by L. A. Sable
When I’d read the information Liam had gathered about her, I hadn’t initially believed it. But the more I thought of it, the more sense it made. Chloe is guilty of so many things that I shouldn’t put anything past her. Cheating on her boyfriend is the least of her crimes. But she seems truly to value her relationship with Lukas, so it makes no sense that she would ruin it over some random guy.
I wasn’t sure if she would take the bait until this very moment. What is the point of a few stolen moments when the chances of discovery are so high? The arrogance of it would shock me if I were dealing with anyone else.
Because ultimately, that’s who she is, the sort of person who thinks they deserve to have everything they want without consequence, no matter who gets hurt in the process. But like an avenging angel, I’m here to teach her the lesson in humility that she desperately needs to learn.
With the incriminating evidence safely secured on my phone, I head back to my car. I have a feeling that Chloe’s extracurricular activities are a secret even to her friends, but it’s impossible to know for sure. Their reactions will be as telling as anything else, but I’m hoping this will be the first wedge that I drive between them. Without the other Diamonds backing her up, Chloe’s fall from grace will be quick and sure. This alone won’t be enough to knock the queen off her throne but it’s a step in the right direction and the first of many.
Caesar had it right, now it’s time to divide and conquer.
The scene in the dining hall as I walk in couldn’t be more perfect than if I’d choreographed it myself.
Chloe and Lukas are in the middle of the room, as if they’re standing center stage in the middle of a performance. The room is full of people but everyone else has moved back against the walls as if they’re expecting the two Diamonds to come to blows.
I’d hoped the big reveal would come at the most public moment possible, which is why I’d made a point of sending out the pictures right before breakfast. Being logged into Liam’s account had been invaluable because it allowed me to post anonymously.
“Tell me who the fuck this is?” Lukas yells as I sidle in through the double doors. “Right now.”
Chloe already has crocodile tears streaming down her face, but it’s not even enough to put a dent in her waterproof mascara. “It’s a lie. Somebody probably threw those pictures together in Photoshop.”
“The photos are time-stamped. So you’re saying that you weren’t in town yesterday and off by yourself?”
“Yes, but I was picking up a gift for your birthday. And now you’re ruining the surprise!”
I paste a confused look on my face as I enter the room, coming to stand beside Charlie, who’s watching it all with wide eyes, head moving back and forth like she’s at a tennis match.
“What’s going on?” I ask in a stage-whisper, as if I don’t already know.
“Jeez, you haven’t heard?” She glances over at me before her gaze flicks back to the scene unfolding in front of us, as if her eyes are pulled by a magnet. “You really need to start checking the app more often. Somebody took a bunch of pictures of Chloe cheating on Lukas with some random guy and posted them on the app a few minutes. Literally everyone has seen them at this point. Except you, I guess.”
Little does she know that I’ve been obsessively logging every view and comment on that post for the past ten minutes. It had blown up even faster than I thought it would. And if I’d timed things correctly, then Lukas got the first ping just as he was sitting down to have breakfast with Chloe, their schedule like clockwork just like as it had been last semester.
“Yeah, I really should pay more attention,” I murmur, struggling to keep from rolling my eyes. “You’d think I’d have learned that lesson already.”
Her attention has already shifted back to the drama unfolding at the center of the room, so it’s unlikely Charlie heard the note of sarcasm in my voice. Lukas and Chloe are both shouting at each other, voices raised enough that it’s difficult to make out precisely what they’re saying. I get the impression that righteous anger is Chloe’s preferred method of dealing with confrontation and Lukas has decided to match her intensity.
Abandoning Charlie, I move along the wall until I’m standing beside Kai who seems unconcerned with the entire thing.
“Shouldn’t somebody put a stop to this?” I ask, leaning into his side so I can be heard over the yelling and other conversations around us. “Before things get it out of hand.”
“They’ll run out of steam, eventually.” Kai crosses his arms over his chest and leans back against the wall. “This blowup was a long time coming.”
I can’t stop my eyebrows from going up. “You knew Chloe was cheating?”
“Not exactly, but that relationship was always doomed to fail.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He only stayed with her as long as he did out of a sense of familial obligation. Our families are close and they’ve practically been engaged since birth. As the oldest, he’s expected to marry someone that will benefit the entire family.”
“Just think, five more minutes and it would have been you.” I watch as Chloe picks up a plate and throws it toward a crowd of people gathered to her side, screaming that she’ll give them something to see. “I’d say you dodged a bullet.”
A rueful smile spreads across his face. “There are perks to being the second in line.”
“You really think he would have married her out of obligation?”
Kai sighs. “If you’d asked about ten minutes ago, I would have said he loved her, at least in his own way. But if there’s one thing Lukas hates more than anything else, it’s public embarrassment. Something tells me he won’t get past this.”
Which is precisely what I hoped.
Chloe shrieks something intelligible, loud enough that I wince at the sound. She shoves through the crowd toward the door, the other female Diamonds scurrying after her as the doors slams shut with a loud bang behind them.
