by Wendi Wilson
“Enough, Charlotte. Sit down.”
I didn’t wait around to hear her response, which I was certain was going to be pouty or screechy. Or both. That bitch didn’t know how to speak in a normal voice. I felt the girl’s fingers tighten around mine, and I looked at her.
“Thank you, Chaz. I’m Simone Carlisle.”
I released her hand and slid into my chair, motioning to the empty seat beside me.
“Nice to meet you Simone. This is Josh,” I said, motioning to my bestie.
Simone giggled and Josh rolled his eyes, saying, “We’ve gone to school together since kindergarten. We don’t need introductions, Queen.”
“I’ve never seen you speak to her,” I shot back, arching a brow.
“I’ve always kept to myself,” Simone said before he could respond. “The people here…they make me nervous, but my parents don’t care. They are alumni and insist that I attend Everly Prep, regardless of how miserable I am. Only the best for the Carlisle heir.”
She rolled her eyes as she said that, telling me without words that Simone could care less about being the heir to what I was sure was a fortune. I studied her features as she did the same to me. Dark hair that fell into perfect tight ringlets to her shoulders. Dark, wide eyes that were framed with thick, long lashes. Her tawny skin was perfectly unblemished, glowing with just the right amount of shine. She was simply beautiful.
“Are you okay?” I asked jerking my toward the Rogues’ table.
“Yeah,” she said, her curls bouncing as she shook her head. “I’m used to it. I usually give them a wide berth, but I was lost in thought and not paying attention to where I was going. It was my own fault.”
“Uh oh,” Josh murmured as my hackles stood on end.
Simone’s gaze bounced between us before finally settling on me. “What?”
I leaned in close, spearing her with a blistering gaze. “You are in no way responsible for assholes acting like assholes. Do you think what happened to me last semester was my fault for cheapening these hallowed halls with my trailer park?”
“No. Of course, not,” she said. “There was no excuse for what they did to you.”
I leaned back in my chair, putting some space between us as my expression leveled out. I let her mull over her own words for a moment, waiting to speak until her face lit up with realization.
“Exactly,” I said. “You don’t deserve their nasty behavior any more than I do. They are going to learn that actions have consequences.”
“And Chaz is going to teach them that lesson,” Josh added.
Simone looked back and forth between us again, her body perking up with interest. I gave her a smug smile as I nodded in agreement with Josh’s words.
“You have a plan?” she asked her wide eyes growing even larger.
“I do,” I confirmed. “You want in?”
Her facial expressions ran the gamut from fearful and unsure, to careful consideration, to resolve, to excitement.
“I’m in,” she said, her voice firm and resolute. “I don’t like confrontations, but if they’re going to force them on me, I want to fight back.”
I smiled. “Welcome to the club, Simone.”
“Welcome to Operation Bury the Bastard Bullies,” Josh added, smirking.
I laughed, saying, “I like that one.” I turned to Simone to explain. “We’ve been trying to come up with a name for my revenge scheme.”
“I’ll come up with some possibilities,” she replied, her white teeth shining as she smiled.
And just like that, our twosome became a threesome. Together, we were going to overthrow the kings and queens of this place.
We were going to show them how it felt to be a bug under someone’s shoe…Louboutin or not.
9
After exchanging phone numbers with Simone and finishing our lunch on a lighter note, Josh and I said our goodbyes and headed for our next class. My mood seesawed from bubbling excitement to deepest dread with every step I took toward Jasper Lockwood’s classroom. This was it.
Today was the day Jasper would announce the partners for the project he was assigning. I really hoped I heaped on enough anger, guilt, and regret to make him bend to my will, but I was nervous he would turn out to be stronger than I gave him credit for. Strong enough to stick to his beliefs and not cave to my demands.
I paused and took a deep breath before stepping over the threshold of the classroom. Jasper was at his desk, staring at a tablet as the students filed in. I made my way to my seat, ignoring the Roguettes, who stared me down as I passed. I didn’t check to see if the boys were watching me.
