by LJ Byrne
“You’ll land another album deal, you brat, in a few years. Or maybe you’ll become another forgotten musician. People are so fickle.” Jasper laughs cruelly, his eyes on the teachers who are now watching us. “Careful, or you will lose a school, too.”
I’m astonished at how deeply Jasper is willing to wound someone. He isn’t wrong, either. Musicians rise and fall all the time.
Brock breathes heavily and a tear finally works its way down his cheek. He looks at me like he doesn’t recognize me. Pain and sorrow are underneath the anger.
“Don’t look at her,” Jasper says, his voice dripping with acid, “don’t touch her. She had nothing to do with it. But next time you fuck with an innocent, remember that you weren’t innocent to begin with and that I could’ve done so much more. Payback’s a bitch.”
Brock makes a sound in his throat as I remain silent. “Elena,” he chokes out, and I’m not sure if it’s a plea or a threat.
Katrina stands in front of me, fierce and determined. “You said those words, not Jasper, not Elena. I don’t care if you didn’t mean it. It was vile to hear it from you, Brock. You only have yourself to blame.” She looks at the other Elites. “As Elena said, she doesn’t have to destroy you. You’ll do it yourself.” She ends by glaring at her brother. Mason’s shoulders slump as he averts his eyes.
“Let’s go,” Lucas snaps, dragging a hissing Vanessa away. The Elites leave, Brock trailing behind them dejectedly
“Jasper, we need to talk about this,” I say in a dark tone. “I’m not okay with what you did.”
Charles and Bruce come closer. “Jasper did that?” they say in unison. Hmmm, must be a twin thing. At my nod, they smile at the same time. Charles adds, “Jasper’s not wrong. Brock pulled that stunt on you and helped with the last day incident. Fame is fleeting. Maybe now he’ll understand what it’s like to be unwanted.”
“What do you have planned for me?”
I’m leafing through a library book when Lucas finds me. I barely glance at him.
“Are we back to not speaking again?” Lucas mocks coldly, but his eyes say something different. “Here I thought you were becoming less spineless.”
“Spineless?” I open the book and scan the contents. Hmm, too many poems about war. I put it back up and bring down another book of poetry.
“You’ve split Mason from his family. Brock from his music. Oliver is off to military school. Ashley’s been expelled.”
I give a Mona Lisa-kind of a smile. “You’re accusing me? That’s funny. Really. I must be one hell of a mastermind to orchestrate the Elites humiliating and beating me.” I watch Lucas swallow. His mask slips.
He bends his blond head. “Elena, there’s—”
“I do hope you’re not planning on threatening her,” a voice says. Above us, Jasper peers down from the library’s upper level. His lithe body leans against the railing, feigning casual interest, but his eyes never leave Lucas’s face. “You may not realize it, but I consider myself her avenging angel. You might think you’re someone important here. But in the scope of the world? You’re nothing. You’re just your father’s — pawn.”
Lucas’s lips curl, his face darkening with rage. “You think he’s better than me, Elena? Do you know how many girls he’s slept with? Do you know how many cars he’s totaled? He nearly killed a friend while drinking and driving. This is the guy who’s pretending to be your knight in shining armor!” Lucas’s gray eyes burn with anger.
“I’m no knight. I’m a monster. Her monster.” Jasper examines his nails, looking bored, before he climbs over the railing, hops over to a bookcase, and jumps down beside me. “What makes you angrier, Rhodes? That you’re learning what it feels like to get burned? What it feels like to lose? You don’t think I know what you try so desperately to hide? What you’ve lost? She deserves better than you.” Jasper is dripping with cocky condescension.
Lucas’s mouth tightens. “I never had her. She picked Brock.”
Jasper reaches out to brush my cheek with his fingers. “Did she?”
Lucas jerks Jasper’s hand away from my face. “She barely knows you and you grope her all the time!” he barks as if I’m not there.
“I think I know Elena fairly well. I saw her after you all tried to break her,” Jasper breathes, his green-blue eyes strangely tender on my face. “But she survived even though you did your best to get rid of her.”
“Jasper.” My voice warns him to zip it.
