Starling

"Hey Hana." Starling greeted her friend as she approached her locker. Hana was wearing purple rimmed glasses today and purple star earrings that matched, which was per usual. What wasn't per usual was the frown twisting her mouth. "Everything okay?"

She looked around the hallway, and Starling followed her gaze, noticing for the first time that nearly everyone who walked by glared at her. Or started whispering furiously among themselves. One girl gave her a thumbs up.

Hana grabbed Starling by the elbow and turned her around so they were facing the lockers. "Look, I was going to be mad at you today since you kind of bailed on me last night, but I get it. Your brother was over there."

"Yeah, he was. How do you know that?"

Hana leaned in until Starling could smell the spearmint gum she was chewing. "Everyone is saying you two hooked up. Joyce saw y'all on your porch swing."

"What?" Starling hissed. Joyce Nice was nothing like her last name. Biggest mouth on the campus and usually the most accurate. If she told a story, people listened and believed. "This is terrible."

"I've already overheard some of the girls say some pretty nasty stuff. Jennifer Martinez is calling you a hypocritical ho to anyone who will listen, and there's a group whose putting down bets for when Gillian corners you for a fight. Beth Kilgrow said she'd hold you down for her."

"Oh good lord," she groaned, opening her locker and pulling out the books for the two morning classes. "Beth Kilgrow is almost six foot tall. What am I going to do, Hana?"

"Slut."

Starling jumped at the sound of the hissed insult and caught an elbow in the ribs as Jennifer Martinez walked by with two of her friends. She flipped her long, black hair over her shoulder and flipped Starling the bird.

"Ms. Martinez," Mrs. Betmyer bustled down the hallway with a stern look on her aged face. "Come with me so you can explain exactly what that was about."

"At least there is some justice in this world," Hana muttered at the same time Mrs. Betmyer whirled around to point at Starling.

"You can come with me too since you were a part of it."

"But Mrs. Betmyer," she protested, slamming my locker shut. This was absurd. Another group of students passed by, whispered insults echoing about their ranks. Of course, the teacher heard none of them.

"Do not argue with me. You can explain your little spat to the principal."

Jennifer smirked, clearly feeling as if she was going to be the victor in this scenario. Considering the principal was her aunt, Starling didn't doubt things would go Jennifer's way. Zipping up her backpack, she cut a dark look at Hana before trudging after Mrs. Betmyer and her new nemesis. Was it just a week ago they'd been talking about Griffin's latest movie? They'd never been best friends, but Jennifer had always been someone Starling could count on.

"You act all high and mighty, but you're just a skank," Jennifer whispered. She'd slowed her steps so she could walk alongside Starling. Mrs. Betmyer was too busy paving a path through students scurrying to class as the first bell rang.

"I love that you've come to this conclusion without getting the story from the source." Not that Starling knew what to say to explain away Griffin's presence at her house.

Jennifer frowned and glanced at her feet. But when she spoke, her words shivered with contempt. "A girl who would steal another girl's man isn't someone who would tell the truth. Don't you know how pathetic it makes you look? Griffin only went over there because he's too nice to turn you down."

"Oh please," Starling protested, rolling her eyes so hard she thought she might pass out. "If that were the case, he'd have been over at everyone's house, including half the teachers. Why don't you ask him what happened if you're not going to believe anything I say. Nothing happened between us."

"Then why was he over there? Joyce said she saw y'all kissing."

Starling came to a halt. It took Jennifer three steps to realize it. Mrs. Betmyer kept going, her attention snagged by a student loitering outside the bathroom.

Starling sifted through the moment on the porch, searching for a time when it might have appeared she and Griffin were kissing. Outside of a long embrace after he admitted he missed her, they hadn't even touched. Good gracious, how long was Joyce spying?

"Joyce is full of it."

"Girls. Keep up," their teacher said, moving behind them and pushing on their backpacks to get them going again. She stayed there until they reached the front office, giving the girls no chance to continue their discussion.

"Is Principal Martinez in her office?"

"Oh, um, yes," Harold Brown, the office admin said, pushing rimless glasses up his bumpy nose as he peered at Jennifer and Starling. "Is that Starling Anderson?"

"Yes, it is."

"Oh good. We were just about to buzz for her to come to the office. There's been an incident, you see."

"An incident?" Starling darted forward and slapped her hands on the counter. "Is Nana okay?"

Harold stuttered and blinked watery brown eyes at the women in front of him. "N-no. Um, Ms. Martinez."

The office door opened and the principal stuck her head out. The sight of her looking her over sternly made Starling fidget. Not once in all her years at school had she ever been called to the office for getting into trouble, and Principal Martinez was terrifying when you weren't on her bad side.

"Why is Jennifer here?"

Mrs. Betmyer stepped in. "I caught Jennifer making a very rude gesture toward Starling in the hallway."

Principal Martinez pinched the bridge of her nose. "Harold, please assign Jennifer to in school suspension for the day-"

"Aunt Izzy!" A single arched brow from her aunt brought Jennifer up short. "Whatever."

