A test and provoked

~Adeline~

"You're already dressed?" Josie asked the second my shoes hit the bottom step, her fork hovering halfway to her mouth.

I glanced around the dining room, and every head turned my way now, like I’d just walked in wearing something out of place instead of my pressed academy uniform.

They sat around the dining table, so relaxed, like Monday mornings never demanded anything urgent of them. Miranda stood at the kitchen counter, sliding plates of scrambled eggs and buttered toast onto the counter, pouring coffee and tea into mugs set close beside it.

"Yeah, I have to head out early today… it’s Monday," I answered, craning my neck to spot the umbrella propped by the front door.

"But it’s drizzling, Adeline!" Josie pushed her chair back from the table like she was about to stand up and stop me.

"You can wait a little while," James said, lifting his eyes from his tablet. "Caleb and Dylan will drive you to school as they always do."

Now all four of them were watching me, like I’d grown a second head right there on the stairs.

"My dad’s right… there’s no need going out under the rain," Caleb added, taking a bite of toast just as Miranda set his plate down.

"Give me an hour, we’ll ride together."

"I really can’t wait," I insisted, shifting my weight where I stood.

"I have my AP Calc BC placement test this morning. I couldn’t focus properly all weekend, so I just want to get to the library early and go over everything one last time." I moved toward the door, my fingers clutched around the umbrella.

"Addie," Josie called again, softer this time.

"Let her be, Josephine." Miranda’s voice rang out.

"If she wants to rush off in the rain, fine. That’s why she’s here, isn’t it? If she fails that test, her scholarship will be gone. Isn't that right, Adeline?"

"Miranda!"

“Mom!” James and Josie said at the exact same time.

Miranda rolled her eyes, then turned back to the counter, like she hadn’t just twisted a knife right into my chest.

My fingers curled tight around the umbrella handle as I forced my face to stay blank and not to snap back.

I’d guessed from the very first day I met her that she didn’t want me here, but this past week, her attitude had changed into something else, something she barely bothered hiding.

If Josie and I sat on my bed talking about my old school or anything, she’d call her into the kitchen, or to fold laundry or sort groceries before five minutes even passed. I see it now… she’s only polite because her husband promised to take me in.

Everyone else in this house is kind enough, I suppose, though I don’t spend much time around them beyond breakfast and dinner. The twins are always off somewhere, Miranda works long shifts at the clinic, James spends most days at the mining company… that’s why I’m here.

Josie told me her dad and the mining CEO were close, old friends, and he’d stepped up to host me for the year without a second thought when asked. But Miranda never wanted it.

I looked back at them, at the way they all waited to see what I’d do.

"The rain’s barely falling… this umbrella will keep me dry enough. I’ll be fine." James nodded while Josie sighed, her shoulders dropped like she knew arguing was useless.

Caleb and Dylan just kept staring, trying to work out why I’d ever choose walking over a warm car.

I stepped out the door and pulled it shut behind me, the morning air hit me cold on my face.

The sky hung low and dark with clouds, morning mist settled on my cheeks softly. I could see neighbors hurrying down the sidewalk, some with umbrellas up, some with collars turned high.

I walked down the steps, my fingers tightened around my backpack straps, then took a deep breath.

I needed this walk. Needed the movement to quiet the noise in my head, needed it to shake off Miranda’s words and the knot of worry twisting in my stomach.

The academy was only twelve minutes away, straight down this road and around the bend.

I popped the umbrella open as I started out.

Everything glistened, fences, mailboxes, the parked cars lining the curb, even though the rain had faded to a drizzle, the road was a mess, rainwater pooled deep in every pothole, thick and brown with mud.

The air was cold, I hunched my shoulders, walking faster, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead.

The academy gates rose up through the mist before long. I tried not to think about how quiet this street was compared to home.

Back home, mornings were loud with the TV on and my mom calling me to eat faster, neighbors calling greetings over fences.

Here, the silence pressed in close. I missed my old town so bad it ached. Missed my parents more than anything. I missed how my mom would tuck my scarf tight around my neck even when I complained I was too old for such fussing. I missed how my dad would grumble about the freezing wind in some mornings, then still climb out of bed ten minutes later just to drive me the whole way to school.