“What do you mean by that?” Lucas hisses.
I leave, but not before I hear Jasper say, “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”
CHAPTER 4
With the staff being vigilant, and Katrina watching my back, the harassment during gym class is significantly subdued. Oh, I still get the occasional volleyball thrown directly at me, or an “accidental” kick to the shin. But I get better at identifying Vanessa’s lackeys. I don’t doubt that Vanessa has something bigger planned for me. She’s just gathering her forces. Or sacrificing goats.
With Ashley gone, Brock knocked down, and Mason subdued, Vanessa leans on her Inner Circle more and more. While half the students still pander to her whims, the other half is starting to realize that the Elites are not untouchable.
“Let me get this straight,” Jasper says, tapping his chin with a finger. “Vanessa locked you in a shed and torched it, nearly burning you to death? Then kicked you hard enough to require surgery?” When I nod, his cyan eyes narrow. “And you won’t let me take vengeance on her?’
“You are not tinkering with her car,” I say seriously, a finger to his shoulder to drive my point. “No eye for an eye justice, okay?”
Scary but true, Jasper has messed with a person’s car before. Okay, the boy was a rapist amongst other things, and had managed to avoid justice. The kid didn’t die, but he will never assault another girl – or anyone – ever again.
“You are the only girl that takes such liberties with my person.” His winsome smile makes me blink. He’s right. I’m not sure Jasper would allow anyone to treat him dismissively. “You anchor me, my princess.”
The party we’re attending right now isn’t specifically for the Elites and their Inner Circle. It’s a general bonfire for third-years by a lake not far from the school. Most of the students are doing innocent things like roasting marshmallows. Some of the students are drinking and eating pizza. A few are hanging by the Elites and their Inner Circle of witches and warlocks. Okay, the last bit is an exaggeration.
We find Katrina feeding Bruce a roasted marshmallow – I’m sure it’s sexier than it looks – and Charles has a beer in his hand. “Let’s dance, let’s dance,” Katrina crows, licking her sticky fingers, as a Camila Cabello song comes on.
And because Katrina is officially my bestie, we’ve come up with our choreographed dance moves. (It helps that I had to take dance lessons for my BSGirl videos – by the way, dancing with a damn mask is horribly uncomfortable.) By the time Jasper joins our shenanigans, we have a crowd of about fifteen students whistling and cheering us on.
I smile faintly at Charles as he and his twin perfectly alternate between me and Katrina. And then, as the Elites make their way over to investigate, Jasper makes sure that the next song that plays is Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” Yes, it came out when I was a baby, but it still makes the dance scene and the lines are perfect.
Katrina and I are laughing as we lip-sync the first few lines. We saunter right up to Vanessa, who’s clinging to Lucas’s arm, as the first refrain begins. We take turns saying the lines:
I heard that you were talking shit
And you didn't think that I would hear it
People hear you talking like that, getting everybody fired up
So I'm ready to attack, gonna lead the pack
Gonna get a touchdown, gonna take you out
That's right, put your pom-poms down, getting everybody fired up
When we get to the chorus, Vanessa snarls and tries to hit me, but Lucas holds her b
ack, his jaw tense as the non-Elite girls join me and Katrina with encouragement from Jasper and Bruce. By the time we’re singing “this shit is bananas,” we have over twenty third-year students singing and dancing, all the while laughing at the Elites. Brock and Mason are forced to hold Kiana back when she tries to kick sand at Katrina.
“Keep your hands off my sister,” I hear Mason say to Kiana. I don’t hear Kiana’s response, but her face contorts angrily.
As the song ends, I blow a kiss to a furious Vanessa. Then Katrina, the twins, Jasper, and I leave the angry Elites to face their mocking audience.
The Monday after the lake party, the Elite girls are seething at me. I correctly anticipate retaliation – when Kiana pushes me in the dining hall, Doctora Valdez witnesses the event. Kiana is not expelled, but Mrs. Foggerty bans Kiana from the dining hall until January. Katrina may have exaggerated her fears for my safety to ensure the ban. Vanessa finds herself recruiting additional Inner Circle students to sit with her during mealtimes to make up for her dwindling crew.
