A fractured fairytale

9

༻Rose's POV༺

I had never been more grateful when Matt finally started on the work that I'd set him instead of trying to continue the conversation. I could feel my cheeks burning and my palms were sweating as I pretending to read the page of writing in front of me. I hadn't thought about what he would think when I covered my face in makeup this morning. Never even considered that he'd think I'd done it to impress him.

The man had every girl in school drooling over him. He was used to being chased and pursued and I'm sure a lot of girls had changed everything about themselves to gain his attention or affections.

And of course, he would think that someone as lowly as me, someone with no money or friends, would be desperate for him to notice me. He probably thought I would do anything to gain access to his money, status, and popularity. When in reality, I'd caked my face in makeup solely to hide the bruise forming on my left cheek. I didn't particularly care about how I looked, but the yellow-green mark drew too much unwanted attention so I'd gotten up earlier this morning to cover it up.

I didn't think anyone would notice. Nobody ever paid any attention to me. In fact, the only people I spoke to were Mrs Ellflower and now Matt, and she'd never made a comment on the odd occasion I'd come to school with heavy makeup on my face. I certainly didn't think Matt would notice. Maybe it was because he had sisters, maybe he knew the difference between a girl's natural skin and makeup because his sister wore makeup.

For the rest of our session together, I avoided looking at or talking to Matt as much as I could. I needed this job, needed the money. Which meant I needed to remain professional. I couldn't give him the wrong idea by giving any indication that I was interested in him – which I wasn't. I'd heard enough about him and his family to know to stay far away.

As soon as the hour was over, I fled. I stuffed my things into my bag and claimed I needed to get to class before bolting. It was pathetically obvious that I was avoiding him but I didn't care. I barely managed a smile at Mrs Ellflower before I shot out of the library, scared that he would follow behind me, track me down, chase me through the halls... and do what exactly, I had no idea.

I shook off the panic creeping up my spine. He had no interest in me. He wouldn't follow me because he didn't care enough to follow. He'd probably pointed out the makeup as a means to humiliate me for what he perceived to be a crush on him. But I wasn't worth the effort of him actually going out of his way to find me and embarrass me, surely.

When I reached the classroom, I beelined for my seat. It was the same seat I always sat in, not so far back that I was surrounded by the idiots that didn't actually want to be here and didn't pay attention to anything that happened in class. But also, not so far forwards that I'd be noticed. Hidden away in the middle was where I felt safest.

I was one of the first to enter, the rest of the class still down in the car park, congregating with their friends before they made their way upstairs. A few entered as I started to unpack the books I'd need for this class but then an uproar of noise had me pausing. The door to the classroom was propped open and outside in the hallways, the entire senior football team strolled past. They all yelled and hollered at each other without any concern for others. They didn't really need to consider other people, other people bent to their will, accommodated to them and their needs. In this school, aside from the Sternato family, it was the football team that were royalty and the rest of us were merely their supporters.

And they knew it too.

They walked around in their own bubble of arrogance and superiority. They showed up to class whenever they wanted, they left when they wanted and they were allowed to get away with pretty much anything in class. Especially Matt, Alex and Jay – who wasn't a Sternato by blood but he may as well have been. The teachers at this school were too scared of the repercussions to ever stand up to those three.