by Ruby Vincent
But that’s what they want.
I knew that much for sure after my little chat with the Knights. They want me out of the academy and all for what I saw—or didn’t see—in the woods.
But why?!
The corner of the card crumpled in my fist. I didn’t tell anyone what I saw besides Sofia, I didn’t know what I saw. Ryder fought with someone I couldn’t see. I didn’t even make out what the argument was about. Why did he think I could tell people? I couldn’t identify who held the knife or say for sure it was a knife.
Around and around I went in my head, but by the time the final bell rang, I still had no answers.
I picked myself off the floor and went over to the sink. The cool water soothed my heated skin. I took my time washing the tear tracks from my face until every strip of makeup was gone. Water dripped down my pink cheeks as I met my gaze in the mirror. There was a blank look in my eyes that chilled me.
It reminded me of Ryder.
I WALKED INTO CHEMISTRY class feeling like the emotional equivalent of a wrung-out dishrag. I didn’t react to the snickers that went up the moment I stepped inside.
I shared this class with Sofia, and normally we sat together, giggling over Chem notes. I scanned the room and found her in the back next to Natalie. We clearly wouldn’t be doing that today.
I dropped my gaze and shuffled over to my desk.
A taunting laugh behind me made my hair stand on end. “Did you hear she locked herself in the bathroom?” Penelope Madlow said loud enough for her voice to carry. “Throwing up even though she didn’t touch her food. That’s one seriously bad case of bulimia when just the sight of it makes you stick your finger down your throat.”
I dug my nails so hard in my palm it sang with pain, but I didn’t respond. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of replying to such a cheap shot. The Joe Young kids had gone after my body too, but they took shots at my mom saying she was too poor to feed me. That hurt worse than some made-up nonsense about eating disorders.
Professor Grass rose from his desk. “Alright, class, settle down.” I don’t think it was a reprimand. He said it so monotone it didn’t sound like one either. “Open your textbooks to page one hundred. Read silently to yourselves.”
“I bet you don’t last the semester,” Penelope hissed at my back. “You’ll be running back to your slum with your tail between your legs.”
Slowly, I twisted around in my seat. Penelope’s smirk slipped when she saw the look in my eyes. “You’ll be talking through your gums if you don’t stop running that mouth. I went through things you would never believe in that ‘slum’—way worse than your weak-ass digs and a handful of thrown salad. I’m not going anywhere and you can pass it around. There’s nothing any of you can throw at me that will break me.”
Penelope dropped her dumbfounded expression quick as a snarl formed on her lips. “We’ll see about that.”
I looked over her head at Sofia. She dropped her eyes the minute I caught her looking. She was the only one who would not look at me. The rest of the class had no problem leveling me with their hateful glares.
I didn’t fully understand why this was happening, but I did know one thing. I was in this alone.
IT WAS A SLOG TO THE end of the day. In and out of class, students stuck their fingers in their mouths and pretended to heave as I walked by.
I waded through a sea of gags and hot breath as a crowd surrounded me in front of Professor Markham’s class.
“Move,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Or you’ll what?” One of the boys lashed out and shoved me. Quick as a whip, I took my textbook and whacked his hand.
He yelped. “Bitch!”
The boy shot forward, hands out, but someone materialized in front of me.
“You out of your mind, fool?” Jaxson growled. He snagged my attacker’s collar and twisted it until he choked. “You keep your fucking hands to yourself. It doesn’t get physical.” He said that but from the way the kid was turning blue, it was getting plenty physical. “You’re standing outside Markham’s class trying to start a fight. If she goes to a professor with bruises, they’ll have to do something or get their stupid asses sued. No one touches her, and that’s an order from the Knights.”
He threw the boy back and he collapsed onto his friends, gasping for air, but he nodded so furiously I thought his head would fly off. “Yes, Jaxson. Sorry.” Apologies went around the entire group.
I didn’t know what to say. Jaxson defended me. He protected me from what those hateful eyes truly wanted to do. Maybe he—
“Everything else though... is fair game.”
Dread filled my bones like lead, pinning me to the spot. I wasn’t able to move as Jaxson finally turned on me. He grinned into my wide eyes. “Although, I may do something about that too if you take me up on my offer.” He brushed the hair behind my ear in the way I secretly used to love—in a way I still loved. A shiver went through my body and I hated myself for it. “How much for a fuck?”
I stepped closer, getting right in his face. “I wouldn’t fuck you for all the money in your bank account. Get out of my way.”
“Still so feisty.” Backing away, he tossed me a wink. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”
The crowd didn’t stick around long after Jaxson left. Finally alone, I stepped through into Markham’s class. She looked up from her computer when I entered. “Ah, Miss Moon.”
I didn’t respond and crossed the room for the phone box. I had nothing to say for the woman who sat there while her class mocked and taunted me. She most likely also heard everything that went on outside the door, but still she sat there typing away. There was no excuse for being such a coward.
I yanked out my phone and slammed it shut none-too-gently. I stomped back to the door.
“Miss Moon, please. Can I speak to you for a moment?”
