by L. A. Sable
It’s obvious that my response isn’t the one that she expected. I’m sure Chloe thought I’d slink back to school with my tail between my legs, too defeated to present any sort of challenge. Or, I’d be obviously angry and hateful, giving her the excuse she wants to come at me even harder.
But I’m playing a longer game than that and it hinges on the fact that she won’t see any of it coming.
“I’m really glad to hear you say that,” Chloe says, voice so syrupy sweet that one word could give you cavities. “Maybe we can even be friends.”
Friendship with Chloe carries the same risks as an intimate relationship with a rattlesnake would, but the offer is just more evidence that I’m on the right track
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
She loops her arm through mine as we ascend the stairs. “You look great by the way. Getting hit by that bus might be the best thing that ever happened to you.”
I resist the urge to punch her square in the porcelain veneers. The time for striking back will come later. “I know, right?”
Because I know something about dear, sweet Chloe that she can’t possibly suspect. The information that Liam provided has accelerated in a way that I would have been impossible without it. And if she does what I hope she will, then I’ll have the key to taking her down.
And she won’t even see me coming.
When I make the trek to the Pavilion, to the same room that I had last term, Charlie is waiting by the door. I wasn’t expecting to see her this soon after arrival, given the radio silence over the last few months, but we would have run into each other, eventually.
I’m not sure how I feel as I slowly walk down the manicured lawn, surveying her before she’s seen me approach. Caution is paramount in my thoughts because I don’t know what to expect from her. It’s difficult to believe that she could be responsible for my accident, but she hasn’t acted the way an innocent person should.
The day has already been exhausting, my back aches from the walk up to my room and I need to sit down before my legs collapse underneath me. With the whirlwind of activity in preparing to go back to school, I’ve hit my physical limit. One of the staff had offered to give me a ride on their golf cart but I refused, unwilling to admit to myself that I wasn’t physically back to normal. It’s just another reminder that I need to work harder to regain my strength because weakness is no longer an option.
So the main thing I feel as I survey Charlie with narrowed eyes is exhaustion. But the moment that she turns and her attention focuses on me, I force a pleasant smile on my face.
The moment she sees me, her eyes widen to practically the size of dinner plates. She lets out an audible gasp as her gaze moves over my athletic form wrapped in designer labels. When her attention shifts to my face, her jaw drops.
Charlie gives me the reaction that any other student at Black Lake would be smart enough to hide.
“Lily?” She says my name hesitantly, as if she hasn’t quite convinced herself it’s really me. “Holy crap.”
I make a point of giving her a side hug with my free arm, giving myself a chance to school my own expression. “It’s good to see you.”
“You look so different,” she gasps, leaning back to give me another once over. “Even your face isn’t the same.”
“Thanks. The surgeons had to fix my jaw and my nose because the bones were basically smashed in the crash,” I say, voice light as if the dozens of corrective surgeries had been little more than a day at the beach. “Some things are a little different.”
“Not just different, though. It’s sort of amazing how great you look, considering everything.”
My smile is brief and I deliberately change the subject. “It’s good to see you.”
Her expression shifts to one of contrition. “I’m so sorry that I never came to visit. Hospitals are hard for me and I didn’t come out over break because I had to work.”
I can’t stop my eyebrows from going up. “You had to work?”
“My scholarship doesn’t cover certain things, like uniforms or textbooks,” she says, shrugging it off like it’s no big deal. “The money for it has to come from somewhere. My uncle owns a convenience store, and I just worked the register.”
It makes me wonder how much money would be enough for her to abandon her morals. Most of the students at Black Lake consider her family’s yearly income to be pocket change, so it wouldn’t be completely out of the question. Maybe Chloe had paid her off for my journals.
“Well, at least you made it back,” I reply, keeping my voice light. “I can’t imagine going through the rest of the year without you.”
Otherwise, how will you get what’s coming to you?
“I heard you’ve made nice with Chloe,” Charlie adds, voice falsely cheerful. It’s obvious she’s not sure how to feel about this particular turn of events. “What mountain are you planning to move next?”
The Inner Circle app is already buzzing with that bit of news. As if my dramatic reappearance isn’t enough to get the gossip wheels turning, Chloe and me being seen in amiable conversation is practically a coup.
“It’s nothing earth-shattering. I think she finally figured out that we have nothing to be fighting about.”
But Charlie doesn’t want to let it go that easily. “I’m surprised that you could be friendly with her after everything she did.”
The answer to that is considerably more than I’m willing to share. “I don’t want a repeat of last term. Like you said, it’s better not to make waves. For now, Chloe is the top Diamond. I’m not going to start a war with her.”
Charlie picks the operative phrase out of my words. “For now?”
I shrug as if I hadn’t meant anything by it. “We vote every term, right? It’s possible things could change. What goes up can come down.”
“Better not let her hear you say that.”
“Chloe and I will come to an understanding. It’ll all be fine.”
“But she humiliated you.”
