by Ruby Vincent
Ryder grabbed my hand and pulled me back down. “We’ll tell you, but there’s something we want to know first.”
I scanned their faces. “What is it?”
“The stuff you did this year... how did you pull it off?”
“Why is that important?”
Maverick leaned forward. “We don’t have a right to ask, but we need you to trust us. How did you do it?”
I stared at him for a long time, but he held my gaze, not looking away. They didn’t have a right to ask me to trust them, but...
Jaxson saved your life and Ryder shared his assault with you. They may have bought an ounce of faith.
Only an ounce.
“Okay,” I began. “I hired a hacker to get in Jaxson’s phone.”
“The same one who infected my computer?” asked Maverick.
“Yep.”
“That means they’re good,” Ezra murmured.
Ryder piped up. “What about the Evergreen Gone Wild video?”
“Button cam. Always recording and saving straight to my phone.”
“Smart,” said Maverick.
“I thought so.”
“And are you done now?” My attention was drawn to Ryder. The fire flicked in his eyes and it was impossible to look away. “Have you gotten your revenge against everyone?”
“Not everyone. There are still a few people on my list.”
“Who?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because we’ll take care of them for you... if you take down Scarlett.”
I blinked at him. I couldn’t have heard that right. “Take care of them for me?”
“Whatever you were planning, we’ll take it on—the risk, the blame, the consequences. We can handle it.”
“But what we can’t do,” Jaxson continued, “is get near Scarlett without her thinking something is up. Ryder has already tried to attack her; she won’t take chances with us.”
Maverick picked up the thread. “She won’t be the same with you. She thinks you trust her. You hang out in her classroom all the time. Scarlett won’t think twice about you walking in there alone.”
I nodded along. All of this made sense, except for one. “Why do you think you have to carry out my revenge to convince me?”
“Because we won’t be able to protect you,” Ryder said, “and this woman most likely tried to kill you twice.”
I bit my lip. That was a good point.
“We have a plan, and we’ll tell you all of it right now. Just let us know if we have a deal.”
I didn’t let them rush me. I took my time thinking about it, and kept coming up with one thing. They were offering to help me take out everyone on my list. How could I say no? “I’ll agree on one condition,” I announced. “You tell me why this is so important to you.”
Ryder frowned. “Val, you know why.”
“Not you, Ryder.” I swept over the other three faces. “Why are you guys doing this?”
Ryder rose out of his seat. “You don’t have to—”
“Because it wasn’t just Ryder.” His soft reply was almost lost in the sound of the crackling fire. Ezra looked at me, and for the first time, I understood what was in his eyes. “She molested me too.”
“And me,” came from Maverick.
Jaxson didn’t say it. He just held up a hand.
The familiar tightness stirred in my chest. It was hard to breathe, but this time it wasn’t for me.
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
“UM... VAL?”
“Yes?”
“This is weird, right?”
I looked at the four boys casually taking up the available spaces in my room. Maverick crouched on the floor, searching through my secret suitcase. Ryder and Ezra were at my desk, and Jaxson had boldly hopped on my bed with the notebook I had been using for my plans.
“Yes,” I replied. “This is definitely weird.”
“I need to talk to you.” Sofia grabbed my arm and hauled me off. She shut the bathroom door on the bizarro world outside. “What is going on? Why are they here?”
After what she just walked in on, there was no way I could get away with not explaining, but I had no clue where to begin.
“So Ryder and I—”
Got into it on the roof and I was almost sent plunging to my death.
“—talked,” I finished. “We talked and got everything out. The war between us is over.”
She goggled at me. “Val, are you serious? But what about the things he’s done to you. Not only when you were marked, but before you came here. How could you put that aside?”
“It’s hard to explain, but we... understand each other more now.”
She looked back toward the door. “Why are they here?”
“We made a deal.” I placed my hands on the countertop and hopped up. “They are going to help me get back at Isabella and Natalie if I help them take down the Spades.”
“Hold on. They want to take down the Spades? Why?”
I pushed down the surge of rage that followed the thought of Scarlett. “They don’t like them any more than we do.”
Sofia held out her hands and I took them immediately. “What if they’re playing you again?”
I thought of us sitting around the dying fire while the boys told me something they had never shared with anyone but each other. “I still don’t fully trust them, but this time I know they aren’t lying. This isn’t a trick.”
“Okay.” She squeezed my fingers. “I trust you so if you say they’re for real; I’ll go along with it.”
“Thank you.”
Maverick looked up when we came out of the bathroom. My tiny button cam was nestled in his palm. “Valentina, was your hacker able to get into the school’s network?”
I shook my head. “You should be proud of your dad. He’s too good.”
“So good I can’t get in either and I learned from him. He...” Maverick trailed off as he reached in and pulled something out of the suitcase. My eyes bugged at the green metal piece between his fingertips.
“I don’t know how that got in there.” I darted across the room and plucked it from his hand. It went sailing over my shoulder. “So what were you saying about the network?”
“It doesn’t matter now.” I wish I could tell what was going on in Maverick’s head, but he was even harder to read than Ezra. “We’ll figure out the rest later.”
