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Eliza can't help feeling uncomfortable under the students gazes. Her hands clench at her sides as she stares right back at all the curious teenagers. The girl doesn't pull her gaze away until Damian places a hand gently on the small of her back from beside her, causing her to jolt as she's taken off guard. The boy shoots Eliza a concerned look that she turns away from as she begins moving towards the entrance of the school; her body hyper-aware and alert. She feels so exposed, so naked under all the kids gazes, but it hardly causes her steps to falter as she continues on with poise. As the newcomer passes, like a row of dominos collapsing one by one, the kids begin whispering to one another.
"Do you think Damian has a secret sister?"
"Do you think she's homeless and the Wayne family took pity on her?"
Eliza can't help hear the gossip, but she hardly bothers to give it any attention as she walks into the school, Damian keeping close by her. The girl instantly forgets about the lingering eyes as she takes in the scene inside Gotham academy. It's busy. Kids mill around in the halls, discussing their weekends and schooling, talking and laughing with one another that creates a buzz throughout the hallway. Eliza isn't used to all the noise, all the people, but she forces herself to relax and focus on putting one foot in front of the other as she continues on.
"Damie!" A voice calls out above all the commotion, catching Eliza's attention as she turns to the source of the noise. A girl with long brown hair moves towards the billionaires son and the stranger, a smile plastered over her lips and a glint of hunger in her eyes as she stares the boy up and down.
Eliza's steely gaze lands on the girl approaching, eyes running up and down her slender form. Her white blouse had the top buttons undone and the bright pink bra she wore underneath was exposed through the material. Her dark skirt was hiked high to show off the girls long, fake tanned legs. The shoes she was wearing weren't the mandatory uncomfortable black shoes but instead a pair of four inch heels that screamed wealth. Her brown locks were curled and placed delicately over her shoulders and she was very, very pretty. The girl reminded Eliza of the models she saw plastered outside retail stores, their faces painted and frozen in time with the look of false luxury.
"Hi, Jenna," Damian replies, sounding rather disdain as the devil in Prada stops in front of the two.
"Where were you? I hardly got a text back all weekend!" Jenna says, placing a delicate hand on the boys bicep as his features pull into a scowl at the nickname. Eliza shifts uncomfortably at the scene, moving to make her escape and go find her classes before Jenna's gaze turns on her.
"And who is this?" She asks, her smile turning forced as she looks Eliza up and down with a distasteful glint in her eyes.
"This is Eliza. She's going to be living with me and my family," Damian says, turning down to face the girl, who's beginning to look rather uncomfortable.
"And just why is she living with you?" Jenna asks, her jaw clenching ever so slightly. Eliza isn't one to assume things about people, she's been a ghost amongst society and she hardly knows how to be a respectable human being herself, but it's safe to say her assumption about Jenna being a total bitch isn't that far from the truth.
"I don't see how that's any of your business," Eliza says, voice sharp as she returns the girl's look of distaste. Jenna's features twist into a scowl, not pleased with being told off as she lets out a huff.
"Well, isn't she rude. I was only asking. No need to get defensive, Eliza," Jenna says, saying the girl's name as if it's putrid to the tongue. Eliza's glare doesn't falter from the Brunette as Damian steps in, wanting to avoid a cat fight minutes before first period.
"And there's no need to be nosey, Jenna," he says, mocking her words as she shoots the boy an offended look. He brushes it off, knowing the offence is a false ploy as he turns back to Eliza. "We should get to class."
The girl nods, wanting to be as far away from Jenna as quickly as possible. The tips of her ears burn red hot and her fists clench by her sides, itching to swing out towards the girls painted face. If this had happened a month earlier Jenna would be on the ground, crying with a broken nose, but Eliza refrains herself; not wanting to give in to her anger.
"See you in science, Damie. Remember, lab buddies," Jenna says, attempting to claim the boy as hers as Damian's brows shoot up.
"Do I really have a choice," the boy says sassily, causing Eliza to smirk before he brushes past her to continue down the hall. Jenna glares at Eliza as she moves past her, but the girl doesn't bother to give her the time of day as she catches up to Damian.
"Who is she?"
"Some preppy bitch who gets a power trip from her fathers wealth. We became lab partners this year and she wants to use me to become more powerful and popular in school," Damian says guiding the girl into the two's shared math class as they take a seat near the back as kids start filing in to the classroom.
"God, I hope that bitch is gone from my life as fast as she came waltzing into it," Eliza thinks, a smirk playing across her lips just as the first bell rings.
The first two classes were rather uneventful after Eliza's exciting start to the day. Math went by like a breeze. The girl was already well educated by her father and other scholars from her years spent in the League and even some of the hardest calculus came as easy as adding and subtracting to her. She spent her second class, English without Damian and it went smoothly. The class was already in the middle of reading Romeo and Juliet, a tale the girl hasn't heard of.
English came as more of a struggle to Eliza. She didn't learn English until she was already a young girl and the only classic literature her father allowed her to read was the stuff of death and damnation. Eliza was pleased to be getting an actual education in her schooling, and she preferred the way teachers taught compared to her fathers schooling. She'd even managed to make a friend, or at least acquaintances with a girl named Jewels from her English class and was beginning to think school wasn't such a bad place after all.
Damian was happy to hear Eliza was still open to the idea of school, even after the mess with Jenna that occurred that morning. The girl even sounded excited for her next class as she gushes to Damian about her first two classes on their way from the cafeteria at lunch, trays adorned in both their hands as they look for a place to sit out in the courtyard.
The two find an empty table, setting their trays across from each other as Eliza peels back the wrapper to her hamburger. She feels a set of eyes on her and she turns, rolling her eyes at the sight of Jenna scowling at the two from across the courtyard.