“Daddy says that when BSGirl announces her concert, he’ll buy me the entire front row if I want it,” Vanessa says loudly from her table. Oh, the irony. Vanessa and Astrid are playing my song “Afraid” while Brock glowers into his lunch. One day, they’re going to throw up when they realize those are my songs.
“Do they realize that BSGirl sings about bullies and how bullies are bad?” Bruce asks in a mock whisper.
Katrina giggles while I smile blandly. I need to tell Katrina everything soon. She deserves to know.
I’ve been watching Vanessa for a variety of reasons, one of which is that I’ve seen her talking with second- and fourth-year students. There isn’t anything wrong with that, except that these students are Inner Circle members. The Elites in this school are very possessive of their adoring Inner Circles. The Inner Circle works as the Elites’ grunts. They make the parties into parties, they provide the gossip the Elites use against others, they give the Elites their needed manpower. In a school as siloed as Highbury, stealing another year’s Inner Circle members is a big no-no. Right now, I don’t have enough evidence of any wrongdoing, but it’s just a matter of time because Vanessa needs her attention. The remaining three Elite boys are beyond disinterested. They seem bored.
When Jasper walks into the dining hall with several blushing girls, Lucas goes from bored to hostile. Lucas might be the hottest guy at school, but Jasper is practically a prince. The girls look at him with romantic stars in their eyes. “Thank you for accompanying me to dinner, but my affections belong to this girl at this moment,” he says, gesturing to me. The girls sigh, giving me envious looks without rancor. Katrina tells me that boys in the school – the non-Elite ones – have been talking about me and assures me it’s a good thing.
“How in the world do you do that?” Charles asks in astonishment when Jasper’s admirers finally leave.
Jasper grins boyishly. “It’s the title, my friend. People love titles. If I gave a slug a title, it would have several people fawning over it.” He reaches over to steal a tater tot off my plate.
“Hey!” I pretend to be deeply offended so Jasper orders a double order of tater tots. Soon, all five of us are stealing tots from each other’s plates, laughing. As we get up to leave, I catch Mason watching us sadly as Lucas abruptly leaves, eyes averted.
Jasper lets the twins pull ahead with Katrina to talk to me privately. “I’ll do my best to be gentler with my methods,” he says softly. “I warned you that I’m a monster. I wasn’t lying. But… I’ll try to be a better person, Elena.” Jasper is thoughtfully puzzled.
“I’m not a paragon of virtue,” I laugh. “This isn’t about revenge. It’s about removing their power to hurt people.”
Jasper considers my words. “You’re no ordinary young lady. I was warned early on by Katrina to never offer you gifts so I haven’t a clue what to get you for Christmas.” He sighs in mock frustration. “I would serve you Lucas’s heart on a platter if I thought it would please you.”
I make a face. “That’s an unpleasant thought.”
“So, I guess I won’t do it then,” Jasper remarks, and I’m not sure if he’s serious.
CHAPTER 5
November is busy with projects, but luckily none of them require working in teams. My PR team posts that BSGirl promises a major announcement at Christmas and a countdown clock is put on my Web page. Lance has a flair for dramatics.
As Thanksgiving approaches, there’s a twinge of sentimentality as I wonder if Lucas will be stuck at school, but I don’t bother to find out. Instead, I end up recording a Christmas single because every artist needs a Christmas song while Lance plots my Christmas schedule. I take a side trip to visit Mom with John. When I play the piano for everyone, she smiles at me. She’s definitely better and John seems happier than ever.
When I return to Highbury, I’m swamped with homework, music, and managing my secretive BSGirl identity. Somehow, I survive the academic pain, and when I emerge from my studies, I find that the excitement of BSGirl’s pending announcement has driven my album back to number one in twelve countries. It’s just finals before Christmas break begins.
