Weldone

            RIELE’S POINT OF VIEW

  Pain shot through my knees instantly as the heavy textbooks slipped from my arms and scattered across the hallway. Papers flew everywhere while my brand-new school map slid embarrassingly across the polished floor.Gasps echoed around me.

“Oh my God…”

“She bumped into him.”

“No way.”Heat rushed to my face immediately.Perfect........Absolutely perfect.

  My first ten minutes at Blackwood Academy and I was already humiliating myself in front of half the school.I quickly pushed my hair away from my face and reached for my books, my fingers trembling slightly from embarrassment. 

  Before I could gather everything properly, polished black shoes stopped directly in front of me.The hallway suddenly felt too quiet....My stomach twisted nervously and slowly, I looked up and immediately wished I hadn’t.

  This tall, handsome guy was glaring hard at me and I swear he looked really familiar, And then it clicked.....Dylan Winthrop,the girls my sisters wouldn't stop talking about. Yeah I just had to check him online and I'm glad I did.

 He stared down at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

 The guy my sisters practically worshipped.Up close, he looked even more intimidating.Tall,Broad shoulders,Sharp jawline and Dark messy hair that somehow looked effortlessly perfect.

 But it was his eyes that unsettled me the most......Cold,cold enough to make me feel small standing there on the floor beneath him.

  Behind him stood three other boys. One of them let out a low whistle while another laughed quietly under his breath.

“Well,” the blond one smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“That was dramatic.”A few students nearby laughed nervously.

“Scholarship girl’s already causing problems.”another boy added.

  More laughter followed and my cheeks burned instantly.Scholarship girl?Apparently, that was what people here were calling me already.

  I clenched my jaw tightly and forced myself to keep picking up my things even though humiliation crawled painfully through my chest.

  Then Dylan bent slightly and grabbed the paper nearest to his shoe.My school map.

His eyes moved over it lazily before flicking toward the brand-new iPhone box sticking halfway out of my bag. Then his gaze dropped to the stack of untouched textbooks in my arms.

“You should watch where you’re going,” he said finally.His voice was calm and deep.

  Cold enough to send irritation rushing through me instantly.I looked up at him in disbelief.Excuse me?

He literally bumped into me.Maybe it was the embarrassment.Maybe it was the way everyone kept staring at me or maybe I already hated the arrogant expression on his face.Whatever it was, it pushed the words out before I could stop myself.

“No, it's you that should have watched where you're going.....you bumped into me.”Silence......Complete silence.Even the people whispering nearby suddenly stopped.One of Dylan’s friends choked on his laugh while another muttered,

  “Oh, she’s sharp-tongued”My heart immediately started pounding harder.

Okay...,.Maybe saying that wasn’t the smartest idea but Dylan didn’t react right away.He just stared at me and somehow that was worse.

  Something unreadable flickered through his expression before he slowly stepped closer....Too close and I swallowed nervously as his shadow fell over me completely.

  The hallway had gone so quiet I could practically hear my own heartbeat.

“Careful,” he said quietly.His voice wasn’t loud but somehow it still felt threatening.

“People who annoy me here don’t last long.”

A chill ran down my spine instantly....The words weren’t dramatic.He said them so casually that somehow they sounded even worse.Like he genuinely meant them before I could respond, another voice suddenly interrupted.

“Mr. Winthrop.”The atmosphere shifted immediately,students straightened and whispers died down.Even Dylan took a small step back.A tall man wearing a gray suit stood a few feet away, clearly unimpressed.

I recognized him instantly from the school website.Mr. Bennett,One of Blackwood’s senior teachers.

  Dylan’s jaw tightened slightly before he looked away from me.

“Sir,” he said smoothly.It was strange hearing how respectful his voice suddenly sounded compared to seconds ago.

  Mr. Bennett’s eyes briefly moved toward the books scattered around me before settling back on Dylan.

“Problem?”

“No,” Dylan answered easily.His friends looked way too entertained by the situation.

Mr. Bennett sighed quietly before looking at me.

“You must be Ms. Carter.”I nodded quickly while standing up awkwardly.

“Yes, sir.”

“You should be heading to class.”Before I could answer, Cole finally appeared from farther down the hallway looking annoyed.

“There you are,” he muttered.

 “You walk so slow.”I stared at him incredulously,I literally just fell to the floor.

Mr. Bennett gave Cole a pointed look. 

“Take Ms. Carter to class."Cole nodded once stiffly before turning away immediately.

“This way.”I adjusted the books in my arms and quickly followed after him without another word.But even while walking away, I could still feel Dylan’s eyes on me.And somehow that unsettled me more than the actual confrontation itself.

  Cole stayed quiet the entire walk through the hallway,Like speaking to me was physically exhausting for him.I struggled to keep up behind him while balancing the pile of textbooks against my chest. Students continued staring as we passed, whispers following me everywhere.