"No, it's not whatever. This is just to deal with your behavior until I have time to speak to you and call your parents. I need to speak to Starling in my office."

Starling ignored the daggers being shot in her direction and walked into the office. Griffin smiled weakly at her from one of the two chairs in front of a massive, dark wood desk. She gaped at her brother, wishing he'd speak as the principal settled herself in the chair across from them.

"Harold said there was an incident," Starling began.

The principal nodded. "Your car has been vandalized. Some rather unsavory language was scrawled across the paint and condoms were taped all over the windows."

"Star," Griffin whispered, reaching for her. She put up a hand to stop him and blinked back hot tears.

"I don't think that's wise, Mr. Anders. When our school was approached by your people, we agreed to this arrangement as long as your presence didn't cause serious disruption. One of my girls being targeted by bullies qualifies as a serious disruption. Don't think I haven't noticed you've received no negative attention."

"And that's my fault?" Griffin said, his dark eyes flashing. "I don't even know why they've decided to go after my- after Starling."

"Joyce Nice told everyone she saw us kissing last night so now they all think I'm a social climbing slut slash homewrecker."

"That's ridiculous and gross."

Principal Martinez couldn't stop the shocked gasp falling from her lips. "That was uncalled for. Starling Anderson is one of the brightest pupils in this school."

"It's fine," Starling told her. She too thought the idea of kissing Griffin was gross.

"I don't care what's going on between you two, but if this isn't handled by the end of the day, I will ask that you and Ms. Shaw withdraw from the school. Starling doesn't deserve this treatment. Jennifer will face disciplinary action for her behavior and as soon as we identify the people who vandalized your car, you'll be given a chance to press charges."

"Thank you, Principal Martinez. May we go now?" She just wanted to go sit in a bathroom stall and have a good cry.

But apparently the woman wasn't done. "Unfortunately, we will have to speak to your guardians, and before you leave, I want to know how you're going to handle this situation."

Griffin and Starling shared a look. They both knew there was only one way to salvage this for both of them. No matter what Griffin told the student body, as long as they thought Starling had designs on him, they would torture her- just a lot less obviously. They couldn't deny he'd been over at her house after all, and no one would believe them if they tried. And if word got back to the principal, Griffin's show could be put in jeopardy.

"There's something we should tell you," Starling said with a long sigh.

"Star, you don't have to do this. I can go somewhere else."

She scrubbed at the tears on her face. She really hated crying in front of people. Seeing the salty wetness sliding over her fingers bolstered her resolve.

"Oh sure, and then I can be the girl that caused Griffin Anders to be kicked out of school. No thanks. The truth will be better than that."

"One of you needs to explain now."

"Griffin and I aren't together."

"I already said I'm not interested in your relationship."

"Well, you should be," Griffin said. "Star is my sister. We're twins."

The principal stared at them both, her wine colored lips forming a perfect o. Her dark eyes bounced between them, no doubt cataloguing every difference between them and trying to figure out how it was possible. Griffin was the epitome of hollywood handsomeness, and Starling was average on a good day.

"Well, that's not what I expected to hear."

"I wanted to have a normal teenage experience, and I couldn't do that as the sister of Griffin Anders. But it looks like that dream is over. Besides, I'd rather control the narrative." She looked at her brother. "You and I both know some rag will pick up on this story sooner or later and they'll dig deep enough to find the truth."

Principal Martinez nodded. She might not know much about the world of hollywood gossip, but she understood teenage gossip. It was close enough. Starling grabbed her bag and stood.

"I'd like to return to class. Can you please give us a chance to tell everyone?"

"You have until the end of the day, but we will still have to address this. I'm think an assembly on bullying."

"Of course. Because that's not obvious," Griffin said, following his sister to the door. He reached for her hand, and this time she let him take it. "I'll get with my publicist to get a statement ready."

"Mama's gonna have a cow," she whispered as they got their hall pass from Harold and escaped to the empty halls.

"I don't care about her getting upset. I'm more worried about you. I'm sorry, Star. You warned me. You asked me to be careful, and I blew it by being selfish."

She hesitated. Old habits pushed her to agree, but she knew she was at fault. "You just wanted to reconnect with your family. How does that make you selfish? The world would've figured it out eventually. Lord, all someone needed to do was watch one of our old movies and put two and two together. Can't believe it hasn't happened yet."

"So, how do you want to do this?"

They stopped outside her World History class. She peered through the window slit. Just the sight of her classmates made her cringe. Until she spotted Hana sitting in the back chewing on her pencil and glancing at the door every few seconds.

"I don't know. Let me think about it."

"Shoot me a message. We do this on your terms. No matter what. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Griffin."

She watched him walk away, wishing she was going anywhere but into the lion's den. They were going to tease and torture her until the truth came out, and she had no idea how to tell it. Afterward, she knew they'd become simpering suck ups.

And she didn't know which one was worse.