The third-year Elites, still reeling from being mocked, host an exclusive party for themselves, their Inner Circle, and select classmates. Brock hosts the party since his father is touring and he’s trying to restore his image. His family’s winter lodge is situated off a crystal blue lake not far from a small ski resort. Technically, I’m persona non grata, but Katrina throws such a huge fit with Mason that I’m secured an invite if I stay out of the Elite girls’ way. Katrina was surprised I even wanted to go to the party – I’ve been avoiding Elite-sponsored events – but the next stage of my plan is ready.
Although it’s been unusually cold for most of December, there hasn’t been any significant snow, causing the school to delay the ski lodge trip to February. As such, this is the event all the third-year students want to go to, and I take a moment to plan everything accordingly. Katrina will arrive with the twins. Jasper will drive me in his Bentley. (His car is an extravagant beast. We filmed our tattoo scene in the front seat.)
One thing I’ve learned is that if you become moderately famous, you get a lot of things sent to you. Since the public doesn’t know who I am, my agent gets clothes and a host of other things shipped to him. When I met Lance around Thanksgiving, I went through a lot of the freebies but saved a gown specifically for this event.
The gauzy mesh A-line gown is in gossamer gray with floral appliqués that cover the bodice and then float down the skirt that ends mid-calf. It has a jewel neckline and cap sleeves, so I pair it with a feathered cape. You will not believe what designers will send you. I’m still not brave enough for heels, but some Italian designer sent Lance a pair of low silver heels with shiny straps. I go light on the makeup and then pull my hair back with a Swarovski-encrusted headband.
“Oh my God,” Katrina gasps, her pretty eyes wide with awe. “That dress is gorgeous! You look hot! How did you get that?”
I ignore the question as I spin in my dress for Jasper.
Jasper is dark and dangerous in his navy-blue suit, that little smile hinting at mischief and trouble. I don’t have to ask if he thinks I look nice. He walks towards me while buttoning his suit. He brings his lips close to my temple and whispers, “Only a fool wouldn’t see how incredible you are.”
My dress has a discreet side pocket for my phone and a tube of tinted lip gloss. I let Jasper help me with my cape before I turn to Katrina. If I’m all silvery and light, Katrina is the yin to my yang. She’s dripping with jewelry while wearing a black, slinky dress. We look as good as any Elite at the school.
On the hourlong drive, I consider Jasper thoughtfully. He’s handsome and he seems to like me. It’s possible he just likes flirting. He hasn’t asked me for anything other than affection, for which I am grateful, but I’m happy around him even if he says freaky things at times. But first, I need to finish my plans. And then I nee
d to reveal parts of my life to those who I trust. I find myself hoping that Jasper will be someone I trust.
I think about my recovery from the attack. As I recovered from surgery, I alternated between anger, resentment, self-hate, and frustration. Lucas once told me that I hid behind a façade of ambivalence. He wasn’t wrong. But now? I’m tired of hiding in the shadows. I’m tired of retreating from the world just to think.
We arrive fashionably late to the party – we got hungry along the way and stopped for fries. Kiana’s eyes narrow as we park our cars in front of the house. She’s half-flirting with some random third-year student until she sees us. For a diminutive creature, she manages to make a loud fuss.
“Only you two were invited,” she spits out, ignoring my incredulous look. Does she think she’s going to stop Jasper from entering? Does she think she can prevent Bruce and Charles from joining us?
Katrina uses both hands to push Kiana to the ground. “Move, you pathetic flunkey,” she snaps, tossing her beautiful hair back. She’s good at that hair toss move.
The Caruso winter lodge is more like a bloody mansion. That is, it’s huge. It’s perched on a soft hill, a lake on one side, and an open field on the other. If it were green and thriving, I’d start singing songs from The Sound of Music. From the lodge, the view is simply stunning – you feel as though you’re away from the hustle and bustle of the world.
My little army pauses as Jasper slips off my cape, and then we face the other Elites. Brock, with Astrid on his lap, pauses with a beer to his lips. His green eyes linger on me appreciatively. Mason grimly smiles at Katrina, but when he sees Jasper, he scowls. Lucas is the last to notice us. He and Vanessa are having an animated discussion – or argument, considering how mad he looks – when he glances my way. His eyes darken as we move slowly into the room. He heads straight to the bar and pours himself something.