But they’re gone… have been gone more than three months now. Still, I thought of them every day. I’d cried myself to sleep three nights this weekend, too heavy-hearted to focus on my notes, too pained to even look at my practice problems. That’s why I’m out here before the sun’s even fully up. If I can get to the library before anyone else arrives, maybe I can still cram enough to get through this test.

If I flunked? It wasn’t just the scholarship on the line. Dismissal meant I’d be shipped straight back to my old town, to uncle where he’d drain every last cent of my parents’ insurance payout before I could turn around. No college fund, no escape, nothing but his screaming and demands for the rest of my life.

Something moved fast just beyond the line of trees across the road, dark and large, moving so quick I almost stumbled.

It looked like a big dog, or maybe a wolf, vanishing into the mist before I could be sure.

I shook my head, telling myself my eyes were playing tricks from too little sleep, then kept walking. I was only a few yards from the academy gates when cars began driving past... students were slowly arriving to school now.

A purring engine sounded behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder, snapped my umbrella shut… sure enough, the drizzle had stopped.

A black Audi slowed right beside me, the tires hissed as it drove by on the wet road. The passenger window slid down.

Camila leaned out, one elbow resting on the door frame.

I sighed but kept my feet moving.

"Hey, new girl!" she called out, but I didn’t turn my head.

"What are you doing walking in this mess, little human? Get in the car."

I stopped dead, turned to face her. "I’m fine. The gate’s right there… I’m almost there anyway."

She laughed, as the back windows rolled down.

Two of her friends leaned out, grinning like they’d just found something entertaining to watch.

"It’s freezing out here… stop being so stubborn, or you’ll catch your death. Just get in, girl."

For half a second I hesitated.

Walking meant I didn’t have to sit trapped in a small space with Camila… Jasper Beckham’s girlfriend, the one person I’d worked so hard to avoid since after my first day in the Academy.

I’d managed to dodge him every time our paths almost crossed this past week, and I liked to think he was staying out of my way too. It was better that way anyway… there was something about him, something intense that pulled at my attention whenever he was near, and I couldn’t afford such distractions right now.

Not with everything hanging over my head.

"I don’t need a ride, Camila. I said I’m fine." I turned and kept walking.

"Suit yourself!" she yelled, her friends snickered from the back seat.

The car lurched forward, then swerved toward a pothole… brown muddy water sprayed out fast, soaking my legs, my skirt, the front of my shirt, splashing all the way up to my collar.

"Fuck!" The word spilled out of my lips before I could stop it.

"Camila!"

The car rolled a few more feet then stopped.

Her door swung open. She stepped out, like she was walking a runway, her white socks and shiny boots spotless as she walked towards me. Her two friends hopped out right behind her, eyes bright.

"Oh...," she said, dragging the word out, as she looked me up and down like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

"That’s such bad luck. Driving through these roads after rain is so tricky, isn’t it?"

Heat crawled up my neck and into my cheeks, my hands shook where I held my closed umbrella, every muscle pulled tight.

She’d ruined my uniform, right before an important test.

What was I supposed to do now? Walk into the exam room covered in muck? Run all the way back to the Harris’ and be late? Miranda would just say I deserved this, that they had warned me to wait a little more and I refused.

"You did that on purpose!" I yelled at her.

She tilted her head, eyes wide like she was honestly shocked.

"What? No… how could you say that? The road’s terrible, I’m so, so sorry!"

But she didn’t sound sorry. She sounded like she was holding back laughter!

"Ew, look at her skirt," one of the girls muttered loud enough for me to hear. The other giggled.

"Totally ruined. No one’s gonna want to sit anywhere near her today. Poor thing."

Camila stepped closer, pulling a white handkerchief from her bag. She reached out like she meant to brush a speck of mud off my arm.

I stepped back so fast I nearly stumbled.

"Don’t touch me."

Her fake smile dropped right off her face.

"Excuse me? I was trying to be nice!"

"Nice?" I laughed, but it came out bitter.

"You drove straight into that puddle to splash me, then you act like you care? Cut the act, Camila! It doesn’t look good on you." My mind was racing a mile a minute now… the test, the uniform, the scholarship, Miranda’s voice ringing in my ears, the thought of being sent back to my uncle if I messed this up.

"You’re just looking for someone to pick on to feel big. It’s pathetic!"

"Don’t you dare speak to me like that!" She stepped forward, eyes flashing.

