Free Hate Me (Worthy Of Love series, #1) by H.C Shota Page A

drink,’ I said lamely. A few chuckles arose at that. ‘And that’s all I know,’ I said.
    Jennifer smirked as if that was what she had expected. She whispered to her friends. Jennifer probably hadn’t finished telling them my entire life story and Jack and the involvement of his family. I saw her look back in Jack’s direction and knew my guess was correct.
    The whole class was silent as they realised I had nothing else to say. Jack didn’t even bother to try.
    Thankfully , Mr Mitchell didn’t press us and began to discuss the books we would need for this semester. I wrote down the list. I ignored Jack and pretended he wasn’t behind me; all the while I was very aware of him. I could feel every movement as he shifted on his chair or reached to get something from his bag.
    I was glad when the seminar came to an end. It h ad been tough for a first day. Jennifer and her cronies waited for at the end of hallway. I was the last one to get out of class. I braced myself.
    ‘How can you show your face around here?’ Jennifer’s friend said, some blonde girl with fake tan. Montgomery was fast becoming the next Essex.
    ‘How can you?’ I replied. ‘Better hope it doesn’t rain. Wouldn't want all that tan to wash out.’
    I left her stuttering and heard Jennifer mutter ‘What a bitch . She doesn’t even feel bad. Poor Jack.’
    They had no idea how I felt . They didn’t know what it was like to be a thirteen year old and testify in a court room against my own flesh and blood and in front of people who detested me and everything to do with my family.
    I walked across campus with my head held up high, because I would not cower in front of all these people. I was no longer the girl who covered her face with her hair, or looked down at her shoes.
    I went straight to the dorms. My roommate was a tattooed girl with a several piercings, the most prominent being above her lip.She was a little bit of everything. Rene had Spanish, French, Italian, and German heritage. We had quickly become close after moving in together.
    ‘Hey Rene,’ I said.
    ‘Is it true what they’re saying about you?’ she asked without missing a beat.
    I liked that with Rene. She was honest and said what was on her mind. ‘Yep,’ I replied. ‘Now’s the time to change dorms,’ I half joked. My voice came out more serious than I intended.
    Rene surprised me by moving away from her laptop and sitting next to me on the sofa. She hugged me tightly. I hadn’t realised how much I needed that until then. I was starved for human contact. My mother only cared about herself and her engagement with some rich guy. I didn’t have any friends because of my past and despite the court forbidding it, my face had been splashed all over the paper. The journalist responsible had paid a hefty fine, but I would be paying for the sins of another and my own childhood sins all my life. I would always be known as that girl no matter where I went. I leaned into Rene.
    ‘ It’s hard, huh?’ she said quietly.
    ‘ You have no idea,’ I said, sounding muffled against her shoulder.
    Rene stroked my hair, something my own mother hadn’t done for me in a long time. 'Want to watch a movie?' she asked.
    I nodded.
    Rene searched through her collection of DVD's, until we had a short list to get through. We settled on the couch together and shared a blanket big enough for the both of us.
     

Chapter Two
    Classes started at ten the next morning. After a late night of watching sappy films with Rene, I was quite tired. I looked at myself in the mirror. There was nothing I could do about the dark circles under my eyes. I didn’t wear make-up. I had vowed never to for as long as I lived.
    I pulled on any old top, not particularly caring how I looked. I found a pair of jeans and put the rest of my clothes in the wash. Once, I’d had everything a girl could envy, but then my family was disgraced, and my mother who had never worked in her entire life, began the lucrative career of