The next day, Bella walked into the classroom, her bag slung over her shoulder, her mind still half-focused on the presentation they had worked on yesterday. The room was already half full.
Her eyes found their usual spot. Mira was sitting there but she wasn't alone.
A girl sat beside her. Dark hair, dark eyes, sharp features. She was beautiful. Striking. The kind of beauty that made people stop and stare. She was wearing a cream-colored sweater and her jewelry glinted under the fluorescent lights.
Krystal.
Bella had never met her, but she knew her. Karl had described her perfectly. The way she smiled with her lips but not her eyes. The way she touched people's arms when she talked. The way she made everyone around her feel slightly less important.
Krystal looked up as Bella approached. Her eyes swept over Bella, taking in her clothes, her bag, her face. Her lip curled, just slightly, before she looked away.
Bella's stomach tightened.
