by Ivy Smoak
“Like what?” My voice was so small, I wasn’t sure Miller or Donnelley had heard me.
But then Donnelley turned around to look at me. “She’s not supposed to talk to you at all. Mr. Pruitt and her are still negotiating the specifics, and until something is signed she’s not allowed to have any contact with you. She understands this. So if she talks to you at all…you text us right away and she’ll be removed from school.”
“She’ll be expelled?” I asked.
“No. This is a family matter. One of us will come escort her out for your safety.”
My safety? I nodded. This was a good thing. Isabella wasn’t allowed to speak to me. That was great. Except…the knots in my stomach didn’t feel great. Since when did Isabella ever do anything she was supposed to? “Okay,” I said. I had a feeling I’d be texting them in no time. I followed Matt out of the SUV.
Matt threw his arm over my shoulders as we made our way up the front steps. He waved at one of his football friends and then kissed the side of my forehead. “Today is going to be a great day,” he whispered in my ear. “Don’t worry about Isabella. Let’s just enjoy this moment. No more wasting time.”
It was what I’d always wanted. For him to love me in public. What was I doing worrying about Isabella? I wouldn’t let her rob me of this moment. And Matt knew how much wasted time weighed on me. He’d said the exact right thing to get me out of my head.
He held the front door for me and the hallway hushed. Everyone was staring at us as Matt walked me to my locker. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the prostitute rumors, the fact that Isabella had tried to murder me, or that Matt was holding my hand. Probably a combination of the three.
Matt seemed to think it was the last one, because when we reached my locker, he pulled me against his chest and kissed me, showing our relationship off to the whole school. I didn’t care about the rumors swirling around. For the first time at Empire High, I felt safe. As long as I had Matt - really had him - everything would be fine. And I did. His hand slid dangerously close to my ass and I laughed.
I heard a few whistles. A few laughs. A few cheers for Matt. And then the hush was gone.
“Nothing for them to whisper about now,” he said. “By the first bell, everyone will know you’re mine. And everyone will know not to mess with you,” he said a little louder for the benefit of the passersby.
“Brooklyn!” Kennedy yelled. She almost toppled me over in a hug, but Matt was there to keep us both upright.
“What is on your hand?” she said with a gasp. “Oh my God.” She looked at Matt’s smiling face and then mine. “What is going on?”
“It’s a promise ring,” I said at the exact same time that Matt said, “We’re engaged,” loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.
I laughed and Matt smiled down at me.
“What? Well, which one is it?” Kennedy lifted up my hand to stare at the ring. She didn’t wait for me to respond. She just threw her arms around me again. “It doesn’t even matter. I can’t even remember the last time I saw you this happy. And I’m so happy for you. Did you know that Matt and Mason sat with me at lunch yesterday?” She pulled away from her hug.
“No, I didn’t know that,” I said and smiled up at Matt.
“I’m going to let you two catch up,” Matt said. “See you at lunch?”
I nodded. I couldn’t stop smiling.
He leaned down and gave me one last kiss.
I heard the flash of Kennedy’s camera capturing the moment.
Kennedy waited for him to walk away before continuing. “I’ll definitely get that one developed for you,” she said and looked up from the screen. “You guys are so adorable.”
I opened up my locker to hide my face. After what she’d been through this weekend it felt inappropriate for me to be smiling so hard. But she seemed to be in a good mood. A great one, actually. She snapped another picture as I pulled out my books for first period.
“You said they sat with you at lunch?” I asked.
“Yeah, well, obviously Cupcake doesn’t sit with us anymore. And Felix wasn’t in school yesterday. Matt and Mason saw that I was sitting alone so they invited me over to their table. It was really nice. But I wonder what will happen today now that the Hunters and Isabella are back in school. Who do you think will claim the Untouchables’ table? I really hope it isn’t her.”