"Why'd she care so much that I was living with you?"
"She probably feels threatened by you. Thinks you're gonna steal me away from her or some childish reason like that," Damian says, his gaze flicking to Jenna's as he takes a bite of his apple.
"Do you think she'd try anything?" Eliza asks, curious how deep the girls hatred for her has already settled and how far she'd go to get back at the newcomer.
"She's all talk. She'll threaten to uncover the dirtiest secrets you have, but in truth she knows jack-shit. She flaunts her fathers wealth and apparent 'social status' to gain popularity and scare those she thinks are beneath her. The saddest part is how many people fall for it."
"But, if she wanted to, could she uncover something that maybe we don't want her knowing about?" Eliza asks, weary of the idea of Jenna snooping around in her life.
"Possibly. But I wouldn't worry too much about it. Tim plagiarized some files and Eliza Blakley is now officially on the record so she wouldn't find much even if she did decide to look," Damian says, lessening the girls worry about the brunette discovering the truth of her fabricated life. "Aw shit."
"What is it?" Eliza asks, concern sparking in her gut as Damian sighs.
"I forgot to grab a water," he says and the girl feels a little silly getting all worked up about a bottle of water. The boy excuses himself, leaving Eliza to eat alone as she focuses back on her food.
The girl just finishes the last bite of her burger when she's interrupted by the sound of someone's lunch tray slamming down on the table. Eliza glances up, rolling her eyes once she notices who it is.
"What. The. Hell."
Jenna's gaze glares down at the girl, two more bimbos beside her as they stare at Eliza as if she's the dirt on their heels.
"Can I help you?" The girl asks, biting into her shiny red apple as she seems rather nonchalant about the whole interruption.
"What's with the flirting with Damian? Do you really think you can waltz in here looking all cute and innocent and expect him just to fall head over heels for you?" Jenna asks, jabbing an accusing finger in Eliza's face as she feels anger quickly boil in her blood.
"What, you mean like the shit you've been pulling?" The girl asks, her brows raised before she shakes her head. Eliza doesn't understand how someone's life can be so meaningless and boring that this is the shit they choose to let consume their time and energy. "Look, Damian isn't just a piece of meat anyone can claim. He's a human being, a legitimate person, if he would rather hang out with me then just let him. This doesn't need to be some childish cat fight."
"Just remember your place, Eliza," Jenna says bitterly, ignoring the ring of truth in the girl's words. "I will make your life a living hell. I will end you."
"I'd like to see you try," Eliza says, standing up so she's at Jenna's level. The Apple in her hand is now crushed in her tight grip. Sticky juice pours over her palms as one of Jenna's groupies lets out a gasp. Jenna takes a step back, almost shocked at the evil glint in the girl's gaze before she regains herself with a scoff, though Eliza can still see the fear in her eyes.
"Oh, please. I'll hire lawyers and search the world to find dirt on you, Eliza Blakley; if that even is your real name."
Eliza's gaze doesn't falter, still cold and menacing as she glares at the brat, though the thoughts in her head run a mile a minute.
"This bitch. This backstabbing little daddy's girl can find my father and hand me over. This girl can kill me, and she doesn't even know it," she thinks to herself, disgusted by this girl and how she's acting like a child over nothing.
"Eliza," Damian says cautiously, returning back to the table with two water bottles in hand and the sight of Jenna and Eliza glaring at one another.
"Oh, hey, Damie! Sorry, we were just looking for you and we thought Liza might know," Jenna says, smiling sweetly at the boy as Eliza grimaces at the nickname. "I just wanted to ask if you would walk to science with me?"
"I'm walking with, Eliza. E-L-I-Z-A. Not Liza. You know, some people don't like nicknames," Damian says, hinting at how much he hates the nickname given to him by her.
"Well if she really hates it she can speak for herself-"
"I hate it," Eliza deadpans causing Damian to snicker as the brunette huffs.
"Whatever," she says rolling her eyes just before the bell rings. "Ooh, time for science. You know what that means?"
"Sadly, yes," Damian mutters. Jenna ignores his comment and blows him a kiss before moving for the doors as the boy turns back to Eliza. "You two seem to be getting along great."
"We'll be BFF's in no time!" The girl says, putting on a fake peppy voice that causes Damian to chuckle. "What are you still doing here anyway? I thought you'd be rushing to science to be in your beloveds arms."
"I'd rather be lab partners with Scarecrow then sit through another class beside her," the boy says, nose wrinkled in disgust as now it's Eliza's turn to chuckle.
"No need to be so sour, Damie," Eliza says, stretching out the nickname as Damian shakes his head, gathering his stuff for the next class.
"I'm not going to live that one down, am I?" He says, sounding rather exasperated as the girl breaks into a smirk.
"Nope, I already texted Dick about it."
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A/n
Again I am hitting all the cliches. I can defiantly cross 'High school bimbo pinning annoyingly after main love interest' off my list.
I changed this chapter ALOT from what it used to be. Re-reading it and thinking back I hated it so much and Damian was so OOC. But now I'm happy with it and kind of love having Eliza and Damian not put up with Jenna's shit because it's funny af.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed part nine of "Bloodshed is all I've Ever Known" Part ten up soon!
Please vote and comment
Edit April 2020:
Boy, oh boy, this ending kinda sucks ass but I'm honestly digging it. I changed this chapter a shit ton (again) and threw a lot more lighter jokes and teases into it so it's not just this constant drama between Jenna and Eliza. We also see Eliza developing a lot more as a character as she begins to slowly accept society and even enjoying her time at school.
Hope you all enjoyed :)