Camila nodded. “Exactly. You showed him how much strength you have, and he couldn’t stand it because it made him look weak to all of his minions. So he wanted to strip your power. Put you back in your place, so to speak. All so he can feel like a big man again.”
“But it doesn’t make sense,” I said. “We sorted out all of our issues, and he took me off the blacklist yesterday and told the whole school to leave me alone. Why would he do that if he still hated me?”
Kiri pressed her lips into a thin line. “It actually makes perfect sense.”
“How?”
“He wanted to fuck with you really badly. So he lulled you into a false sense of security. Pretended you were fine and made that big announcement yesterday. Then he struck, knowing it would utterly blindside you,” she said. She cocked her head to one side. “And it did, didn’t it? You never saw it coming.”
I dabbed at my face with another tissue. “I guess that makes sense,” I muttered. “I just… I can’t believe it happened.”
“Believe it,” she said grimly. “This is what rich, heartless pricks do, and even when you think they’ve hurt you enough, they keep going. So trust me on this—don’t fall for anything he says to you ever again.”
“She’s right. He’ll try to apologize and worm his way back in,” Camila added, leaning forward. “Just so he can hurt you again, even worse next time. You can’t let him do that. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I said in a small voice, desperately wishing my body could catch up with my mind. I knew Hunter was bad for me, but my core still ached with need every time I thought of him, and my heart still beat faster every time I pictured his face.
“On that note,” Kiri said, sliding my phone back over to me. “I’m done with this.”
I picked it up, brows knitting. “What did you do to it?”
Her eyes crinkled around the corners as she flashed me a crafty smile. “I blocked his number from calling or texting. I blocked him from every app and email account, too. Also, in case he tries messaging or calling from a friend’s phone to get around the blocks, I’ve set it up so that any calls or texts from unsaved numbers will be automatically forwarded to your friend Trina. That way, she can just delete it all for you from her phone, and you never have to see any of it. I texted her to let her know, too.”
“Thank you.”
“I know it seems like overkill, but I honestly think he’ll try to weasel his way out of responsibility for this,” she said. “Guys like him always do.”
Camila nodded. “Definitely. You saw him back there, Laney. Calling out your name and acting like he was totally innocent in the whole thing. He’s already trying to get back on your good side so he can mess with you again.”
“That’s how arrogant he is,” Kiri cut in. “He thinks he has that much power over you. But he doesn’t.”
“I know.” I swallowed thickly, wishing I believed my own words.
“From now on, you shouldn’t be alone on campus,” Camila said. “If he sees you by yourself, he’ll pounce. Especially now that he can’t contact you via phone. So you should always be with at least one of us, or your other friends. That way we can tell him to fuck off if he tries to come near you, and you don’t need to say or do anything. You can just blank him like he deserves.”
“Okay.” I rubbed my temples and leaned back, letting out a heavy sigh. “I still can’t believe he did this to me. I honestly would’ve preferred it if he just walked up and punched me.”
I meant that with every ounce of my being. A vicious jab to the face would’ve hurt a hell of a lot less than what Hunter put me through in the auditorium. Even a stab in the heart with a white-hot dagger would’ve hurt less.
“I get it,” a pretty blonde girl said from across the table. I couldn’t remember her exact name, but I knew it was something like Lila or Layla. “It’s fucked up, and it’s a massive shock too. But you have us now, so it’s all going to be fine.”
“Layla’s right,” Kiri said, nodding emphatically. “Hunter won’t be able to hurt you anymore. Not unless you let him back in. And obviously, you’re not going to do that.”
“Even if you feel weak one day and start falling for his bullshit, we won’t let you, because once you join us, you’re going to be like our sister, and we don’t let our sisters get fucked over by guys,” Camila said, lifting her chin high.
I wiped my eyes again and looked at her. “How does this work, exactly?” I asked. “Becoming one of you, I mean. Is there some sort of test I need to pass first?”
She smiled. “I love the enthusiasm, but before we worry about any of that, I think you should take a few days off school to let things calm down a bit. I’m sure Sanders will be happy to let you do your classwork in your dorm for a while after everything you’ve gone through.”
“I hope so. I don’t think I can face the rest of RFA at the moment. Or if I can face it ever again,” I murmured, inwardly cringing at the idea of walking through the halls and knowing that my shame was vividly imprinted on the minds of every student I crossed paths with.
“You can. Trust me. You’re stronger than you know,” Kiri said.
“That’s right. And now that you’re going to be one of us, no one will dare to cross you. Not even the Princes, as much as it might annoy them,” Camila said, brows rising in a triumphant expression. “Anyway, as I was saying, we’ll let you have a few days before we initiate you. You need time to recuperate after today’s shit-show.”
“What happens in the initiation?” I asked.
“We can’t really tell you that,” she said with an enigmatic smile. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Oh. Right.”
That made sense. It was a secret society, after all.
“We can go over the membership conditions, if it makes you feel better,” she said, tilting her head to the side.
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, so I don’t know how much you remember from our meeting a few weeks ago, but there’s three things the society requires from a Medusa girl.” She held up one finger. “Firstly, you need to maintain excellent grades.”
“Uh-huh.”
She held up another finger. “Secondly, you have to attend any Network functions that you’re invited to.”
“Okay.”
“And lastly, after you’re initiated, you’ll sign a contract stating that you will never talk about what we do to non-members, and another stating that you will work at a Network-related company after college graduation.”
“Right. I remember that now,” I said, nodding slowly.
“Do you think that’s something you can manage?”
I nodded again, more firmly this time. “Yes.”
It wasn’t really a choice anymore. If I was going to survive the rest of the school year at RFA, I needed the Medusa Society’s protection. That meant I needed to give them whatever they asked of me in return.
Besides, it wasn’t a bad deal. I could easily keep my grades up as long as I studied hard enough, and the fact that I would have a job waiting for me after college was a serious boon. The vast majority of students in this country weren’t that fortunate. They had to do everything alone instead.