The Heir

Chapter 29

I stride into the dining hall with a smile on my face. Madame announced that multiple scouts attended the recital and have shown interest in some of the dancers, myself included. My life seems to be like a yo-yo at this point. Devastating lows followed by impressive highs; it's getting hard to keep up with it all.

I grab my typical salad and join the table for dinner. Hannah and Lina are already side by side gossiping over their food. Akio sits beside Lina but Noah is across from him instead of glued to his side like normal. I plant myself between Noah and Ryan.

Hannah rolls her eyes and physically turns her body away from me. I shake my head before picking at my lettuce. I'm not letting her bad attitude affect me anymore, I've decided. Dishes clatter to the ground, shattering, pulling my attention.

Halfway across the dining hall, Enzo glares at the freshman at his feet, scrambling to pick up the broken pieces of porcelain. It was probably Enzo's fault they knocked into each other though. His one eye is completely ballooned shut and I don't miss the way he winces when he takes a deep breath.

"What happened to your brother?" Noah exclaims, leaning forward to watch.

I keep my eyes trained on my brother, "I dunno."

"Probably fought someone a bit out of his league," Akio muses.

"Probably," Ryan murmurs.

The underclassman speaks to my brother, probably apologizing as best he can. My brother's habit of fighting people for no goddamned reason is no secret. It's beyond the whispers about Ryan; the other students think Enzo is a blooming fucking psychopath.

Enzo's hands curl into fists and his gaze flicks to me. I lift my brows in a silent warning and his jaw ticks. He spits something at the younger student, turns on his heel and storms out of the building.

"What the hell was that?" Hannah scoffs.

"I thought he was going to beat the shit out of that kid," Noah adds.

"Is everything okay with him?" Lina asks, genuinely concerned.

"He's fine," I wave my hand flippantly. "Just an idiot."

Ryan turns to face me; is he actually listening to you now?

I shrug; not like he has much of a choice.

His eyes narrow; would you actually snitch on him?

I roll my eyes; if I have to.

He shakes his head; fucking DiSilva's.

I nod in agreement; fucking DiSilva's.

Dinner time chatter picks back up and soon the room is nearly deafening. I poke at my lettuce passively as the table begins to gossip about one of the other girls in our grade. The overhead speakers turn on, feedback radiating loudly. The microphone is tapped twice before the headmaster's voice echoes in the hall.

"Will the following students please report to the headmaster's office," her firm voice starts. "Noah Erikkson, Molly Harris, Duke Jones, Keegan Matthews, Isabelle Ricci..."

My brows furrow in confusion when I hear my name. What an odd list of students. I look at Ryan but he just shrugs. I grab my dishes as I stand and dump them in the bins. Noah walks at my side as we leave the dining hall. The other selected few follow suit and soon I find myself walking the familiar cobblestone path towards the main building.

"Any idea what this is about?" Noah asks.

"None," I shrug. "We haven't had a party in ages."

"Right?"