"We can swarm her with questions about the presentations."
"Huh?" I looked at Carolina and saw her watching Miss Connors, a pink pen between her teeth. She grinned, reaching into her bag. "You can escape that way. She won't weigh you down with soul-searching questions. That's what you're worried about, right? She was your high school counselor? Did I not get that right?"
Who the hell was this girl? "How do you know all this?"
"Unlike Cadence the Bitch, I do my homework. I'm faster and I'm smarter than her."
The confidence that rolled off this girl took my breath away. No one did that. Ever.
When Miss Connors started class by assigning presentations to groups, Carolina winked at me and raised her hand for a question. When she was called on, Carolina had a comment for every discussion that Miss Connors raised soon after that. The rest of the class passed by, but I tuned it out.
To be honest, I hadn't come to learn anything. Corrigan had made me uneasy so I figured the best way to be distracted was a fight. I knew Grace would be in the class, and I knew some of her newfound friends would be too. I had been ready for them until Leah's sisters flanked me. And, honestly, I wasn't sure who I should be more wary of, Cadence or this Carolina girl. I understood Cadence. I knew what made her tick, but this new girl was an alien to me. Then I remembered all my problems and figured she was the last thing I'd need to worry about.
At the end of class, Carolina squeezed my hand once. Then the girls shot straight towards Miss Connors and kept asking questions. It was almost amusing to watch because I saw the surrender in my old counselor's eyes. She looked at me and then saw that I had no intention of sticking around. I almost felt her sigh in defeat.
Then I turned and found myself face to face with Grace…and four of her sisters. They all glared.
My shoulders rolled back and something settled in me. This was the fight I had come for. "What's up, Grace?"
"I'm surprised you came to class."
"And why wouldn't I?" I remembered how she lifted her jaw, like she was meeting me in a challenge. I lifted mine now and stepped closer. Two could play at that game, girl. Let's not forget who'd been the master.
She looked down, but then glanced at the girls around her. "I…"
"Don't look at them for cues. They don't know what to say either. You're the one who's going to know. You know me the best. Lesson 101 on fighting: look for your enemy's weaknesses. What are my weaknesses, Grace?"
She jerked her gaze away, but then her jaw hardened and she swung back. "Your weakness is Bryce and Corrigan. You don't have any other weakness."
I grinned. "Now you're getting it. What else? How would you use those weaknesses?"
"You're crazy."
I looked behind as Carolina drew beside me, her sisters behind her. They squared off against their enemies.
I focused on Grace and repeated, "Tell me again. How would you use those weaknesses?"
Grace opened her mouth, but shut it. Her eyes darted from Carolina to me and then to her comrades. She couldn't do anything. I stepped forward. "Don't freeze, Grace. It's fight or flight time now. Don't be one of those who let it happen. Fight it. Run away. Choose. Pick what you're going to do. What are you going to do?"
I felt Carolina's gaze, but I ignored it. Instead, I zeroed in on the girl that I used to think was a friend. She was faltering. She was trying to be something better, but she was glued in place. I wanted to shove her forward, out of place. So I stalked forward and whispered, though everyone could hear, "Out of all these years, you haven't picked up anything? Why are you with these people? Why do you need their friendship? They're fake to you. They're in it for themselves. Cadence didn't want you. She wanted me. I made her take you. How's that feel—?"
"You're nothing without Bryce!" she shrieked.
Finally.
I grinned and let it soak. Then I was in her face. "How does it feel? You threw the first gauntlet. Now I get to throw one back, right? But I'm going to wait, Grace. I'm going to let you savor this moment. This is when you bested me. You won. Now you can walk away breathing easy because you'll win the next round, right?" When she paled, I grinned. I savored that too. "No, seriously, Grace. I'm not coming back at you, not yet. Find your way. Find your footing right now. I'm giving that to you." Then I saluted her with a finger. "Good luck, Grace."
No one seemed sure how to react. When one of her friends opened her mouth and readied a snooty comment, Grace clamped a hand on her arm. "Let's go." Her eyes never left mine, but they turned and left. As they went around a corner, she stopped. Her eyes were still on mine, searching, but then disappointment flared in her depths before she followed behind them.
"That was…unexpected." Carolina rotated on her heels so she stood facing me.
I shrugged. "I'm not completely heartless. I'm turning a new leaf. Someone told me how selfish I can be today."
"That was your first act of kindness? She still feels humiliated, though she doesn't understand how. You screwed with her mind."
I grinned and turned to leave. "Maybe I just didn't want to hurt her anymore. She was a friend, you know."
As I left, I felt her eyes on me. I'd just met the girl and I could tell how she smart, maybe smarter than me. But I didn't feel like she was after any of mine. Maybe we'd get along. Maybe not. It wasn't something I wanted to focus on. I had worse things to deal with, and as I headed to where Corrigan had parked, I knew his words were a few of them.
He'd been right with what he'd said. I didn't think before I acted. Sometimes I didn't want to because they would pick up the pieces. They always had. It wasn't that I put that responsibility on him and Bryce in the past.
When I spotted Corrigan's car with no Corrigan, I sat at a picnic table nearby. Then my phone rang and everything went haywire inside of me.
Bryce.
"Yeah?" My voice sounded hoarse, and I cursed at myself. There'd been a hitch in my throat.
He didn't say anything for a moment. "Officer Patterson called me. She said there was an intruder last night at your place?"
I shot to my feet. "Are you kidding me? She called you?"
"She wanted to know where I was. For some reason," he bit out, "she thought I might've been the intruder. What'd you tell her?"