I turn to the door and unlock it, turning away to hide the annoyance that I know is written on my face. When I finally answer, it’s work to keep my voice even. “Chloe was just being who she is, blaming her for that is pointless.”
“I guess,” Charlie says as she follows me into my room. “But I’m not sure I could forgive her that easily.”
“Who said anything about forgiveness?” I set my bag down with a little sigh of relief, my shoulder aching from the weight. When I turn back to face Charlie, my face is very carefully blank. “The person I should be upset with is whoever gave her my journals in the first place. It isn’t like she broke into my house and stole them on her own.”
Something flickers in Charlie’s gaze, but it’s an emotion I can’t identify before it’s gone. “Do you have any idea who would do that?”
I shrug, as if I haven’t really thought about it despite the suspicions that have become my practical obsession. “Asher, maybe? But I’m sure the truth will come out, eventually.”
Before she can respond, I hear a knock on the still open door. Kai stands in the opening, a blaze of light from the sun illuminating him from behind. The image is a perfect recreation of the first time that I met him and I can’t help but think of precisely how much things have changed.
“Welcome back.” A lazy smile spreads across his face as he surveys the room. “Looks like you’re getting settled in.”
My dorm room looks precisely the same as it did when I got hit by a bus two months ago. No point in packing up anything to bring home when you have no idea how long you’ll be in the hospital. I’m almost surprised to find that everything is precisely where I left it, but there’s no social status to be gained by messing with the girl who might be dying.
“It’s good to be back,” I say, instead of the dozen other things running through my head. “I assume you’re all moved in.”
“We got back this morning.” He seems to notice Charlie for the first time and nods in her direction. �
��Hey, there.”
She gives him an awkward little wave, but doesn’t say anything. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“What’s up?” I ask, sitting down on the bed.
He steps further into the room, shoving his hands down into his pockets. He’s got the aw-shucks routine down pat and I can’t even blame myself for falling for it the first time we met. “Well, I was coming to see if you had plans tonight but I’ve already heard through the grapevine that you’re heading into town with Chloe and the other girls.”
“I have to go to physical therapy and offered to give them a ride.” I shrug it off as if it’s the most natural thing in the world for me to have plans with the Diamond girls.
“That’s what I heard, but I had to make sure it was true. You know how far the truth gets stretched once something ends up on the app.”
“You sound worried about me.” My tone borders on just the right side of flirtatious. “That’s sweet.”
He has the nerve to blush. “Just checking in. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Charlie watches him go with a strange expression on her face. “I didn’t know you made plans with them.”
“I wouldn’t call it plans exactly, just giving them a ride.”
She hitches her bag higher on her shoulder, the movement betraying her nervousness. “Do you want me to go with you, act as a buffer if things go wrong?”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure her, trying to hide my amused reaction to her completely misplaced concern.
“I could come just to hang out.” Her voice is so hopeful that I can’t help but wonder if the girl can really be this naïve, or if it’s all just an act. “You know, if you want.”
If I wanted her there, then she would have been invited, but I don’t tell her that. Charlie has her uses for now until I figure out precisely whose side she’s really on.
“I didn’t realize you were already back on campus or I would have extended an invitation,” I say, voice full of insincere apology. “But my car only seats five. I’ll definitely save a spot for you next time.”
For a moment, she looks disappointed but quickly recovers. “No, I get it. Maybe next time.”
“Of course.”
“Are you headed to dinner?” she asks hopefully. “I can wait for you.”
“Not really in the mood to eat,” I reply easily, following her to the door. “We’ll catch up later.”
“Oh, okay.” She backs up slowly, as if looking for an excuse to stay and unable to come up with anything. “Welcome back.”
I smile, thank her and shut the door on the confused expression on her face.
Charlie’s hurt feelings cannot become my problem, at least not at this point. Too much rests on my ability to play the game to worry about how she feels. And if I’m being honest with myself, I can’t stop the stab of betrayal that I sense whenever I look at her. If she carried no guilt, then she wouldn’t have avoided me for so long.
And if she truly betrayed me, I won’t give her the chance to do it again.
Chapter 5
The Diamond girls are already outside waiting for me when I reach the steps of Bellamy Hall. Chloe has an annoyed look on her face, likely because dinner ended almost an hour ago and we were supposed to meet right after.
It’s the little power plays that will make the most difference.
“How do you have an appointment this late?” she snaps the moment that I’m within earshot. “Won’t the clinic be closed?”
“I always take the last appointment of the day so it won’t interfere with school,” I say airily, striding past them toward my car. “You didn’t have to wait. We could have planned this for another time.”
I hide a small smile as Chloe makes a grumbling noise and the other girls assure me it’s fine. Chloe isn’t about to let me alone with any of her closest confidantes, much less all of them at once. Going off campus is too big of a deal for them to not take me up on it, giving Chloe no choice but to wait for me to deign to arrive.
Satisfaction tastes like sugar on my tongue.
