six.

Cora

Gathering my things, I pull myself out of the chair and make way to the only remaining desk in the first row. My knees are so wobbly I'm worried they'll give and I'll topple to the floor. My butt finally plants itself on the seat and I keep my eyes on the board, every part of me now beating with rage. How dare he?

"Did you forget something?" a voice I don't recognize says, and a second later something smacks me in the head and splats on the floor near my shoe. My novel. I twist my head to glare at the person who chucked it. He's sitting behind Alessandro. I have no idea who he is, but I've definitely seen him hanging around the Princes. Maybe a wanna-be Prince? I narrow my eyes. "That's a library book."

"So?"

"Don't you have any respect?"

"Don't you have any respect?" a girl on his right mimics in a high-pitch voice, causing some of the other students to snicker.

"Who goes to a library anyway?" another guy says.

"Poor people who can't afford to buy books."

I dust off the book and