“First,” said Jaxson. He tossed the notebook to the side. “Natalie Bard.”
Suddenly all the boys were packing up my things and getting ready to leave.
“What are you going to do to her?” I asked them.
Ezra held up one of my secret phones. “Exactly what you would have done: total and complete emotional annihilation.” There was an edge to his voice. He and I may have understood each other, but he wasn’t close to forgiving me for coming between him and his mother.
“And my phone is going to help you do that?”
He slipped it into his pocket without replying.
“Are you going to the chess tournament?” My eyes slid off Ezra’s face to Ryder. It was amazing how perfectly he had put together his mask. The raw, naked pain of the guy I met in his bedroom was gone; the Ryder Shea I knew was back... with a few exceptions.
“Yes, I am.”
“Then make sure you get a front row seat.”
“You’re going to get her then? But those tournaments are locked down tight, and thanks to the headmaster, it’s even worse.” I glanced at Sofia. “We haven’t been able to see a way around it.”
“There’s a way.” Ryder jerked his head and the guys headed for the door. “Just be there.”
They blew out of my room in a haze of expensive cologne.
Sofia shook her head. “Yep. This is weird.”
I WAS COUNTING THE days until the tournament, but with my own stuff going on I couldn’t obsess about Natalie or the Knights too much.
I landed on the mat with a smack that made Yvette hiss.
> “You okay, Valentina?”
Groaning, I forced myself to my feet and shook it off. “Yes. I put a little too much jump in that flip and knocked myself off balance.”
“Well, if you know what you did wrong, try again and do it right this time.”
I nodded and Yvette started my music again. At my cue, I threw myself into the routine. With the 104 Hot FM Solo competition coming up, Yvette and I had been practicing after regular club meetings.
I ran it through perfectly and couldn’t help but smile when the music stopped. Yvette was smiling too.
“Nicely done, Valentina. You’re set to win this thing.”
I laughed breathlessly. “You say that, but you’re still going to make me do it two more times.”
“Three actually.” Yvette grabbed my water bottle off the bench and tossed it to me. “Five-minute break then we’ll go again.”
I plopped down on the mat in blessed relief. Yvette was a great coach, but she did not mess around. She was infected with the Evergreen Academy need to be the best and she was expecting me or Isabella to win this competition—and that winner will be me.
“Val?” Yvette strode over to me and sat on the mat. “I’ve talked to Isabella about this and now I’d like to know your opinion.”
I lowered the bottle. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. It’s nothing bad. It’s that usually we only open it up for students to join us and watch us compete when we have big team competitions like nationals or regionals. We missed our chance for that, but the headmaster offered to let the school support us for the 104 Hot FM contest. Students who choose will ride the bus with us to Martindale and watch you and Isabella perform... unless you don’t want that.” She gave me a surprisingly sad smile. “I know you’ve had a hard time, and if the students will be more of a distraction than a support, I will tell him it’s not happening.”
I took my time thinking about it. The only time I didn’t feel marked was when I was dancing. When I was in that place where the music and my body connected and the darkness couldn’t touch me. I didn’t want the Evergreen kids to take that away.
“It’s okay,” I finally said. “They can come. I’m strong. I won’t break. It’s taken me too long to realize that.”
The smile morphed into one that didn’t make me want to cry. “You are strong, Valentina.”
Bang!
I looked toward the door as Isabella marched inside. She planted herself in front of us with narrowed eyes lasered on me. “Why is she here? Mother was supposed to call you about the new practice schedule.”
“And as I told your mother,” Yvette said as she got to her feet. “I cannot block every afternoon to practice with you alone. Valentina is also in the competition.”
She frowned. “But I can only work with Vibes on the weekends and we have to make sure my routine is perfect. I thought we wanted to win this thing.”
“You both have an excellent chance of winning this contest and we will make sure of it at practice twice a week. That will be more than enough time to prepare.”
Isabella did not look mollified. She put her hands on her lithe hips and I took that as my cue to get up and grab my towel. When she hopped on the complain train, she didn’t stop anytime soon. Something I learned from enduring being on the team with her.
“This wouldn’t happen in a ballet production,” I heard her say. “Principals are given the time and attention they need to prepare. I’ll be auditioning for Victoria in The Red Shoes and when I get the part, my instructors will—”
“—do what is necessary to prepare you for the role,” Yvette finished. “Just like they should and just like I will. You need to trust me, Isabella, but more than that, you need to remember this is not ballet.”
I peeked at them around my towel, eyes wide.
“You’re on my team. These are my rules.” She leveled a finger at the door. “Now, leave. This is Valentina’s practice time.”
She didn’t go quietly, but eventually Isabella stomped out and Yvette turned her stern expression on me.
“Alright. Three more times, Valentina. Get to it.”
I hid a smile. “Yes, Coach.”
YVETTE WENT TO BATTLE for me, but by the end of the school week I knew I was ready. I wasn’t going to leave that competition with anything other than first place.
I polished off my turkey, avocado, and goat cheese panini and stood with the rest of my class when the bell rang. Third period had been canceled for us to watch Natalie Bard compete for her title as chess grand master.
