<b>“</b><b>Did </b>you guys see that video?”
“Oh my god, yes! I always thought she seemed so sweet–turns out, when <b>she </b><b>starts </b>swearing, she really goes for it.”
“And that ‘wee dinner‘ her family threw? What a joke that turned out to be.
“Did you catch her parents‘ facesst night? I swear, they looked absolutely mortified.”
“Honestly, judging by how her family acted, she’s not nearly as spoiled as she lets
on.”
“You think she’s just been faking it this whole time?”
“Unbelievable! Is she really that shameless?”
“Hey, hey, that’s enough!”
“Why can’t we talk abou-” The words died in the air. Ileana was standing in the doorway, knuckles white on her backpack straps.
The two girls who’d been gossiping rubbed their noses awkwardly and drifted apart, while everyone else suddenly found something fascinating in their textbooks.
The tension was thick when Alessia strolled in from the hallway, her expression coolly indifferent. She walked right past Ileana without so much as a nce, making it clear she had no intention of getting involved.
“Happy now, Alessia?”
Ileana’s voice rang out behind her, sharp and brittle, but Alessia couldn’t help finding it almost funny. She turned, meeting Ileana’s eyes without flinching.
“Did you do anything that should make me happy?”
“You ruined my family dinner, you must be thrilled!”
Alessia let out a shortugh, though there wasn’t a hint of warmth in it.
“So let me get this straight: instead of ming the person who embarrassed you, you’re dragging me into it? Seriously, Ileana, is your logic always this twisted? Should I rmend a therapist?”
Ileana was at a loss for words. Instinctively, she raised her hand to strike Alessia, but Alessia caught her wrist with ease.
“Yesterday, I understood<b>–</b>you were <b>upset, </b><b>caught </b><b>off </b><b>guard</b>. <b>But </b><b>what’s </b><b>your </b>excuse <b>now</b><b>? </b>Just picking someone at random to take your anger <b>out </b><b>on</b><b>?</b>” <b>Alessia’s </b><b>grip </b>tightened for a moment before she let go, pushing Ileana back <b>a </b><b>couple </b><b>steps</b>.
It was only then that Ileana noticed the looks the others were giving her–<b>some </b>shocked, some scornful, some just nkly staring. In that instant, she knew <b>it </b><b>was </b>
over.
Seventeen years of smooth sailing, and she’d never suffered so much humiliation as she had these past two days. Biting back tears, she spun around and bolted from the ssroom, leaving everyone else exchanging awkward nces.
Alessia watched her retreat with cold detachment. Only after Ileana had disappeared did she finally head for her seat. Dumping her backpack into the desk, she leaned back in her chair. “So, what’d I miss?”
“We were just talking about how Ileana freaked out at the family dinner yesterday when that dog scared her,” Pierce said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“And?”
“Well, at first it was funny, but then she started kicking and yelling at the poor thing. Honestly, it was pretty disturbing. Plus, she’s always bragged about how much her family dotes on her, but now it seems like that’s all just an act.”
“Yeah, her whole ‘perfect princess‘ image totally fell apart,” someone else chimed <ol><li>in. </li></ol>
“Alessia, is it true that the Tate family’s younger son is standing up for you?”
“Standing up for me? You think he’d ruin his own family’s dinner just for a stranger like me?”
Realizing he’d crossed a line, the boy slumped in his seat and went silent.
“That’s not what we meant, Alessia,” Pierce said, sounding a little embarrassed.
“Rx. It’s not exactly something that’s keeping me up at night.”
Alessia didn’t offer any furtherment. Sure, Ileana had been the victim in all this, but her behavior was, frankly, hard to defend. All that kicking and shouting–if she couldn’t prove her worth to Scott soon, she’d be out of the picture in no time.
With the drama over, the conversation quickly shifted. Gossip was only interesting, for so long, after all. Hleana’s meltdown was just another bit of spice in their daily routine–fun to talk about for a moment, then easily forgotten.
No one noticed that, in the midst of it all, someone else slipped quietly out of <b>the </b>
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Chapter <b>1 </b>
room.