IVY
"Yesterday's matter is still hot. Maria's father showed up at the school. You are not going to believe this!"
I found Aria by her locker, gathering her books and cheerleading uniform. The instant she saw me, she slammed the locker shut, walked towards me, and announced the news.
"But why is that?"
"He is here to report the serpent circle to the school principal. He claims Cassian and the guys have no right to hurt his daughter's feelings. I am so flabbergasted."
Aria said the last word with exaggerated sarcasm, and she started laughing, but there was more beneath the surface.
"Why would a grown man want to involve himself in petty matters like this?"
We were approaching the hall for my homeroom now, but I stopped and leaned against the wall interest consuming my mind.
"Oh, you don't know the Devlins," Aria answered with a snort. "The family has old money. They have been at the helm of society for centuries. They are the biggest contributors to the school. Maria is their only daughter and the heiress to their billion-dollar empire."
"Oh wow!"
"Of course, but that didn't come without a fault." Aria rolled her eyes again, irritation spreading across her face. The Devlin family like to be in control and hide this ugliness about them under charity functions. This is so much that they feel entitled to everything. Her family is responsible for many things in the school. The school board and the principal kiss their ass and do their every bidding. So, Maria gets whatever she wants!"
My mind flashed back to the previous day in the classroom. My wounds were still fresh and I recalled how she ordered her entourage to beat me up, and how they did it without hesitation. I thought Maria only had the gait of a leader. But there was actually more. She was privileged and rich.
I turned to Aria and questioned slowly.
"Why is Aria's father here?"
"I'm not sure," she answered with a gentle shrug. "The gossip says he has come to express his displeasure about something."
"Is it about what happened yesterday?" My lips quivered, patches of goosebumps breaking out on my skin. "I'm really afraid now. I don't want to get into trouble. I came here to study and pass, not mix with the wrong crowd and earn a bad name."
"You were the victim of assault," Aria said, finally pulling me in the direction of the classroom. "If we were being proper and just, Maria is opposed to being in police detention as we speak. She and her friends."
The teacher arrived a few minutes after I and Aria settled into our seats. As the lecture progressed I kept my eyes on the door, waiting for Cassian and the other guys to come in. But they didn't show up. This was odd. They were never late to lectures, not when they'd all been preparing when I left their dorm this morning.
"I need you to keep your concentration in the class Ivy. You are too distracted."
"Yes Miss Allegra," I answered the teacher, transferring my gaze to the blackboard, where calculations of all sorts had been written.
"Good."
As the teacher dived into a series of explanations, my mind travelled back to the guys and Aria's announcement. They were supposed to be in class at the moment I couldn't explain why, but I began to feel a strange hotness crawling under my skin. The classroom suddenly felt so small, the air so thick that I started to suffocate. Panic Attacks. I hadn't had one since I was dismissed from therapy.
I contemplated rising and asking for help, but then a strange voice blared from the class, nowhere. The entire class looked up, and we saw that the class intercom was beeping.
"Ivy Monroe," the principal's voice blasted from the speaker. "Report to my office immediately.
"What!"
A gasp rolled out of my throat, "What have I done wrong? What is happening?"
"I am afraid you cannot get an answer here Ivy, Miss Allegra, the teacher said. "You have to go to the principal's office. Go on, you are dismissed."
With the remaining strength in my veins, I dragged myself from the seat. All eyes were on me now, and I could hear jeers and snickers behind me. Turns out I would remain on the gossip mill for a long time to come.
On getting to the principal's office, I was appalled by the sight I beheld. The principal was behind the stable, his signature grim expression plastered across his face. But standing in the left corner were the guys. Casian, dressed in usual black jeans and hoodie jackets, and the other guys; Lucien Ronan and Ezra. What was happening?
"Good morning Ivy," the principal mumbled. "I don't suppose you have met Maria's father," he gestured to one of the chairs in front of him. "This is Mr Michael Devlin."
The man was rather short and stout, but he bore a striking resemblance to Maria.
"Hello, Sir." I lowered my head in a small bow. But I didn't get a response. Rather Mr Devlin scanned me from head to toe with a look one would give a cockroach before stomping it to death. I stepped back feeling small and embarrassed, but the arrogance on his hairless face only intensified.
I turned to the principal.
"Sir, I received your message. I want to know why I have been summoned.
" The reason you have been summoned is over there," He pointed to the other side of the room, and I found Maria seated on a bench. Her arms were folded across her chest, her eyes so gleaming with so much hatred that I felt it consuming me.
She was dressed in her usual regal manner, her black hair radiating dazzlingly. It made me remember the rules Cassian announced after he kicked her out of their clique yesterday.
"Ivy Monroe," The principal's voice jolted into my thoughts. "Why did you assault Maria Devlin. How dare you?.