Sofia caught my eye as we shuffled to the competition room. I read her unease like a tattoo on her face. I had no clue what the Knights were going to do to Natalie and that didn’t sit right with her. Sofia wanted them to stick to our rules, but Ryder hadn’t responded when she cornered him about it. We both knew how ruthless they could be.
I stepped through the double doors and our eyes found each other instantly. Ryder stood just before the stage. Above his head, Natalie schmoozed with a bunch of people I didn’t recognize.
Ryder looked from me to the seats in front of him. I got the hint. He wanted me front row and center.
I made my way over there and Sofia fell in beside me.
“I don’t like this,” she said out of the corner of her mouth. “Those boys are demons. Beautiful, sexy, evil, rip-your-heart-out-and-drink-the-blood demons.”
“True, but Natalie is the same. The girl tripped me on the track and took half the skin on my back off.”
“She’s awful, but we don’t know what they’re going to do.”
I kept my eyes fixed ahead as we traveled down the aisle. “You told them the rules. I’m sure they’ll stick with them.”
“Are you?”
Not even a little bit. Beautiful, sexy, evil demons tend not to be predictable. I have no clue what is going to happen.
I passed Ryder on my way to my seat, feeling his eyes on me the whole way. Sofia plopped down a couple of seats away. When I looked for Ryder again, he was gone, so I turned to Natalie. She looked relaxed—in her element. By her side was an older man with a scruffy beard, twice as many piercings, and a face that said he was Natalie’s father.
Headmaster Evergreen stepped out onto the stage and that was the cue for the others to find their place.
“Good afternoon, Evergreen students and honored guests. Many have traveled great distances to be here today and see some of the brightest strategic minds of our time compete for the title of grand master. Let’s welcome our contestants.”
I listened with half an ear while he rattled off names and introductions. Behind him, the screen lowered and staff fussed about setting up the table.
“Now to our contestants,” Evergreen continued. “In order of rank, you will play against Miss Bard. There will be two designated bathroom breaks and both times you will be escorted to and from the room to ensure there is no cheating.”
Wow. This is serious, I thought as I took in the black-suited individuals posted at different spots in the auditorium. How could the Knights have possibly pulled anything off in here? It was locked down too tight.
“Let’s begin.”
Natalie rose from her seat and took her place before the chess set. The projector flicked on and we were treated to an overhead view of the game, allowing us to see every move made. Her first challenger sat across from her and the tournament began.
Want to know something? Chess matches are boring as hell.
I slipped into a coma about thirty minutes in and didn’t rouse until a mic tap jerked me to reality.
Evergreen cleared his throat. “Now for the first break. Contestants may use the bathroom or get a snack. Students must remain seated.”
My eyes stuck to Natalie as she trailed a black-suit to the double doors. No one except the staff was allowed to be alone with the contestants.
The break lasted ten minutes and soon everyone returned to take their places. I knew next to nothing about chess, but that didn’t prev
ent me from seeing Natalie was killing it. There were only three challengers left and they were looking nervous.
“Players, take your seats.”
Natalie sat before the chess set and a boy a few years older than her. They shook hands as I tried to keep my eyes open.
“Natalie Bard will be playing against Gael Erbach,” Evergreen said. “Mr. Erbach is—”
Bang!
“Hold the competition!”
Evergreen swung toward the door. “What is the meaning of this?”
Two black-suits marched down the row. “We must stop the match. This was found in the girl’s bathroom.”
Black-suit held something up in her hand and I squinted for a better look.
Is that—?
“A cell phone,” she said. “It was cleverly hidden in the paper dispenser, and from what we can tell—”
My eyes popped. My phone? That’s my phone!
“—this phone belongs to Miss Bard.”
“What?!” A crash sounded in the auditorium as Natalie’s chair toppled over. “That’s not mine!”
Evergreen looked from Natalie to the woman dumbfounded. “Phones are not allowed on this campus and Miss Bard is one of our top students. There must be some mistake.”
“There is no mistake. The bathroom was swept before she went in and we’re certain there was no phone. We checked it and found her photo on the home screen. More importantly, an examination of the phone revealed a search of the Tarrasch Defense and the Folkestone Variation.” The woman lowered her hand and pinned Natalie with a look that bordered on disgust. “Natalie Bard is disqualified for cheating.”
All hell broke loose.
“It wasn’t me! That’s not mine!” Natalie shot forward, knocking the table. It tipped over and fell with a crash that elicited screams. Natalie made a run for the woman until her father intercepted her. “I didn’t do it!”
“That’s enough!” Evergreen roared. “Settle down! Students, leave the auditorium now!”
It was chaos getting everyone out and calming Natalie down. I stumbled out of there in a daze, Ezra’s words echoing in my mind.
“Exactly what you would have done: total and complete emotional annihilation.”
THE WEEKEND FLEW BY in a shower of whispers and disbelief. Monday saw Natalie missing from homeroom. Her father ended up taking her out of school while they fought the decision to take away her grand master title. It was becoming a mess of lawyers, investigations, and Natalie’s name dragged through the media.