by Ruby Vincent
She reeled back and slapped me across the face. “Yeah, right! I really liked Devin! Out of all the girls, he chose me, and he was good to me. So of course, you had to fuck him and get up the duff.”
“I know what I did was wrong!”
“Then why did you never say sorry!”
That blew me back. Hot rivulets ran down her face, and as I gazed at her, I saw for the first time what that perfect mask had been hiding all these years.
“Why didn’t I say I was sorry?” My voice shook, but I plowed on. “Why? Because I didn’t think I had to,” I cried. “It was obvious I was sorry. My class tortured me. I lost all of my friends. My parents don’t look at me the same anymore, and I had to give up my son!” Tears fell from my eyes borne from pain that was more than physical. “Of course I’m sorry, Madison! What I did was wrong. I never should have treated you that way.
“But—” I gasped, struggling to catch my breath. “I have changed. I meant what I said in the hall about being friends again. I don’t want to do this anymore. Look at where we are, Madison! Scorpions, kidnapping, fighting! Aren’t you tired of this?!”
That last exclamation hurt my chest worse than ever. I doubled over with pain. Something was wrong. Still, I forced my head up and gazed at Madison.
“I’m sorry.”
For the barest moment, something broke through Madison’s fury.
“Madison,” said Xenia, finally opening her mouth. “What are you doing?”
Madison looked from her to me, uncertainty written on her face. She balled her fist.
I cringed as I prepared for the hit.
“Alright... that’s enough.”
“Madison!”
My eyes flew open at Xenia’s shout.
“I said let her go. She’s learned her lesson.”
“The hell she has!” Xenia threw me down. Tears leaked from my eyes as pain pulsed through my body. Everything hurt. I needed to get out of here. I needed help.
“Have you forgotten everything she’s done to us because everyone else has! The school loves her again! Christian loves her!” Madison flinched as Xenia twisted that knife in. “The scorpion was meant to put her in her place, but it didn’t work! She’ll be back on top and what do you think she’ll do to us for this?!”
The edge of hysteria in her voice made my aching stomach roil with unease. I had never seen her like this. She was the cool ice queen standing at Madison’s back while the dirty work was done by someone else.
Xenia leveled a shaking finger at me. “She’s already ruined my life! Noah won’t return my calls! My parents want to press charges!”
She spun on me with a wild look in her eyes. “How did you know?!” Xenia dropped down and grabbed my forearms. She shook me. “How did you find out about us?! How long have you had the recording?!”
“Yo— You—”
“What?” She stopped tossing me around for a second. “Tell me!”
“You’re,” I wheezed, “a c-crazy bitch.”
Her lips curled into a fierce snarl. She backhanded me and I went flying into the dirt. “That’s it. Let’s finish this.”
Two hands seized my ankles and pulled. I cried out as my chest was dragged over stray stones and hardened earth.
“Xenia, what are you doing?!” Madison bellowed. “Let’s just leave!”
“We have to do this now.” Xenia didn’t sound hysterical anymore. She was the ice queen once again. “Christian just dumped her and she’s messed up over her kid. People will think she jumped.”
Terror like I never felt before overwhelmed me as those five words penetrated.
People will think she jumped.
“That she— Xenia, are you insane?! You can’t!”
No! No, no, no!
I scrabbled at the ground, desperately clawing for purchase, a weapon, a way out—anything.
“Xenia, stop! I won’t let you!”
A blur shot past me and the vise around my ankles disappeared. I dropped to the ground as Madison tackled Xenia.
Madison straddled her, struggling to pin her arms down. “Xenia, no! You know you can’t do this! This isn’t you!”
Xenia bucked and threw Madison off. She moved fast, quicker than Madison could recover, and was on her. Xenia punched her in the face and the blow smacked her head into the ground. She punched her again. Then again. Then again.
Madison stopped moving after the third punch.
Xenia climbed off of her and fixed her gaze on me.
“No. No!” Every movement was agony, but still, I crawled.
Xenia closed the distance and wrapped her hands around my ankles. She resumed her journey to the edge of the sheer drop and the shallow creek below.
“They’ll know it was you,” I cried. “You w-won’t get away with it.”
“No one saw us leave with you. We covered your face and took you out of the side door. This was how it was always going to end.” Xenia pulled me around and dropped my legs.
My heart leapt to my throat. We were inches away from the cliff face and the pitch-black hole that would swallow me.
“Xenia, please!”
She knelt beside me and bent to peer into my face. Her normally pretty face was twisted with a hatred so vile. “I loved him,” she hissed. “And you took that away.” She placed her hands on my sides, readying for one final push. “I hope you rot in hell, you—”
Light swept over the field, blinding me. “Rachel!”
Christian?
“Rachel! I’m here!”
“Chris—”
Xenia shoved.
I screamed as my legs went swinging over the edge. I clawed at the ground, hanging on with arms that were slipping as my feet kicked at the rock face. “Christian! I can’t—”
Christian ran past the fleeing Xenia and leaped for my hands just as they let go.
