Page 37 of The Star

That motherfucker.

That motherfucker with his goofy laugh, his playful grin, and stupid fucking dimples. He took a video of me beating Cassidy’s ass, sent it to the headmistress, and then fucked me on the bathroom counter.

I shake my head, anger simmering through every single fucking inch of my body, but Headmistress Rothchild’s voice cuts through the film hazing over my thoughts, pulling my focus. “Miss Briar, I’m sure you can understand why I’ve called you in here now?”

I clench my jaw, my nostrils flaring. “Yes.”

She gives me a soft smile, pressing her palms to the desk once more, “Listen, I know you’re new here… And I know things were different at your last school. Franklin is a lot different. I get that. But here, at Luxington, we have a no bullying policy.”

My eyebrows shoot up my head. “Bullying?! I wasdefendingmyself.”

She sighs a little as she presses her lips together. “It looks to me that you threw the first punch, Logan.”

I sit up straighter. “Only because she tripped me. If anyone’s a bully, it’s Cassidy!”

I normally wouldn’t narc on someone, but I don’t owe that bitch anything, and it’s every man for themselves right now.

“Logan, it’s your second week, and you’re already getting into problems with other students. Can you see why that worries me?”

I nod a little, defeat in my tone. “Yeah.”

“I’m going to let you off with a warning, and hope that this video doesn’t get into the hands of anyone else. Do you have any idea who might have taken it?”

I chuckle under my breath, but shake my head. “Nope.”

I’ll handle Levi fucking Valentino myself, I don’t need the principal getting involved. I’ll be able to come up with a much more creative punishment for him.

“Okay.” She stands up, rounding the desk. “I don’t want to see you back in here again, okay? Get to class.”

Getting up, I leave her office without another word. I don’t want to open my big fat mouth and get myself expelled or something. I make my way back to class, but the second my ass hits the chair, there’s an announcement over the loudspeaker.

“All juniors please report to the auditorium for a mandatory assembly.”

There’s a collective groan through the classroom, but the teacher waves a hand toward the door to usher us out. I’m the last person through the classroom door, and I follow the herd of students to the auditorium since I wouldn’t be able to find it by myself.

I spot Carson, Hayden and Levi sitting in the back once I’m through the double doors, and opt to sit on the opposite side of the massive room right down front.

Most of the seats are already filled by the time I’ve made my way across the auditorium, so I sit down next to a small guy who’s reading a book.

Headmistress Rothchild makes her way across the stage, making the room drop into silence. She doesn’t waste a second, just steps up to the podium and speaks clearly into the microphone.

“Good afternoon, students. As your headmistress here at Luxington, it is my duty to monitor each and every one of you, and ensure you are safe. I wanted to call you all in here to give you one simple reminder: there will be absolutely no tolerance for bullying, of any kind, within the four walls of my school.”

The kid next to me still has his nose in his book, but he snorts once she’s paused to look around the room. He speaks to himself, under his breath. “Unless your parent is on the school board.”

My eyebrows pull down, and I turn to look at him. He meets my eyes at the movement, readjusts his glasses and curls his lip at me.

Confusion pulls at my features, but he just turns back to give his attention to the headmistress when she starts speaking again.

“Any report of bullying, aggressive behavior, or violence will be dealt with in one way. Expulsion. Here at Luxington, we believe in lifting one another up. I hope my words will resonate with you, and make you rethink behaviors before you act foolishly in the future.”

It feels as if Headmistress Rothchild is speaking to me directly, and I’m sure everyone in the room knows it when a few heads turn to look at me. I slide down in my chair a little, feeling insecure under their gazes.

Curiosity flows through me. Why didn’t I get expelled? If the headmistress made anything clear, it’s that my actions today should have resulted in an expulsion. So why didn’t they?

I turn to the kid next to me. “Hey, what did you mean by that?”

He looks at me. “My bullies are sitting in the back row.”

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