get to across campus. So if you'll excuse me -"
He put his body between me and the door. I tried to make my glare imitate a sawblade, but it didn't faze him at all. He just kept smiling.
"You haven't even told me your name."
"You know my name." I said.
"Well, sure. I mean, I'm the one who hacked my dad's computer and stole a copy of your essay."
My mouth dropped open a little. "What?”
"You heard me." Fitz laughed, green eyes twinkling. "His passwords are always super easy to guess. I knew your name weeks ago. But I'd like to hear it from you all the same. You know, pretend we're normal people being introduced to each other for the first time?"
"We wouldn't have to pretend if you didn't hack your dad," I hissed. "Why did you wanna know about me so badly anyway?"
Fitz shrugged. "Wolf asked me to. He's always asking me to research the incoming new kids."
"Why? Is he that paranoid one of them is going to ruin his precious school?"
"Oh, you sweet, naive, badly-dressed baby."
"Badly dressed?" I sputter.
"Listen - this school is already ruined," Fitz ignored me. "You just haven't been here long enough to see that."
"Are you talking about the mind-blowing materialism? Or the stuck-up attitudes?"
"That's just the surface stuff. Small time crime." Fitz shook his head. "In case you haven't noticed, money makes people feel entitled to doing stupid things."
"Like your brother and his red-cards."
I'd learned early on in my Lakecrest career that Fitz never frowned. His face went to neutral, and maybe even bored, but he never, ever frowned. Except this time.
"Wolf is the only one doing anything good for this school."
I laughed, but stopped when I realized he wasn't joking.
"Sorry, I thought you were trying out a stand-up comedian routine. Is that not what's happening here?"
"I don't expect you to believe me," Fitz shook his head. "You clearly hate Wolf, after all."
"The only thing I hate is people assuming how I feel about other people."
"Honey dearest," Fitz put on a sickening smile as he mocked me. "No one's assuming. Your hate for him this morning was as plain as the sky is blue."
"Alright, you caught me. I hate arrogant bullies. Weird, huh? No one else here seems to."
"I'd tell you to give him a second chance, but you're clearly not the forgiving type," He said.
"Wolf and you are a package deal," I managed. "So I'll tell you this only once; I don't want anything to do with you. Or him. Or the tall one, either. Or your rich-ass dad. Just leave me alone, and stop threatening my damn scholarship."
Fitz's smile grew wider, impish-like in its curl. "It's a shame you'll be gone soon - I haven't had this much fun in a while. Even Burn looked a little less dead inside at your antics this morning, and that's saying something."
My stomach drops. I'd be gone soon? Did that mean -
"It's weird," Fitz pressed. "We're always a little fashionably late. But today, Wolf insisted we get to school early to reap the red-card from that freshman, like he wanted to avoid you, or something."
"Why is that weird?"
"I thought you hated him," Fitz's smile darkened into a smirk. "Look at you, asking questions about him like you care."
"I don't care! I just want to - ugh! Fine. Don't tell me. Just stay away from me." I threw my backpack on my shoulder and started towards the door. Fitz's voice stopped me.
"He never tries to avoid people, Beatrix. The opposite, actually. He confronts them constantly. But for some reason he wants to avoid you."
I looked over my shoulder at him. "Tell him the feeling's mutual."
I left the classroom, adrenaline shaking me up again. Every time I talked to one of the Blackthorn boys face-to-face, I got so nervous I could barely see straight. It's the scholarship. I knew it was. They had the power to take it from me, to cut my hard work out of the picture with a snap of their fingers. They could guillotine my life apart, and I was just waiting for them to drop the blade. They did it to Mark Gerund. They could do it to me.
I opened my locker, a slip of red paper waving on the inside. I picked it up and read the word I already knew was on it.
STOP.
I looked around for any sign of the brothers. They had to be nearby, ready to swoop down for the kill. I knew exactly what Wolf wanted me to stop doing. He'd made it abundantly clear this morning. This was just a formality. He wanted me to stop interfering.
But like hell I was going to do what he wanted. Everyone else did. Everyone probably would, for the rest of his spoiled life. But I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Nobody deserves Beatrix Cruz's respect - they have to earn it.
I poised my hands to rip the red card in two when a deep voice scared me shitless.