Christian pulled me up and we fell onto the ground. I clung to him and my body shook with wracking sobs.
“It’s okay now.” He tangled his fingers. “I’ve got you. Everything’s going to be alright, baby.”
Over Christian’s shoulder, I saw Xenia dive for Madison’s car and wrench the door open. Estelle burst from the shadows, grabbed her head, and smacked it into the hood. She dropped like a stone.
Estelle abandoned her and raced over. She fell at my side.
“How?” I whispered.
She held up her phone. “The tracker app, remember. Christian went to check if you were still sleeping and found you gone. We looked everywhere and couldn’t find you. I was afraid someone tried to take advantage of you while you were out of it. Then the app told me you were at the ravine, and there was no good reason you would be there in the middle of the night. We came right away.”
A smile broke through my tears. “You always have my back.”
“Always.” Estelle kissed my wet cheek. “Just like I’ll cut a bitch if you need me. Speaking of which, I need to stick to that one and make sure she doesn’t wake up.”
Estelle strode away and I burrowed into him.
“Christian,” I sobbed.
“It’s going to be okay.” He pulled back and looked me in the eyes. Everything I needed to know reflected back in his gaze. “I’ll never leave you alone again.”
“C-Christian, I—”
“I love you, Rachel. I love you.”
Tears spilled down my face for more reasons than one. I didn’t care what we called each other or relationship status. All I knew was...
“I love you too.”
I claimed his lips as sirens sounded in the distance.
Chapter Sixteen
The steady beep, beep, beep of machines woke me the next morning. Last night had been a whirlwind of cops, doctors, crying parents, and painkillers. It was a relief to sleep even if it wasn’t in my own bed.
I cracked an eyelid open and a figure came into focus. I jerked up and immediately cried out, grabbing my side.
“What are you doing here?” I gasped. “How did you get
in?”
Tracy Sinclair cocked her head. “I told them I was your sister.”
“Why?” I croaked. What was going on? Where were Mom and Dad? “What do you want?”
“I need to tell you something.” Tracy sat still and stoic on the hard hospital chair. “Madison’s mom called my mom. I came and Madison told me what happened with Xenia and what she tried to do. I’m here because I thought you should know it was me.”
“You what?”
Her face gave no emotion. “I played the recording of Biedermeier and Xenia.”
I stopped edging toward the call button.
I gaped at Tracy. I figured as much, but I never thought she’d admit it. Who had better access to Xenia and the intercom other than the cheerleader office aide?
“Why?”
“Because Xenia Watson is a poisonous bitch,” she spat, “and I hated her. We all hated her.”
I sunk back onto my pillows, disbelief keeping me quiet.
“She was good at hanging in the back and making it seem like she was the quiet, innocent one, but she was worse than Madison could ever be.”
“What did she do to you?”
“She caught me cheating,” Tracy said matter-of-factly. “I got wasted at a party and hooked up with another guy. Xenia caught us and took pictures. She had stuff on the other girls too, and now it was my turn to do things for her—get her locker numbers, loan her my car. She’s been holding it over my head for months.
“She was happy to keep blackmailing me until I stood up for you in the hall. I really did want the fighting to stop, but Xenia was pissed. She hates you.” She eyed me. “But I guess you know that.”
“She showed Geo the photos,” I finished.
Tracy nodded. Her lips trembled as emotion finally broke through. “He dumped me. He won’t speak to me. He won’t even look at me. So I did what I had to do.”
I shook my head. “How did you know about them?”
“I stay late sometimes working in the office. That day I was there until past six. The only one in the school, or that’s what I thought. I could hear them out in the hall. I peeked through the window and there she was, bent over the desk with Biedermeier balls deep, and it didn’t look like the first time. I came back and taped a recorder under his desk. Just in case.”
“So she didn’t know you had it?
She shook her head. “I didn’t want to make things worse. It just made me feel better knowing I had something on her too. You have no idea what she’s put me through.”
Tracy rose from her seat. She looked at me with that blank expression. “Part of me knew with everything going on with you guys that Xenia would think you were behind it. But I never thought she would...”
“Throw me off a cliff?”
“Yeah.” Tracy unfolded her arms. “Are you going to tell everyone it was me?”
I considered her. How did everything become such a mess?
“No,” I said in the end. “I’m not. Let’s just forget about it.”
“Fine.” With that, Tracy turned and walked out. I stared at the door long after it shut. My mind spun with all that had happened for me to wind up in this bed. Years and years of fighting, nastiness, and rumors.
I tilted my head back.
“The trouble with bullies is...” I said to the stark white ceiling, “...they always get what they deserve.”
“WE’RE GOING TO TAKE you home today, baby girl.” Dad leaned over the bed and dropped a kiss on my forehead. “I’m sure you’re ready to get out of this hospital.”
“I am. The nurses keep grimacing when they see my face.”
“Rachel, they do not.” She fussed with my blankets, straightening them for the fifth time. “There’s nothing wrong with your face.”
“Except for the two black eyes and swollen lip.”