“That’s her.”

“The scholarship student.”

“I heard she just talked back to Dylan.”

“She’s insane.”I bit the inside of my cheek hard.This school was exhausting already.

“You could at least warn me before speed-walking away,” I muttered finally.

Cole glanced at me briefly before looking forward again. Then suddenly I heard.....

“You should Never talk back to Dylan.”

I frowned.

 “Excuse me?”

“ I'm telling you this because of of the principal. Dylan doesn’t like people challenging him.”Something about the way he said it irritated me instantly.

“So everybody just lets him act like a jerk?”

Cole suddenly stopped walking.I nearly crashed into him again.He turned toward me with an unreadable expression.

“You really don’t understand how Blackwood works yet, do you?”I crossed my arms slightly despite the books I was carrying.

“Clearly not.”Cole sighed softly before lowering his voice.

“People here follow Dylan Winthrop.”I blinked.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s true,” he replied simply.

 “And trust me… you don’t want his attention.”Too late for that apparently.Before I could respond, Cole pushed open a large classroom door.

  The second we entered, conversations stopped.Every head turned toward me instantly and my stomach dropped.

  The classroom itself looked nothing like a normal high school classroom. It was huge, modern, and ridiculously expensive-looking. Large windows overlooked the campus while sleek black desks filled the room neatly.And every single student inside looked rich.....Like magazine-cover rich.

  I suddenly became painfully aware of myself all over again.Cole walked toward the front where a woman with dark hair stood organizing papers.

“Ms. Holloway,” he said politely. 

“The new student.”The teacher immediately smiled warmly at me.

“Ah, finally.”Every eye in the room stayed fixed on me as I awkwardly stepped forward.

“This,” Ms. Holloway announced, 

“is Riele Carter. She’ll be joining us starting today.”Whispers immediately spread around the room.

“That’s her?”

“She’s prettier than I expected.”

“She’s the scholarship girl?”

“I heard she scored higher than seniors.”I wished the floor would open and swallow me whole.Ms. Holloway ignored the whispers completely.

“Please make her feel welcome.”Nobody responded.

“Now,” she continued while glancing around the room, 

“there’s only one empty seat left.”For some reason, that sentence made several girls suddenly look nervous.Then Ms. Holloway pointed toward the back row.

“Riele, you’ll sit beside Mr. Winthrop.”My stomach dropped instantly.You have got to be kidding me.I slowly turned toward the back of the classroom and there he was.

  Dylan sat lazily in his chair with one arm resting against the desk beside him.

His expression remained completely unreadable.But his eyes were already on me.

 Wait when did he first us to class I thought we left him there, I thought.A blonde girl near him suddenly spoke sharply.

“That seat’s taken.”The classroom went oddly quiet again.Ms. Holloway barely looked up from her papers.

“Not anymore, Vanessa.”The girl’s jaw tightened visibly....Interesting....Very interesting.I swallowed nervously before forcing my legs to move toward the empty seat. Every step felt heavier than the last.

  The closer I got to Dylan, the more uncomfortable I became.Girls stared at me with obvious jealousy,Guys looked entertained and Dylan?He just watched silently.I carefully sat down beside him, placing my books on the desk while trying not to look nervous.For a few seconds, silence stretched.

 Then quietly.........I heard him muttered.

“You’re either brave or stupid to have agreed to sit close to me”I looked sideways. He wasn’t even looking at me while he spoke and I frowned slightly. 

“Still trying to figure out which one you are too.”That finally made him glance at me properly.Something flickered briefly in his expression,Not amusement exactly more like surprise then he huffed loudly and looked away again.

  The lesson started shortly after that, but concentrating became nearly impossible.

  For some reason, I could feel the blonde girl.....Vanessa.....staring daggers into the side of my head the entire lesson.This school was going to be a nightmare, I thought and returned my attention to the teacher.

**

**

**

  By lunchtime, my brain already hurt.

The second class ended, students flooded into the hallway noisily. I waited until most people left before heading toward my locker using the map the principal had given me earlier.

  Thankfully, finding it wasn’t too difficult.

Locker 117.I exhaled softly before spinning the lock open,Then froze at the sight in front of me.books were inside.....Ruined,Pages ripped,Papers crumpled.Ink splattered across everything and taped directly to the locker door was a piece of paper.

SCHOLARSHIP TRASH DOESN’T BELONG HERE.My chest tightened painfully.

  For a second, I just stared at it silently while humiliation and anger fought inside me.

Then footsteps stopped beside me,I immediately turned around to see that it's Dylan.

  His eyes moved lazily over the destroyed books before landing on the note.Then slowly…...A smirk appeared on his face.

“Welcome to Blackwood.”