I didn't get a say in Oliver staying at my house. The two men made the agreement between themselves whilst I sat there, open mouthed, disbelief washing over me.

Mr Duckeridge excused me from their room a few minutes later.

"I'll pick you up at four," Oliver said, rising to open the door for me.

I gave him the best glare I could which only raised a smile on his red lips. Picking my way through the corridors, I made my way to English Literature, dreading the questions I'd get from Mrs Wilson. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Ah, Isabella." Her squeaky voice could cut through glass. "How nice of you to join us."

I faked a smile and took my seat at the back of the class.

"No explanation or apology? I would have thought someone of your standing would have some manners at least."

A snigger sounded around me from my classmates. For situations like this, I hated my dad for putting me in public school. Irritation pricked at me and I couldn't help myself after the bombshell I'd just been delivered after being made to feel like a child – yet again.

"Clearly you have no manners or ideas of how to speak to people. Perhaps this is why my father put me in public school? So I could accustom myself to your primitive behaviours?"

As soon as the words left my lips, my cheeks erupted with heat as my heart clattered against my ribs. Shit. What did I just do?

Mrs Wilson's chubby face turned bright red. She carefully removed her glasses from her face and placed them on her desk with methodical precision. When she looked back at me, her grey eyes held a steely stare. An apprehensive silence descended over the rest of my class.

"Isabella Hamilton, it would serve you well to remember that I am your teacher and also an adult. Respect is something expected of the students at the very least nevertheless expected from a child to an elder."

"Well in six weeks I will legally be an adult so what then?"

"Your smart ass answers have just served you with a trip to Mr Duckeridge's office, young lady."

I smirked and settled back in my chair with an air of arrogance. "I've just come from his office actually."

Her thin lips pressed together. "Class – I will be back in a few minutes. Please continue to read pages forty through to fifty of your text books until I return."

Without a further glance at me, she stormed out of the room. My confidence vanished with her. The girls in my class despised me and took any opportunity to poke fun at me.

"You always think you're so much better than us," Marnie said from in front of me.

She was the 'alpha' of the class so to speak. Her long brown hair and pale features meant she stood out along with her obscene height. Whatever she said was gospel to the other sheep surrounding me.

"If I thought that," I said, leaning forwards. "Then I wouldn't be here, would I?"

"You're only here because your precious daddy put you here, not because you want to be."

I raised an eyebrow at her as fury started to rise deep within me at her bitchy remark of my dad.

"Careful, Marnie. Don't go places you don't know."

She sneered at me. "Awww, I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were such a daddy's girl."

The burning stares of the rest of the class drilled holes right through me but I didn't care. As far as I was concerned, it was just me and her in this.

"At least my dad gave a damn about me instead of pouring vodka down his throat and stuffing coke up his nose. Mind you, as he lives with you, I think I can understand it." I plastered a sickly sweet on my face as I finished.

Her dark eyes narrowed at me as her chest began rising rapidly with short shallow breaths. Several seconds ticked by in slow motion before she exploded and lunged across my desk at me. All nails and grabbing at my hair, she didn't expect it when I grabbed her head and slammed it down on my wooden desk.

"Leave me the fuck alone!" I screamed. "I've had enough of your shit."

Taking my bag, I headed for the door. A deathly quiet hung in the room as I turned and looked at the carnage I'd left. Marnie lifted her head, tears streaming down her face as blood trickled from her nose.

"Let that be a lesson to you," I said.

As the door closed behind me, a weird mixture of elation, adrenaline and nerves trickled round me. I'd taken years of their bullying, the teachers ignoring it and I'd had enough. I couldn't give two hoots what happened. What's the worst they could do to me? Kick me out of school? They'd be doing me a favour.

I marched down the corridor and straight out of the front door. Thankfully, Oliver had already left. The five mile walk home would do me some good and allow me to think over all the weird happenings around me lately.

As I strode along the small country lanes, I couldn't help but think of Oliver staying at my house. Of course I was secretly pleased but where was he going to sleep – near me or not? Was he expecting me to do his washing and cooking? How was he going to cope with my mother?

So immersed in my thoughts, I jumped when my phone started ringing. Glancing at the screen, I frowned when I saw a number I didn't recognise. I debated ignoring it before curiosity got the better of me.

"Hello?" I asked.

"You did what?"

Oliver.

I gulped, nerves forming in my gut. "I -"

"Good on you, Izzy. Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

I managed to mumble out where I was before I stood, dumbfounded, staring at my phone. Did he really just say that? Why? He'd been so paranoid about me being late and now he was giving me praise for breaking someone's nose?

My phone vibrated with a text from Jackie:

She's doing just fine. Has managed to lift her head a little. XX

I smiled, my train of thought now solely on the sick little mare I had waiting for me back at home. That was all that mattered to me – horses and my dad's business. I didn't need to sit in a class being patronised and bullied to gain pieces of paper which compared me to the majority of society and told me how clever I supposedly was.

I'd been through more in my short seventeen, nearly eighteen years, than most people could even relate to. Being wealthy isn't always a blessing. In my case, it was definitely a curse but all curses are broken, right?

*So, Izzy has reached her limits and seems to be headset on one direction in life. Can any of you relate to being bullied? I know I can. Did you ever reach the end of your tether? Hope you're enjoying this story still - please remember to leave me a vote and I would love to hear from you in the comments! :-D*