It isn’t a complete turnover, but certainly a start.
“Have you eaten yet?” I ask Kai, voice light. “Chloe didn’t flip every table.”
“I was actually on my way out,” he responds, pushing off of the wall. “But I’ll sit with you.”
“That would be nice.”
My original plan had been to play them off each other. But staring up into Kai’s openly friendly face, I can’t help but wonder if I’m capable of playing this character long enough to make it work. Then I remind myself that he was the one who set Chloe on me to begin with and he had no problem pretending to be the nice guy when it suited him. All of this could be a trick, which means I can’t afford to let my guard down, even for a moment.
Silent staff members are already cleaning up the mess of broken plates and glassware that had fallen victim to Chloe’s ire. It’s difficult to understand how getting caught could move her more to rage without even a touch of guilt, but there’s probably something to be learned there. She will go down fighting, even when she’s in the wrong.
Most of the crowd has dispersed, some sitting down to breakfast and others filtering out of the dining hall to get to their first class early or back to to their rooms. The level of activity dims to its normal murmur of private conversations and the scratch of flatware on fine china. It’s almost as if the events of a few moments ago never happened at all.
I don’t realize that he’s behind me until Lukas speaks, his voice an angry blaze. “I need to talk to you.”
The surprise on my face is genuine as I turn to stare up at him. “Umm…why?”
Kai breaks in, a concerned expression on his face. “Why don’t you take some time to calm down, man?”
But Lukas only has eyes for me, staring me down with an intensity that I’ve never seen on him before. “Will you just come with me? It will only take a minute.”
“Yeah, sure.” I push back from the table, giving Kai a small shrug to let him know it’s fine. “We can go out in the hallway.”
&nbs
p; Lukas has turned on his heel and is weaving through the tables and chairs with a singular determination, not bothering to wait and see if I follow. This is more emotion than I’ve ever witnessed out of him and I’m not quite sure what to think of it. The break-up makes sense, but him seeking me out absolutely does not.
The hallway is conveniently empty and nearly silent when I step outside the dining hall. Once the door closes behind me, any sound from inside cuts off completely making me very aware of the fact that Lukas and I are alone together.
He leans against the wall, a brooding expression on his face as he glares into the empty air. I would feel bad if I hadn’t already convinced myself that I’ve done him a favor.
“What’s up?” I ask.
Lukas turns on me, expression dark. “I know you were there.”
A spike of adrenaline moves through me, but I manage to keep the surprise off my face. “What are you talking about?”
“I heard that Chloe rode into town with you yesterday when everything apparently went down.” His lips tighten on the last word. “Did you see anything?”
I realize with a pang of relief that he isn’t accusing me of something, but just wants information. “I had to go in for an appointment and I gave them all a ride, but I just dropped them off. Did you ask the others because they were supposed to be hanging out together?”
“Chloe’s friends won’t tell me shit, assuming those idiots know anything at all. That’s why I’m asking you.”
“All I did was give her a ride. Really.”
“And she didn’t seem different or strange on the way back, clothes messed up or hair all tangled. Anything?”
“I don’t know what to tell you.” It’s obvious that Chloe’s rabid defense of herself has gotten to him. Despite the photographic evidence in his face and spread around for the entire school to see, the part of him that feels something for her doesn’t want it to be true. I almost feel sorry for him. “When I was leaving, Chloe said she had an errand to run. That’s all I know.”
“She went off by herself. You’re sure?”
“I saw her take off alone, but I have no idea where she went after that.” It’s amazing to me that he can’t hear the lie in my voice, or maybe he’s too focused on his own shit to see anything else.
“That bitch.” He punches the wall beside him hard enough that the force of it reverberates down the wooden paneling. “She’s made a fool of me in front of everyone.”
I can’t help but wonder if it’s losing Chloe or the hit to his pride that has him more upset. “Do you have any idea who took the pictures?”
“It was posted anonymously on Inner Circle, so it had to be another Diamond. I wouldn’t think one of the other girls would do this, but it’s possible. Everyone knows Grace has been gunning for the top spot since first year and Maisie gets vindictive when she’s pissed about something. Ocean is a moron, but she might go along with it if somebody else made the plan.”
I wait for him to ask me, at least suggest that I might have had something to do with it, but he doesn’t. It’s almost insulting that he doesn’t suspect me, as if they all think that they could do all of this to me and after a few mediocre apologies, it would all be water under the bridge.
How dare you? I want to scream it as I wrap my hands around his throat. I haven’t forgotten that he played a central role in starting all of this, just like his brother. Chloe wouldn’t have gotten away with half of what she did, if people like him didn’t constantly look the other way.
But I keep everything but sympathetic interest off my face, even as I inwardly seethe. “I guess this means you’re broken up.”
“It’s not really official until I put it up on Inner Circle, but it looks that way.” He pushes a hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh and I can’t tell if he’s been ironic.
