Chapter 10
"Rusty, what's in the box?"
"Did you bring me some cookies?"
"Can I have one?"
"What kind are they?"
"They aren't oatmeal, are they?"
"Oh my God, I hate oatmeal."
"Me too!"
"Are you okay?"
"Were you crying?"
"Do you need to talk?"
"Can I help you pray?"
As I walked through the girls' dormitory, all the voices were meaningless. They were so obsessed about themselves, about getting a good reputation to get the hottest guy. They didn't care about me at all.
"Is that your new dress, Rusty?"
I froze, my heel on the ground and my toes in the air. I turned around and faced Kendall, who was sitting in the biggest armchair.
"Who said anything about my dress?" I said.
"Well, I saw your dress totally ruined and I was wondering if you had already gotten a new one," she said, her face full of curiosity and concern.
I looked at the box. Robyn had stuffed it in the box before she ran after me. There was no way anyone had seen it before—I'd just gotten back from the church. Robyn had given it to me, then asked if I wanted to be alone. I didn't answer, so she gave me a hug and left me.
I looked up at Kendall. This was her. It was all her, just so she could get Rudy. But this went beyond getting the hottest guy. This was serious—this showed she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.
This ended now.
"Kendall, come with me," I said. She got up, still acting like she was completely innocent. I went to my room and shut the door and locked it behind her.
"What's this about, Rusty?" she said, sitting on my bed. I turned around and faced her.
"This is about everything. All this Royalty shit, it needs to stop." Her face was confused. "I know you ruined my dress, Kendall. I'm not stupid, okay?"
"Who said you were stupid? Was it Olivia? I knew I couldn't tell that dumbass anything; you've got it the wrong way, Rusty—"
"Rebecca," I said coldly. She stopped, her mouth still in the process of saying something.
"What did I ever do to you? Why are you doing all these things to me? Why are you so mean to me? How can you just come to the school and act like you own it when there are other people that want to do more than just call people names and stereotype?" She got up, and opened the door. "I can't believe you," she said, glaring, before she slammed the door. I sank down to the floor, fresh tears coming.
On the way to dinner, I had to stop by my locker. I passed a few Royalty, and if looks could kill, I'd be stone cold. I ignored them and went to the locker, pressing in the lock as I spun in the combination because it was so old. I had to try three times, and when I finally got it open and was about to put the box inside...
Kayla, Olivia, Skylar, Angela, and Maddy came walking up the hallway, taking up the entire hall. Kayla had been trailing her hand on the lockers, and slammed mine shut, slapping me in the face. I staggered to the side, and then they all started laughing, like it was hilarious.
I put my hand to my face, tears welling up. I tried to open my locker again, but people kept hitting me with their shoulders as they passed, messing me up and make me start all over again. I put the box under my arm and bushed my eyes with the back of my hand. Come on, stop it, I told myself. Spoiled girls can't make you cry. I sniffed and blinked. But just as I was sitting down, the box next to me, the PA came on. It sounded like something was sniffing, crying...
My eyes got wide. No. No, she wouldn't do that.
Yes. She would.
People were whispering, laughing, all of them pointing at me. And then I heard Kendall say at the Royalty table, over the crying, "I'd like to tell everyone just how happy I am to have finally found a date to the Winter Wonderland Ball. His name is Rudy—"
That was when I ran.