Piranhas in Pink: Piranhas in Pink Book One

by Nova Knightley

  During lunch, Claire was nowhere to be found, much to the PIPs’ dismay. They had huge plans to humiliate her in the cafeteria. I didn’t blame her for hiding. If I were her, I would have gone home with a stomachache.

  The girls talked about a party coming up that weekend while we sipped on our cherry Dr. Peppers. I mostly tuned them out. A party was the last thing I cared about. Although I ignored the girls, I couldn’t ignore Bree and Maisie shooting eye daggers in our direction—mostly Maisie. They didn’t even bother to turn around when I caught them looking.

  “Lennox, what do you think?” Kyla asked.

  I pulled my gaze away from Bree’s table. “Think about what?”

  She sighed. “About what you should wear to the party.”

  I shrugged. All I knew about the party was that I wasn’t going.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Eden said. “I’ll pick out something for her.” She turned to me. “I have to say, Lennox, your outfit isn’t very preppy today.”

  “I’ll try to do better,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “Why’s that loser Snodgrass looking over here?” Dani asked.

  Seiko flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Because she’s always been insanely jealous of us.”

  That wasn’t true at all. Maisie couldn’t stand the PIPs, and I was pretty sure we had nothing she wanted.

  “Ignore her,” Eden said. “So, Lennox, Claire always uses the bathroom in the 300 wing before she goes to her fifth-period class. I know because I always see her in there. Why don’t you go there and make sure she’s doing okay? I heard she was having a rough day.”

  “Sure.” I had no intentions of bothering Claire, so I would rather I go in there instead of one of them. Eager to be away from them, I grabbed my things a minute before the bell rang and headed for the cafeteria exit.

  Just before I made it there, Maisie stepped in front of me. “Well, how’s it going being a PIP?”

  Swell. We’d already killed someone and orchestrated a beatdown, and we were torturing a girl simply because she didn’t want to commit a crime. “Great.”

  “I warned you about them.” She looked over her shoulder at Bree, who was suddenly interested in her bag of chips. “I warned both of you. Just before lunch time, I saw Claire bawling her eyes out. The comments on her social media are a wreck. What the hell is wrong with you guys?”

  So many things, but what can I tell her? The bell rang, so I left her question unanswered and headed for the door.

  Because of Maisie, I was a little late getting to the bathroom. By the time I got there, three girls were banging on a bathroom stall and chanting, “Claire! Claire! Claire! Claire!”

  I couldn’t take any more. I shoved the girl closest to me away from the door. “Cut it out!”

  She whipped around, looking like she was ready to deck me, but froze when she realized who I was. “Oh. What? We’re just doing what you guys told us to.”

  “Yeah,” the other girls said.

  I took a deep breath. “Well, that’s enough. This is over.”

  The girls shrugged and headed for the door. I grabbed the last girl by the arm as the others left. “Why are you doing this? Just because Eden told you to? You could have just ignored her.”

  The girl grinned. “I don’t know. It’s fun. It kind of brings us all together, and you’re just happy it isn’t you.”

  I let her go because I wanted to shake her.

  Once the bathroom emptied, I stood beside the door of the stall. Just as I was about to say something, I heard the familiar sounds of puking. The bell rang, but I waited by the sinks until the sounds subsided. I pulled an unopened bottle of water that I had bought for track practice from my backpack and held it over the door of the stall. “Here.”

  For a few seconds, nothing happened, but then it was pulled from my hand. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” I stepped back and waited for her to come out.

  The lock of the stall clicked, and the door swung open. Claire appeared, looking much worse than I had seen her that morning. Her eyes were red, and her face and neck were covered with scarlet splotches. The same thing happened to Abby when she was upset or stressed out. Claire’s hair was disheveled, and a lime-green glob of gum clung to it. She gasped when she saw me, slamming the door shut. “Go away, please. I’ve had enough.”

  “Claire, I just—” I stopped myself, because I got it. I was standing there in my pink sweater with my pink diamond P charm. I was a PIP, one of the people responsible for orchestrating her torture. “I don’t want to hurt you, Claire. I want to help you. I promise, I’m not like them.”

  Claire was quiet for a long time. I was going to get in trouble for being late to class, but I couldn’t leave her alone in that state. Piper had come home too many times like that. I wished someone at school had helped her.

  “Please,” she said finally. “I know this is some kind of joke or setup. You’ll lure me into a false sense of security, I’ll come out, then the others will come in, and you’ll all jump me. These things always end with someone getting their ass kicked.”

  “No, Claire. This is not a setup. I just want to make sure you’re all right. I mean, obviously, you’re not, but if there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me.”

  A banging came from the stall, and I got the uneasy feeling that she was banging her head against the wall. “I should never have gone to them for help. God! I knew better than that.”

  “What did they do for you?”

  She sighed. “This stupid boy from Hawthorne Heights. I thought he was into me, and I stupidly sent him some compromising pics of me. I know, I know. So dumb. Everything went sour, and he refused to delete them. In fact, he said he would post them for everyone to see. Well, the PIPs got the pictures erased, and somehow, they got nudes of him. They told him if he still has pictures of me stored anywhere and they see the light of day, so would his.”

