Page 123 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

“A week. I’d have preferred Oxford or Cambridge, but my parents won’t let me study abroad.”

Oh my God, how cruel of them. Cinderhart Academy looks amazing, but I don’t see how it can compare to Europe?If her parents had the money why would they stop their child from getting a world-class education?

She glances at me as we enter a foyer with large stained-glass doors at one end. Some armchairs and a few coffee tables are scattered around the space, but all they do is make it look bigger.

“So what’s your story?” she asks.“Your family just move here or something?”

“Um, no. Well, kinda.”My cheeks start heating up.I’m in no mood to talk about my parents. Today has been an emotional day, and I don’t want to burst into tears on my first day.

“Here’s your keycard. Don’t lose it, or you’ll have to pay to get a new one.” She hands me the black card and then pushes open one of the doors leading out, walking so fast I have to hurry to catch up with her.

If my dorm room is my favorite place in Cinderhart Academy, then this courtyard is definitely my second. It’s a massive rectangle, open to the sky. The building wraps around it on all sides, its domineering architecture a stark contrast to the scattering of oak trees and vines out here. A brick pathway cuts the courtyard into four squares, and there’re picnic benches and fountains and some hammocks. One square is just lawn, and a couple of guys are throwing around a football.

It’s the first time I’ve seen anyone else. I was starting to wonder where the hell all the students were. I hear laughter to one side, and when we start walking through the courtyard, I see a group of girls partially secluded behind the trunk of a massive oak tree, studying on the grass.More students appear the closer we get to the center of the courtyard, most sunbathing on the grass.

I hurry to catch up to Romi. Her black jumper dress hangs from her scrawny frame, barely creasing as she walks. She’s wearing a white ruffled long-sleeved shirt and long white stockings that end just above her knees. The silver bow on each matches the elaborate bow tie at her throat.

What a weird uniform.

The guys playing on the lawn are wearing black sweatpants and tank tops with the Cinderhart Academy crest on the front in silver.And it seems going to the gym is compulsory because they’re allripped.

“They’re on the team,” Romi says when she notices me drooling.

“Which one?”

She laughs. “Football, duh. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were new?”

I laugh too. “That obvious, huh?”

Halfway across the courtyard, I turn to look down the other two paths.

Romi points to the left. “Those are the boys’ dorms. Strictly no-fly zone if you have a uterus.”

“Ah.”

“Guys also aren’t allowed in the girls’ dorms, duh.”

“Obviously,” I murmur.

Not that I’m planning on inviting anyone back to my room anytime soon. I’m here to study, and toforget.

I’m about to look away when the boys’ stained-glass door opens. My eyes are immediately drawn to the three guys who walk out, two in smart black blazers with silver trim, the crest large on their breast pockets in silver thread. The guy walking in front of them is rocking a silver vest and matching silver tie. But it’s not his outfit that draws my eye. It’s his shock of black hair.

I’m aware that I’ve stopped moving. I’m aware that it’s fucking suicide. But just like that day in the woods, I’m suddenly paralyzed.

As soon as I recognize Vuitton and his two friends, it’s as if he senses a disturbance in the force and looks my way. Those jet-black eyes lock onto mine from across the courtyard.

“Nim?”

Romi comes back to me. “What are you—?” She heaves a sigh. “Oh.Them.”

“Them?” I manage, despite my closing throat.

“The Serpents. God, I hate those guys. Everyone worships the ground they walk on.”

“TheSerpents?” I swallow hard.

Another sigh from Romi. She comes to stand beside me and points unabashedly at Vuitton.

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