Scrutiny.

"New girl,"

Roman Augustus' icy eyes drilled into mine as the drawl of his deep voice caused goosebumps to rise all over my arms. Thankfully, they were covered by the sleeves of my hoodie.

My mouth almost opened to let out a biting remark, but I bit down on my lip as my fingers tightened around my books, and I made to walk away instead.

I would not lose my cool today.

But as I made to step away, Roman stepped closer and brought a hand up to rest against my locker, beside my head.

I made to dart through the opening on the other side, and his left hand rose up to rest there too, efficiently trapping me in place.

Irritation, laced with anger welled in my stomach.

"What do you think you're doing?" I bit out between clenched teeth and watched his lips pull into a smirk.

"For a second there, I was wondering if you'd gone mute since our meeting yesterday." His eyes roamed over my face slowly, and it was as if someone was dragging the blade of an icy dagger all over my face.

"Glad to see that that insolent mouth of yours still works,"

I bit down harder on my lip as my fingers balled into fists. I was trying so hard not to kick him in the balls. It was my official first day of school. I wasn't going to allow myself be thrown in detention already.

"How strange," Roman continued in that thick, British-accented drawl of his, eyes fixed unwaveringly on mine. "You were so sharp-tongued yesterday and now you seem unable to speak. What's wrong? Scared since there's no principal Fernsby around to butt in this time?"

He cocked his head to the side, an amused mocking glint in his eyes.

Fuck this. Fuck not wanting to lose my cool. I'd had enough. Anger burned in my throat as I opened my mouth to tell him go fuck himself in the pits of hell, but someone interrupted before I could speak.

"Who's this?" A perky voice asked, and I turned my head to meet one of the creepy twins' gaze. She was the one with piercings.

"Oh wait! Jade? You're the girl who almost beat Roman to a pulp yesterday!" I watched her black lipstick clad lips pull apart into a grin. "Shit! I like you already!"

She shoved Roman aside with effortless ease, and then she was...pulling me into a hug?

What the hell?

I stood frozen in place. Eyes wide as I wondered just how many versions of the story of me bumping into Roman yesterday was floating around the school.

Almost beat him to a pulp? I mean, I definitely wanted to beat the shit out of the guy. But that never happened, and probably never will happen. I had enough self control to let that happen. I think...

"Oh! You smell so good! Is that the new Dior perfume?" The girl asked in that same preppy voice as she released me from the hug. "I'm Aiko, by the way! Captain of the girls' soccer team!" She held a hand out towards me.

I took it tentatively, still in a daze, and I resisted the urge to shiver as her cold, pale hand wrapped around mine.

"You're welcome to try out for the soccer team! I'd love to have you on there!" Aiko continued, still grinning as her eyes scanned me from head to toe surreptitiously.

I was immensely uncomfortable. I'd never been hugged by a stranger like that ever before. I wanted to wrap my arms protectively around myself and go hide in a corner till all the people were gone and I was alone.

"This is my twin sister! Suiko," Aiko continued with an excited grin on her face, and the girl named Suiko simply gave me a tiny nod of acknowledgment before averting her eyes from mine.

"And these are my friends. Although, I must apologize for Roman's rudeness. Trust me, he's like that with everyone. He's a nightmare, honestly." Aiko leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially.

I was still frozen in place, unmoving. I couldn't even process all that was happening.

"This is Jesse, Rishi, Sophia, Charlotte, and..." she pointed to each person as she said their names, and some of them gave me short nods of acknowledgment.

They were all standing in front of me. I hadn't even realized when they'd walked over.

"...and Vasilis." Aiko finished and I let my eyes raise to meet Vasilis'.

His lips thinned, and he sharply turned his gaze away from mine.

A weird knot appeared in my chest, and I swallowed...hard.

The girl named Charlotte stepped forward and let her narrowed, scrutinizing eyes run over me from head to toe.

I watched her too, and realized there was not a hint of resemblance between her and Principal Fernsby, who supposedly was her mother.

Apart from the very obvious difference in race—Principal Fernsby was Black and dark-skinned, and Charlotte was very much Caucasian and pale-skinned—they had no similarities in body and facial features.

Charlotte's scrutiny of me seemed to finally come to an end, but then she suddenly stepped closer to me and her gaze fell on my wrist.

She reached a hand forward, and I watched her dainty fingers lightly touch the vintage charm bracelet sitting on my wrist. It had been a birthday present from my dad for my fifteenth birthday.

"Vintage Vivienne Westwood," Charlotte's cold, grey eyes flicked up to mine, and a clipped smile appeared on her glossed lips. "Cute."

She straightened and took a step back before flipping her pin-straight strawberry blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"You're pretty," she announced, as though I had passed some ludicrous sort of test she had been running on me. "You should eat lunch with us." She gave me a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and then she sauntered away.

"See you at lunch, Jade! Don't forget to apply for the soccer team tryouts! No pressure though!" Aiko gave me a grin as she followed behind Charlotte, her hand still entwined with Suiko's, who merely glanced at me again for a split second before being dragged along with her twin.

Roman's cold gaze reached for mine again, a chilling smirk on his lips.

"See you around, new girl. We still have unfinished business, you and I." He said in a dark promise, before turning to follow behind his friends.

The girl called Sophia walked past me without so much as a glance.

She was gorgeous and brown-skinned, sporting an expensive-looking silk press that stopped gingerly at her unrealistically slim waist. Her eyes seemed to be set in a permanently bored look as she sauntered past me.

The nerdy guy called Rishi followed behind her after several moments of staring at me with deep, judgemental scrutiny reflected in his cold eyes that sat behind round-framed glasses.

Then I looked up, expecting Vasilis to follow, but he was no longer there. He had left ages ago apparently, and I felt my lungs unfreeze as I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"Holy shit!" Brittany gasped beside me, and I almost jumped. I had forgotten she was still there. "They talked to you! They actually spoke to you, and complimented you, and...and—" Brittany looked like she might be having a seizure, and I felt like I was still recovering from one.

Although our reasons were vastly different. I felt like I was recovering from a seizure because I'd never anticipated a stranger hugging me like Aiko had done. It had spiked my stress levels so high, I could almost feel my blood pressure rising.

"And they even invited you to their lunch table?!" Brittany was almost screaming now, and I eyed her wearily as I arranged the books in my hands properly.

Everyone remaining in the locker hallways had their eyes on me, and they quickly looked away when I looked up.

My eyes narrowed into slits, and I turned to Brittany sharply.

"Can we go now?" My voice came out clipped and agitated, and it seemed to snap Brittany out of her fever dream.

"Yeah, Yeah! Let's go! We're so late for assembly!" She began hurrying off, and I followed behind her, feeling deeply shaken and equally irritated.

What a weird school with such weird students.

Why wasn't there at least one normal person? And why did Vasilis ignore me?

I mean, not that he was my friend or anything. And he wasn't obligated to acknowledge my presence either. But I'd thought...

Never mind.