Chapter 3

We walk through the front doors, and my eyes widen as I take in what's in front of me. The walls, just like the outside, are gloomy, but instead of black, they are an ominous gray with the floors being a black marble color.

Pictures with little name plates under them shine on the walls down the walkway.

I would love to maybe read the names one day and look up the people on the walls, then maybe I could know a little about the school.

Each one, though I see, is wearing dark black suits with red ties, a black rose pinned on the right side of their chests, and they are not smiling at all.

They are more like smirking, like they know they are going to hold power, and you would think the pictures would be of older men, but nope. They are around my age, a year older.

Perhaps when they graduate?

Who the heck knows?

“So how did you get in here?” Shelby's words push through my thoughts again, and I smile up at her, hauling my suitcase behind me.

“Personal driver,” I mumble out, still working to cast my eyes everywhere as people fly around us in the big hall, ignoring us.

“Well, obviously, I know that. I'm here on a scholarship. I was just trying to get a bit more information out of my new friend. “ She laughs and sends me a small smile.

Friend?

I had never had a friend before.

Sad to mention, I know, but it's freaking true.

“Um, my mom got married, and her husband is paying to send me here,” I explain.

I don't mention the reason I'm really here, though. I don't want her to treat me how she would treat the ones that are sent to attend here by their families.

I would rather nobody know I was here only because my mom married well.

I was also about to get in trouble for stabbing my foster father's friend in the dick, and it was either accepted the offer that my stepfather made me or risk going to jail.

Which should I have picked?

School, obviously.

I like food far too much just to eat prison food.

Yuck.

“I didn't know anything about this place until my parents got the letter. Well, I got the letter. They weren't the best parents, so anything to get rid of me,” she sighed, looking sad for a minute before plastering a smile back on her face.

I absolutely feel that and that fake smile.

Life can be a bitch.

“Foster parents here,” I inform her, letting her know I truly understand what she is saying.

“Yeah, anyway. School doesn't start back up until tomorrow. You missed the first week. We don't have classes on Friday and the weekend, obviously. You're lucky your first day here you can have off.” She tells me as we round the back of the primary building finally. She pushes the back doors open, leading out into the courtyard.

The two buildings come into view, and they match the main building, the same brick stone structure with white window shutters.

They could have changed it up a bit, at least.

“Boys on the right and the girls on the left should be easy to remember, right?” She points to each one.

“Yeah, should be,” I murmur out, looking around the courtyard seeing some students talking together and Jesus, it's like these people stepped out of freaking magazines.

All the girls look like models, but heck, so do the boys, well, most of them anyway. I'm not saying they are all beautiful or handsome, it's just how they present themselves and with what they wear.

They know they own this town, and I'm sure that the families think they do, anyway. Just as I'm thinking that, I spot two boys sitting in the middle of the courtyard on a cement table while those three bitches from earlier and a few others, surround them.

Rolling my eyes, I look back at Shelby only to notice that she has caught me staring, but good gracious, I can't help it. They are both two of the most gorgeous boys I have ever seen in my life.

I have to fight the urge to keep my legs from rubbing together, and I'm a virgin, so I don't even know why I even did that, but looking at them makes my body want things that I don't even understand.

“That's- that's the Knights. You should stay away from them, Lexi. They are not good people. Zane Blackmore is the worst one. He and his best friend, Alec, own the school. I heard rumors they are dangerous,” she whispers, raising her hand up, grabbing my shirt and pulling me away and forcing my eyes to leave them.

Now I apparently need to go to my dorm room as soon as possible to bleach out my eyes. I didn't know what my stepbrother looked like, but now I do, and even though I find him incredibly handsome, I need to wash both my eyes out.

I should not and can not think about my stepbrother like that, but his best friend, I definitely could. Ugh, what am I saying? I quickly shake my head, snapping my crazy mind out of the ridiculous illusion that I could ever land someone like Alec.

“Why are they called that?” I asked, rushing, trying to keep up with her quick steps.

What's the rush?

Why does she seem so scared of them?

They are just boys, probably think they are better than countless people, but still just boys.

What can they do?

“Their families rule this town Lexi, you don't understand, hell I don't even understand, but they walk around this school like they are the bosses instead of the teachers. Last week, both boys were late for class and when the professor said something about them being late, one of them asked what the professor was going to do about it? The professor shut up so fast and the boys took their seats like nothing happened!” She whispers.

“Have you talked to them? Maybe they're not so bad?” I asked her, not fully understanding where the fear she was showing was coming from. “Zane Blackmore is my new stepbrother,” I admitted.

The truth will come out eventually, and I would rather not upset my new friend by lying to her the first day we met. It won't be a secret for long, I'm sure, but as I said earlier, I hope my stepbrother and I can at least act peaceful with one another.

I understand he has issues with my mom, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with me. I will not get in between them. He is entitled to feel, however he feels about a woman his father married after only knowing her for four months.

Zane's feelings were understandable.

So, yeah, I'm sure they think they rule the school, just like any other young male who has lived in luxury and entitlement since they were born.

“No-no I haven't. When I see them coming down the hall, I turn the other way. I don't even eat in the cafeteria. I tried the first day, and before I could even make it to my table, one girl literally knocked my tray out of my hand for no reason. I got food all over my uniform and had to go change. The school is strict with that, school uniforms must look the best at all times, if you go inside a classroom with so much as a small stain on your shirt, the professors will ask you to leave the class” she groans out, I guess because she was embarrassed, I might be too if that happened to me. “I can't believe he is your stepbrother. I don't know if I'd call you lucky or screwed. His so mean Lexi,"

I don't care who their family members are. I have grown up with the worst foster families imaginable. I can fight back with both my words and my fists, and no one at this school has enough force in them to make me lie down, roll over, and not defend myself.

I have attended many schools over the past few years, and while I didn't have friends, I also didn't have any enemies. The students all knew I wasn't the one to mess around with.

Plus, I'm technically the school owners' new daughter. I doubt anything they say will force me to get kicked out. It would not make Mr. Blackmore looks like a very family-friendly person. Okay, now I'm just talking crazy because I'm nervous.