4

Jenna didn't know what to say. 

Everyone was staring at her in horror, including Jacob.

Mr Burton tutted loudly. "My next class is waiting to come in. Let's move it on out of here."

He raised an eyebrow at Jenna as she passed but said nothing about her violent outburst. The look seemed to say, 'You know you just fucked up, right? But I'm not gonna save you.'

Nothing was going to save her now.

'Maybe I could just run home and hide under my bed,' she thought. But without Kai to show her the way, she'd probably just get lost and murdered.

A stampede of students trapped her against the wall. After they passed, Jenna went to move but got instantly pushed back. Kai knocked the air from her lungs as he slammed her into the concrete wall.

"What. The. FUCK?"

Jenna, too winded to talk, just stared helplessly.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he asked.

"I... I just... I'm sorry... I didn't--" Jenna stammered, knowing there was nothing she could say to placate him.

A hand appeared on Kai's shoulder.

"Come on," Kenny said. "What are you gonna do? Beat up a girl in the hallway..."

Kenny let out a huge sigh.

"...Again."

Jenna saw the tension fall out of his body as his shoulders dropped. He took a step back, but before unpinning her from the wall, he leaned in and whispered. 

"You're dead later."

He shoved past her, almost knocking her off her feet, before leaving her in the corridor to find her own way to the next class. 

"That... was... awesome," an excited voice whispered. 

Jenna turned to see a girl with messy purple hair staring at her as if she'd just fallen from the heavens.

"I can't believe someone finally stood up to him," she said. "I mean... you're totally dead, but still... it was awesome."

"Thanks," Jenna muttered, frowning at the girl who was yet to introduce herself.

"Come on." Purple-hair took her by the arm. "I'll show you the way to the Art block."

Jenna was grateful for both the directions and the social interaction. This girl was the only one who had spoken to her outside of Kai's little group. 

"What is wrong with this place?" she asked, more to herself than to her new friend. 

"You went to a posh school before this, right?" the girl asked.

Jenna frowned. Had Kai told everyone she was a posh school kid? Was that why they all looked at her funny?

"Not posh. Just... not..." She struggled to find the words to explain it. 

"Not as crappy as this place," the girl finished and laughed. "I'm Jade."

"Jenna," she replied with a grateful smile. "What has Kai been saying about me?"

"Oh not much. Just that you're some posh-school brat bitch who moved into his house," Jade said. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Nobody was honestly expecting him to react to getting a stepsister any differently, to be fair."

"Why is he like this?" Jenna pondered.

"The boy's a psychopath," Jade said, without missing a beat. She pursed her lips and cocked her head. "At least, according to my friend, Damien."

"He a trained psychiatrist, or...?" Jenna asked with a sarcastic smile.

"He's a psychopath too," Jade said. "Like recognises like. Those two don't mess with each other."

"Psychopathy can't be diagnosed until you are twenty-five," Jenna told her. She'd read about the subject after watching a run of serial killer documentaries on Netflicks. "You wanna know why?"

"Sure," Jade said.

"Because it's normal teenage behaviour to act like a psychopath," Jenna told her. She flashed her a wide and friendly grin so she didn’t come off looking like an unfriendly know it all. 

Jade chuckled wryly at this. "Okay. Sounds legit but don't tell Damien. He'll bore you to death with an argument."

Jenna laughed and agreed. She was excited to meet this Damien if only because he was someone Kai didn't mess with.

'Maybe he's cute,' she thought. 'Maybe he can protect me.'

This fleeting fantasy vanished the second they arrived at the art class and Jade introduced her to her mates. None of them was good-looking. Three guys and another girl sat together, all wearing black 

Damien was one of your stereotypical goth kids, wearing black clothes, eyeliner and silver jewellery. She imagined he was the mopey, self-obsessed and somewhat deluded type of goth guy.

Then he spoke up and proved her wrong.

"Is it safe to be hanging out with Valentino Shevchenko?" he asked with a sly grin.

"I wish I knew some MMA," Jenna scoffed. 

"You do!" Damien cried as he got up and jumped into a dramatic re-enactment of her kick. The group of alternative kids chuckled, as did Jenna. 

Luckily, Kai wasn't there to see. She wasn't sure this lot would be so brave if he were watching.

"He never comes to art," said one of the guys, as if reading her mind. "Says it's for sissies."

They pretended to be upset and laughed.

"Stay with us for the rest of the day," Jade invited. "He probably won't do anything to you while you're with us. Probably."

She didn't sound too confident.

"What about when I go home?" she asked.

"Can't help you there, I'm afraid." Damien shrugged.

"Maybe you can apologise," Jade suggested. 

"I will," Jenna said. "Even though everyone knows he deserved it. Why was he picking on that Jacob guy, anyways?"

There must have been something in the way she phrased the question or the look in her eyes. All of them looked at her with the same knowing grin.

"Don't even go there," Jade warned. "Every girl falls head over heels for Jacob. We've all been there. But alas, it never ends well."

The other girl in the group nodded sadly.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Damien shrugged, feigning jealousy. "I mean if you want skinny, gloomy guys wearing black..."

He gestured towards his friends who nodded sarcastically with exaggerated eye rolls thrown in for good measure.

Jenna wanted to probe about Jacob further but figured it wasn't the time. There was clearly some animosity there... as well as a generous helping of envy. 

After school, Jade was kind enough to walk her home. She invited her new friend in, but the girl shook her head as if she'd been asked into the Dahmer household to watch movies. 

Once inside, Jenna ran straight up to her bedroom. She slammed the door shut behind her as if the Devil himself were chasing her. 

He wasn't. Not the Devil or Kai.

As her breathing slowed, she could hear the house was empty.

'So... where is he?'