The Class Reject: A Pariah in Purgatory (Book II)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Penelope's economy seat wouldn't have been that bad if there wasn't a crying baby a row behind her, and if the person next to her wasn't eating food with an odor that could only be described as nauseating. Not to mention the fact her mother was living large in a luxury first class cabin. And had sent her here just to spite her.

"Puta," she said under her breath as a flight attendant handed her some complimentary peanuts. She crushed the packet in her hand. In her other hand, she gripped her iPhone. Her mother had also just given it back to her. Normally, she would already be online, checking her social media presence, saying something witty on Twitter, posting a swoon-worthy pic on Instragram.

But she was scared.

Parker had called her mom once, but the woman didn't tell her what her boyfriend said.

"You can't afford to be distracted right now," Valencia van Helsing had replied with a slight Spanish accent. "You are this close to restoring your reputation, mija."

She pinched the phone harder, considering her mother's words. There was no way her image was in shambles. Everyone on Youtube could see that Miren attacked her first, and seemingly for no reason. She was innocent in all of this—she had to be.

But high school politics could be more skewed than reality. For all she knew, everyone hated her. Even Jennifer Lawrence.

"We're reaching our descent toward Hartford, Connecticut," a flight attendant called over the intercom. "Please make sure your seat is back and your folding trays are in their full upright position. We should be landing soon."

Penelope pursed her glossy lips. If she couldn't look at it now, then how could she prepare herself in the midst of her peers?

"Fuck it." With a small sigh, she turned it on. In a few moments, a million messages popped up. She clicked on them. A wave of panic washed over her, until the positive feedback washed in.

"Good job at the interview!" Sally Sutton wrote.

"Who knew Miren really was insane?" said another student. "You definitely handled her with far more patience and grace than I would have."

The Barbara Walter's clone posted a picture of them on Instragram. A total a million-bazillion friend requests on Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr/Snapchat/Social Media Everything. She almost screamed in excitement.

"Don't forget about us when you're famous!" said another. And Jennifer Lawrence had invited her to a showing for her next movie.

It was official; her brain had exploded.

She was in such a high she didn't care about Artemis' profane text, the fact that Parker hadn't spoken to her in nearly a month, or that Miren was dead. Nope.

The rest of her classmates and the whole fucking world only had good things to say about her. She was a "good" person.

So it was only natural that "good" things would follow.

***

"It wouldn't kill you to follow directions," Wallace said, folding his arms at Miren, who was writing innocently in her notebook.

"You may or may not have noticed, but I'm the only one still working." Miren motioned to the boys lined up at the door, fluttering around the computer lab like captive birds. "And besides, it doesn't seem very wise to have digital evidence of my scheming."