“Who wants shotgun?” I ask as I click the button to unlock the doors.
It was mostly a rhetorical question because Chloe slides into the front passenger seat like it has her name on it, while the others squish into the back.
“Does this have premium sound?” she asks, connecting her own phone to the Bluetooth.
I ignore the presumption while she messes with the display, expecting little else from her. “Absolutely.”
“Ooh, nice leather,” Ocean pipes up, leaning forward from the middle seat in the back.
“It’s heated,” I say, pointing to the controls in front of her. “And multi-zone in case you guys want different temperatures.”
Ocean makes an appreciative sound, audible even as I start engine. Chloe has a look on her face like she just tasted something bad and I have to hide the smile that lifts the corners of my lips. It isn’t so much that I hope to impress them with the car, because they’ll likely have even nicer ones come next year when they’re allowed to bring them to campus. But I want to make it as clear as possible to them that I’m not a charity case or someone who is less than they are. I can keep up with them and I will.
Chloe makes a point of blasting some random K-Pop at top volume, ensuring that there’s no further conversation. I put the top down, keeping the windows at heights that ensure airflow is best for the driver’s seat. If the others notice, they don’t say anything.
The ride into New Haven is short, but Chloe’s annoyance eases with each passing mile. Her phone is in her hands the entire time, thumbs moving over the keyboard with the speed of long practice as she texts.
I can only hope that means she has taken the bait.
The others talk excitedly about their plans once we get to town and it takes effort to hear the details over the music. Nothing they’re saying is particularly interesting but I keep myself perpetually alert for anything I can use at a later date. I’m not one of them, not yet, so it’s unlikely I’ll hear anything juicy.
We reach the shopping district in New Haven and the car rolls to a stop in front of a boutique.
“My appointment is for an hour,” I say lightly. “I can meet you guys back here when I’m done.”
They climb out of the car and gather on the sidewalk. I hesitate before pulling away, making a point of checking my phone as if I’m looking for an address. Really, I just want to catch the tail end of their conversation.
“I’ll meet you guys at the boutique in a bit,” Chloe says, flipping the long black hair out of her face. “I want to run a quick errand.”
“What errand?” Ocean asks, genuine confusion in her voice.
Chloe glares at her. “Don’t worry about it.”
Not bothering to answer any more questions, Chloe sets off down the street like it’s the most natural thing in the world. She doesn’t so much as glance back.
Setting down my phone, I navigate the car away from the sidewalk, making it look like I’m heading in the opposite direction from where Chloe is going. Really, I circle the block and come back around, the top raised up on my convertible just in case any of the other girls are still standing outside.
Part of me thought it was too much to hope that Chloe would make things this easy for me. But all of them had played right into my hands. I initially assumed it would take a few tries to get them to agree to let me attach myself to the outside of their little circle. But they’d bought my act with practically no effort on my part. It was as if the thought that anyone might come after them is too ridiculous to contemplate. That’s the problem when you’ve spent your whole life at the top, you forget just how far of a fall it is to the bottom.
It doesn’t take long for me to find Chloe, walking down a side street in the opposite direction of the main stretch of clothing stores. Clearly, she’s not here to shop. I park the car in a public lot, far in the back so it’s not visible from the street and follow her on foot.
I can’t help but feel like an undercover cop on a sting operation as I track her through downtown, staying far enough back that I can duck into a store or alley if she looks behind her. But Chloe moves like she’s on a mission, eating up the pavement in a way that can’t be good for the soles of her designer heels. It’s the ticking clock that drives her forward and the thing that made this opportunity so irresistible in the first place.
A dull ache blooms at the center of my back and my legs feel as if they weigh twice as much as they should with every step I take. I force myself to ignore the discomfort, reminding myself that pain is the price that I’ve had to pay for vengeance.
Nothing worth having comes without a price.
There is a full prescription of pain pills in my purse, but I’ve been trying to do without them as much as I can. The idea of feeling absolutely nothing is too seductive. The pills are the one thing that can take it all away, pain that’s physical and emotional, at least until they wear off. I have a feeling that if I get on that train, it will be impossible to get off.
Chloe stops at an antique store, but doesn’t go in. We’re in an older part of downtown, where most of the storefronts are the type with separate apartments above. She presses a button next to a door beside the entrance to the shop and then impatiently waits, rocking back and forth on her heels.
For a moment, I worry that nobody will answer but the good luck that got me here still holds. The door swings open and a guy I’ve never seen before appears in the opening.
My phone is already up with the camera feature on as they embrace in full view of the street. The kiss they share is passionate enough to make me look away, but my hand stays steady as I click the button to take picture after picture.
After a much heavier make-out session than is appropriate for a public environment, Chloe pushes him back into the darkened interior and slams the door shut behind them. The thought briefly crosses my mind to snap more pictures through the window, but I quickly abandon it. The evidence I have is enough to burn Chloe alive, and it’s critically important she has no idea that I’m the source when these pictures end up on the phones of every person at our school.