I had one goal, and that was to get Jasper to give me what I wanted.
I slid into my seat, keeping my back stiff and straight as I glared at our teacher. After a few seconds, he looked up and met my eyes as if he sensed me watching him. I gave him a slight yet firm nod as my gaze slid over to Mason and back again.
Jasper’s shoulders slumped as he looked back at his tablet with a sigh. After tapping the screen a few times, he set it aside and called the class to order.
“Okay people, let’s get started.”
Was I the only one who heard the dark note in his voice? He sounded resigned…and slightly angry. My heart skipped before pounding a double-beat.
“I used a random draw to pair you up for your projects, and all partnerships are final. Do not ask me to rearrange the pairings. This is about learning to work together, even if you don’t share the same preferences or views. I don’t care if you don’t like each other. That’s life, folks. You need to learn that lesson now, because if you don’t, you’re going to fail as an adult in the working world.”
My skin felt hot as he spoke those words. Were they for Mason’s benefit? Did Jasper foresee him causing a ruckus about being paired up with me for the foreseeable future?
My eyes slid to Mason of their volition to find him staring at me. His gaze held mine for three seconds before dropping, and I wondered what I must’ve looked like in that moment. Eyes bright, skin flushed with excitement…maybe he thought my appearance was some physical reaction to Jasper words—like his firm speech turned me on, or something.
The corners of my mouth ticked up at the thought. Letting Mason think I was attracted to Jasper after everything that happened wasn’t a half-bad idea. I’d have to put some thought into that and figure out how to subtly work it into my revenge.
“Isla and Stephen. Christopher and James. Elliott and Amelia. Charlotte and Cooper.”
I refocused on Jasper as he started calling out names. I held my breath, waiting for the moment of truth.
“Stella and Seth. Allison and Sadie. Mitchell and Brock. Joshua and Theo.”
Oh, shit. My eyes darted to Josh, who wore a pained expression. He stared down at his lap before squeezing his eyes closed.
I felt like such a douche canoe. I’d been so focused on my own agenda, it never even occurred to me that there was a chance Josh would be paired with Theo. What were the odds?
“Mason and Chaz.”
I sucked saliva down my windpipe, which caused me to cough harshly, drawing all eyes to me. My lungs burned as I tried to clear my trachea, my face heating with a combination of pleasure, relief, embarrassment, and lack of oxygen.
Once I had myself under control and could once again breathe, I mumbled out an apology and ducked my head. I feigned more embarrassment than I actually felt because I didn’t want anyone, especially Mason, to catch the light of satisfaction I knew was shining in my eyes.
I’d done it. I’d convinced Jasper to go against his better judgment and pair me with Mason. And my very accommodating teacher had taken it a step further by forbidding anyone to even ask to change partners. Perfect.
I darted a glance at Mason, who was watching me again. His blue eyes held no hint of his thoughts, but I imagined he was running through all the scenarios of how he and I working together could go terribly wrong.
Remembering I needed to pretend to be upset by t
he whole situation, I narrowed my eyes and made my lip quiver before turning my gaze away from him. I tried to tune into what Jasper was saying as he explained the details of the project, but my mind wouldn’t focus.
The sound of screeching desks pulled me from my chaotic thoughts, and I gazed around, realizing everyone was moving next to their partners.
“Everyone is pairing up to decide on the book they want to focus on,” Josh whispered as he stood up.
Apparently, it had been obvious to him I wasn’t paying any attention. I nodded and gave him a look I hoped wasn’t too pitying.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” he mumbled in a tone that belied his words.
Damn it. This sucked for Josh. I was going to have to keep my eye on him and Theo.
Mason slid into Josh’s empty desk, and all thoughts of my friend’s predicament flew from my head. I forced myself to look at Mason as his heady scent filled my nostrils. The smell of orange blossoms threatened to take me back to better times, so I held my breath and beat back the urge to remember the feel of his body against mine.