  “Hmmm. That was a pretty big favor.”

  “Yeah. My dad’s a cop. It would have been especially embarrassing for him if they had gotten out.”

  I stepped closer to the stall. “Claire, I know what they wanted you to do for them in return, and I admire the fact that you refused to do it.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  She blew her nose and stepped out of the stall, looking around cautiously. “I mean, obviously it was just wrong. And Angie has never done a thing to me, and if I did it and she found out, well, let’s just say Angie’s fucking crazy when she gets mad. She practices necromancy, and she’ll call on all her ancestors to haunt me.”

  I almost laughed, but it wasn’t the time for that. “Who told you that?”

  “The PIPs—well, you guys.”

  I shook my head. “Claire, what can I do for you?”

  She looked at the tiny window near the ceiling. “I just want to go home. I can’t stand staying in this place for another second, but Eden said if I went home early, they would do this all over again tomorrow.”

  “They won’t.” I didn’t know where I got the courage to speak those words with such confidence. “If you want to go home, you can go home, and I promise you no one will bother you tomorrow. You’ve done your time.”

  Her eyes widened. “Are you sure? You can do that?”

  “I can.”

  Claire nodded and checked herself in the mirror. “They ruined my favorite dress. I don’t know if this stain will ever come out.”

  I watched her wash her hands, then I walked her to the office so she could call her mom to pick her up. I asked the receptionist for a tardy pass, telling her that I was helping a sick student in the bathroom. Claire collaborated my story, and the receptionist gave me a butterscotch candy for being a good citizen. On the way to class, I tossed the candy in the trash. I didn’t deserve it. I should have squashed the entire thing that morning in Eden’s office instead of letting that happen to Claire all day. I couldn’t go back in time, but I could make it stop.

>   ***

  After track practice, the girls were taking an extra-long time to change. Eden took a shower, which she never did at school. Kyla stood facing the mirror, flat-ironing her hair. She never did that after practice either. Seiko and Dani were washing their faces with some expensive soap Seiko had brought from home.

  “It’s preventative. If I use this every day, I will never get wrinkles,” Seiko said.

  “I have my mom’s car, so I’m just going to go,” I said even though it was customary for us to wait for each other.

  The locker room was empty except for us. Eden stepped out of the shower with a white towel wrapped around her. “We all leave at the same time, Lennox. You know that.”

  I stood and hoisted my backpack on my shoulder. “Then why are you guys taking forever? I’ve had enough of school. I want to go home.”

  Eden pushed her wet hair back from her face. “We wanted to speak with you in private.”

  Kyla was still working on her hair. “You have something to tell us?”

  “Like what?”

  Her eyes rolled in her reflection. “Like what happened with Claire in the bathroom.”

  Seiko sat on the bench and stretched out her legs. “Yeah. We heard you walked her to the office so she could call her mom and go home.”

  Wow. Big Sister is watching.

  “I did. So?”

  “So?” Eden snapped. “That’s against the rules. You might not have known that, but Claire clearly knew. Now tomorrow, she’s going to have to go through this all over again when she could have had it over with by now.”

  Dani stood at the mirror beside Kyla, examining her face. “What I want to know is why you were helping her. That’s not what we sent you in there to do. How are we going to tell everyone to put Claire in time-out, then one of us turns around and rescues her?”

  “Well, excuse me for being human. The girl was in the bathroom, throwing up, and I felt bad. She’s had enough. She got the message. She really was sick, and she needed to go home.”

  Eden made fake baby cries. “She should have thought about that before she used our services without paying. This will continue tomorrow, and you won’t interfere.”

  I dropped my backpack right beside Seiko, causing her to jump. “I said it’s over.”

  Everyone turned to me. Eden raised an eyebrow. “You’d better watch yourself, Lennox. Who do you think you are to be calling the shots? You just got here.”

  “I don’t care. What happened today was cruel and childish, and it should never have happened. Claire was right to not key Angie’s car. Tomorrow, none of you will bother her or even look in her direction, nor will you direct anyone else to do so.”

  “That’s Eden’s call,” Dani said, and all eyes went to the queen, who narrowed her eyes at me.

  I wasn’t the least bit afraid of her since I knew her weakness. She needed to be afraid of me. “Call your dogs off, fearless leader.”

  She stomped over to her backpack, yanked it open, and pulled out a fresh set of clothes. “Why would I do that? Just because you said so?”

  I moved over to her so we were standing face-to-face. “Remember what you had me over for last night? Was it just to hang out, or was it…”

  I stared her straight in the eyes. She needed to know that I would tell them all about her sickness right then and there. The others eyed Eden curiously. That was an added bonus. They knew she was keeping a secret from them and felt uneasy because I knew it and they didn’t.

  Eden gulped. She couldn’t say too much that wouldn’t bring on a bunch of questions. “Fine. It’s off. We leave Claire alone.”

  The other girls groaned. Kyla set her flat iron on the edge of the sink. “Eden, we can’t do that. It sends the message that people can get away without paying us back if we don’t go through with consequences.”

  Eden thought about that, but she had no choice. “Leave her alone.”