I shook my head, deciding to leave. I wasn’t going to let her delay me further. I shifted to step around her, but she moved fast, blocking my path, and shoved my shoulder hard. I dodged back before she could grab me again, and I saw the fury flare brighter in her face.

I’d gone a whole week without trouble, kept my head down and stayed out of everyone’s way on purpose, but it looked like this week wasn’t going to let me hide.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Don't you dare walk away from me!" She stepped back in front of me. "You’re nothing but some pathetic human on a scholarship…"

The next thing I felt was a sting on my face. The slap cracked across my cheek before I saw it coming, hard enough to snap my head to the side.

I gasped, staring at her. Without thinking I lifted my hand and swung back. The sound rang out louder than hers. She stumbled back great the impact, staring at me like I’d just poured boiling water over her.

Her friends and some students passing by gasped in shock.

One of her friends with red hair grabbed her arms to hold her still. And then I saw it… her eyes, normally dark brown, shifted to bright, glowing gold for a heartbeat, like light was shining right through them.

"How dare you?" She screamed, fists clenched tight at her sides, voice rougher than before.

"How dare you hit me back?"

I froze. Not from the sting on my cheek, not from her screaming, but from that flash. I’d seen it before, with Lily in the hallway the first week. I’d told myself I was not seeing well, but this was real, gone so fast I would’ve missed it if I blinked. What the hell was wrong with everyone in this town?

Before I could fully process it, two cars rounded the bend fast… James and Miranda’s Jeep, and a dark red Lexus I’d seen parked outside the Academy.

They drove to a stop right beside us, doors flying open.

Camila lunged forward and grabbed the front of my jacket, yanking me so close I could smell her perfume. From the corner of my eye I saw Jasper running toward us. He reached us in seconds, grabbed Camila’s wrist and wrenched her hand away from me so roughly she stumbled.

The second his hand wrapped around her wrist, a feeling of rage and guilt coiled tight in my chest, so strong it surprised me. I flinched, pressed a hand to my chest, confused. It was gone as fast as it came, leaving only the beating of my own heart.

I fumbled to arrange my shirt properly, my hands shaking. I knew that students were gathering to watch now.

"Addie! What happened?" Josie called, sprinting over. Jasper had Camila pulled off to the side now, his voice low, a growl in every word I couldn’t quite make out.

Caleb and Dylan were there in a second, along with the boy I recognized as Logan, resting hands on Jasper’s shoulders like they were holding him back.

"She did it on purpose!" I said, my voice loud and tight as I marched toward them in fury.

"She splashed mud all over me, then slapped me for calling her out on it!"

Camila was shouting over me too now, face twisted in anger.

"You’re nothing! A silly human girl, you think you can talk to me like that? I’ll ruin you, bitch, you wait and see!"

"Camila!" Jasper roared, and the whole street went quiet for a second.

"That is enough!"

Everyone stood still, eyes flicking back and forth between us like they were watching a tennis match. I turned to walk toward the gates, desperate to get to the bathroom and scrub myself clean before the test started, but Jasper ran after me.

"Adeline… are you okay?" He looked at me, really looked at me, like he actually cared, and for a second I almost believed it.

But then I remembered, he was hers. They were the same kind of people, playing nice when it suited them. He had been the one giving me angry glares on my first day here like I wasn't welcomed.

I turned to face him.

"Save it for your girlfriend, Beckham," I snapped.

I heard Camila shriek his name behind me, but he ignored her, stepping closer instead.

"Let me drive you around to the main entrance… we can get you cleaned up in the nurse’s office." He nodded at my stained uniform with a clenched jaw.

"Why not go help her?" I nodded toward Camila, who was glaring daggers at both of us. "She’s calling you. And save your favors Beckham! I don’t want them, we're not friends, remember?"

Something crossed his face then... shock, maybe, or hurt, or something else I couldn’t name and didn’t have time to figure out.

He stepped back like I’d shoved him, stared at his boots for a long second, then lifted his eyes to mine. They were cold and hard.

"You’re right. We’re not. And we never will be..."

He turned and walked straight to his car, leaving Camila standing there fuming, leaving everyone watching, leaving me covered in mud and shaking from head to toe.

I looked around at all the faces turned my way, at the phones already coming out.

"Perfect," I muttered, then started walking again, ignoring the stares, ignoring the sting in my cheek, ignoring everything as Josie rushed towards me…