Being this close to him was bittersweet. It was exactly what I’d planned, but I hadn’t banked on the fact that this proximity to him would give me such mixed feelings.
“Let’s get this over with,” he grumbled, and just like that, I was back on track.
He couldn’t help but remind me of what an asshole he was. That all the sweet moments had been an act. The fun companionship had been a lie. The affection, pure fiction. Every kiss was deceit.
“Which book would you like to focus on?” he asked when I didn’t speak.
“Romeo and Juliet,” I said without pause.
I’d already worked this part out. Shakespeare’s tragic tale of star-crossed lovers was absolutely perfect. The young couple couldn’t be together because of family rivalry and hatred, yet they came together, and even married, in secret to satisfy their own desires.
My goal was to make Mason see the characters as a reflection of us. I was despised by his social circle for being from a poor and questionable family line. I would never be good enough for him in their eyes. I hated him for what he’d taken part in doing to me.
We were on opposite sides of a war we’d created, and finding a way to be together despite all that would appeal to the romantic in most people. I just hoped it appealed to Mason.
Because there was one thing I knew for a fact was not a falsehood—our sexual chemistry.
It didn’t matter how determined he was or how great of an act he could put on, there was no denying his body wanted mine. He’d been insatiable, taking me over and over again. That kind of desire couldn’t be faked.
He may have hated me, but he also wanted me. And I could use that to my advantage.
“Okay, I don’t see a problem with that,” he said, jotting something down in a spiral notebook. “How do you think we should present the finished project?”
“What?” I asked.
Mason rolled his eyes, saying “Jasper said we have to present it to the class, but we get to choose the medium—slideshow, reenactment, virtual rendering, et cetera.”
Oops. That must have been the part I missed while I was thinking about Theo and Josh.
“Since it is a play, reenactment?”
Mason nodded, making a few more notes. My eyes slid to my best friend and his partner. They looked tense, but seemed to be talking civilly with each other.
“Which scene do you think we should pick? I think the suicide would have the most impact.”
Perfect.
“Sounds good,” I said, downplaying my enthusiasm.
That scene had all the feels. It had enough power to invoke emotion in even Mason Bellamy. And we would have to practice it, over and over, because I’d be sure to proclaim that it wasn’t ready long after it was.
“Jasper wants us to recreate the scene we choose, putting our own spin on it,” he continued, looking up from his notes to meet my eyes. “I think we should modernize it, using current setting and language.”
I nodded in agreement, trying to hide my disappointment. Something about Shakespeare’s language was so romantic, and I hoped changing words like “Oh happy dagger, this is thy sheath,” to “I’m going to stab myself with this big knife” wouldn’t completely ruin the effect I was hoping for.
“Do you want to meet at my house this afternoon to start planning?” he asked.
My eyes widened a bit, and I forced a look of insecurity to mar my features.
“We have to do this, Chaz,” he said, his voice resigned.
“I know,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “I’ll be there.”
10
I told Coach Barkley I was having menstrual cramps and surprisingly, it worked. He huffed, his cheeks turning pink. He waved me toward the bleachers and mumbled something about me being excused for the day. I couldn’t contain my shocked smile as I walked away from him. I thought shit like that only worked in nineties teen movies.
I sat in the bleachers alone, tapping on the screen of my phone as the others jogged in slow circles around the indoor track. Josh gave me a narrow-eyed gaze as he passed by, but I just smiled and winked. He shook his head, but continued on. I forcefully kept my eyes away from my tormentors.
If I locked eyes with Seth, I might not be able to do what I was about to do. And it had to be done. These assholes needed to learn you can’t just fuck with people without consequences.
