Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
I gagged. It was bad enough the shit stain thought he was charming. Watching women fall for it turned my stomach inside out.
Winter’s note came back to me. Even then, I had it close—taped to the inside of my top.
Owen came at me hardest of all. Painting frigid bitch on my door. Leaving disgusting messages on my phone all day and night from hundreds of random numbers.
“Come on, hopeless geek.” Lindsay sashayed down the hall, floating a kiss over her shoulder. “You said you knew somewhere private we could go.”
I hurried away, racing down the stairs and into the living room. I hid just inside the entrance, watching the two of them come downstairs and head out the door. I made to follow them as something flashed out of the corner of my eye. I ran headfirst into sweaty caution tape.
There wasn’t a chance to react before my mask was ripped off my face.
“You.” Saylor’s thick, cupid’s-bow lips pressed into a thin line. “I knew it.”
Gabriella, Piper, and Everleigh were on me in a blink, flanking their flaxen-haired leader.
I flicked between their curling lips, then over their heads to the door. Owen and Lindsay were getting ahead of me.
“Yes, it’s me,” I said, “and I was just leaving. Sorry for crashing your boring party. Next time, I’ll do something fun with my Saturday night and watch my toenails grow.”
I pushed through and was shoved back.
“Not so fast, Sinclair.” Saylor snapped her fingers. “Turn the music off!”
The noise cut off with a jarring screech, drawing everyone’s attention. The ping-pong ball bounced across the kitchen floor. The bare-chested players were too busy coming closer to notice.
“You don’t have to rush off so fast.” Piper came at me. I lurched back to stop her boobs getting in my face.
“Yeah,” Saylor said. The curled lips morphed into a different shape, forming a smile that glinted in her eyes. “We’re glad you’re here.”
She bumped me, moving me back. I sidestepped and bounced off Everleigh. They were herding me into the middle of the room.
“So glad,” Gabriella purred. “We have an announcement to make and it’s much easier with you here to help.”
Saylor glanced around. “Where’s Katie?”
Piper scoffed. “Upstairs getting fucked, no doubt.”
“Good.”
I planted my feet, refusing to move another step even as their sweat and Chanel perfume clogged my nose. “What announcement?” I gritted, looking over their heads. I had to go. Now! “I don’t have time for this.”
“Make time, sweetie.” Everleigh flicked my nose. “It’s important.”
“Listen up, everyone.” Saylor snapped her fingers again, but there was no need. Except for the noise from outside and upstairs, no one made a sound. “I want to introduce you to Luna Sinclair. She’s Winter Bowden’s sister. That sad little thing who threw herself off a bridge last year.”
My lips peeled back from my teeth. “You better watch where the fuck you’re going with this, Burkhardt.”
“Oooh,” she mocked. “So scary. Don’t worry, I don’t have anything to say about your sister. All that needed to be said about her... I told to her face.”
Stiffening, my fists balled. Saylor circled me.
“No, this is about you.” Her voice carried through the room. “You’re the one who didn’t get the message, and enrolled in our school where you don’t fucking belong. You’re worse than a Dreg, Sinclair. At least they know their place.” She pointed at some poor guy in a trash bag. “And they make sure the world knows it too.”
“The world also knows that you’re a fork-tongued demon. Now get out of my way.” I rushed Piper and Everleigh, and was thrown back again. “What the fuck is your problem! You want me out of your party, I’m gone.”
Gabriella gave me a sickly sweet smile. “We don’t want you gone. What we want is for everyone to get a good look.”
“Burn this face into your memory,” Saylor called. She grabbed my jaw, twisting my head toward the crowd. “Don’t forget the name Luna Sinclair. Since she insisted on coming to school here, we’ll have to look out for her. We can’t have her slinking around campus unnoticed. Make sure she feels as welcome here as her sister did.
“We wouldn’t want sweet Luna to go the same way as Winter.”
Knocking her off my chin, I reared back and punched her in the mouth. Saylor’s head snapped to three cries, gasps, and an “oh damn!”
“I told you to keep my sister’s name out of your mouth! Keep trying me, Burkhardt. That smile won’t be so pretty when all your teeth are broken.”
She whirled on me, snarling. Blood stained her mouth, adding a horrifying effect to the burning hatred singeing me where I stood.
“Bitch!” Hands grabbed me.
“Don’t,” Saylor barked. “It’s not her fault. All inbred, low-class sluts like her know how to do is lash out violently. We’re not sinking to her level.”