I paused with my hand on the knob. I didn’t turn around.
“Miss Moon, you are a very promising student. You’ve worked hard to catch up to your peers and I can see you’re serious about doing well here.”
That made me turn around. I looked at her in disbelief. “You want to talk about my grades right now? Seriously?”
“But,” she went on like I hadn’t spoken, “surviving in Evergreen Academy is about so much more than excelling at academics. I should know, I went to school here myself. This place is unlike any other and there are things— people—who will do what it takes to keep everyone in line.”
For the first time since I started here, Professor Markham stepped out from her desk and stood in front of me. She gazed at me with an expression I couldn’t read. “They say the nail that sticks out gets beaten down, and that is what they will try to do to you. You have to be strong if you’re going to face what’s ahead.”
I tensed. What was this? She was talking like this was war instead of high school. “If you have such a good idea of what I’m going to face, why don’t you do something about it?”
Markham lifted her chin. “If there is something I can do for you, I will.”
“That is the vaguest offer of help I’ve ever heard.”
Her face didn’t change. “That should tell you, Miss Moon, that there isn’t much I can do to help. Honestly... no one can help you now.”
My throat bobbed as I swallowed. I tried to form a response—something along the lines of me not being scared—but the clammy, too-tight grip on my phone said otherwise. Nothing would come out, so I spun on my heels and left.
The hallways were clear when I stepped out—a welcome relief. I couldn’t stand having people chase me around gagging when my own stomach was close to hurling. To think everything had been perfect only a few days ago.
I was halfway to my locker when I noticed the buzzing in my hand. I held up my phone and tapped the home screen.
138 messages.
I blinked. The group chat had been blowing up today. Sofia had added me in weeks ago, but it was usually only filled with notices about
parties and pleas for homework help. It never went off like this.
Any guesses why today is so special?
My jaw clenched. I could only imagine what was being said about me, but if I didn’t read these messages then imagination is all it would be. I don’t need to know what they’re saying.
I repeated that to myself as I rounded the corner to my locker.
I stopped dead.
Plastered all over the metal were dozens of joker cards in every style, color, and size. Those tiny little men laughed and smirked at me as I approached, much like the people I thought were my friends did the moment they saw that stupid card.
I’ve been marked.
They want the whole school to know it, and they want me to never forget it.
Steeling myself, I brushed away the card covering my lock, opened the locker, and gritted my teeth when even more cards spilled at my feet. I snatched out my things and left, leaving the cards untouched.
This wouldn’t get to me.
They would never break me.
I MADE IT ALL THE WAY to my dorm before I broke down and opened the group chat. Letters blurred as I scrolled to the beginning of the thread.
I sank onto my bed when I saw the photo beneath the older messages cut-off line. It was a pic of me standing in front of my locker holding the card. Underneath it read:
“The new girl’s been Marked. Spread it around.”
Within minutes of Casey Stanton posting that picture, a flood of messages poured in. I bit my lip hard enough to bleed as I read them.
“It’s about time. They should have Marked her the first day she mouthed off to Jaxson.”
“At least we don’t have to pretend we like the Virgin anymore.”
That sentence smacked me in the face. Was that true? Was the last month of my life fake? Like Jaxson, Ryder, Maverick, and Ezra, was everyone putting on a show until I made the wrong move and they could take me out?
“Seriously, what’s so special about her? How did she get into this school anyway? It’s fresh hell sitting next to her in class. The Virgin is a fucking idiot.”
“Didn’t you hear? ‘The Virgin’ is anything but. Turns out she was selling it in the slums to scrape up money to go here.”
“The only thing special about her is she didn’t gag when she sucked Evergreen’s wrinkled dick for admission.”
“Probably the only time she hasn’t gagged.”
That set off a round of LOLs that Jaxson, Maverick, Paisley, and Sofia joined in. The others pounced on Sofia the moment her name popped up.
“Spill, Richards. What did she tell you about her customers?”
Sofia: “She’s still saying she’s a virgin. Said that she hadn’t so much as kissed a guy.”
Jaxson: “Well, Ezra and Maverick took care of that Friday night. One after the other.”
The phone shook in my hands. Why was he saying it like that? Making it sound so sleazy.
“Wow, the Virgin has no shame.”
“Fucking make up your minds!” I burst out. “Am I a slut or a virgin?!”
Claire: “Come on, guys, go easy on her...”
I sat up straighter when my eyes lit upon Claire’s name. She hadn’t spoken to me at lunch, but she didn’t put me down either. Maybe Claire was my ally in this.
I scrolled down some more.
Claire: “They say girls like Val are really just chasing the father that ran out on them.”
That one did it. Of all the vile things that had already been said, seeing the girl who came from my hometown, who knew so much of what I had gone through, throw in with these jackals at the sight of a card, was too much.
Tears prickled my eyes, collecting on my lids until the words swam.
Sofia: That would explain it. She said her mother won’t even tell her his name, but from the things I’ve heard about her mom, she might not even know his name.”
Another round of LOLs.
