Chapter 13

MILA

My mind kept screaming at me to stop and forget about it. Just because Arianna slapped Amber hard enough to make her crystal hairpin fly across the floor and right into my foot doesn’t mean I had to return it. Just my luck. Maybe I should wait for Gabe to come back? I stared at the crystal hair clip, thinking it wasn’t my problem. She might notice it and pick it up herself. 

Besides, why should I care? I hated bullies, especially the rich ones. Seriously, why did they always have to mess with the people who didn’t have much? They had everything in the whole and still crapped on others. Granted, Amber was probably the worst of the worst, but still, that was uncalled for.

The lunchroom slowly returned to its normal chatter, and Amber sat down at her table. I looked at the hairpin. It was pretty. The light from outside hit it, casting green shadows on the floor. I picked it up and noticed how light it was. Amber always bragged about all her crystals being Swarovski crystals, but this one wasn't real. Whatever. Just give it to her and leave. What could go wrong?

I quickly walked over to their table. Jenna noticed me first and shook her head discreetly, but my feet kept going. I cleared my throat, and everyone at the table looked at me at once. It felt like I was about to be stoned and everyone at the table was eager to throw. Everyone except Tyler, who looked as if he could barely breathe. When he saw me staring, his eyes widened just a bit before his usual glare returned. Now, he looked as if he wanted to tear me to pieces instead. 

Swallowing my fear, I extended the hairpin towards Amber. “Um, you dropped this, Amber,” I explained softly, offering a tentative smile.

Amber’s eyes narrowed as she snatched the hairpin from my hand, inspecting it with disdain. “Or maybe you tried to steal it to add it to your little fashion show,” Amber sneered, her tone dripping with venom.

I forced myself not to roll my eyes, but sometimes it was hard not to react. Just leave, Mila. Don’t say it. I wanted to, but my feet were frozen in place. Of course, I didn’t listen.

“I mean, I guess I would if it was real,” I laughed nervously. 

No one else did. Instead, Randall and Leo made an ‘O’ face at Amber while Ari and Tyler smiled. Their looks only made me more nervous, which made me talk more.

“I mean, I’ve only seen the real ones in stores, but I do know Swarovski crystals usually have the trapezoid logo inside, and yours–”

“Shut the fuck up, fatty!” Amber exclaimed, standing up. “I don’t wear cheap things.” 

I stammered as I took a few steps back. “Oh, I didn’t mean… I was just stating… I mean, I would never…”

“What would a poor, orphaned girl like you know about real crystals? Especially if you can’t even afford one,” Amber sneered, her gaze sweeping over my outfit with a critical eye. “I mean, look at your clothes. Did you raid a thrift shop or something?”

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but still my feet didn’t move as Amber circled me and pointed out every little thing about my outfit. True, I could never afford a Swarovski crystal, but this outfit was a gift from our Luna for restoring the hem of her skirt on the fly. I had the skills and wanted to impress Luna Emily. I figured she might give me a good word for the scholarship. This outfit was a classic. I was more upset that Amber didn’t recognize the brand. 

Ari scoffed. “I can’t believe she doesn’t recognize a classic Leilani dress,” she whispered conspiratorially to Julia. They exchanged amused glances before giggling. 

“That can’t be,” Amber exclaimed, stepping forward to grab me by the neck, trying to look at the tag. 

“Hey let me go!”

I struggled with her as the grip on my neck tightened. I was more worried she would rip the dress than hurt me. It was one of the few things I treasured and the only gift I’ve ever gotten from the Luna. I fought to get Amber off when I felt someone pull me back and stand in front of me. 

“Didn’t I tell you all to leave her alone?”

Thank the Goddess for Gabe. My knight in shining armor and a shield between them and me. 

“Well, look at that. Two fatties in a pod,” Amber said. “I wonder if they’ll fit?”

“Or maybe they’ll just eat the pod,” Leo laughed. It wasn’t funny.

“Let's go, Mila.” 

As everyone laughed, Gabe grabbed my hand, and Tyler suddenly growled loud enough for everyone to go quiet. I stared at him and stepped close to Gabe. At first, I thought I felt fear, but instead, there was a warm feeling building inside my chest. It was the same feeling I had in the hallways a few weeks ago. What the hell is this?

Without saying a word, Tyler moved Ari off of him and left the room with everyone staring after him. Ari started to laugh, and I’ve learned to never like laughter from Ari. It was never a good sign Ari gave my outfit a look, then rolled her eyes.

“This is getting boring,” Ari said. “Amber, I’m thirsty. Go get me something, will ya?”

Amber scoffed. “Why are you treating me like the help? Jenna’s right there.”

“Because I say so. Besides, why would I treat you any better when you can’t even recognize an authentic Leilani lace bustier dress? Now go before I get bored of you.”

Amber grumbled and stomped away while Ari looked back at me. “As for you, Mila. We’re going to be having a party this weekend. I’m sure someone like you will be working on it, but I hope you find some time to chill.”

“I think Mila can do better with her time than serving a bunch of rich snobs,” Gabe said, pointedly at Ari before looking at the others, “and their lackeys.”

I couldn’t help but smirk as Gabe pulled me away from the table. I even saw a smile on Jenna’s face and it absolutely made my day.