Page 3 of Filthy Elites

“I didn’t peg you for a classical music fan,” a voice says near my ear, and even through the Airpods, I can hear Jason clearly. He sounds more annoyed than curious.

I jump in my seat and turn to glare. Big mistake. He’s much too close, and I almost bump my nose with his. Quickly, I lean back.

“Have you ever heard of privacy?” I ask.

He smiles, but it’s grim, and something inside me shivers a little.

“No. And a word of advice—if you have any secrets you’d like to keep, I’d suggest you play nice with me.”

The teacher enters the classroom then, prompting Jason to step away and return to his seat far away from me. Thank God he’s not my neighbor. Unfortunately, his statement rattled me. I’m still reeling from it when the teacher calls my name.

“Yes?” I blurt out.

“No ‘yes’, señorita Devlin. Nosotros solo hablamos español en clase.”

“Perdón.”

Everyone is now staring at me, which makes my face heat up like a hot air balloon.Hell.

He asks me to introduce myself to the rest of the class, because I’m starting school a week late. I’m fluent in Spanish, but when I open my mouth to say the rehearsed background story, no words come out. To my dismay, my body begins to shake. Black dots appear in my vision, and then nothing.

ChapterTwo

Nicola/Isabelle

When I wake up,I’m lying on my back, and there’s a bright light on the ceiling that hurts my eyes. I try to get up, but a hand on my arm stops me.

“Don’t move just yet,” Jason says. “Nurse Veronica, your patient is awake.”

I turn my head and find him sitting on a chair next to the examining bench. Oh no. I must have fainted during Spanish class.

“Did you bring me here?” I ask.

He smiles in an enigmatic way but doesn’t answer. It doesn’t bring me comfort. It’s chilling. A moment later, the nurse opens the partition and walks in.

“How are you feeling, Ms. Devlin?”

“I’m fine.”

She watches me through a hard stare. “People who are fine don’t faint. Does this happen often?”

Why is she asking me personal questions in front of Jason? Doesn’t anyone in this school know the meaning of privacy?

“You have my medical records, so you know the answer to that already,” I snap.

Her lips become a thin, flat line. “I see. When was the last time you ate?”

Oh God. Seriously?

I sit up to show her that I reallyamokay. The reason I fainted was psychological, but hell if I’m going to tell her that in front of Jason. Now that I know she couldn’t care less about protecting my privacy, she’ll get nothing from me, even if the pest is not present.

“I had a good breakfast. Listen, I’m fine. Can I go now?” I jump off the bench.

Dizziness doesn’t hit me, probably because no one is forcing me to speak Spanish.

Jason stands and tells the nurse, “I’ll escort Nicola to her next class, just in case she’s not feeling as great as she claims.”

The nurse gives him a nod. “You do that, Jason.”

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