Isabella: “Those are some high-priced sugar daddies, if she can drop four thousand dollars on a Bisset dress. How many people have that kind of money in her slum?”
Airi: “Good point. Plus she’s not on scholarship. How is she affording the tuition?”
My tears dried up as the conversation took a turn. Wait, no. Why were they talking about this? Don’t go there.
Isabella: “Exactly. If she is making that kind of money, why hasn’t she moved out of the projects? Sofia, what did she tell you about it?”
Sofia: “Nothing. I’ve always wanted to ask, but she gets really weird when I bring it up.”
Isabella: “There is definitely something strange going on with her whether she is turning tricks or not. If we can find out what, we can get rid of her.”
The breath left my lungs. No. No.
Isabella: “I called Mother and had her hire someone to investigate her. We’ll find out how she gets her filthy money.”
No!
The phone slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor. I clutched my head, gasping as the feeling that I couldn’t breathe got worse. “No, they c-can’t do that. They can’t! W-what if they find out?”
I squeezed my eyes shut as more tears threatened to fall.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
I ached. I ached so deeply I knew I could never reach the pain—never heal it.
No one could find out where that money came from. I said they could never break me, but this was something I wasn’t ready for. Bullies with bank accounts. If they put their money toward digging into my past and found out what brought me here... I would do more than break.
I would be destroyed.
What do I do?! How do I stop them?!
Call Mom, a calmer voice spoke up. She’ll help. She’ll know what to do.
I scrambled to pick up my phone. My finger was hovering over the call button when I stopped. I couldn’t call her. If I told her how horribly wrong things had gone, she would pull me out of Evergreen so fast it’d make my head spin.
I lowered my phone. I can’t leave. All of this—everything that happened would have been for nothing if I let this chance go. I’m supposed to make a new life for Mom and Adam, I can’t let anyone take that from me.
I stared at my phone, and all the people within it plotting to take me down. So what was I going to do?
Call them, the calm voice spoke up once more. Let them know what’s happening. Tell them they have to stop it.
I hesitated.
Do it.
The next second my fingers were scrolling away from Mom down to one single letter. I opened up my texts.
Me: People are digging. Asking questions. They want to know where I get the money. No one can find out.
I typed the last period and dropped the phone like it burned. How long would they take to get back? What if they didn’t repl—
My phone buzzed.
I dove for it, tapping it awake, then I deflated. It was just another message from the group chat. I dropped it again.
Buzz.
I took up my phone expecting another notification about the chat, until I saw the single letter. It was S.
S: They can dig. They will find nothing.
That was it—two simple sentences, but they flooded me with relief. No one would know. That’s all that mattered.
My phone went off again, and this time it was the chat. I muted it and tossed the phone on my pillow. I wouldn’t leave the group. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they ran me out, but I also wouldn’t spend any more time today consumed by their nastiness.
My chest felt tighter than ever. Every muscle in my body was clenched and I was sure I would crumple in on myself if I didn’t release the tension.
My nails dug into my forearms. I needed to do something.
I needed to dance.
I was leaping off my bed before the thought had fully crossed my mind. I flicked my speakers on and music filled the room. A sweet, slow song from my playlist tickled my ears until I hit the next button and cut it of
f. I kept flipping until I found the right band for the mood I was in: Linkin Park.
I spun the volume as high as it would go, then backed away. The speakers boomed. They throbbed and rattled and dared me to match its intensity. I did my best.
I jumped, swayed, thrusted, and threw myself around the room. There wasn’t any coordination to my movements. I gave no thought to looking good. I jerked and headbanged until the ache in my chest was overshadowed by the one in my throat as I screamed.
Chapter Nine
I woke up early the next morning. I don’t know why. The nightmare didn’t return to haunt my dreams. All I knew was one moment I was asleep, and then the next my eyes were open. I sat there in the dark for a while thinking. Thinking about everything that had happened to get me to this point.
“I knew all I had to do was wait. Soon, you’d screw up and we’d be here. It was fate.”
Was it?
The night I walked into those woods and ran into a situation I didn’t understand. The night I stepped through the drapes and sat down at Madame Shari’s table. Was it all meant to bring me to this point? And what did it really mean to be marked—
Madame Shari’s words came roaring through my mind. “The mark he left on the legacy of Evergreen was wiped out.”
“Walter McMillian,” I whispered. Was she turning a phrase, or were the words she chose deliberate? Walter wouldn’t fall in line. He was a nail that stuck out. Was he marked too? And when he didn’t give in... did they wipe him out?
My skin was crawling. The covers fell to my waist as I pushed myself up. This was crazy. Decades-old murders. Knights, kings, diamonds, and jokers. Students viciously turning on each other because of a stupid playing card. I wasn’t in a school; I was in an insane asylum.
How could anyone go along with this? Why weren’t people putting a stop to it? How could I put a stop to it? Would they come after me for the next four years? Because that’s what they would have to do. Dropping out of Evergreen wasn’t an option.
My mind whirled with questions but no answers. Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed and got ready.