Page 22 of Cruel Academy (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 2)

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

I roll my eyes, trying my best to look bored even as my heart thumps in my chest. “Jesus. Okay, fine. Please just say your piece so I can go.”

“Off to bang a Hell Prince?” she says in a mock whisper. “Or maybe someone else? Rumor is you had to fuck your way into this school. Either that or your mom did it for you. Maybe a three-way?”

I wrinkle my nose. “Ew. What’s wrong with you? Do you have some kind of mommy fetish? Who would have a three-way with their own mom?”

Her green eyes sharpen, but she shrugs easily, like she isn’t bothered by my response at all. “You do have a face only a mother could love.”

I pull my mouth into a flat smile. “Well, gee, this has been fun. Thanks for the warm welcome. Lovely to meet you.”

This time, when I try to walk around her, she reaches out and shoves me back against the locker. “We aren’t done yet.”

“Yeah, we are.”

I swat her arm away the same way I tried to swat at Caleb’s this morning.

It’s more effective than it was on him. But the girl still barely seems to notice.

She steps forward, closing the distance between us, eyebrows knotted together and fists clenched at her sides.

She wants to fight.

More accurately, she wants to smash my face in. And if my recent history proves anything, it’s that I won’t be much good at preventing that.

However, before either of us can say anything, hands land on my shoulders and pull me back.

For a moment, I think it might be Caleb.

But before the wish can fully form, a guy in jeans and a zip-up hoodie steps around me and holds up his hands like a peacemaker.

He gives the blonde girl an easy smile. “Come on, Penny. It’s the first day. Let’s go easy on the new girl.”

She responds with a sickly-sweet smile of her own. “That makes it the perfect opportunity to set ground rules for the year. Don’t you think, J.C.?”

Unless there is more than one J.C., he is one of the Golden Boys. I’ve never seen him before, but the Hell Princes bitch and moan about all of those guys enough that I recognize the name.

Not Caleb. But he’s one of Caleb’s friends.

I can’t escape the damn guy.

He tips his head to the side and sighs. “Or the perfect opportunity to stop being such a bitch.”

Based on what I know of social hierarchy, I assumed the Golden Boys would be close with any girl who looks like Penny.

But the dislike between these two is palpable. She hates him almost as much as she hates me.

“Why do you even care?” Penny snaps. She flings a flippant hand in my direction. “Are you so desperate you’re going to take a Hell Prince’s sloppy seconds?”

I pivot between being offended and being grateful that at least one person knows I’m no longer dating John.

J.C. isn’t fazed in the slightest. “Are you still bitter about being a Golden Boy’s sloppy seconds?” he retorts.

For the first time, Penny looks wounded. Her eyes widen like she has been dealt a physical blow and her face goes red.

Sensing his victory, J.C. turns and drapes an arm around my shoulders. I’m so confused by the whole encounter that I don’t stop him.

We walk down the hallway together. When we reach the front doors, he glances over his shoulder and then drops his arm.

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