Claimed By My Stepbrother novel Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Camila POV

When the guard finally got to my bag, I handed it over with a tight–lipped expression, praying that nothing unexpected would pop out. He rummaged through it with the same scrutiny as the others, but all he found were my. notebooks, pens, and a crumpled bag of chips I’d forgotten about..

He gave me a brief nod and moved on, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

Tess, on the other hand, practically shoved her bag Into the guard’s hands with a grin. “All yours. Knock yourself out

He gave her a look but went through her bag anyway, pulling out a ridiculous amount of brightly colored markers, gum, and a half–eaten granola bar. You pack for a road trip?”

“Always be prepared,” she said cheerfully, winking at me as she took her bag back.

By the time the guard reached the last student, the desk at the front of the room looked like a display case for a very strange auction. Cigarettes, a flask, a knife, candy that definitely wasn’t candy, and even a small, battered book that the guard opened and immediately closed with a scandalized expression.

“What was that?” someone whispered.

“Don’t ask,” the guard said gruffly, moving on.

The teacher, who had been watching the whole thing with growing exhaustion, finally spoke up. “I don’t even know where to start. All of you, stay after class. We’ll be having a very serious conversation about this.”

The collective groan was deafening.

“This is such bullshit,” Greg muttered, glaring at me like I was the reason his cigarettes got confiscated.

I avoided his gaze, focusing instead on Tess, who was gleefully whispering a running commentary. A bottle of vodka? Who even brings that to school?”

“Apparently Mia,” I said under my breath, glancing at the now–red–faced girl..

When the search was finally over, the guard straightened up and addressed the class. “For the record, the missing wallet wasn’t found. But if anyone happens to come across it, you’re expected to turn it in immediately. Understood?*

The room was silent, save for a few half–hearted murmurs of agreement.

As the guard left, the teacher sighed and turned to the rest of us. “Let’s get back to the lesson. And for those of you

explaining yourselves later.”

with contraband items…” She gave the confiscated pile a pointed look. “You’ll bo

way.

The class groaned again, and I tried to focus on my notebook, ignoring the glares and muttered comments directed my

Tess leaned over, “Cheer up. At least they didn’t find a dead body or something.”

“Thanks, Tess,” I said dryly, shaking my head. “That’s so comforting.”

1/3

Chapter 33

But as I stared down at my entpty notebook, I couldn’t shake the sinking feating in mY STUCK ST missing, and now half the class probably hated me.

Great. Just great.

As soon as the teacher walked out of the room after her class, the classroom erupted into chaos. Studente dan (74 wait a full second before the complaints started flying.

“This is all your fault, Camila!” Greg shouted, leaning back in his chair with a glare that could melt steel.

“Yeah,” Mia chimed in, crossing her arms. “If you hadn’t lost your stupid wallet, none of this would’ve happened!

I groaned inwardly, keeping my face as neutral as possible as I pretended to scribble something in my notebook. Maybe if I looked busy enough, they would forget I existed.

They didn’t.

“Seriously, Camila,” Jake added, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Next time, just glue your wallet to your hand or something. You got half our stuff confiscated!”

Another round of murmurs and groans followed his comment, the hostility in the room thick enough to choke on. I gripped my pen tighter, fighting the urge to lash out. What did they want me to do? Apologize for losing my wallet?

“Did you hear me, Camila?” Greg pressed, clearly not satisfied with my silence.

I finally looked up, raising an eyebrow as I leaned back in my chair. “Oh, I heard you,” I said, my tone flat. I’m just choosing to ignore it.”

The room fell into an awkward hush for half a second before someone muttered, “What a bitch, under their breath.

I rolled my eyes and went back to my notebook. Tess, sitting beside me, glared at the rest of the class on my behalf. “Y’all need to chill,” she snapped, slamming her pencil down. “It’s not like she made the security guard go through your bags: If you didn’t have contraband, you wouldn’t have anything to worry about!”

“Stay out of it, Tess,” Mia sneered, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Nobody asked for your opinion.”

“Yeah, well, you’re getting it anyway,” Tess shot back. “Deal with it.”

Before things could escalate further, Vanessa and her clique strutted toward me, their heels clicking against the floor like some kind of ominous drumbeat. I groaned internally. If the class’s hostility was like a storm, Vanessa was the lightning about to strike.

“Well, well, well,” Vanessa drawled, her perfectly manicured nails tapping on my desk as she stopped in front of me. “Look what I found.”

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