Mom’s fussing increased. Okay, she’s not ready for jokes yet. It’s only been two days since the ravine.
I turned to Estelle. “Be honest. How bad is it?”
“Pretty bad.” She put her hand up to her mouth and whispered, “But I’d still bone you.”
I laughed and regretted it right away. I clutched my ribs, wincing, and Mom, Dad, Estelle, and Christian surged toward the bed.
“I’m okay,” I said. “Just the broken ribs.”
Estelle tossed her head. “You shouldn’t have broken anything. I’m sorry we didn’t get there sooner, babe.”
I squeezed her hand. “But you did get there. That’s what matters.”
Mom bent over and fluffed my pillows. “We’re so lucky that you girls thought to install that phone tracker. I can’t bear to think...”
“Mom.” I grabbed her forearms to stop her assault on my pillows. “Don’t think about it. It’s over. Let the police sort the rest out.”
Mom sighed. She looked around the room. “Can you give me a minute with Rachel, please?”
Estelle, Christian, and Dad did as she asked.
“What’s wrong?”
Mom sat down on the edge of my bed. “Sweetie, what you said the other day about us not talking anymore—”
I shook my head. “Mom, forget that.”
“No. I almost didn’t get a chance to tell you this and I need you to know something.” She held my hand. “I think about him.”
Mom looked down at our clasped hands. “I think about Gavin every single day. I wonder if he’s got your smile. If he giggles when you tickle his toes like you used to. I wonder and hope that he’s happy. I think about him, Rachel, and steering you toward adoption wasn’t easy for me either. I did what I thought was best for my baby... just like you did what was best for yours.
“You couldn’t see that at first and you pulled away. You were so angry with me and I felt like I was losing you. I felt like I was losing my family. The therapy was supposed to help us come together again, but I can see in some ways it did the opposite. The most important thing to me is that we never stop talking.” She looked at me and smiled. “Because I love you so much. So how about this: we go back to real, messy, ineffective discussions.”
“Sounds good.”
A knock broke into our moment. Christian stuck his head inside. “Don’t mean to interrupt. I’ve got Rachel’s lunch.”
Mom waved him inside.
Christian carried in my tray and set it up in front of me. His movements were gentle as he raised my bed, tucked in my sheets, and laid out my napkin. He finished by pulling up a chair next to me and taking my hand.
Mom watched the entire exchange with a curious expression. “Rachel... are you two—”
“We’re dating, Mrs. Bryant,” Christian said before I could open my mouth. “Rachel is my girlfriend.”
Mom stared at him. I could practically read her going over in her mind how many times she had left us alone together in the house. “I see,” she replied, tone even. “And how long has this been going on?”
“Two days.”
She inclined her head. “Excuse me for a moment.”
I sighed after the door closed behind her. “I bet she’s on the phone to Miss Ruth right now.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t want to hide it.”
“You didn’t want it at all. What made you change your mind?”
“I did want it. It’s just when you’re a foster kid, you learn not to get too attached to people or places. I got attached to Meadow Creek—to you—and then Miss Ruth had her accident and I was gone. Saying no to girlfriends is easier than saying goodbye.”
“But you’re out of the system,” I whispered, “and you still didn’t want to be with me.”
Christian smiled. “Don’t be stupid, Bryant. Of course, I wanted to be with you, and I still do. The problem was Worton College, not you.”
“Worton?”
He nodded. “The day I was supposed to take Nicky to the recital, I had my interview. I got in with a full scholarship to the best social work program in the country. Two thousand miles away.”
I sank onto the bed as it
hit me. “You’re leaving.”
“Yes.”
“But...” My heart fluttered with hope as my eyes traveled over every inch of his face. “You’ve changed your mind about us.”
“Yes.”
“And we’ll be together for as long as we have.”
“Yes.”
I was smiling when Christian kissed me. It was slow, sweet, and gentle, all the things my old Christian was. My best friend had found his way back to me.
Final Chapter
I was slow to pack up my things. This would have gone a lot faster if I had let my parents do it for me, but I needed a break from their fussing. I was fine. It could have been so much worse.
I was shoving my pants into my bag when the door opened. “I’m almost ready,” I called over my shoulder.
“Why didn’t you tell them?”
I froze.
“Why didn’t you tell the police what I did?”
The pants slipped from my fingers as I turned to face Madison. She stood in the doorway, arms folded and eyes questioning. The bandage wrapped around her head and the bruises covering her face were a harsh reminder of the ravine.
I shrugged. “I still might. The doctors told me I was drugged.”
She said nothing.
“How did you do it?” I pressed.
“Everyone watches what they drink... except when they play beer pong.”
I shook my head. Of course.
“So why?”
I looked at her. Madison Bernard: the girl who went from my friend, to my victim, to my bully. I looked at her and I made up my mind.
“Because we’re even now.” I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. I held out my hand. “The war’s over.”
Her eyes flicked down to my hands. Seconds passed and she didn’t move. So many emotions flitted across her face that I couldn’t guess what she was thinking.
Madison lifted her hand. “Yes... it’s over. We’re even.”