I stared at Damien in disbelief. Did he really just ask me to eat with him? What was wrong with him? Did he have multiple personality disorder? Random short-term amnesia? Black outs? Or was he really a stone-cold psycho? This guy who had threatened me and made my father debase himself wanted me to have lunch with him?

“No, thank you.”

“I insist.”

I dug in my heels. “Let me go!” I wasn’t going to let him drag me into the cafeteria. I had the right to say no. And I was going to exercise it now in front of lots of witnesses, near security HQ, and with plenty of escape routes available to me.

“Come on,” he said, pulling my arm clearly unfazed by my objections.

“No means no!”

Other students were beginning to stop and stare.

Damien laughed. “Come on, honeybun.”

And what was with this honeybun crap?

“No, let me go!”

Damien frowned and continued to drag me toward the cafeteria. I struggled harder.

“Hey, West. I think your girlfriend’s trying to break up with you.”

Damien stopped and turned to who had spoken. I turned to look as well. It was an upperclassman. Damien’s eyes narrowed at who had spoken. “Nash, go suck a dick and die.”

A number of girls gasped. The upperclassman stepped up to Damien. He was several inches taller than him. He had white blond hair and green eyes. He was the very image of a fairytale prince. I knew the name Nash. The Nashes owned a conglomerate of software companies that made money hand over fist. In terms of wealth, he was second only to Damien, but still, being the second richest son in the world wasn’t something to scoff at.

The upperclassman turned to me and grinned. “Hi, I’m Noah Nash.”

Damien pushed me behind him. “She’s nobody for you to know.”

Noah’s eyebrows rose, and he caught my eyes as I peeked over Damien’s shoulder. He gave me a winning smile. It was reassuring and friendly. I could feel myself relaxing.

“Would you like to have lunch with me?” he asked.

“She’s having lunch with me!” Damien shouted.

I rolled my eyes. I was having lunch with no one. I tried again to tug free of Damien’s grasp.

“You can eat with us, too,” Noah told him.

Damien let out a snarl and let me go to slug at Noah. Noah easily stepped out of range. But the best thing was--I was free! I quickly backed into the crowd and scurried away. I didn’t hang around to see what happened next. I was sure Noah Nash could handle himself. I felt so light and bouncy now that I wasn’t tethered to that psychopath. I slipped out the back to the staff apartment building. I went up to my family’s apartment and made a sandwich and ate some chips. I put on a new shirt and switched out the textbooks in my bag for the ones that I’d need for that afternoon. I had algebra, earth sciences, and gym.

When lunch was over, I went to my math class, keeping a wary eye out for Damien, and my ears perked for any chatter about what had happened at lunch.

I got to my algebra class and sat down at a desk in the back with a sigh of relief. I was prepared for a peaceful period. And it was peaceful for about twenty minutes. Prof. Bolkis was in the middle of explaining simple equation solving when the classroom door slammed open, and Damien stuck in his head to look wildly around. I picked up my notebook and held it up to hide my face. Footsteps approached and a hand slapped my notebook down to my desk. Damien loomed over me.

“Found you,” he said, panting.

“Mr. West, are you joining us?” Prof. Bolkis asked with a sniff.

Damien didn’t acknowledge him. Desks weren’t paired in this class. He jerked his thumb at the guy sitting at the next desk over. The guy moved to another desk without hesitation. Damien pulled the desk over to be against mine. He sat down beside me with a sigh.

“May I continue?” Prof. Bolkis asked with a touch of irritation in his voice now. I held up my notebook again but this time to hide my face from the instructor. Prof. Bolkis scared me a little, not as much as my new desk neighbor, but still.

Damien propped up his feet, pulled out his phone, and began playing a game again.

Was he stalking me? Why did he insist on being in class with me? What did it matter? Especially if he didn’t even listen to the class? Why couldn’t he terrorize some other poor girl? I didn’t exactly wish my fate on anyone else, but why me?

Prof. Bolkis resumed his lecture. I put down my notebook so I could begin taking notes again. It wasn’t five minutes before I nearly leapt out of my chair. Damien’s hand had fallen on my back. I tensed and sat up straight. He began running his hand up and down my spine. I scooted in my chair and pressed my back to the back of the chair to block his hand, but he made a sound of annoyance.

I looked over at him with equal annoyance. “Keep your hands to yourself,” I said.

“No,” he said and pulled my bra strap back and snapped me with it.

I arched in surprise and turned to him. I didn’t think. I reached over and tipped his chair, making him fall to the ground in a sprawl.

“What in the world is going on back there? I will separate you two if you don’t behave,” Prof. Bolkis said.

“Yes, please,” I said.

A number of my classmates tittered. Damien jumped to his feet and loomed over me. I looked up at him with an angry glare. The corners of Damien’s mouth twitched. He righted his chair and sat back down, but he didn’t put up his feet and lean back like before. He scooted in and crossed his hands on the desk top. He turned and gave me a placid look.

I picked up my pen again and continued my notes. Damien sat quietly and politely for the rest of class. He didn’t watch Prof. Bolkis. He watched me, reading my notes as I took them. It made me self-conscious, and I messed up a lot, but I soldiered on, ignoring him as best as possible.

When the bell rang, I felt exhausted. As I was exiting the room with Damien right on my heels, Prof. Bolkis called out, “Mr. West, a word please.”

I glanced back in surprise that Prof. Bolkis would call Damien back, and was even more surprised when Damien stopped. He reached out to snag my arm to make me stay with him, but I quickly hurried out.

“I’ll find you!” he shouted after me.

And I was sure he would, but I would have a little peace in the meantime.

I arrived in Earth Sciences and took a seat at a bench table. No one sat by me. Well, one girl did try but another girl gently pulled her away and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened and she took a seat at another table. Those who’d been in multiple classes with me knew what was going to happen, and I didn’t blame them for staying away. Prof. Friedman came in and began class. I took notes, but I was on edge, waiting for the door to fly open and for Damien to come barreling in. I was still waiting when the bell to end class rang. I looked around in disbelief as everyone packed up their things. I’d had a whole class without Damien. What had Prof. Bolkis said to him? Prof. Bolkis might be scary, but he very well could become my new favorite professor.

The last class was here and it was gym. I went to the girls’ locker room and lined up to be assigned a locker and issued gym clothes. At Noble Academy, gym clothes were included in tuition the same as uniforms, and they were laundered by the staff every day.

I took my packet of brand new T-shirt and shorts and found my locker. It was by the glasses-wearing girl from my English class. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

Feeling a stab of guilt, I said, “I’m so sorry about today. I swear I had nothing to do with it. That guy is psychotic. Are you okay?”

The girl cowered and gave me an unconvincing nod. “I’m fine.”

“Hey, Jenna, what happened?” a girl with short hair asked the shy girl.

“Damien West.”

The chatter died down at this soft answer.

“Oh God, please tell me they didn’t put him in our gym class. Otherwise, it’ll be a bloodbath.”

“Why not ask his girlfriend?”

I opened my mouth to vehemently deny the label, but snapped it shut when another girl spoke up. “He’s still picking his schedule.”

I turned and saw a girl with beautiful wavy red hair. She was pale to the point of glowing. She had long slim limbs and a tiny waist. She looked like a fairy princess. Damien West had a girlfriend?!