Page 29 of The Bleak Beginning

“Screw off,” I snarl, trying to dust more of the glitter off my skin, but it only surrounds me in a bigger cloud. I bite back my groan; it was never going to come all the way out.

“Come on, mudslide.” Sylvester chuckles. “We just thought you could use a little sparkle in your life. Tough gig, being a reject and all.”

I bite back my flinch. Sylvester had no idea how true those words were.

“What happened to Prescott? Did she get in a fight with a disco ball and lose?” The third Legacy, Bishop smirked as he sauntered up to his friends.

I take deep breaths, trying to bring myself back to the present instead of dwelling on the memories of him nearly naked in his window the other night. I am all too familiar with Bishop's body, even under the sporty Altair jacket he currently wears instead of the standard black blazer. Despite it being tight and branded with the school’s logo, it does little to conceal his muscles which bulge and flex beneath it, almost like a second skin.

Focus Alex!

Blinking, I raised my chin defiantly, meeting Bishop’s gaze with steely determination. “I dunno,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I thought I’d try out a new look. Clearly, it’s working, since I’ve got your undivided attention.”

Bishop’s smirk falters for a moment. “Cute. Prescott’s found her voice.”

The other two Legacies snicker, but I refuse to back down. Numbness was superior to pain, and these jerks would never see mine.

“Glad you finally noticed.” I say. “It’s hard to be heard when I have to constantly talk over your egos.”

Bishop’s eyes grow feverish as fresh rage seeps from his pores. “Why don’t you crawl back to whatever gutter your father pulled you from?”

I cluck my tongue, unimpressed. “Wow, Bishop. Did you spend all night coming up with that one? I’m impressed. It must have exhausted those few brain cells of yours.”

Seizing the moment, I smile politely and step closer, shaking off as much glitter as I can in their direction. It was the least they deserved, seeing as they set up another student with their cruel prank.

Was the guy with more freckles than I currently had glitter weird? Sure, but that didn’t mean he deserved to be an unknowing participant in a prank that was meant for me.

If these jerks wanted to embarrass me then they should do it themselves. Not have others participate in their schemes.

“Ah!” They sputtered, coughing and rubbing their eyes. Well, Camden and Sylvester did, Bishop remained stationary. Unchanged. Immobile. As still as a statue.

I got a reaction from two of the three though, so I counted it as a win. It’s not my fault the one with brown hair had the personality of something so lifeless.

“What’s wrong, boys?” I taunt. “I thought you might appreciate a little sparkle in your lives.”

“You crazy b—”

“Ah, ah, ah,” I waggled my finger at Camden. “Language. Wouldn’t want to add ‘potty mouth’ to the list of a Legacy’s charming qualities, would we?”

“You’re going to pay for this!” Sylvester insists.

I shake another limb. They deserve the cloud of glitter in their faces after what they did to me at the assembly anyway.

Speaking of…

I march up to Bishop, so that he can see the self-satisfied gleam in my eyes.

“Next time you decide you want to embarrass me? Don’t.” My voice turns cold, laced with warning.

His jaw locks, a slight twitch in his cheek betraying his control.

“Or what?” he hisses, lips curling into a sneer. “What exactly do you think you, a worthless Prescott, can do about it?”

I don’t flinch. A strange kind of tension crackles between us like a live wire, ready to shock us both at any moment. It's as perplexing and disorienting as my own feelings towards him. Bishop has made it clear that he wants me gone, so why does my pulse quicken whenever he’s this close?

“Trust me,” I say, each word deliberate and dripping with venom, “you don’t want to find out.”

Bishop’s face remained impassive, but I smile. I’m not afraid of him.

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