I feel myself nod, but I’m not sure if I’m agreeing with him or just doing what I need to do. Either way, it seems to appease him, because he presses a kiss to my lips, then leads me to the front of the group as the guys all start to move again.

When we enter the cafeteria, Sebastian turns to lead me to the table Court and I sat at on the first day of term, but I tug on his hand and shake my head. “It’s okay, we can all sit together.”

His brow furrows in confusion. “Sitting at your table with Courtney was part of our deal.”

“Were you going to let me sit there alone with her?”

“No,” he smiles mischievously, all of his anger from the scene with Adrian gone.

“So there’s no point is there? Let’s just sit at your usual table,” I shrug, turning toward The Elites’ table in the prime location in the center of the room.

“Hey,” he says, grabbing my arm and turning me to face him.

“I’m hungry, can we just eat?”

His eyes narrow and he stares at me as if he’s trying to figure out what I’m thinking. “Kiss me.”

I should argue, but what’s the point? After what he just did to that boy and Court’s reaction to it, it’s even more obvious how powerless I am against him. Instead of fighting, I push up onto my tiptoes and press my lips to his.

* * *

The next two and a half months are crazy. Sebastian has ingratiated himself into every aspect of my life and the only person who seems to think this is an issue, is me. My mom adores him. She’s even started asking me what Sebastian thinks every time she and I have an argument, and she’s even started hinting that it would be okay if I stayed overnight at his house as long as we slept in separate rooms. Courtney is so caught up in the world of The Elites, she’s strutting around school like she’s the queen bee, hanging off Evan and Clay’s arms every moment she gets the chance. The sweet girl who stayed friends with me even though I was poor is nowhere to be seen. Sebastian, The Elites and a shot at being the most powerful girl in school has stolen her from me.

Even in all the time I’ve been ignored by my peers and treated like I was beneath them, I’ve never felt as isolated and alone as I am now. Sebastian has somehow created a world where my life revolves around him. He’s taken my best friend and even my mom from me, and now all that’s left is him.

The hardest thing is that Sebastian isn’t treating me badly, he isn’t abusive per se, he isn’t forcing me to have sex with him, or being physically violent toward me. Honestly if we’d gotten together under different circumstances, I think I could actually like him. He’s beautiful, popular, powerful and rich. But the moment I start to soften toward him I remember that none of this is my choice. He didn’t ask me out and I chose to say yes, he told me I was his and forced me to go along with it.