  That was all I needed to hear. “See you guys tomorrow.” I left the locker room one hundred percent sure they were talking about me.

  Before I got home, I got a call from Eden.

  “Hey, friend!” I said as cheerfully as I could and braced myself for an unhappy conversation.

  “What’s wrong with you? You know how messed up you have to be to use a secret I told you about my illness as a weapon against me?”

  Really, Eden? “About as messed up as a person who tortures a girl because she didn’t want to key someone’s car. Claire was in the bathroom, throwing up, because of you, Eden.”

  “Am I supposed to feel sorry for her? Everyone knows what they’re getting into when they come to us. Listen. That is the last time you will contradict me like that, especially in front of the others. You made me look weak. Now they’re all wondering why I changed my mind like that.”

  I turned onto my street. “That sounds like a personal problem. Gotta go.”

  Mom and Gary wouldn’t be back until later that night. I lay on my bed and dialed Abby, hoping she would pick up. She was swamped with after-school activities that year, but I prayed she had some time to talk to me. At the moment, she was the only real friend I had.

  My shoulders relaxed when she picked up. Her face was red and sweaty, and the phone was moving all over the place. “Lennox! What’s up?”

  I rolled over on my stomach. “What are you doing?”

  “Just finished volleyball practice.” She finally stopped moving and leaned against a gray wall. I knew that wall. It was the gym of Archer Academy. “What’s wrong?”

  “How do you know something’s wrong?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Because I know you. I can see it in your eyes. I know what you look like when you haven’t been sleeping and you have stuff on your mind.”

  Abby was right. She had been there with me when I went through the most difficult time of my life. I had so much to tell her, but I had to be careful. I wanted to tell her everything, but I couldn’t tell her about Mei. She’d already forgiven me for so much, but she would never forgive me for that.

  “What is it?” she demanded.

  “The PIPs.”

  She said goodbye to a couple girls walking past then focused her attention on me again. “I told you to just let it go and stay away from them.”

  “I can’t. They’re the kinds of girls that have to be stopped.” I told her everything that had happened with Claire. “If I weren’t one of them, I wouldn’t have been able to make them leave her alone.”

  Abby didn’t argue with that. She headed into the gym. “So what’s the plan, Lennox? How are you going to destroy these girls, as you put it?”

  “I’m going to learn their secrets. I already know one of Eden’s, but I know she has more, and I’m going to turn them against each other. I planted the seed for that today.”

  Abby’s lips parted like she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself.

  “What, Abby?”

  “Lennox, is it really worth all the time and energy you’re putting into this? Just think about it. You are so smart. You should be spending your time on schoolwork and extracurricular activities and college applications. Not this.”

  I gritted my teeth. I loved Abby with my whole heart, but what made me so angry with her that I didn’t want to talk to her for days was that she didn’t understand. I couldn’t just focus on something else. I had failed Piper. Somehow, I had to make up for that. “You don’t get it.”

  Abby’s face softened. “I do. I mean, I can’t say I know how you feel, but I understand. Maybe you should find a therapist there.”

  I had to choose my next words carefully. The last time I’d told Abby about my mom not wanting me in therapy, Abby told her mom. Mrs. Michaels then called my mom to talk about it, and Mom flipped out on me. She told me not to talk to Abby about it again.

  “Yeah. Maybe I should. So what’s going on with you?”

  “Busy, busy, busy. I’m now on the volleyball team, the debate team, the service club, and the school newsletter. Th
e volleyball girls are pretty cool, by the way. We’ve been hanging out.”

  That made me feel so much better about leaving Abby alone. I was glad that she was making new friends. One of her teammates needed to speak to her, so we hung up. I closed my eyes and wished for the first time that I was back at Archer.

  29

  See Something, Say Something

  The next day, Claire was absent. I couldn’t blame her for needing a break from school. In first period, I received a notice to report to Principal Chambers’s office for a checkup meeting. Apparently, he liked to meet with new students regularly to see how they were adjusting to the school and workload. It was a nice thought but unnecessary. I didn’t have anything to say to him.

  After I told Mrs. Arnold I had a meeting with Chambers, she told me to have a seat until he was ready for me. I settled down on one of the soft, cushy chairs that lined the front wall. Just as I had gotten comfortable, the office door swung open. A security guard came in, leading Justice Jenkins by the shoulder.

  “It’s a lie,” Justice said. “Why should I be forced to recite a lie every morning?”

  Mrs. Arnold grabbed a stack of file folders from the front counter. “Mr. Jenkins, lower your voice, please.”

  The security guard pointed at a chair two seats away from me.

  Justice plopped into it, stretching out his long legs, holding a half-eaten Pop Tart. “Mrs. Arnold, you cannot silence the cries of justice, no pun intended.”

  She glared at him over the rim of her glasses. “Hush. This is an office, not a forum for you to air your many grievances.” I got the feeling that Justice was a regular fixture in the front office. Mrs. Arnold picked up the ringing phone. “Thank you for calling Bainbridge Academy. How may I help you?”

  Justice wore a pair of ripped light denim jeans and a shirt with hands of different colors interlocked. He looked over. “Hey, Lennox McRae. What did you do?”