I stopped by my locker to grab my binder.
“Hey,” someone said from behind me.
I turned to see Claire standing there, bouncing from foot to foot.
“Oh. Hi, Claire.”
“Look, I wanted to thank you for the other day. For getting them off my back and for sticking up for me in the bathroom.”
Something inside of me felt warm. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry that whole thing happened in the first place.”
She nodded and looked at the ground. “Yeah. Anyway, I owe you one. If you ever need a favor, just ask. See you around.”
“See you.”
I watched her disappear into the crowd and stuffed my binder into my backpack just as the PIPs were moving down the hallway toward me.
I was having déjà vu. It was the first day of school all over again. Only that time, I was a part of the perfect clique.
Eden tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hi, Lennox.”
“Hi, Lennox,” the other girls echoed.
“Hey.” I shut my locker and took my place in line.
Piranha fact: During a feeding frenzy, one piranha takes a bite first. If the prey doesn’t fight back, the other piranhas jump in. If the prey fights back, they back off.
Little did they know, I was going to fight back.
Ready to see what happens next?
Grab Piranhas in Pink Book 2: P is for Payback
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Piranha Fact:
Piranhas travel in packs for safety, not strength.
1
Vengeance is like a monster gnawing at your insides. The only way to get it out of you is to get back at the ones responsible for tearing your life to shreds. It’s not a good way to be, but it’s the way I am. Back when my parents used to make me see a therapist, I would talk to her about how angry I felt and how that anger would only go away when I got rid of the people who had taken my sister from me. Dr. Flora would have me meditate on quotes that discouraged revenge. Her favorite was by the author Max Lucado—Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist. It’s absolutely true. I’m often overwhelmed by the desire for revenge, but that quote didn’t deter me. At some point, everyone has to get what they deserve. It’s only right.
Speaking of people who needed to get what they deserved…
Eden Blackwood rolled to her side in the pool chair, facing me. Oversized sunglasses hid her stellar green eyes as she ran her fingers through her black bob. She pushed the shades up on her nose, grinning at me. “These are so Audrey, right?”
God.
Eden was so obsessed with Audrey Hepburn that she probably thought she was the second coming of the icon. I didn’t bother to answer, turning my head toward Daniella Torres, sitting on the other side of me. As usual, she had her nose buried in a book. “Yeah, they are totally Audrey,” she replied without even looking up.
As Dani stretched her long legs, the glitter on her True Religion jeggings sparkled in the afternoon sun. Long, chocolate tresses fell over her shoulders. She looked like an advertisement for a shampoo ad.
Seiko Tanaka occupied the pool chair on the other side of Dani, braiding Kyla Scott’s crown of thick curls. Seiko kept bowing her bleached-blond head to whisper something in Kyla’s ear while Kyla giggled as if it were the funniest thing she’d ever heard. They were always having private conversations as if the rest of us weren’t there. Kyla’s baby pink sweater complimented her tawny skin.
We were all in pink tops and jeans—the dress code for when we did our volunteer work. Pink was our color. It was Eden’s idea based on the Audrey Hepburn quote, “I believe in pink.”
We were Perfection in Pink, AKA, the PIPs. Most people, however, substituted Perfection for Piranhas. The five of us did almost everything together. My gaze flitted over each beautiful, perfect girl. These were my best friends. My sisters. If I could kill them all, I would. That, however, was impossible, so I’d have to settle for ruining their lives.
I stared into the glistening water of the pool. The fall air of mid-October was too crisp for swimming. Instead we lounged around the pool shivering, because that’s what Eden wanted to do.
She fixed her gaze on her pool, protected by a clear cover. “Today was a great day at the center, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” the other girls said in unison.
On Saturday mornings we worked at a children’s center. Kids who had been through traumatic events came there for counseling during the week but on Saturdays it was all about fun and recreation. The center had a huge playroom, art classes, music classes, karate, and tutoring for the kids who needed it. Before they went home, each kid was given lunch and a snack.
Even though I avoided looking at her, I could sense Eden watching me. “What’s the matter with you, Lennox? Cat got your tongue?”
What’s the matter with me? How could I even begin to answer that question? I sat up, bringing my knees to my chest, and glanced at Eden’s extravagant house over my shoulder. Her father, the Chief of Police, was on duty while her mother was working at the investment company she owned. Eden’s younger sister had a violin lesson and then ballet class after that, so we had the place to ourselves. I turned my attention back to Eden. “What’s the matter with me? Well, for starters, there’s a girl rotting away in a shallow grave because of us.”
Seiko and Kyla groaned. “Not this again,” Kyla complained.
Dani turned a page in her book. “She’s not rotting away because of us. She’s rotting away because of you.”