I lifted my gaze to where Kennedy was looking. Isabella had just walked in. Her normal minions were nowhere to be seen. All I could hear were her high heels echoing in the hall. I swore people jumped out of her way, but I was probably imagining it. She didn’t look at me at all. Her demon eyes were trained on something at the end of the hall. A pitchfork perhaps to match her red, dress-code inappropriate, heels. But right before she passed by us, she turned her head and smiled. At me. A real, horrifying smile. Her smile grew as she drew a line across her throat with her index finger like she was planning on beheading me.
I gulped. Did that warrant a text to Miller? Technically Isabella hadn’t said a word.
“Wow,” Kennedy said. “Subtle much?” She laughed.
“How are you laughing right now?” I asked. “She still wants to kill me.”
“Laughing is better than curling up in a ball and crying. Trust me…I already did that all weekend.”
I winced.
Kennedy sighed and leaned her back against the lockers. “There’s no point in being scared of her. Your dad promised she wouldn’t hurt me again.”
He’d promised me the same. But he wasn’t here at school with me. I closed my locker. “But what if she…”
“Drugs us or kidnaps us? Worrying about it won’t do us any good.”
That was true. But it wasn’t as simple as worrying about a grade or something. It was life or death when it came to Isabella.
“I can’t believe how wrong I was,” Kennedy said. “When I told you boys like Matthew Caldwell don’t end up with girls like us. How did he propose?”
“It’s a promise ring. We’re not engaged. That’s crazy.”
“He’s crazy for you. But spill it.”
“I was snooping, actually. I found the ring in his nightstand. And he told me to try it on. That’s really it.”
She snapped another photo. “Sixteen and engaged. The life of the elite, I guess. Do you think you’ll have one of those elaborate engagement parties?”
“I don’t think so.” We walked toward her homeroom.
“Well if you do, make sure Justin plans it. I want to hang out with him more. And if you don’t make me your maid of honor?” She drew a line across her throat like Isabella had. “Joking,” she said and laughed on her way into class.
A chill ran down my spine, and it wasn’t from what she’d said. I turned around. Isabella was standing on the other side of the hall. That same horrifying smile on her face. Had she been standing there the whole time just staring at me? I turned and ran to my homeroom despite the fact that my feet still hurt.
Chapter 16
Tuesday
Everywhere I went, Isabella was there. She even came into my English class with the pretense of handing in a late assignment to my teacher. But I didn’t buy it. Because she’d stared at me the whole time with that same creepy smile as earlier. I was used to having her minions keeping their eyes on me when she had been blackmailing Matt. But it was like she didn’t trust their intel now. Like she needed to watch me for herself. And there was nothing more horrifying than her evil, smiling face.
Felix wasn’t in gym class. I’d waited for him by the doors, but he never came. Kennedy said he’d been absent yesterday, and he must have been absent again today. Unless he was avoiding me. I’d hoped to talk to him before the whole school knew about Matt and me. But I’d missed my chance. I sat down on the bleachers and sighed. At least I didn’t have to participate today.
It wasn’t just my mind spinning or my chest aching. All day my stomach was upset, worried about my talk with Felix and avoiding Isabella as best I could. But F
elix wasn’t here. And Isabella was somewhere in the school. I didn’t have anything to worry about out here. No creepy half-sisters or awkward conversations. Sitting on the bleachers in gym class was the first time all day I’d been able to breathe easy. I watched as a few of my other classmates ran on the track.
I looked down at Matt’s varsity jacket. The cool autumn wind blew, and I was happy to finally have something warm. I leaned my head back on the bleachers behind me. The sun on my face was as warm as the jacket. My eyelids felt heavy. I yawned and tried to keep them open. It was like my body had been on high alert all day. And now that I was outside, breathing fresh air, I realized how exhausted I was. I yawned again.
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, Coach Carter was blowing his whistle, signaling the end of class. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. God, I felt a million times better.
Maybe Isabella had always been around that much and I just hadn’t realized before. It was a small school. There really wasn’t any way to avoid her.
