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  “Are you a scholarship kid?” I hear a deep voice ask.

  I look up at the guy talking to me. He actually looks normal. He has dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a seriously sexy tan. Like everybody else I’ve met since coming here, he’s gorgeous.

  “Um, no,” I answer his question.

  He looks at me curiously. “I don’t know what they have told you about scholarship kids, but trust me, the others grow bored of picking on you after a while. There is nothing wrong with being smart.”

  Now I’m looking at him, wondering what he’s talking about. “I’m not a scholarship kid. I’m Kihanna Evers. I just moved here, and today is my first day.”

  “Kihanna Evers.” He looks disappointed. “I’m sorry to bother you.” He starts to get up, but I stop him.

  “You’re no bother,” I quickly protest. “Please, sit. I feel like I’m drowning, and I could use a friend right now. What’s your name?”

  He hesitates but sits back down. “I’m Kasbian Hodge.”

  “So are you a scholarship kid?” I ask, wondering what difference it makes how he’s here, as long as he’s here… But I know exactly how a scholarship kid feels… Like the whole world is at your fingertips, but no matter how hard you try to grab it, it keeps slipping away.

  “Sort of. My dad is a teacher here, so I am here on a partial scholarship. I do janitorial work for the school to cover the difference,” he explains.

  “That’s awesome. I’ve heard this is a good school, so I’m sure it will help you get into a good college. That’s why my mom sent me to live with my dad. She wants me to go to a good college.”

  “I’m sure your daddy can pay for you to get into any college you want.” His voice is a little judgmental, but I don’t take offense to it. I can see why he would think this. Everybody here gets what they want. Why should I be any different?

  “At my old school, I actually had a 4.1 GPA, and I scored a 32 on my ACTs. I am pretty much set in the college department,” I defend myself. “But you’re right, now that I know my dad is Mark Evers, more doors will be opened for me. I can go to an Ivy League college if I want. There is nothing wrong with taking the opportunities that are given to you.”

  “Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t judge you. I don’t know you.”

  “Then get to know me. You will see I’m not like everybody else,” I dare him.

  I will show Kasbian and everybody else. I won’t let my past define me. I won’t let money, clothes, or family name determine what these people think of me. Once they get to know me, they will see… I may be Kihanna Evers, but I was Kihanna Foster a lot longer.

  12:23 PM

  Maybe I shouldn’t have punched her.

  If I had the option of having my brains eaten by zombies, or eating lunch in a high school cafeteria, I would choose the zombie every time. I’d probably have a better chance of surviving a zombie attack than a teenage girl attack.

  Or maybe it will be like The Hunger Games, and only one of us will come out alive.

  “Sis.” I hear Toby’s voice. He puts his arm around my shoulders. “How is your day?”

  “Let me think — I’m at a new school, and I haven’t had one class with anybody I know. How do you think I’m doing?”

  “That bad?” He shakes his head. “Well, allow me to make your day better.”

  “How do you plan on doing that?” I ask as we walk through the cafeteria doors.

  “My mere presence alone is rumored to brighten the darkest of days.”

  I laugh and ignore the stares of those around us. “You have a serious problem. I think maybe you need to lay off the pot for a while. It’s starting to fry your brain cells.”

  “Ha-ha,” he says sarcastically. “Want to sit with my friends and me?”

  I think about saying yes, just so I don’t have to eat alone, but then I wonder what kind of friends Toby has. “Nah, I think I’ll look for somebody to sit with. I met some cool people at Gabe’s party Saturday night. Maybe I will meet up with some of them.”

  “Okay. Later, sis.” He waves as he walks toward a group of guys who look questionable. I definitely made the right decision by not sitting with him.

  I start to head to the salad bar but am stopped by Jacqueline Hoff and two other girls. She is looking at me with the same disgusted look that she looked at me with at the black and white party.

  “What happened? Did Daddy cancel your credit card, and you were forced to shop at K-mart?” Jacqueline and her friends all laugh.

  I look at the three of them. All of the girls have the same shade of blonde hair, they have all styled it the same way, and their clothes are color-coordinated. Seriously, do they not have a life?

  “How long did it take you to coordinate these outfits?” I ask.

  “At least we planned.” One of the Jacqueline clones smarts back to me.

  Jacqueline holds up her hand to silence the other girl. “Just because your dad is Mark Evers doesn’t mean shit. You will never fit in here. If you know what’s good for you, you will go back to St. Louis, where you belong.”

  I just roll my eyes and try to walk around her. When I do, she shoves me. I’m not expecting it, so I end up running into a guy who has a tray of food. We collide and the food goes flying. Some of it lands on me, and I land on my butt.

  I look up to see Jacqueline smirk. “Oops.” She starts to walk away, but I grab her feet, pulling her down too.

  “You bitch,” she says as she hits the floor.

  I don’t give her the opportunity to say anything else. I punch her as hard as I can in the nose. I hear her bone crunch and blood starts trickling down her face. I smile for a second, and then I realize what I just did.

  Oh, shit.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have punched her.

