Savage Grace

1 - Grace

I sank down at my desk, my fingers gripping the edge of my notebook. I was the new girl. Fresh meat. I'd heard murmurs and whispers in the hallway about me as I passed. This school was exclusive. A nepo baby playground.

I didn't belong here. They knew it, and I knew it. I blew a long chestnut strand of hair from my face as I popped in my earbuds to drown out the sound of chatter while I waited for class to start.

Pulling my novel from my messenger bag, I began to flip through the pages, wanting to get another chapter in. The love interest was just realizing he'd inadvertently put the woman he'd fallen for in danger, threatening their happily ever after. I sighed, my eyes scanning the page, skimming the words.

A hand slammed on my desk startling me. I glanced up over the slate gray slacks, to a crisp white button-down, that hugged its owner's muscles like it was tailored for him, to take in the boy with anger marring his perfectly sculpted face. He was rolling up the Oxford sleeves to his elbows, the top few buttons undone, revealing swirls of dark ink across his flesh. I gasped, yanking out my earbud when I realized he was talking to me.

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked, his thick eyebrows drawn together over narrowed cerulean eyes.

"Ryatt, I am trying to teach a lesson. If you could take a seat, I would greatly appreciate it. Tomorrow let's try to get to class on time," Ms. Bane scolded him, but her tone wasn't unfriendly. Not like his.

"My flight was delayed."

"Don't you have a private jet?" someone from behind me called out.

His lips twisted in a sadistic smirk. "Are you deaf?" He asked me.

I shook my head. His lip curled further. "Mute?"

I shook my head again, swallowing against the lump forming in my throat. He bent lower, hovering over me, his voice menacing. "Are you fucking stupid?"

"N-no," I bit out, my heart jackhammering in my chest. I could feel everyone's eyes locked on our exchange. This wasn't the first impression I wanted to make at my new school.

"Are you sure? Because you're in my seat."

"Oh," my lips popped open as I began to gather my things.

"Ryatt, it would have been your seat had you managed to make it to class on time," the teacher droned, her hand planted on her hip.

The boy ran his fingers through his dark hair, causing it to stick up haphazardly, somehow it still managed to look perfect. He turned, looking over his shoulder at the teacher, his eyes assessing her. I wished I had the guts to tell him to go screw himself. She didn't deserve this bullshit. Neither did I for that matter.

"I asked her a question. I'll move when I get a response."

It was a glimmer of hope. "What q-question?" I asked, my fingers going to my locket, fidgeting with it nervously. His gaze landed on mine, his smile more playful now like he was enjoying this humiliation or the fact that I was playing along.

"What is your name," he bit out the words slowly.

"Grace Savage. You?"

His eyes narrowed as he drew back to his full height. He must have been over six feet, towering above me like he was deciding whether to pick the entire desk with me and toss me aside.

"I'm the guy who is going to make your senior year a living hell if you don't move. Now."

His eyes locked on mine as he gripped the edge of my desk. We stared each other down, and honestly, I was afraid I would burst into tears if I moved.