Fresh air and sunshine had been the cure to my paranoia. Coach Carter blew the whistle again. I went to stand and realized that there was a piece of paper underneath one of my Keds. It must have been litter from the last game. I lifted my foot and grabbed the piece of paper so I could toss it. But then I saw something written in bright red ink.
The countdown is on. Your bloodline is about to run dry.
That wasn’t red ink. I stared at the words. Was it written in…blood? I dropped the note.
Shit. I leaned forward and watched the paper flutter beneath the bleachers. What the hell was that? My heart was pounding out of my chest as I got up and started running toward the gym.
I knew it was Isabella. Who else would leave a threat like that under my foot? But she wasn’t in my gym class. I stared at the other students running back up to the gym. It had to have been one of them. Right? And the only one I really knew was Cupcake.
“Cupcake!” I yelled and tried to catch up to him, but my stupid feet still hurt.
It was like he heard me and started running faster.
By the time I reached the gym he was already running up to the boy’s locker room. Son of a bitch. A few students turned and started laughing at me as I walked toward the girls’ locker room. Luckily I didn’t need to change, because the laughter and pointing only got worse in there. I grabbed my backpack out of my gym locker and got out of there as fast as I could.
Had they seen Cupcake leave the note? Was that why they were laughing? But the laughter continued to swirl around me in the hall too.
I kept my eyes on my shoes as I hurried to lunch. The last thing I needed was for Isabella to catch me in the hallway. I’d thought more about death in the past year than I ever thought I would. But today I wasn’t concerned with someone else dying. I was concerned about my own life.
The crowded cafeteria made me breathe a little easier. And I made a mental note to remember to write in my new journal. Today was a good example of how Isabella was the reason I was getting panic attacks. Maybe my dad would believe me with written proof. It was Isabella and only Isabella that made me panic.
I glanced over at the Untouchables’ table, wondering if that was where I should be sitting. But Isabella was perched there with her minions surrounding her. Her eyes locked with mine and she burst out laughing. All of her friends turned too, like their evil minds were in tune with their master’s.
I quickly looked away. I didn’t want to see them all smile in unison. Or worse…do that thing where they pretended to slice their throats with their hands. My heart was pounding in my chest. Please don’t let Matt sit at that table. If he did…there was no way in hell I’d be joining him.
I caught a glimpse of the Hunters a few tables over, laughing with some guys I didn’t know. James looked up at me. I thought he might wave. Or laugh at me like everyone else seemed to be doing. But instead he just lowered his eyebrows slowly. Like the sight of me here pissed him off.
I turned away. I didn’t care why James was frowning or why everyone else seemed to be laughing. Jokes about me being a prostitute didn’t make me laugh. Besides, I had more important things to worry about. Like the fact that Isabella was 100% still planning on killing me.
Matt would know what to do. I scanned a few more tables until I found the Caldwells. Matt and Mason were both sitting at my usual table. They’d brought a few football players with them. Kennedy was already sitting there too and she waved me over. I slid into my usual seat, but it felt anything but normal with the laughter behind me only growing.
Matt looked down at me. He opened his mouth to say something, but Kennedy cut him off.
“Is that some kind of weird new fashion statement?” Kennedy asked.
“What?” I looked down at Matt’s varsity jacket.
“Not that. You look amazing in your fiancé’s jacket. I’m talking about the bullseye symbol on your forehead.”
I lifted my hand to my forehead, and when I pulled my fingers down they were bright red. The exact same red as the note. What the hell? “Am I bleeding?”
Matt grabbed my hand. “No. It’s…lipstick? Maybe?” He stopped me when I went to reach for my forehead again.
“Why is there a bullseye on my forehead?” I looked over at Isabella who was laughing with her minions.
“You didn’t do it?” Kennedy asked.
“Why would I put a target symbol on my forehead in red lipstick? I fell asleep in gym and there was this crazy note…”
“I can get it off,” Kennedy said. She poured some of her water bottle onto a napkin, leaned forward and started blotting my forehead.
“Did you say something about a note?” Matt asked.
