“Isn’t it Frozen?” An annoying voice smashes through my thoughts.
“Cut it out, Silver,” Cole grits out at his bitchy step-sister.
She doesn’t even spare him a glance and levels me with a haughty glare. “I heard you almost drowned. Who was your knight in shining armour?”
I meet her with maliciousness of my own. “Was it you?”
“Was I what?”
I narrow my eyes on her. She was talking with Jonathan at the time, so she couldn’t have pushed me, but I lost sense of time from the car park to the pool. It could’ve been minutes. It could’ve been more. She could’ve had the perfect time to push me into the pool.
She leans in to whisper, “The whole show at the party was pathetic, by the way. King was never yours to dump.”
“Screw you, Silver.”
“Oh, I’ll be doing more than screwing now that you’re out of the picture.” She straightens and flips her golden locks of hair over her shoulder. “Thanks but no thanks.”
She pushes past Cole and waltzes to her seat like a queen to her throne.
My blood boils and my fists clench on either side of me.
The thought of Silver having Aiden all to herself shouldn’t bother me.
After all, I’m the one who pushed him away.
Still, a green monster rears his head out.
It’s like a compulsion under my skin.
A prisoner that needs to be set free.
I want to pull Silver by that perfect hair and bash her head to the ground as she kicks and screams — before she finally grows silent.
That’s… a scary thought.
A compelling awareness snaps my eyes to the side.
Aiden was watching the window a second ago. Now, his grey clouds bore into me, watching my heating face and my clenching fist.
Then, slowly, too slowly, a smirk tilts his lips.
Oh, fuck.
Elsa
Ishould’ve known better.
I really, really should’ve known better.
My skin prickles as I approach the car park and see them.
Aiden and Silver.
She opens the door and slides into his Ferrari. Silver sits in the passenger seat that used to belong to me.
The urge to go in there and smash her face to the metal overwhelms me. I want — no, I need — to wipe that smug expression off her face for good.
It’s strange how I have all these violent thoughts about Silver when I’m not a violent person.
Aiden wears the usual poker face as he takes the driver’s seat. It doesn’t take long for the car’s engine to rev to life.
Does Silver feel the same excitement I felt at the roar of the engine? Is he taking her hand in his and placing it on his lap?
My feet itch to go after them, open the car’s door, and pull Silver out kicking and screaming.
I bite the knife with its blood, but I don’t move.
Aiden is doing this on purpose after seeing my reaction to Silver this morning.
He knows she gets under my skin and like the usual arsehole, he’s using it in his favour.
It’s a mindfuck. A way to pull a reaction out of me.
But he won’t get what he wants.
“Ugh. That bitch,” Kim groans from beside me. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I force a smile. “I’m the one who dumped him, remember?”
Even as I say the words, I can’t stop the tiny needles from prickling my heart repeatedly.
Death by a thousand needles.
That would be a tragic way to die.
Cole strides inside the car park and stops beside me as Aiden’s car squeals out of the school.
He’s silent for a moment, watching the Ferrari disappear in the distance with an emotionless face.
“Are you okay?” he asks me.
Why is everyone asking that? I am okay.
In fact, I couldn’t feel better.
If Aiden is with Silver then he’ll leave me the hell alone.
That’s exactly what I want.
I don’t trust myself to speak, so I nod once.
Cole nods back, “I’m here if you need anything.”
I’m about to shake my head when I spot Knox coming out of the school. His headphones are on as he scrolls through his phone.
A vindictive idea comes into mind.
An idea that will probably get me into trouble.
But you know what?
Staying out of trouble did me no good, so I might as well crash into it headfirst.
I smile, meeting Cole’s forest-coloured eyes. “Actually, you might. I have a brilliant idea.”
“This is a shitty idea,”Ronan whines. “Quel idiot is behind this?”
“That would be me.” I smile.
Ronan, Cole, Kim, and I are at Ronan’s mansion in one of his usual parties. I swear he throws them every other day.
Today is different. Instead of drowning in alcohol competitions, Ronan is putting his glory on pause to stay with us peasants.
We stand in the spacious kitchen from where butlers shuffle in and out with drinks and snacks.
Rock music thumps from down the hall where the rest of the students are dancing, drinking, and smoking pot.