"Huh?" I looked at Carolina and saw her watching Miss Connors, a pink pen between her teeth. She grinned, reaching into her bag. "You can escape that way. She won't weigh you down with soul-searching questions. That's what you're worried about, right? She was your high school counselor? Did I not get that right?"
Who the hell was this girl? "How do you know all this?"
"Unlike Cadence the Bitch, I do my homework. I'm faster and I'm smarter than her."
The confidence that rolled off this girl took my breath away. No one did that. Ever.
When Miss Connors started class by assigning presentations to groups, Carolina winked at me and raised her hand for a question. When she was called on, Carolina had a comment for every discussion that Miss Connors raised soon after that. The rest of the class passed by, but I tuned it out.
To be honest, I hadn't come to learn anything. Corrigan had made me uneasy so I figured the best way to be distracted was a fight. I knew Grace would be in the class, and I knew some of her newfound friends would be too. I had been ready for them until Leah's sisters flanked me. And, honestly, I wasn't sure who I should be more wary of, Cadence or this Carolina girl. I understood Cadence. I knew what made her tick, but this new girl was an alien to me. Then I remembered all my problems and figured she was the last thing I'd need to worry about.
At the end of class, Carolina squeezed my hand once. Then the girls shot straight towards Miss Connors and kept asking questions. It was almost amusing to watch because I saw the surrender in my old counselor's eyes. She looked at me and then saw that I had no intention of sticking around. I almost felt her sigh in defeat.
Then I turned and found myself face to face with Grace…and four of her sisters. They all glared.
My shoulders rolled back and something settled in me. This was the fight I had come for. "What's up, Grace?"
"I'm surprised you came to class."
"And why wouldn't I?" I remembered how she lifted her jaw, like she was meeting me in a challenge. I lifted mine now and stepped closer. Two could play at that game, girl. Let's not forget who'd been the master.
She looked down, but then glanced at the girls around her. "I…"
"Don't look at them for cues. They don't know what to say either. You're the one who's going to know. You know me the best. Lesson 101 on fighting: look for your enemy's weaknesses. What are my weaknesses, Grace?"
She jerked her gaze away, but then her jaw hardened and she swung back. "Your weakness is Bryce and Corrigan. You don't have any other weakness."
I grinned. "Now you're getting it. What else? How would you use those weaknesses?"
"You're crazy."
I looked behind as Carolina drew beside me, her sisters behind her. They squared off against their enemies.
I focused on Grace and repeated, "Tell me again. How would you use those weaknesses?"
Grace opened her mouth, but shut it. Her eyes darted from Carolina to me and then to her comrades. She couldn't do anything. I stepped forward. "Don't freeze, Grace. It's fight or flight time now. Don't be one of those who let it happen. Fight it. Run away. Choose. Pick what you're going to do. What are you going to do?"
I felt Carolina's gaze, but I ignored it. Instead, I zeroed in on the girl that I used to think was a friend. She was faltering. She was trying to be something better, but she was glued in place. I wanted to shove her forward, out of place. So I stalked forward and whispered, though everyone could hear, "Out of all these years, you haven't picked up anything? Why are you with these people? Why do you need their friendship? They're fake to you. They're in it for themselves. Cadence didn't want you. She wanted me. I made her take you. How's that feel—?"
"You're nothing without Bryce!" she shrieked.
Finally.
I grinned and let it soak. Then I was in her face. "How does it feel? You threw the first gauntlet. Now I get to throw one back, right? But I'm going to wait, Grace. I'm going to let you savor this moment. This is when you bested me. You won. Now you can walk away breathing easy because you'll win the next round, right?" When she paled, I grinned. I savored that too. "No, seriously, Grace. I'm not coming back at you, not yet. Find your way. Find your footing right now. I'm giving that to you." Then I saluted her with a finger. "Good luck, Grace."
No one seemed sure how to react. When one of her friends opened her mouth and readied a snooty comment, Grace clamped a hand on her arm. "Let's go." Her eyes never left mine, but they turned and left. As they went around a corner, she stopped. Her eyes were still on mine, searching, but then disappointment flared in her depths before she followed behind them.
"That was…unexpected." Carolina rotated on her heels so she stood facing me.
I shrugged. "I'm not completely heartless. I'm turning a new leaf. Someone told me how selfish I can be today."
"That was your first act of kindness? She still feels humiliated, though she doesn't understand how. You screwed with her mind."
I grinned and turned to leave. "Maybe I just didn't want to hurt her anymore. She was a friend, you know."
As I left, I felt her eyes on me. I'd just met the girl and I could tell how she smart, maybe smarter than me. But I didn't feel like she was after any of mine. Maybe we'd get along. Maybe not. It wasn't something I wanted to focus on. I had worse things to deal with, and as I headed to where Corrigan had parked, I knew his words were a few of them.
He'd been right with what he'd said. I didn't think before I acted. Sometimes I didn't want to because they would pick up the pieces. They always had. It wasn't that I put that responsibility on him and Bryce in the past.
When I spotted Corrigan's car with no Corrigan, I sat at a picnic table nearby. Then my phone rang and everything went haywire inside of me.
Bryce.
"Yeah?" My voice sounded hoarse, and I cursed at myself. There'd been a hitch in my throat.
He didn't say anything for a moment. "Officer Patterson called me. She said there was an intruder last night at your place?"
I shot to my feet. "Are you kidding me? She called you?"
"She wanted to know where I was. For some reason," he bit out, "she thought I might've been the intruder. What'd you tell her?"
