“Zara,” she says while glaring at me. “And I very much could be interested. Depending on what you’re offering.” Zara smiles at the asshole.
Spencer laughs and shakes his head. “Friendship is what I’m offering, babe. I’m not stupid enough to fuck with anything that belongs to Ares.”
“I don’t… No.” Zara turns to me. “You don’t know me. Leave me alone,” she says before she storms down the hall, in the wrong direction. I looked at her timetable while she was busy debating telling me where she needed to be.
“You’re going the wrong way, P!” I call out. Every head in the hall turns to look at me, except hers. She just keeps walking as if I’m not talking to her.
“What the fuck is that about? And seriously? Zara McKinley? What’s she doing here?” Spencer asks.
“How do you know who she is?” I squint at him.
“Because she and her sister are always in the tabloids. Pick up a newspaper sometime, mate.” Spencer walks off, leaving me standing in the hall, watching a blonde ponytail and a huge-ass pink bow sway as it disappears around a corner.
Chapter Three
God, I hate him. I knew I’d run into him here eventually. I didn’t expect it to happen in my very first class. “Argh, asshole,” I grumble under my breath.
“Who’s the asshole?” A female voice has me lifting my face from my class schedule to a pair of emerald green eyes.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” I tell the girl who is looking at me expectantly.
“I’m not sorry you did. Although I am curious who pissed you off.” She smiles. “I’m Constance,” she says, holding out her hand.
I’ve been raised to be polite, which is why I return the gesture. Even though it’s a weird thing for a teenage girl to be doing. “I’m Zara.”
Constance gives me a look, likeas if everyone doesn’t know who you are. Her dark hair is piled up in a messy bun on her head. Her face is completely free of makeup and her uniform appears as though she threw it on in a rush, unpressed and all out of place.
“Well, Zara, now that we’re friends, wanna tell me who the asshole is? You know, so I can avoid him and all?” She smirks.
“It could be aher,” I suggest, having no intention of telling a stranger in this school just how much I hate Ares De Bellis. Or want to hate him anyway. “You don’t happen to know where this room is, do you?” I show her my schedule.
“Sure do. It’s where I’m going. Come on. So, why are you here anyway? I’m sure I read somewhere that you attended some ritzy private school.”
I try not to visibly cringe. I don’t know this girl. She could be really nice. But as much as I was raised with manners, I was also raised to be cautious of people’s intentions. When you’re set to inherit a share of not one, but two of Australia’s wealthiest family fortunes, people become… not as genuine. They either want something from you, or want to get close to you to get closer to that money. It’s made me wary of everyone’s motives, not a great trait for making friends.
I wouldn’t say I didn’t have friends at my previous school. I did. Although, if I really think about it, they were more acquaintances than real friends. I’ve never let anyone close enough to be a real friend.
“I got expelled,” I tell Constance, and she stops in her tracks.
“You what now? For what?”
I lift a single shoulder. “Fighting.”
“You do not look like the type. Guess it’s true what they say. Never judge a book by its cover.” Constance starts walking again, and I follow her. The hall is empty, everyone already in their respective classes. “You know, I think we’re going to be great friends.”
I smile at her, not sure what to say. I can’t let anyone get too close. If I do, I risk them seeing the real me, and that’s not something anyone wants to see.
Turning a corner, I spot a lone figure leaning against the wall. I suppress my groan as we approach him. Is he seriously just going to be lingering around everywhere?
“Ares, did you get kicked out of class already? That has to be a record, even for you,” Constance says in a light tone.
Great… My so-called new friend is “friendly” with him too. Looks like we won’t be the best of friends after all.
“You’re late, P. Not a good look for your first day,” Ares says, ignoring Constance and looking right at me.
“Wait. You two know each other?” she asks.
“Nope,” I say at the same time Ares says, “Yes.”
