Chameleon Soul (Chequered Flag #1) by Mia Hoddell Page B

that?”
    “You haven’t seen it?”
    Before I could question her further, David—a pain in my ass, entitled rich boy—shouted from the back of the class. “Hey, Raine! Is it true you slept with Teo Coates and are now stalking him?”
    A few of the others in the class sniggered, and Nadine’s face soured even more. My heart started to race, banging against my rib cage in an attempt to break free. I sank lower into my seat, hunching over my desk. Instinctively I reached for the hood on my jumper to cover myself, only to remember I had worn a t-shirt today. My relationship with Teo before he became the country’s favourite driver had never been a big deal in the past.
    “Nadine, what is he talking about?”
    She dipped her hand into her bag and came back with a stack of gossip magazines. “It’s all over the front pages.”
    I snatched them from her. Staring up at me in the first one was a photo depicting my breakdown in the Braxton F1 factory. Teo was standing in front of me, his face menacing as I cowered against the wall and stared up at him with wild eyes. I flipped through the pile; they all had the same image with the generic headlines asking who I was, who I was to Teo, and some insinuated I was a crazy stalker who couldn’t understand the word no. It didn’t take a genius to figure out which magazines David had seen, not that it was a surprise considering his family owned them.
    Dammit to hell. The one course where reading the gossip magazines was actually encouraged had to be the one I studied.
    “Is it true, Raine?” David shouted out again, drawing another round of laughs.
    I was too stunned to say anything. Nadine yelled back at him, although the words didn’t register. I was too busy trying to draw air in through my mouth; my nose was not enough. It felt like an elephant had landed on my chest. The unbearable pressure made each breath a luxury since my body had decided breathing wasn’t a necessary function.
    I began trembling, shaking my head in denial.
    “This isn’t happening. It can’t be,” I muttered, and Nadine’s hands were rapidly on my shoulders. Pinning me to my seat, she stilled my movements. She dipped her head until her eyes met mine and held them.
    “Deep breaths, Raine. Nothing’s going to hurt you.”
    I attempted to inhale. It was unsteady and the tremors were becoming worse. The slippery grip I had on my emotions faltered.
    None of this was blending in. All of the hard work I’d put into becoming a chameleon, a nobody, had been destroyed. People were noticing me.
    I was a target.
    Those who didn’t know how to hide and conceal themselves were easy prey. That’s how nature worked.
    I didn’t want to be the victim again.
    “I’m calling Dustin,” Nadine said, her words no longer sounding calm.
    “No. He’s got free practice today. I can’t interrupt a race weekend for this.” I reached out and took hold of her hand to prevent her dialling his number. Compared to hers, my palms were slick with sweat.
    “I don’t know what I’m doing ,” she hissed, trying not to draw even more attention to us.
    “You don’t have to do anything. Let me go back to the flat and I’ll be fine.”
    “Come on, Raine. We’re all friends here. Why not give us the exclusive?” David jeered. “Was Coates really that good in bed you can’t let him go?”
    We’d never been friends.
    “Shut the hell up, David,” Nadine spat.
    I stood, keeping my gaze on the floor and away from the prying eyes. Picking up the magazines and my belongings with frantic, rigid movements, I hugged them to my chest.
    “Email me the work, yeah?”
    “I’ll drop it by later,” Nadine agreed.
    I opened my mouth to argue that she didn’t need to check up on me, but she silenced me with her hand. “I’m bringing it by later and I’m bringing fudge too.”
    “Fine, but it better be—”
    “I know, I know, mint chocolate swirl.” Nadine shooed me away.
    Power walking from the room, I silently counted