Aiden and Silver haven’t shown up yet. Actually, unlike the cliché of mean girls, Silver isn’t big on parties. She’d usually sit on a sofa like a queen with her minions surrounding her. Even with her passive participation, she manages to attract the party’s attention and several of her admirers fall at her feet in worship.
The fact that I haven’t spotted her outside means she’s with Aiden. They’ve been together since the ending of school.
I try not to think of what they’ve been doing all this time.
I’ll be doing more than screwing now that you’re out of the picture.
Silver’s words from earlier assault me.
Nope. Not going there.
“Ellie, je t’aime.” Ronan taps the back of his neck. “But I still need my head.”
Cole sighs. “Stop being such a pussy, Astor.”
The three of us gawk at him. It’s the first time I’ve heard Cole say something like that.
“A pussy?” Ronan scoffs, appearing dramatically offended. “I’ll show you what a pussy can do, Captain.”
Cole hums as if he doesn’t believe him and Ronan elbows his captain in the ribs.
“Let’s go, Ellie.” Ronan grins, flinging an arm around my shoulder. “I’ll be your white knight.”
“I don’t need that.”
He feigns sadness. “Yeah, you kind of got yourself a king.”
My lips purse, but I try not to let it get to me.
“Are you sure about this?” Kim asks, her eyes filled with worry.
She’s game for partying, drinking, and the whole teenage scene, but she’s chicken shit when it comes to plotting.
Leaning in so no one can hear her, she whispers, “You know King isn’t the type to be manipulated.”
“I’m not manipulating him. I’m giving him back what he deserves.”
“True that,” Cole offers me a high five that I return.
“Okay, bitches.” Ronan pauses. “Aside from Kimmy and Ellie… so that only leaves Nash and Knight. Wait.” He searches around as if just realising something. “Where the fuck is the devil X?”
True. I didn’t see him for the entire day.
I’m surprised Ronan is just noticing that, though.
“He’s on a family trip for his father’s work,” Kim says with a low tone before she meets my gaze as if she’s caught off guard. “What? He lives across the street, remember? Besides, our parents are friends and the little shit Kir wouldn’t shut up about him. It’s not like I have a choice in any of this.”
“How come I don’t know about that?” Ronan taps his chest. “This shit is bad for my abandonment issues.”
“Do you even check our group chat?” Cole asks.
“Group chat?” Ronan furrows his brows. “Oh, that. Mais, bien sure. I totally know about it.”
“Right.” Cole faces me. “You can go now.”
“Thanks for helping out,” I tell him and Ronan.
“Hey, anything to get a reaction out of King.” Ronan waggles his eyebrows.
“And to teach him a lesson,” Cole adds.
“Now, drink.” Ronan shoves a tequila shot between my fingers. “Ahh, I love ruining the youth.”
With one last deep breath, I chug it in one go. Then another one.
The burning taste brings nausea. I shake my head at the strength of it. Ronan’s phone flashes as he takes pictures from the side.
If I could help it, I wouldn’t have drank, but it’s the only way to make the act believable.
I wave at the guys and leave, weaving through the bodies. Silver’s minions, Veronica and Summer laugh at my face as I pass them by.
“Ex whore,” Veronica snarls.
I flip her the middle finger and continue on my way. They won’t get to me. Not them and not their bitch queen.
But you’re doing all of this because she’s getting to you.
I shut that small voice up as the night’s fresh air hits me. The wind whips my ponytail in front of my face.
I inhale deeply and open the passenger door of Knox’s black Range before slipping inside.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I smile. “Thanks for being my ride. I had a bit of a drink and Kim doesn’t want to leave yet.”
“I’m happy to.” He shakes his head, suppressing a smile.
“What?”
He motions at my face.
I cradle my cheeks, massaging the skin. “There’s something on my face?”
Knox reaches over and plucks a hair from my mouth and tucks it behind my ear. “There.”
“Thanks.” My head hits the back of the seat as nausea threatens to take me over again. “Sorry. I’m not used to drinking.”
“You don’t have to apologise to me.” He weaves through the streets with an easy-grip on the steering wheel. “You know, you can call me even if you don’t need a ride. You’re not with King anymore, right?”
“I was never with him.”
I groan inwardly at the slight slur at the end of my speech.
Good job in being a mess, Elsa.
“That’s… smart.”