Claire stared at her in utter disbelief. "That really won't be necessary!"
She admired the dedication, though.
Hopefully, Ms. Zeller would be desperate enough to swallow it.
Skye held back. "Never mind, I'll save it for the heiress. Otherwise, she'll be starving later with nothing to eat."
When they arrived, Zara's eyes were red. There was a distinct fingernail scratch down her cheek. It hadn't broken the skin, but it was glaringly obvious.
Her hair was a messy nest, the unmistakable hallmark of a brawl.
When girls fought, it usually boiled down to hair-pulling and scratching, rarely escalating to throwing actual punches.
The physical damage was low, but the disrespect was off the charts.
Zara felt incredibly wronged.
Beauty was a rare currency. Since she was gorgeous, she had grown up enjoying endless privileges.
Naturally, plenty of people were jealous of her looks and her pedigree.
But precisely because everyone knew exactly who her family was, no one had ever dared lay a finger on her.
This was the absolute first time she had ever gotten into a physical altercation with a classmate.
"Thank you!" Zara was genuinely touched.
She took the peace offering, staring down at the beef jerky with hesitation. "Is this really safe to eat?"
Skye's immediate reflex was to blurt out, "I hid it in my socks, but I swear they were brand new!"
Claire rubbed her temples. Nobody asked for the origin story.
Zara looked absolutely horrified. "You did what?!"
Skye slapped a hand over her mouth. Oops. Said the quiet part out loud!
But under Zara's piercing glare, she had to come clean. "The socks were completely new! I literally bought them just to smuggle snacks."
"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe."
"Aren't you starving? Just eat it."
Even though she knew the socks were fresh, Zara still couldn't shake the mental block.
This jerky was going to taste like a footlocker, even through the plastic wrapper!
"My mom says processed snacks like this are garbage for your body," she muttered, pulling the Mrs. Zeller card.
Skye just ripped the packaging open for her. "Oh, please. People eat junk food all the time and we're all still breathing."
"Are you going to eat it or not? Because if you don't, I will."
Skye saw Zara still hesitating and added the final nail in the coffin. "Are you absolutely sure you can survive unt dinner. They're probably going to make us run drills all afternoon."
Nope!
The savory scent of the jerky hit Zara's nose, and she swallowed hard.
Claire chimed in softly. "You should eat. If you wait any longer, Skye's going to snatch it back."
Fine.
Zara finally gave in, taking tiny, reluctant bites.
Skye clicked her tongue from the sidelines. "Look at her being all dainty. Guess she isn't that hungry after all."
Zara nearly choked. She was ravenous, but years of etiquette lessons were hardwired into her brain. She couldn't help how she chewed.
If anyone paid close attention, they would notice she was devouring it way faster than her usual pace.
"So, spill. What exactly happened?"
Claire looked between Zara and Lex.
It had been impossible to get the full story over text, but now that they were face-to-
face, Zara couldn't hold back her grievances.
"All I did was ask Lex to help me organize my stuff! I didn't want to drag the squad down again. But they twisted it and accused me of enslaving my roommates.
"They even called Lex my maid. Who the hell is supposed to tolerate that?"
"And look at this! She scratched my face! I bet she just used it as an excuse to lash out because she's jealous of how pretty I am."
Zara's big, expressive eyes welled up with unshed tears as she looked pleadingly at Claire.
Even though Claire was a woman herself, she couldn't help but soften at the sight.
She examined the angry red scratch on Zara's cheek. Yeah, she really did look like a kicked puppy right now.
Who could have predicted that Zara would end up with a roommate who was not only entirely unimpressed
by her status but also willing to throw hands?