For the first few seconds after waking, Jenna had no memory of recent events. Her mind was gloriously blank and free of worry.
Then harsh reality came back with a crash and a thud. It was almost physically painful—the realisation that her entire life had crumbled away.
After showering and getting dressed, she joined Harry and Kai at the breakfast table. Harry had been kind enough to prepare her some breakfast, she noticed and smiled weakly as she picked at the burnt toast and rubbery eggs.
Kai gave her a sideways glance. He dropped his fork onto his empty plate with a loud clatter and shook his head in disgust.
"Surely you aren't going to wear that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jenna looked down at her skinny jeans and baggy jumper. No... it wasn't exactly what you'd see on the runway at fashion week, but the jeans showed off her slender legs, and the baby pink jumper looked cute... or so she had thought. What exactly did he think was wrong with her clothes?
"Erm... yeah. Why?" She frowned.
"You can't walk with me if you dress like that," he said.
"Kai, please, for Heaven's sake, could you try to be a bit nicer?" Harry scolded his son. His face reddened as if embarrassed by the behaviour of his offspring. As if he was getting to the end of his tether with his son's behaviour.
The whole situation made Jenna feel about ten inches tall. Yes, it was nice of Harry to stick up for her, but he could have been more subtle.
"I can walk alone," she uttered, trying to shrug it off.
"No," Harry insisted. "Kai, you are going to make damn sure Jenna gets there in one piece."
"Why can't she just dress like a normal person?" Kai asked. "I don't want to be seen with that."
He screwed up his face, deepening his permanent frown as he looked her up and down. His eyes made her feel dirty. Ugly. Like a piece of trash.
The worst thing was, it wasn't as if Kai was wearing anything especially stunning himself. He looked like every other teenage lad in grey joggers and trainers. They weren't even clean, so why did he have the right to comment on her appearance?
"I can change," she conceded, about to get up from her seat. It wasn't worth arguing over. She couldn't win. Not with Kai.
"No." Harry raised a hand to stop her. He dropped his cutlery, curled his fist, and stood, looming over his son. "There's nothing at all wrong with how you look. My son is being purposely cruel, and it's going to stop right now."
Kai got his height and athletic build from his dad, who Jenna now realised could be pretty intimidating if he wanted to be.
Unwilling to fight his dad any further, Kai huffed, sighed and finally gave in.
"Whatever," he said, scraping his chair legs across the lino flooring as he got up. "Come on then. You don't want to be late on your first day."
She slunk out of her seat and followed him, feeling like some kind of leper. Trying to keep up with him as he walked meant half running, almost as if he was trying to lose her. He probably was.
At the corner of the street, a group of teens waited. Three lads and a girl. They all looked up and greeted Kai as he arrived before turning to Jenna.
"Is this her?" one of the guys asked. He was scruffy looking and much smaller than Kai, with blonde curls spilling out from under his cap.
One of the other lads was stupidly tall and had hair covering most of his face, giving off a 'Lurch from the Adam's Family' vibe, and the other was smartly dressed and insanely good-looking.
Of course, the pretty blonde girl with them was joined at the hip to Mr Good-looking. She didn't look impressed as she clocked Jenna, narrowing her heavily lined eyes and pouting her lips. Jenna tried her hardest not to stare at the scary girl's boyfriend but found it hard. He had the most gorgeous face she'd ever seen. Like a movie star or a model or something.
'This is going to suck,' she thought, trying not to let it show on her face. It didn't take a genius to figure out that these were the school assholes. The mean kids. The bullies.
"No, Kenny, this is just a random girl I found on the street corner." Kai tutted. "Jenna. This is Charlene, Julian, Ray and this idiot is Kenny."
Kenny smiled and took her by the arm. "Don't worry about Mr Grumpypants. I'll look after you."
For a moment, Jenna was worried Kai would smack this kid for calling him Mr Grumpypants, but he actually smiled. It was the first time she'd seen him smile, and it changed his entire face. He looked... almost attractive.
'Wait... what?! Him? Attractive... what am I thinking?' Jenna thought.
'Stop it,' the sensible part of her mind hissed. 'You cannot be attracted to this monster.'
