Free Breaking Fences (The Breaking Series) by Juliana Haygert Page B

did this, the sooner I would be rid of Jonah. And Audrey.

Chapter Eight
     
    A few girls were gathered in the common room on the first level of my dorm building. There was always someone there, and Thursday evening wasn’t any different. Lounging on the worn couches, reading, studying, drinking—because here it didn’t need to be the weekend for students to party and drink.
    As soon as I stepped through the front doors, they stopped talking and looked at me. I knew that look. They appraised me, and scanned every inch of me. They thought they were superior to me, and they wouldn’t be caught near me even if paid a thousand bucks.
    Grande coisa .
    I didn’t look their way, I didn’t rush my steps, and I didn’t change my expression. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing how much they bothered me.
    I climbed the two flights of stairs and put my key in my dorm room. It didn’t turn. What the hell? I took it out and insert it again, jiggled it a little, but it didn’t work.
    A sliver of light came from under the door and I heard shuffling from inside.
    “Molly?” I asked. As I expected, she didn’t answer. “Molly, I can’t open the door. Did you leave your key on the lock?”
    She would have had to leave her key twisted in the lock so I couldn’t insert mine. It was on purpose. She didn’t answer. As far as I knew, she had asked to change roommates yesterday, but they told her that if it were possible, it wouldn’t be immediate.
    I rested my head on the door. “I know you’re mad at me, but please, unlock the door. You can go back to ignoring me and pretending I don’t exist the next second. Please.”
    I heard a chair being dragged and the light went off.
    “Molly!” I punched the door.
    And she still ignored me.
    I groaned and marched out the building. This time, parading in front of the girls in the common room was harder, but I made it.
    Once out the building, I stopped and took a deep breath, willing my nerves to calm down. I knew I could go to student housing and complain about this, but I wasn’t ready for that. In Molly’s eyes, I would look weak, and she certainly would love to tell Audrey. No, I wouldn’t go running and asking for help. Not yet.
    But where could I go? I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the time. Phoebe was still in class so I couldn’t go to her room, or somewhere with her. I hated going places alone these days. Which was ridiculous. I had never cared about what anyone thought before. Why did I care about it now? This was ridiculous.
    I took another long breath and strolled to the coffee shop. It was crowded, as usual, but the line moved quickly and soon I had my drink in hand. A small table in a corner vacated as I walked by it. I sat down and pulled my iPad from my bag. I would spend the time browsing the internet, maybe updating Facebook or Skypeing with Leticia. She would understand and she wouldn’t tell me to go back to my parents’ like my brothers or Hannah would.
    I hoped Molly moved that key soon.
    Out of nowhere, a guy sat across the table from me. He leaned over the table, a confident smile on his lips. “Hello there. You’re Bia, right? The Brazilian girl.” He nodded his head, as if we were sharing a secret. I gaped at him. “Tell me, do you have a Brazilian wax under those jeans of yours?”
    I blinked. “Excuse me?”
    “I would love to see it.”
    I slapped his face.
    There was a low “oooh” all around. I tried to resist it, but it was stronger than me. I looked around and saw everyone staring at me. Including Audrey and Sarah, the two princesses seated at the tall bar wrapping around the back wall. They giggled.
    “What was that for, bitch?” the guy asked.
    Shaking my head, I wrapped my arms around my stuff and stood, grabbing my half-full cappuccino. I approached Audrey and Sarah.
    “Poor Butch,” Audrey said, still smiling. “When we told him you were Brazilian, he was so eager to meet you.”
    I took the lid off the