  2:13 PM

  Nothing compared to Toby…

  I am now sitting in the principal’s office with Dad, Veronica, Jacqueline, and her dad. We’ve both told our sides of the story. Mine is the truth, and Jacqueline’s is a lie that makes her seem like an innocent angel.

  “I will admit that I shouldn’t have punched her, but she shouldn’t have pushed me,” I tell the principal. “I’m not going to let her bully me.”

  I’ve pretty much said the key word — bully. I’m guessing it’s not the first time he’s heard it said about Jacqueline Hoff.

  The principal sighs. “I can’t let either of you get away with this. I should suspend you both.”

  “Don’t do that,” my dad urges. “Certainly there is something they can do. Community service maybe?”

  He considers this for a second. “A couple of employees in our janitorial staff are going to be out next week, and they could really use the help. So starting Monday, and going through Friday, both of you will be expected to help out for two hours after school each day. If you don’t show up, I will be forced to suspend you.”

  “That sounds very fair,” Jacqueline’s dad agrees.

  I can practically see the steam coming off Jacqueline’s head. Her face is bright red, and she looks pissed. I suddenly have a very bad feeling.

  I just made the worst enemy.

  We walk out of the office, and my dad turns to me. “We will talk about this later. Go finish your last class.”

  Ugh. He’s disappointed in me. There is nothing worse than disappointing your parent. I’d so much rather him be mad at me.

  An hour later, school is letting out. I am pretty much dreading going home. On my way out to the parking lot, a few people high-five me and tell me how awesome I am for punching Jacqueline.

  “Kihanna,” I hear a girl yell. I turn around and see a girl that was at Gabe’s pool party. I think her name is Courtney.

  “Hey,” I greet her.

  “Props on the cafeteria, but it was probably one of the stupidest things you could ever do.” I love her southern accent.

  “Yeah, I know,” I say, biting my lip. “She definitely seems like a bad enemy to have here, but I wasn’t about to let her bu
lly me.”

  “I agree,” she quickly clarifies. “But you’re going to need allies. My friends and I would like to help you. Are you free tonight?”

  I nod. “I think. That depends on if I’m grounded or not.”

  Courtney laughs. “Trust me, you won’t be.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Toby is your stepbrother.”

  Good point.

  I knew there was a reason why I like Toby. I am suddenly glad that my stepbrother has done so many stupid things. This is nothing compared to him having sex with that redhead at the black and white party.

  “You’re right. What do you have planned?”

  “We will be at your house tonight around seven, you’ll see when we get there. See you later, Kihanna.”

  “Later.” I wave as she walks away.

  5:27 PM

  What do you have to lose?

  When I get home, big surprise, Dad isn’t there. Veronica is also nowhere to be seen, so my punishment is yet to be assigned.

  “Do you think they’ll ground me?” I ask Toby. He will know. He’s like the expert on being in trouble.

  “Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. They will get mad and yell at you, and then forget to punish you. One time I got grounded from my car for a month, and they forgot to take my keys away.”

  “Why would they ground you from your car?” I ask.

  “I got a DUI.”

  His answer shocks me. “Seriously?”

  “I was young. I had just turned sixteen.” He shrugs. “I’m older and wiser now.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re seventeen. Don’t pretend that you’ve learned some life-altering lesson in a year’s time.”

  “You didn’t know me a year ago,” he snaps. “You don’t know what I’ve been through or what I’ve learned in that time. But I learned my lesson, and I will never drive under the influence of alcohol again.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry,” I quickly apologize.

  I’ve never seen Toby mad or upset. He’s always so relaxed, which could be the pot, but I don’t think so. I think it’s just him. I guess everybody has a breaking point. I just wish I knew what happened between last year and now.

  My phone vibrates, and I look down to see my mom’s number.

  Oh, no. Dad probably told her about the fight, and now she’s going to yell at me. Great, I get to get yelled at by both of them.

  “Hello,” I answer, hesitantly.

  Toby waves goodbye to me as he leaves my room.

  “Kihanna Evers…” I can hear the disappointment through the phone. I wish she was yelling.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  And so I tell her the whole story — starting with the black and white party, and ending with me breaking Jacqueline’s nose.

  I hear my mom laughing from the other end.

  “It’s so not funny. I could have been suspended.”

  “You’re right, it’s not funny,” she says, and immediately stops laughing. “Kihanna, I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself, but you can’t let bullies like Jacqueline get to you. I raised you better than that.”

  “I know.” I sigh. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. We all make mistakes. Just be the bigger person. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  As we are hanging up I hear a knock on my door. I look up to see Courtney walk in, followed by two other girls.

  The first girl Courtney introduces is Arianna Morgan. She is possibly the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. She has beautiful blonde hair, big blue eyes, and porcelain-colored skin. She seems kind of shy, but I can tell we are going to be good friends. Her dad owns a bunch of hotels around the world.

  The next girl is Victoria Spencer. She has red hair, green eyes, and a kick-ass body. She is a cheerleader, and I can tell from her body. She looks very athletic. I find out that her mom is a movie producer. She names some of the movies that her mom produced and I am impressed.

