The Curse of Betrayal Read Online Free Page B

as time painfully ticks by but I keep my head down, not wanting to draw any more attention than necessary. I turn towards the door and peek out from under my wall of chocolate hair, willing Ari to walk through the door soon so at least I feel comfortable in his familiar presence.  
    But, he doesn’t.
    Instead, Lisa and Megan stroll in hand-in-hand with their boyfriends flanking them on either side. I perk up since I recognize their familiar faces, but Lisa’s almightier-than-thou stare shoots me down instantly. Megan waves over towards me, a sorry expression on her face, before she sits on the opposite side of the room with Lisa and their men. Clearly, we all know who holds the reins in that relationship. I turn and rest my head on my palm, waiting for class to start and end already so I can move on to the next.  
    “Oh hey, it’s the newbie!” Carter, Lisa’s boyfriend, exclaims when he notices me hiding behind a curtain of hair. His spectacle causes those who are in the room to all turn and stare at me. I just look back as Carter gets up from his desk and grabs his bag from the floor. I try not to look as he struts over towards me.
    He throws down his bag on the seat behind me and then plops himself down carelessly. He reaches over the front of his desk and wraps an arm around my shoulder, tugging me close. I frown at his forward behavior, but just brush it off, letting him express himself. It’s an awkward, overly friendly hug that I was definitely not prepared for.
    If it wasn’t eight in the morning, I’d think he had a tad too much to drink, but it is, so I don’t know what this guy’s up to—maybe he’s just a touchy feely kind of guy. I smile at him, not liking the fact that he’s groping me but liking that he had the balls to say hello—unlike the other people in the group.  
    “Hey, Ringo.” Lisa’s voice catches me next as she drawls out my “name.” I look behind her and regard the entire group as they pick up their books and move closer to where I’m sitting. I can tell Lisa’s disgusted with me by the turned up position of her nose and the fact that she might as well be wearing rubber gloves as she shoves her dainty hand in my direction.
    “It’s Ryder,” I mutter, not wanting to piss her off but wanting her to get my freaking name right. Deep down, I know she messed up my name on purpose. This isn’t my first run in with a bully.  
    “Right, Ride-her.” She acts like it’s the funniest thing on the face of the earth. The boys chime in laughing when they get the joke, but I can tell it’s not in a malicious way, unlike Lisa. I don’t know what I did to this girl, but she hates me!
    “Like I haven’t heard that before.” I wink towards the guys, trying to act like this mean girl doesn’t faze me. When deep down, my reserved anxious tendencies threaten to surface.  
    I put up with Becca for far too long, and if Lisa thinks I’m going to let it happen again, she’s wrong. I’ve learned from my mistakes—I’m no doormat anymore. I know how to stand up for myself.
    “What’s the rest of your schedule like?” Megan breaks the tension, asking from behind Lisa’s big head. I lean over, pulling my schedule out of my pocket and show her my paper. She takes it from my hand, and her eyes flutter between the two pages. “We have next period together!” she exclaims quietly, avoiding a harsh scowl from Lisa.  
    “Cool. Kara’s in that class also,” I say just as Ari walks into the room, briefcase and all. He drops the black case on his desk in front of me, before returning to the center of the front of the room. I can’t tear my eyes away from his professional-looking body. I swear the room gets silent the second he steps foot in and stays that way until he breaks it. It’s alarming the effect he has on everyone—myself included. I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for him to say something.  
    “Good morning. Aren’t you all lucky to have stats first