CHAPTER EIGHT

ELLA'S POV

I was walking briskly down the hallway, trying to keep my head up despite the jumble of thoughts still lodged in my mind from Rhea’s confrontation. My hand tingled where I had smacked her and as the adrenaline ebbed away, a boiling blend of anger and satisfaction set in.

Penny, who had been waiting for me at the nurse station, waved the instant she saw me. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of delight which was replaced almost immediately with some curiosity.

"What happened?" Penny asked, worry ringing clearly in her tone.

I forced out a smile, not wanting to add to her worries. "Nothing, just Rhea’s usual nonsense, nothing worth stressing about."

Penny looked at me knowingly; she saw right through my attempt to downplay it. “Ella, come on. What did she say?”

Looking around to see if anyone could hear us, I sighed. "That's a story for later but I have some big news now."

“Really?” Penny lifted an eyebrow curiously the worry in her tone ebbing away.

Stopping in my tracks, I turne