I pulled up the app Charlotte and her girls had used to create the fake profile of me. They’d drugged me, stripped off my shirt, and took pictures of me with a dildo by my mouth with my own phone and texted it to everyone in the school. When that didn’t knock me down for good, they’d created this fake profile with one of the pictures and posted that doctored video that nearly ruined my life.
Turnabout was fair play, as far as I was concerned.
I’d had to set up my own private profile to access the site so I could keep an eye on the fake one, so I logged out and tapped the icon that said “new user.” My eyes darted around, all dodgy and nervous, but no one was paying attention to me. I could have done this at home, in the privacy of my bedroom, but I’d decided to do it here, so I could see their faces and hear the laughter when it went public.
I felt icky as I entered Seth’s name and uploaded a photo I’d snapped of him when things were still good between us. At least, I thought they’d been good. I’d been deceived. The unsettling feeling faded as anger rose up to replace it.
No regrets. I repeated the phrase over and over in my mind as I uploaded the video I took in Seth’s room. When the shot focused in on his tear-stained face, I involuntarily averted my eyes.
“No regrets,” I breathed as I tapped the screen to post it.
Then I sent friend requests to each of the Rogues and Roguettes, except for Seth. Then I sent requests to every person who followed the fake account of me.
A burst of relief filled me as I set my phone down and watched the class finish up their mandatory laps. It was done. No more worrying over it or stressing out. The video was out in the world, and the fun was about to begin.
Students began milling around, waiting for Coach Barkley to give his instructions for what to do next. I spotted a girl pull her phone from inside her sports bra—gross—and tap the screen a few times. Time seemed to slow as her brow quirked in confusion. Then, one by one, emotions played across her features.
A tilt of the head in recognition as she tapped the screen once more. A scrunching of the nose in disgust. Eyes widening, flicking up toward where the Rogues stood before returning to the screen. Pink cheeks. Lips pressed tightly.
Then the coup de grâce—laughter bursting from her despite her obvious attempts to hold it in.
Gasps, groans, whispers and chuckles joined the sound of the girl’s laughter as other kids checked their phones and accepted Fake-Seth’s friend invite. Girls pointed and giggled against each other’s shoulders. Boys wore
looks of pity while simultaneously jabbing their neighbors with an elbow to show them the clip.
People really were assholes. I got the exact reaction I wanted, and it made me sick to my stomach.
No regrets.
My eyes sought out the Rogues, who’d closed ranks around Seth to protect him. Charlotte, that bitch, stood nearby watching her phone intently with a smug smile on her face. God, I hated her. So much.
I felt eyes on me and let my gaze drift back over to the Rogues. Seth’s honey-brown eyes were locked on me, his expression solemn. I couldn’t tell if he was angry, hurt, or disappointed. His features were clouded with some strong emotion that made me want to drop to my knees and beg forgiveness.
I beat the urge back and buried it somewhere deep down inside me. There was no room for remorse when dealing with my bullies. I needed to stay strong.
I forced my lips to curve up as my green eyes shot daggers at Seth. I raised a hand and waggled my fingers at him.
There was no way to deny I took the video and uploaded it. It was obviously recorded in our home, and neither Mom nor Atticus would have done such an awful thing. Warranted or not.
So I would own it. Better for those fuckers to figure out now that I meant business. They were about to realize they’d made a colossal mistake, making me the target of their hatefulness.
And Charlotte fucking Rutherford thought it was funny. Maybe I wasn’t done with her, after all. I’d love to see how hilarious she found things when the tables were turned on her.
The boys turned and herded toward the locker room, keeping Seth between them. I watched them until they disappeared through the doorway, and none of the other Rogues attempted to catch my eye. Either they hadn’t put the pieces together and figured out I was behind the prank, or they were intentionally ignoring my existence.
Movement in my periphery caught my eye, and I turned my gaze to see Stella standing apart from the other Roguettes. Her face looked a little green as she stared at me with a forlorn expression. Giving a small shake of her head, she gave me her back and moved to stand between Isla and Amelia.