Page 13 of Ruthless Rose

Chapter 10

Ever since I’d been called into the office Monday morning, each day has felt like an eternity. All I do is attempt to dodge Micah or hide from Alora and her nasty attitude. It’s getting ridiculous. I’m constantly on edge, waiting for the next ambush. And I’m pretty sure they know that they unnerve me, which just makes it more fun for them. Something like that.

I throw my book bag onto the oversize bean bag that sits in the corner of my room. Exhausted, I flop onto my twin bed and stare at the ceiling. My phone vibrates in my pocket, so I pull it out, checking my text messages.

Max: Hey.

Me:Hi.

Max:How’s it going?

Max:You’ve been awfully quiet lately.

I give a ragged sigh. He’s gently prodding me for information. Max knows me so well he won’t outright ask what’s going on, but he knows what it means when I withdraw into myself like this. Sometimes I just need to be inside my head for a little while to process things.

The last time I felt like this was right after I’d arrived at Rosehaven. I may have been invisible to Micah, but I definitely felt the immense pressure of all of my classmates knowing I was a scholarship student the second I arrived. I’d had the horrid feeling that everyone was watching me and not one of them felt like I belonged. That’s partly why I’ve always just been nose down in my studies. I don’t want to attract attention and have always assumed that if I mind my own business, I won’t be interesting enough to any of the Roses for them to bother with me.

Funny how I’d wanted to be invisible to everyone but the boy who’d once come to my rescue. And then he’d managed to make me feel as if I meant nothing to him.

Me:Micah is a big dick.

Max:Huh?

Scarlett:Hey, I’m here, too.

Scarlett:Back up, you lost me.

Me:Micah didn’t show up yesterday afternoon.

Me:Then he was a real asshole about it when I pointed it out.

Scarlett:WTF? Why would he do that?

Me: Acted like it was my fault that I didn’t wait.

Me:Only I’d been at the coffee shop waiting three hours for him to finish practice.

Max:Seriously? I don’t get it.

Me:He said he was hungry and getting food.

Scarlett:Do you want me to talk to him?

Scarlett:Or I can talk to Xander?

Me:Right. Because that wouldn’t be embarrassing AF.

Scarlett:Sorry. Xander wouldn’t say anything if I asked him not to.

Scarlett:Fuck. Wait. Maybe he would.

Max:He would. They have their bro code thing…

Max:But they also call each other out when they’re acting like dipshits.

Max:Scar, didn’t you say that Micah was pissed when Xander was messing with you?

Scarlett:Yep. He was for sure. Beau, too.

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