Serenah smiled as she and Alastar walked inside the school and headed for homeroom. They had been in school for almost a month now, and her life had settled into a daily routine. She was slowly getting to know Romeo and his friend,s much to her delight. It was an amazing feeling to actually have people to talk to. Not that she didn't enjoy talking to Alastar and Lael, but speaking with humans was entertaining and informative.
She was surprised that her twin left her and Romeo's group alone. It made her wary, but the longer she went without anything happening, the more relieved she felt. Maybe Amanah was choosing to disregard her. Serenah was fine with that. Out of sight, out of mind. That was always the safest option for her in the minefield known as her family life.
They grabbed their books from their lockers and Serenah felt a stirring of unease run through her. She glanced around and noticed several students staring at her and Alastar and whispering to each other. When the students caught her gaze, they hurried away.
"That was strange," she muttered.
"What?" Alastar turned to her.
"Nothing." Ignoring her feelings, she pasted a smile on her face. "Let's get going. Don't want to be late."
They arrived at homeroom and took their seats. Serenah felt the stares as they sat, and she frowned. What was going on? Why were people giving her such strange looks? Was she being overly sensitive?
She shrugged it off. She came to school to learn, not to be involved in drama.
By the time fourth period rolled around, Serenah's attempts at indifference dwindled fast. People were whispering about her. She didn't know why or what they were saying. She couldn't ignore the pointed looks or the malicious giggles of the girls. She also noticed that some of the boys were giving her looks and not ones she wanted or welcomed.
She hadn't said anything to Alastar because she didn't want him to think her crazy. But in fourth period, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Why are people staring at you?"
She shrugged and mouthed, "I don't know."
He frowned and the first stirrings of anxiety began. Had she done something wrong? Had she hurt someone's feelings? She wracked her brain trying to recall if she had done something to warrant the level of gossip that was going on around her. She couldn't think of anything.
She wanted to run away and hide. The gossipers reminded her of back home in the Old World when the nobles had done the same thing. Those times had never ended well for her. She prayed that wouldn't be the case this time.
She raised her hand and asked to use the bathroom. She was feeling overwhelmed. She had to get out of the classroom. She snagged the pass and hurried to the nearest bathroom. She could feel herself hyperventilating. Serenah tried to calm down, but it was hard. She hated having anxiety attacks. She turned on the water and splashed it on her face. Her body felt overly warm, another side effect of her anxiety.
"You're okay. You're okay," she mumbled over and over, the mantra failing to calm her roiling emotions.
The door to the bathroom suddenly opened and Sera glanced to her left. She frowned when she spotted Amanah's two friends, Cassie and Sasha, with two other girls she didn't know.
The quartet halted when they spotted her. Their mocking gazes made her stiffen as she turned to keep them in sight. The whole situation felt dangerous.
"Well, well. What do we have here, Cassie?" Sasha stated, her expression full of revulsion.
"I don't know, Sasha. But do you smell that?"
"What smell would that be?"
"The smell of a ho. Why she thinks she can just flaunt what she does is beyond me," Cassie retorted mockingly before taking her finger and poking Serenah in the chest.
Surprised by the verbal assault and the unexpected move, Serenah stepped back and bumped into the wall, trying to get away from Cassie. She was baffled. Why would Cassie call her that? She knew what the word "ho" meant from her slang lessons with Lord Hulight. She was offended at being called that. She had never had sex or even kissed a guy for that matter.
"What, can't handle the truth, slut? How Amy has managed to put up with a sister like you is just revolting. She deserves better. And now you come to our school and try to tarnish her reputation. Disgusting!"
Serenah was speechless. So surprised was she by Cassie's words, she failed to notice Sasha until it was too late. The backhand slap rocked her head, and she let out a startled cry, her hand going to her left cheek. Tears instantly ran down her face from the unexpected pain. Shocked, she watched as the girls tittered and jeered her.
"Ah, look, the little bitch is crying," crowed Sasha.
"You'd better keep your legs closed, you disgusting slut, and stop causing Amy trouble," snarled Cassie. "Let's go."
The four girls left, and Serenah's legs gave out and she slid down the wall. She cried from shock, trembling as the adrenaline wore off from her fear. She stayed that way until her phone rang. She furiously wiped at her tears, trying to calm down before she answered the phone.
"Alastar?"
"Sera, where are you? Are you okay? Do I need to come in?"
"No!" Hastily she changed her tone. "I mean, no. I'm okay. I'm coming out. Give me a moment."
She didn't give him a chance to respond. She hung up and came to her feet. She spared a glance at the mirror and saw her swollen cheek. There was nothing she could do about it. She hurriedly ran her fingers through her hair to make it fall in her face and cover her cheek. She made her way to the cafeteria, pausing when she saw Alastar standing next to Romeo.
"Sera! Come on, let's go eat." Romeo waved her over.
She took a fortifying breath and forced a smile. She couldn't let them know anything was wrong. She ignored Alastar's worried expression. She would tell him later. Not now, maybe way later. She knew if he found out about the humans accosting her, he would be livid and seek justice. She wanted to forget everything that had happened and just make it through the day without any more drama.
Serenah sidled past Al, ignoring his questioning cough. She kept her face turned away from him so he wouldn't see her cheek. She hurried through the lunch line and sat down in her usual seat next to Romeo. She kept her head down and started eating. It hurt to chew but she made herself do it anyway.
"Sera, are you alright?"
She startled at Romeo's closeness. He had whispered in her ear, but she hadn't noticed him. "Yes!" she gasped, her head coming up as she turned toward him. She flinched when his eyes narrowed.
He reached up, his hand heading toward her injured cheek. She went to avoid him and was interrupted by the arrival of Nicholas Reyes, one of the linebackers, and two others from the football team. Romeo lowered his hand and Serenah sighed in relief at the interruption.
"Hiya, Sera."
"Um, hello." She was confused. Why was a member of the football team even talking to her? She didn't know any of them except the ones Romeo and his friends mentioned.
"I have a question for you."
"Okay," she said the word slowly, wary of what he might say. After the confrontation in the bathroom, she was terrified of the students and what they thought of her.
"I heard that you are looking for a good fuck buddy. I'm just saying you're hot and have a nice gyatt. I'd totally enjoy tapping that. Why don't we meet up after school and come to a mutual arrangement?"
Serenah was aghast at his offer. How dare he treat her like she was a prostitute? Why the hell were the students thinking she was a loose woman? She had never done anything to even suggest she behaved that way. She didn't understand any of this! It made her heart hurt and shame filled her even though she was innocent.
"What the fuck did you say to her?" snarled Romeo as he came to his feet.
"Easy, captain. It's a valid offer. She's not dating anyone and is free to scratch her itch."
"You bastard! Do you think I'm going to let you talk to my friend like that? Get the hell away from my table before I make you unable to spew such dumb shit."
Nicholas held up his hands in a placating gesture and smirked at Serenah. "Come find me if you need me." He ignored Romeo's growl of rage and walked away with his friends.
Serenah was so humiliated. Her face was flushed with embarrassment. She had to find the source of these rumors and put a stop to them. She wasn't anything like what people were saying. She wanted school to be a safe haven, not a torturous prison that she couldn't breathe in.
She trembled, fear and resignation coursing through her. Was this going to turn out like the court back home? If that happened, she didn't think she would be able to handle it. Maybe she should quit school and actually do homeschool.
"Sera?"
She yelped and jerked away from Romeo's touch on her arm. Her eyes widened at his surprised look. She didn't think as she turned and fled from the cafeteria and the judgmental looks of the students.