Chapter 28: A Gathering of Idiots
"Uh... Hanny, who these dudes s’posed to be?"
"People from my old school. Bad news."
The group standing in front of them, ironically enough, almost mirrored their own—four girls, three boys. If Benjamin weren’t still stuck in class, and with Gary now tagging along, they would have had the exact same setup.
Even the racial mix was the same—and for some reason, that pissed Bella off. Not just because it made their own group feel less special, but because of the way Hannah was acting.
They’d only known her for a little over a week, but it was already clear—there weren’t many things that could shut Hannah Ross up. Seeing her quiet now, tense, speaking only with her eyes?
That was rare. Maybe even unheard of. And her eyes weren’t saying anything good at all, to the point that even Riley could tell that something was wrong.
He tilted his head slightly, scanning the group in front of them before glancing at his sister’s face. Her jaw was clenched. Her hands were trembling.
Is that anger, Sister? he thought. Or... is it fear? Are you afraid... of them?
Riley’s gaze returned to the group. One of them—a girl—was already staring at him. And the moment their eyes met, she gasped and pointed at him with no attempt at subtlety.
"It—it’s true?!" she blurted—no, bellowed, her voice echoing through the Academy’s wide halls, "The trust fund baby has a freaking albino for a brother?!"
Instantly, all of their eyes turned to Riley.