I turned to her. “We’re not going to keep having this argument. If it wasn’t for you guys putting me in that situation, Mei would still be here.” I looked past Dani at Seiko. “She was your cousin and you don’t even care. Not even a little bit.”
Seiko grabbed another section of Kyla’s hair. “Of course I care but I told you, she left us no choice. She knew our secret and she was going to ruin us all. I know my cousin better than anyone. She wasn’t just talking. She would have really told.”
Eden sighed. “Lennox, none of us wanted that night to go the way it did. We had no intentions of hurting Mei. Things just took a wrong turn. We can’t change what happened, but we can try to make it up to the universe. That’s why it’s so important for us to volunteer and do good for others.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering if she even believed that. “You think making tissue-paper jack-o-lanterns and playing Checkers at the Children’s Center is going to absolve us of murder?”
Eden glared at me, propping herself up on her elbows. “Change the subject right now.”
I’d known the PIPs for less than two months but so much had happened I felt like I’d been shackled to them for years.
I laid back in my chair. Tread carefully, Lennox. These girls weren’t normal. Aside from being considerably disturbed, with all the resources between them, they had great power. Eden’s father was the highest-ranking law enforcement in town. Dani’s dad was the superintendent of schools. Both of Seiko’s parents worked at Everson General. Her father was a pediatrician and her mother was a heart surgeon. They all had money but Kyla’s family was filthy rich. Her father was the pastor of a mega-church and very influential public figure. Pastor Scott even came on TV for an hour every Sunday.
They used their power to help people, but in return, anyone who was granted a favor had to pay them back when the PIPs were ready to collect their debt. Most people, however, knew to stay clear of us. Before careful what you ask for because once you get it, it might cost you more than it’s worth.
Kyla wrapped one of her finished braids around her finger. “Anyway, what’s everyone up to tonight?”
Dani sighed. “I’m having dinner with my father. He’s so determined to have these corny ass father-daughter dates every week. I wish he would just stop it.”
It could be worse. Her father could pretend she doesn’t exist like mine does.
Eden laughed. “I think father-daughter dates are sweet. Although I suppose its easy for me to say because I don’t have to endure them.”
Dani closed her book and set it beside her. “Yeah, well, your dad is nothing like my dad.”
“What do you mean by that?” I had yet to meet Mr. Torres, and Dani only talked about him when she planned on asking him for something.
P is for Payback Coming Spring 2020!
She shrugged. “He’s just . . . I don’t know.”
I didn’t pry. Whatever it was, she clearly didn’t want to talk about it. We didn’t have that type of friendship anyway. The girls didn’t trust me yet, but sooner or later I would get there. I made myself a mental note to ask Dani about her dad at a later time.
Eden adjusted her shades. She was going to keep doing that because they were too big for her face, but they were Balenciaga, so she was going to make them work regardless. “I’m going out with Xavier.”
My ears perked up at that. “Are we ever going to meet him?” Xavier was a college sophomore she was super secretive about. None of the other girls had met him yet and he and Eden had been dating for six months.
Eden smiled to herself like she was keeping a delicious secret. “In due time. In due time. Anthony really wants me to hang out with him but I told him we were having family night so I had to stay in.”
Anthony was Eden’s PIP boyfriend. He was the safe one she could take to school functions and bring around her family. Every PIP was required to date a boy from the preapproved PIP list. If you didn’t really like the guy, you could have another one on the side as long as you were smart about it. My guy was Brody Davidson. I chose him from the list like I was picking out a pair of shoes. It felt wrong but we’d actually become good friends.
“Brody and I are going out tonight too. I don’t know what we’re doing. We just usually play it by ear.”
Kyla shielded her eyes from the sun. “Do you like him? Like really like him?” Kyla and Brody were close. Brody’s dad was an assistant pastor at the Everson Hope Center. The two of them had grown up together.
“Yeah, I do.” I liked Brody as a friend. He was sweet and easy to talk to but our relationship was strictly platonic. He had someone he was in love with whom he kept a secret from me and everyone. I was his cover. When he went to see this person, he told his parents that he was with me.
Kyla smiled, flashing perfect teeth. “That’s great. Brody’s a good guy. No date for me. I’m making a video tonight. I don’t usually film on Saturdays but I have a lot to talk about.” She had a YouTube channel and a blog called The Purple Thorn of Justice. She talked about gender and racial equality and anything else she wanted to tackle.
The timer went off on Eden’s phone. “Dennis Crane will be here in ten minutes. We should head inside.”
Saturdays were also when we held appointments for people who needed our help. They would tell us their problems and we would tell them what they had to do in return for our help. We would add their name to the list and when the time came for them to pay up, they would probably regret ever talking to us. Still, despite our reputation, there was always some poor soul willing to take their chances.
Piranhas in Pink: Piranhas in Pink Book One Page 26