Standing Up For Grace Read Online Free

of her worries. Imperia is outnumbered and probably outclassed. And in no way are Grace’s little friends going to help her.
    So Imperia has to take the offensive.
    She summons the part of her that’s most like her Grandfather, stands as straight as she can, looks down her nose at Skylar’s friends (even though most of them are taller than she is) and says in her most condescending voice, “I see that Skylar couldn’t be bothered with defending herself.”
    “She had to go to the hospital, you freak,” says Mikayla Aberdeen. She’s the tallest girl, and pretty athletic. She wants to play professional basketball, and the gym teacher says she might have a shot if she continues growing.
    She’s also the daughter of some super agent, whatever that is, and thinks she’s super important herself because of it.
    “The hospital?” Imperia says, impressed despite herself.
    She punched Skylar hard—she knows that by how bruised her hand is—but she never thought that punch would do more than hurt Skylar’s pride. “That little tap sent her to the hospital? Really?”
    “You broke her nose,” says Rose Browning. Rose is more hanger-on than important, even though one of her two moms is some kind of bigwig lawyer. Rose is too thin—Imperia has caught her puking up her lunch in the bathroom more than once—and Imperia knows she can take her if she has to.
    “She’s going to have to have plastic surgery,” Georgia LaCrosti says. Georgia is the one to watch. She’s the one with all the gym muscles and she’s Skylar’s right-hand girl.
    “Well, good,” says a voice from behind Imperia. “After all, Barbies should be made of plastic.”
    Imperia’s heart is really pounding now. She turns just enough to see who is behind her. She doesn’t know the girl’s name, although she recognizes her. She’s watched this girl from afar, admiring her courage. Her white shirt is one size too big and she leaves it untucked. She rolls her skirt up so that it’s a mini, and her socks down so that they hug her ankles. She has two jackets for her uniform. She’s ripped the sleeves off one jacket and she wears it as much as she can. Sometimes the teachers make her wear the other jacket—the one with sleeves—but even that she’s managed to customize by ripping the school’s logo off the pocket.
    “Shut up, Janie, this isn’t your fight,” Mikayal says.
    “It isn’t yours either,” this new girl, this Janie, says. “I’ll bet that Skylar told you to do this, told you do something nasty that’ll embarrass the crap out of Empire here, and then put it on YouTube or something.”
    Imperia doesn’t want to correct her over the name, because this Janie seems to be on a roll.
    “You’re just little Skylar suck-ups,” Janie says. “Which is so stupid, since my grandfather can buy and sell her mom if he wants to—wait! He has bought her, like a half dozen times.”
    Janie put her arm through Imperia’s, startling Imperia. She can’t remember the last time anyone who wasn’t family touched her.
    “C’mon, Empire,” Janie says. “Let’s have lunch.”
    And then she leads Imperia toward the burger side of the cafeteria, the area that Skylar’s friends usually ignore.
    “Thanks,” Imperia says. She wants to slide her arm away, but she doesn’t want to seem ungrateful. “You didn’t have to stand up for me, but I’m glad you did.”
    Janie grins at her. Imperia’s surprised to see that her teeth aren’t perfect. They have gaps along the bottom. Her haircut looks hand-done.
    “Of course, I had to stand up for you,” Janie says. “You punched Skylar. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?”
    Imperia swallows. She knows there’s an ebb and flow here she doesn’t understand. “You seem like the kind of person who does what she wants.”
    “Oh, I wish,” Janie says. “I’m already in it with my grandfather. Imagine if I showed up on YouTube punching out Skylar Kennedy Campbell. God, the press