From the back of the classroom, a pair of cold blue eyes watched her with narrowed calculation. Logan Hastings, with his golden hair and tailored uniform that somehow looked more expensive than everyone else's, whispered something to the muscular boy next to him.
When class ended, Aaliyah gathered her books, mentally plotting the quickest route to her next class. As she stood, Logan bumped past her desk, sending her books crashing to the floor. The room fell silent.
"Oops," he said, not bothering to look down. "Affirmative action at work, I guess."
His friends—Brock, Ethan, and Trey—laughed on cue, as if they'd rehearsed this moment. Mrs. Harrington busied herself with papers at her desk, carefully not seeing what had happened.
Aaliyah knelt to gather her scattered notes, keeping her expression neutral. She'd been warned about Logan Hastings. His father wasn't just wealthy; he was the mayor, and from what she'd heard, practically owned the town. She picked up her last notebook and stood, meeting Logan's gaze directly without speaking. Something in her refusal to show hurt seemed to irritate him more than any comeback would have.
In the cafeteria later that day, Aaliyah sat alone until a petite sophomore with a bright smile approached her table.
"Mind if I join you? I'm Zoe Wilson."
Relieved, Aaliyah nodded. "Please. I'm Aaliyah."
"I know who you are," Zoe said, unpacking a homemade lunch. "The whole school's talking about the new scholarship student who made Logan Hastings look stupid in English."
"I didn't—"
"You existed competently in his presence. That's enough to offend him," Zoe said with a dry laugh. She gestured discreetly across the cafeteria, where Logan sat holding court with his friends, Principal Callaway standing nearby, laughing at something the boy had said. "See that? That's Westfield's power structure in a nutshell. Logan's dad is mayor, Brock's father owns half the real estate in town, Ethan's mom is the judge, and Trey's dad runs the biggest factory that employs half the town." Zoe took a bite of her sandwich. "Last year, a teacher tried to fail Brock for plagiarism. She was gone within a week. 'Budget cuts.' Principal Callaway's job depends on keeping them happy."
Aaliyah absorbed this information, mentally mapping the power dynamics at play. She'd faced prejudice before, but this was different: a system designed to protect certain people while keeping others in their place.