Since Danny left her, even guys like Kai were starting to look good. It was as if her brain couldn't cope with singledom and was desperate to force her back into the arms of someone new.
'But this guy is definitely NOT a suitable option... plus he kinda despises you.'
The group rolled and lit up cigarettes as they shuffled towards the school. Kenny offered her the packet and looked confused when she shook her head.
"She doesn't smoke," Kai explained, shaking his head in disgust. "I warned you that she's a complete loser, remember?"
Charlene grinned a sly grin, but Kenny flashed her a sympathetic smile.
"He's mean to pretty much everyone," Kenny whispered, "so don't worry about it."
Jenna smiled at him, trying to hide her pain. She didn't like the way this guy was looking at her--almost like a kid overjoyed to receive a shiny new toy. But at least he was trying to be nice... unlike her new stepbrother.
Her suspicions were confirmed as the group made their way through the main gate. A group of kids were partially blocking the way and Kai shoved one of them so hard he fell face-first into a puddle.
Both Julian and Charlene snickered cruelly as they stepped over the fallen kid, arm in arm.
'So you're only pretty on the outside, huh?' she thought. It was hardly a shock. The guys who looked like Julian were douchebags nine out of ten times. Almost as if they thought they could coast by on their looks forever and cultivating a personality was just an unnecessary effort.
The urge to stop and help the poor lad up was quickly squashed by her need to keep on Kai's good side. It was already hard enough living with the guy.
If he decided to really make an enemy out of her, she was screwed.
The old-fashioned building made Jenna feel like a lost interloper in a cold and harsh land. Her heels clicked on the stone flooring as she followed her stepbrother, clinging to him like a liferaft. 'So much for not needing his charity,' she thought, feeling like the world's biggest fake. Her earlier resolve that she could survive on her own had vanished as quickly as her breath in the cold air. "The heating is being replaced," Kenny explained, seeing her shiver and hug herself. "You'd think the brainiacs running this place would do it in the summer but nooo.""This place is a joke," Kai chimed in. "They're lucky I haven't burnt this shithole to the ground.""You should," Jenna muttered. "At least it would be warm."As the group chuckled at her comment, she felt the tiniest bit of validation. Was it possible she might fit in with these guys?Looking up and down the corridor, she figured it was her only option. The other students that passed did not seem to like her stepbrother's gro
Jenna didn't know what to say. Everyone was staring at her in horror, including Jacob.Mr Burton tutted loudly. "My next class is waiting to come in. Let's move it on out of here."He raised an eyebrow at Jenna as she passed but said nothing about her violent outburst. The look seemed to say, 'You know you just fucked up, right? But I'm not gonna save you.'Nothing was going to save her now.'Maybe I could just run home and hide under my bed,' she thought. But without Kai to show her the way, she'd probably just get lost and murdered.A stampede of students trapped her against the wall. After they passed, Jenna went to move but got instantly pushed back. Kai knocked the air from her lungs as he slammed her into the concrete wall."What. The. FUCK?"Jenna, too winded to talk, just stared helplessly."Who the hell do you think you are?" he asked."I... I just... I'm sorry... I didn't--" Jenna stammered, knowing there was nothing she could say to placate him.A hand appeared on Kai's sh
Kai was already pissed off when he walked into his English class. That little bitch.He saw her cowering in the corner, flashing him fearful glances. The terror in her eyes pleased him. She should be scared. He was going to make her sorely regret her actions.But not now.She'd managed to find the only person in this school who he wasn't prepared to mess with. Not after last time.Kai wasn't prepared to go into a fight he might not win. It was a waste of energy.He swanned in past the teacher and as usual, failed to hand in any homework."Homework, Kai?" she asked.Kai stopped and pursed his lips. He turned slowly. "You said I could have a break from homework on account of my nan dying, remember?"Mrs Connell sighed heavily and gave him a look that wasn't unfriendly, just... annoying.She was the only teacher he got on with, mainly because she was desperate to be mates with the students--even the bad ones. He figured she had been a friendless nerd in school and wanted to validate
