<b>Chapter </b><b>61 </b>


    <i>ra’s </i>POV:


    I woke at 7am, excited at the thought of leaving this house for good. I texted my friend Christine and told her I would see her before break was over and that I was leaving my father’s house. She responded with a single word.


    “<i>Finally</i><i>!</i><i>” </i>


    I smiled as I gathered the rest of my bags, I didn’t want to take much of the crap in this room, just my books and some more clothing. I was smart enough to remove my mother’s mementos when I first moved to Lexington. Neither my father nor Sophie bothered me for the rest of the evening. I appreciated their ability to be smart enough not to. Around 9am, I began bringing my bags up when Jason met me at the head of the stairs. His expression was filled with hatred, Sophie must’ve called him crying.


    <i>“</i><i>You’re </i>in <i>my </i><i>way</i><i>.</i>”


    Silence.


    <i>“</i><i>Move </i><i>Jason</i>, <i>I </i><i>need </i><i>to </i><i>bring </i><i>my </i><i>bags </i><i>to </i><i>the </i><i>door</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>


    Jason let out an exasperated sigh.


    “<i>ra</i><i>, </i><i>who </i><i>the </i><i>hell </i><i>do </i><i>you </i><i>think you </i><i>are </i><i>to </i><iy </i><i>your </i><i>hands </i><i>on </i><i>Sophie</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>


    He spoke in a low and menacing tone. I looked at him and scoffed, I was in no need for the Sophie


    show. Matching his stare of hatred, I answered.


    <i>“</i>I bet she’ll <i>keep </i><i>my </i><i>mother’s name </i><i>out </i><i>of </i><i>her </i><i>mouth</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>


    Jason’s eyes bulged, and suddenly he gripped my shirt.


    <i>“</i>You think just because <i>of </i>some <i>arranged </i><i>marriage </i><i>I </i>won’t <i>make your </i><i>life </i>a <i>living </i><i>hell</i><i>! </i>Apologize to Sophie now<i>!</i><i>” </i>


    I was over this conversation, pushing past Jason, I began sitting my bags at the door, Gloria and Casey would be here in 30 minutes. Jason stalked behind me yelling.


    “Look at me <i>ra</i><i>! </i><i>I </i><i>won’t </i>waste <i>not </i>one moment making you suffer <i>if </i>you ever touch Sophie again!”


    Suddenly, Sophie came running. Time to fake cry.


    “<i>Please </i><i>don’t </i><i>yell </i><i>at </i><i>ra </i>for me Jason. She’s the one you’re marrying, she’s the one you care <i>about</i>.”


    Jason immediately hugged Sophie, I knew what she was doing, she just wanted me to hear Jason


    denounce me for her.


    “Care, please. You’re the only one I care about Sophie; I’m only marrying her because of my father. I’ll do anything to protect you.”


    Not wanting to stick around for the newest episode of Romeo and Juliet on drugs, I grabbed my bags and walked out the door. Both Jason and Sophie turned around stunned that I didn’t react. Jason came running outside still yelling.


    “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Sophie! Ha! I guess I can understand. She has everything you have! You think just because you’ve beenbeled some genius, Sophie has everything <i>else</i>!”


    His outburst was so hrious I couldn’t help butugh hysterically. Did he realize he was actually insulting his precious Sophie. Frustrated by myughter, Jason began asking what I wasughing at.


    “What the hell <i>is </i>so funny!”


    “Well, you are. So, she’s got everything except a brain ch. Okay scarecrow.”


    Realizing what he was saying, Jason began to fume. Sophie’s eyes looked like she was wishing death on me. No matter how many insults orparisons they wanted to make, one thing she could never steal was my intelligence.


    “Shut up! That’s not what <i>I </i>said.”


    Still chuckling, I began looking at my phone to check the time.


    <i>“</i><i>Oh</i><i>, </i><i>okay</i>.”


    <i>“</i><i>Leave </i>Sophie alone! <i>Otherwise</i><i>, </i><i>I’ll </i>make you beg <i>for </i>death<i>! </i><i>I </i>won’t care <i>if </i>you’re my wife, it’ll be in name only! My heart belongs <i>to </i><i>Sophie</i><i>!</i><i>” </i><fn459a> Chapters first released on find?novel</fn459a>


    Sophie walked up to Jason still fake crying.


    <i>“</i><i>You </i>mustn’t say that Jason, ra is just stressed. Maybe she’s under pressure at Lexington.”


    As if a lightbulb went off, Jason grew a smug expression.


    “<i>Is </i><i>that </i><i>what </i>it is. Finding out you’re not the smartest person in the room! I bet you’re barely surviving in a school like Lexington-”