  “I loved how you stood up to Jacqueline today,” Arianna says. “I’ve wanted somebody to put her in her place for so long. She’s always so mean to everybody else.”

  “It’s about time,” Victoria agrees. “She’s an evil bitch, and she is not going to let you live that down.”

  “Which is exactly why we are here. We want to help you,” Courtney explains. “Jacqueline has everything — a rocking body, a dad who will give her anything she wants, and as if her ego isn’t big enough, she was also a child star. We want to knock her off her pedestal and give somebody else a chance to reign at Bayside Academy.”

  “And you think I’m the girl to do that?”

  “Duh. You’re the one who knocked her out,” Victoria answers.

  “You’re the perfect girl to do it,” Courtney continues. “And with our help, you can.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “What do you have to lose?”

  The question seems innocent enough, but as I say “Okay,” I’m already regretting it… Like I’m losing a part of myself by saying yes.

  I really, really hope that this is the right decision.

  Friday, August 27

  7:52 AM

  Conforming

  I am vain, I am superficial, and I kind of like it.

  Okay, so maybe I am not completely superficial. But the skirt that I am wearing could feed a small family for three, maybe four months. I hate myself for liking the skirt. But I love the way it feels against my skin, I love the way it flows, and most of all, I love how I look in it.

  Last night, Arianna, Victoria, and Courtney helped pick out my outfit. I know, I know! I was bashing Jacqueline for planning her outfit and here I do the same thing! But, on a plus note, I didn’t color coordinate with my friends. That’s got to mean something, right?

  My skirt is an A-Line, which I learned last night, and it’s white with large, horizontal, black lines. I’m wearing a black, silk, sleeveless top with a boat neckline. My shoes are white satin and have a five-inch heel. I know I will be regretting that decision sometime around second period, but they look cute.

  Toby is walking past my door just as I walk out of my room.

  “I see your conforming quite nicely,” he jokes. Or at least, I think he’s joking. With Toby, you never can tell.

  “Shut up.” I roll my eyes dramatically at him.

  “So did Mark come talk-slash-yell at you last night?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. But my mom called to sort-of yell at me. She actually laughed.”

  “Well, enjoy your week of janitorial duty. I hear scrubbing toilets is a great way to burn calories.”

  As we walk down the stairs, I pause for a second when I see Veronica standing at the bottom. Ugh, is she seriously going to be there to approve my outfit every day?

  “You look very nice, Kihanna,” she compliments me, as I make my way down the stairs.

  The fact that she says this makes me want to run back to my room and change my clothes. But instead, I just say, “Thank you.”

  “And please, don’t break anybody’s nose today.”

  “I hadn’t planned on it,” I reply. “But the day is still young.”

  About thirty minutes later, I arrive at school. When I walk into my first class of the day, I take the empty seat by Kasbian. We still have a few minutes until class starts, so I decide to talk to him.

  “Hey,” I greet him. “Did you hear I’m going to be working with you next week?”

  He looks at me curiously for a few seconds, and then he smiles. “Oh right, because you broke that bitch’s nose. That was awesome, by the way.” He holds his fist out, and I bump mine against his.

  “Thanks. I don’t really like bullies, and I have a bit of a temper. I may have overreacted, but I’m sure she’s already got her plastic surgery appointment set. I might feel slightly worse if she had to live with a crooked nose the rest of her life.”

  “I wanted to say sorry about judging you yest
erday,” he says. “Generally the rich kids aren’t very tolerating of us… umm… normal kids.”

  “Oh haven’t you heard?” I drop my voice to a whisper and lean closer. “I used to be poor.”

  He laughs. “You’re alright, Kihanna Evers.”

  I think that’s a compliment, so I take it. “Thanks.”

  “I’m serious. I look forward to getting to know you.”

  “Ditto.”

  12:22 PM

  Never been kissed.

  It’s the dreaded time of the day again — lunch. Only today doesn’t seem as horrible as yesterday. I actually have friends to sit with… Okay, maybe it’s a little early to put Arianna, Victoria, and Courtney in the friends category, but they’re the closest thing I’ve got to it, so I’ll take it.

  When I sit down with them, I see Jacqueline and her clones staring at us from across the room. I’m beginning to think the scowl look on her face is just how she always looks. She has black eyes on both sides, and her nose is swollen and slightly crooked. I want to smile, because she totally deserves it, but I don’t. I figure I shouldn’t add fuel to the fire.

  “I see they’ve coordinated outfits again,” I say to nobody in particular.

  “They wear polka dots the fourth Friday of every month,” Arianna explains.

  “How do you know that?” I wonder.

  “They thought that because I had blonde hair, I wanted to be in their group. They have a whole list of rules, including what you can and can’t eat in public, what you can and can’t wear, and that’s just the beginning.” She rolls her eyes. “After two lunches with them, I told them we would be better as friends from a distance.”

  I laugh at that. “How did Jacqueline take that?”

  “She spread a nasty rumor around school about me and told everybody that she didn’t want me there.”