Jenna didn't dare listen to music, turn on the tv or even look at her phone. She was worried any noise might mask the sound of his return, and she wanted to be ready to hide. Not that there were many places to hide in her room. After shutting the door behind her she had noticed there wasn't a lock. Propping a chair against the door would work... but she had no chair in the room. This room had been the home gym until being converted. It wasn't big enough to fit much more than a bed and a wardrobe, but Harry had made an effort to decorate it beautifully, with posh lighting and a few paintings that looked expensive.He told her she could change it any way she liked, making it reflect her personal style, but she was happy to keep it as it was--stylish and smart. That wasn't so bad, right?When the lock on the front door finally clicked Jenna almost had a heart attack. She sat back on her bed, hugging one of the large fluffy pillows and holding her breath. He stomped about the kitchen f
Kai felt a surge of adrenaline as he made a B-line for his target. Poor Jacob. He was going to destroy that pretty-boy face of his.He was almost there, almost had his throat around that poor bastards neck, when he noticed Mr Burton was the teacher on duty today. There was always one teacher guarding the gates, and it was usually doddery old Miss Fisher on a Friday. It was just Kai's luck that the old coot was sick today.Mr Burton gave Kai one of his famous looks."Not today, Kiddo," he warned, cocking his head slightly to one side. No one else would dare refer to Kai as Kiddo. But Mr Burton wasn’t normal. Kai wouldn't mess with Burton any more than he would mess with Damien. Something about the look in that man's eyes just sent off alarm bells in his brain. Kai was willing to bet he'd killed before, either in the army or elsewhere.It could wait. He had all day. And if anything, dragging it out would only make it worse for Jenna. He'd have to listen to her annoying pleas, sure, but
Jenna wasn't sure how to tell Jade and the others.In art class, they surrounded her, faces smiling and friendly, and her heart sank in her chest. She wanted to cry."What's wrong?" Jade asked.When Jenna said nothing, letting her sad face do the talking, Jade nodded sadly and looked away. "Yeah, I thought this would happen," she said. "You know... you don't have to listen to Kai," Damien said."If I don't, he's going to take it out on Jacob," Jenna revealed. She was surprised when Damien shrugged."So let him," he said."I can't let a guy get beaten up because of me," she said. That was the truth. It wasn't because she couldn't get his face out of her mind or even because she was constantly having fantasies about being his girlfriend.'Nothing like that at all,' she lied to herself."You might regret that when you get to know what he's like," Damien warned. "But it's your life, Jenna."With that, they left her alone. Sighing heavily, Jenna looked around the room. Charlene was ther
Jenna wasn't sure how to tell Jade and the others.In art class, they surrounded her, faces smiling and friendly, and her heart sank in her chest. She wanted to cry."What's wrong?" Jade asked.When Jenna said nothing, letting her sad face do the talking, Jade nodded sadly and looked away. "Yeah, I thought this would happen," she said. "You know... you don't have to listen to Kai," Damien said."If I don't, he's going to take it out on Jacob," Jenna revealed. She was surprised when Damien shrugged."So let him," he said."I can't let a guy get beaten up because of me," she said. That was the truth. It wasn't because she couldn't get his face out of her mind or even because she was constantly having fantasies about being his girlfriend.'Nothing like that at all,' she lied to herself."You might regret that when you get to know what he's like," Damien warned. "But it's your life, Jenna."With that, they left her alone. Sighing heavily, Jenna looked around the room. Charlene was ther
"So... how long have you and Julian been dating?" Jenna asked Charlene in a desperate attempt to fill the awkward silence. She found it so hard to talk to the only other girl in the friendship circle--if you could call it that. They were more like a pack of animals than a group of mates."A while... why?" she shot back, curling her full lips in disdain."You seem like a really cute couple," Jenna said, trying her best to be nice despite the other girl's cruel mannerisms. "Looks can be deceiving, right?" Charlene said, making a sour face. This time the mean face was aimed at Julian. "He's banging so many girls on the side I have to double up on the condoms to not get chlamydia."'What a lovely mental image,' Jenna thought, trying not to make a face of disgust. "Why do you stay with him then?" Jenna asked."Jeez, mind your own business much?" the girl scowled and rolled her eyes as if Jenna was the rude one. She tried not to sigh, but it wasn't easy to hold it in.Thankfully, Kai app