It makes me want to vomit a little that posting on the app is what will mark the end of their years-long relationship, but it’s not exactly a surprise. I almost feel sorry for all of them, so hyper-focused on their little microcosm that the real world has become like a distant memory.
I remind myself that Lukas and I aren’t friends so I need to be careful not to overplay the sympathy act. “Maybe you should talk to her again after things have calmed down.”
“I’m not likely to have a conversation with Chloe that doesn’t devolve into a screaming match.” The look on his face is angry but there’s another emotion there, one that’s born of something darker. “And I will not let her get away with humiliating me in front of the entire school.”
“Well, you know what they say, the best revenge is a happy life. The sooner you get past it, the better.”
“There’s definitely an idea there.” The expression he turns on me is assessing in a way that I couldn’t have anticipated. “In fact, what are you doing tonight?”
I don’t have to feign the surprise in my voice. “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t think of anybody that gets under Chloe’s skin more than you.” His expression is pensive as he regards me in a way he never has before. “Seeing us together would drive her mad.”
“But you don’t want to date me. You don’t even like me.”
“You don’t have any idea what I want.” His eyebrow goes up, expression mocking. “And right now, I’m just thinking about payback. One humiliation for another.”
“You want to pretend we’re a thing to spite Chloe?” This whole thing has taken an intriguing turn, and I’d be stupid not to take advantage of an opportunity. “What’s in it for me?”
A strange light shines in his eyes as he stares down at me. “It would piss Asher off, too. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you two are always at each other’s throats.”
“I don’t give a shit about Asher.”
“Liar.” Other people have filtered out into the hallway. We only have a few more minutes before class starts. But he doesn’t seem to notice, or care, that we’re not alone. “Tell me what you want.”
A million different things to say filter through my mind, chief among them tell me who pushed me in front of that bus. Lukas is on my list of suspects, but not at the top. And he knows more about Chloe and her weaknesses than anyone else in this school.
Curious gazes pass over us as people walk past down the hall, but Lukas acts as if he doesn’t even notice. All of his intense attention is focused on my face, like he’s making a study of the expressions flitting across it.
“You’ll owe me one,” I say, because I can’t think of anything better. “And at some future time and place, I’ll collect.”
“Done.” He backs up into the hallway, still watching me and ignoring the people who dodge to get around him. Just before he’s completely out of arm’s reach, he briefly touches my cheek before turning away. “I’ll see you for lunch.”
And with that, he turns on his heel and strides down the hallway as if nothing out of the ordinary has even happened.
I have to remind myself that all of this was meant to be a manipulation, even as I can’t fight the fluttering sensation in the pit of my belly. Part of me hates myself for even having that sort of reaction, but then I remember that I can use this. The closer that I can ingratiate myself to the Diamonds, the easier it will be to take them down.
And I will take them all down.
Chapter 6
By the time I get to my first class, the news has already spread across campus.
“Are you having lunch with Lukas?” Charlie asks on an airy gasp when I slip into the seat next to her. “He already updated his relationship status on the app.”
“It’s a casual thing,” I assure her, thinking to myself that he must really want to get under Chloe’s skin. “I think he just really wants to make it clear that he’s already bounced back.”
“Well, that was quick.”
“I guess.”
It isn’t just the need to maintain the illusion that makes me reticent to share with her, but I don’t recognize her as a
friend anymore. Suspicion and paranoia have morphed our relationship into something else, to the point that I can’t trust her as far as I can throw her.
“It’s great to have you back,” she says, flipping open her notebook. “I was worried about you.”
Not enough to come visit me, but I keep that thought to myself. “It was touch and go there for a while, but I’m practically good as new.”
“Even better from the looks of it.” Charlie murmurs it under her breath but the words are just loud enough for me to hear them. She keeps glancing at my face and looking away when our gazes meet, as if she’s embarrassed that I’ve caught her staring.
I understand what she’s doing, searching for the tiny differences that have somehow substantially altered the overall package. None of my features on their stand out as being substantially different, the changes are too subtle for that, but my overall appearance has dramatically improved.
Ignoring the thickening tension between us, as if I don’t even sense it all, I point to the schedule on her desk. “Are all your classes the same as last term?”
“Mostly, but I’m taking a different elective. You?”
“Pretty much. It’s almost as if I never left.”
Her eyebrows go up, an expression of surprise briefly crossing her face. “They didn’t make you repeat the classes from last semester that you couldn’t finish.”
“Tutors came to the rehab hospital so I could finish the classwork. I’m all caught up.”
“Wow.” She seems almost taken aback by that, as if she’s disappointed. “And here I was thinking you would have to spend the whole term behind. I figured we’d be studying together.”
“I’m actually a little ahead.” I say it casually, as if it’s no big deal. It was the old Lily who couldn’t read out loud in front of a class and was always one step behind academically. The new Lily doesn’t have a weakness. “It’s amazing how much progress you can make when someone is working with you one on one.”