At the exact same time, I looked over at Isabella. That creepy smile spread over her face as she stared back at me. She slowly shook her head and then lifted her finger to her lips. I was far away from her, but I could practically hear the chilling “shh.” And I was pretty sure there was an “or else” attached to it based on the wicked glint in her eye and the way she ran her fingers across her throat again.
I swallowed hard. What was she planning on doing if I told someone about the note? I thought about what Miller had said. To text him if Isabella talked to me at all. But she hadn’t technically said a word to me. And she’d made it seem like she would definitely kill me if I told anyone.
“Baby,” Matt said. “If Isabella’s bothering you…”
“No. Nothing like that.” I tried to focus on my own table and not on Isabella’s. I didn’t want her to slit my throat for tattling on her. “It’s just lame that she claimed your table,” I said. My cover up was as lame as the fact that Isabella stole their table, but I didn’t know what else to say.
“I know, it sucks,” Kennedy said. “I can’t believe Isabella won the Untouchables’ table. Shouldn’t you guys walk over there and kick her to the curb?”
“We’d rather be sitting here with you two,” Matt said and smiled down at me. “It’s just a stupid table.” He pushed some of my hair away from where Kennedy was scrubbing my face. “Was it Isabella who drew that on your forehead?” he asked.
I shook my head. It wasn’t a lie. I didn’t actually think she’d done it. For some reason, I’d blamed Cupcake, but that didn’t make any sense either. He was the one with a bullseye on his junk, and if I ever got an opportunity I was going to kick him right there for what he’d done to Kennedy.
“Well, it’s gone now,” Kennedy said and handed me the napkin to wipe off the lipstick from my fingers. “So whoever did it can stop laughing,” she said a little louder so that the students around us would get the hint and stop laughing too.
“Thanks,” I said as I scrubbed my fingers. “Can we just talk about something else?” I looked back over at Isabella’s table. The Caldwells should have been there. And if not them, the Hunters should have claimed it as their own. But Isabella? She wasn’t untouchable. She was just an asshole.
Isabella’s evil grin
spread over her face again when she saw me staring.
I turned away. God, what the hell was she looking at me like that for? She was about to do something awful, right? That was the only explanation.
“How has the rest of your day been, minus the whole bullseye thing?” Matt asked.
Horrible. Isabella keeps watching me. It feels like my heart is going to beat out of my chest. I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “It’s been okay.” I started bouncing my leg up and down. Maybe I should just leave. Isabella was always the freaking worst at lunch.
Matt put his hand on my knee to stop it from bouncing. “You heard what your bodyguards said. If she’s bothering you, all you have to do is text them.”
“She hasn’t actually spoken a word to me. She just keeps…smiling.” That wasn’t exactly an incriminating offense. And technically it probably wasn’t her who left the note. Or the one that had written on my forehead. But who the hell else could it be? I hated Cupcake, but he didn’t hate me.
“Well, she also did that thing,” Kennedy said and pulled her fingers across her throat. She lolled her head to the side and stuck her tongue out.
“She did what?” Matt asked, looking more upset by the second.
I took a deep breath. “It’s fine. She hasn’t even come near me. I’m not scared of her.” I tried to sit up a little straighter. But I wasn’t feeling brave at all. Because I was freaking terrified. Shh. Or else.
“Oh my God,” Kennedy said. She was staring over at Isabella’s table.
I turned to follow her gaze, just in time to see Isabella plant a kiss on Cupcake’s lips. What the fuck? Cupcake plopped down in the seat next to Isabella. He was smiling too, but it didn’t look evil. Just cocky and idiotic…the same way he always looked.
“Is she serious?” Kennedy said. “It’s not enough that she steals the Untouchables’ table, she has to make me look like an idiot too?”
“Ignore her,” I said. But that was easier said than done. Because Isabella was getting exactly what she wanted. Tons of attention. She’d taken the most prestigious table. She’d stolen Kennedy’s boyfriend. She was on an insane power trip. And now she had a new minion to do her bidding. A minion who wasn’t scared of drugging people. Fucking Cupcake.