Her eyes bug out of her head. “WAIT. Cinderella had an evil stepmom and bitch twin sisters. Colton has that.”
I let out a heavy sigh. Here I thought the whole Cinderella comparison was over but it sounds like she’s only just getting started. Either way, it’s better than talking about rumors and somehow, it’s gotten my mind off my shitty weekend, so for now, I’ll play along. “True,” I tell her. “But then wouldn’t that make Colton Cinderella and me Prince Eric? I don’t know how he’s really going to feel about that.”
Hendrix gives me a blank stare. “First of all Prince Eric is from ‘The Little Mermaid.’ If you’re going to try and keep up with me, then at least get your stories straight. The prince you’re looking for is Prince Charming. And secondly, who gives a shit if he has to play the role of Cinderella? I’m sure deep down, Colton will get a thrill out of putting on a gown and acting like a princess for a day.”
“You know,” I say, thoughtful. “You’re not wrong, but if we really have to get into this, can’t we be Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder? Now that’s a guy I could get down with. He’s got that whole smoldering thing going on.”
Hendrix lets out a deep groan. “You’re ruining my whole point here.”
I give her a cheesy grin. “Sorry, but where I come from, we didn’t exactly grow up memorizing every Disney movie on the market. It was more like trying to figure out the easiest way to hit the concrete that’ll cause the least damage during a drive-by shooting.”
Drix’s eyes bug out of her head and I regret the words the second they come out of my mouth as I’m thrown back to standing outside the Widow’s clubhouse, only to have to face that exact situation. Kian didn’t stand a chance.
“Are you serious?”
“Unfortunately,” I say, glancing around the cafeteria and trying to shake off the fear that the memory invokes in me. Having bullets zooming past my face isn’t exactly something I’ll be forgetting any time soon. “Trust me, the people in Bellevue Springs wouldn’t last a few hours in Breakers Flats.”
“You’re telling me,” she scoffs. “Just the thought of a drive-by shooting is making me sweat. I wouldn’t even know how to respond to something like that. I’d probably panic and start running down the street screaming.”
I nod, knowing just the type. I've seen it before and believe me when I say, it’s not the response you want to have in a situation like that. When in doubt, always get down.
I’m just about to tell her that when the wicked witches of the west walk through the door with their adoring fans at their back. Hendrix and I instantly look their way along with every other girl in the school.
Cora and Casey are the new shiny toys at BSP and they’re soaking up every last ounce of attention. They freaking love it and honestly, it’s nauseating, but at the same time, they’re kinda old news. They already went to school here for a year before their mother divorced Charles and dragged them away and I’d put what little money I have on the fact they weren’t well-liked back then either.
They’re bitches. It’s as simple as that and everyone knows it, but they also know that they just got all their inheritance from their father, making them the wealthiest sixteen-year-old twitches on earth and who could resist that?
They walk in like they own the place and I really wouldn’t be surprised if they did, though what I am surprised about is the way their sharp gazes seek out mine and they instantly start making their way toward me.
“Oh, shit,” Hendrix groans as I sit straight in my chair. “This is going to be interesting.”
All eyes start shooting our way, knowing damn well about the shit that’s been going down since they first arrived at school this morning. Drix isn’t wrong, this is going to be interesting and how the rest of the school responds to whatever is about to go down here, is going to set the standard for the rest of the school year. So, whatever this is, I need to bring my A-game and at the risk of sounding like a cocky fuck, it won’t be a hard task—I always bring my A-game.
Cora and Casey step up in front of our table and within the blink of an eye, Jess comes bounding toward us from the other side of the cafeteria, desperate not to miss a showdown. She stumbles down into the space beside me, putting on a show of her own and silently declaring whose side she’s on.
Cora and Casey watch the three of us closely. Hendrix and Jess are the two most popular seniors at Bellevue Springs Private and the fact that they haven't moved from my side speaks volumes. The twins weren’t expecting this when they threw down their bullshit taunts yesterday, claiming they were going to ruin me. It’s thrown them, and for that, I'll always be grateful.
The twins are juniors and around here, that’s really nothing special. Unless you’re at the top, you’re a nobody. It was like that back home and I have a feeling it’s like that in every school, so the fact that they have some sort of following should be impressive but I just can’t find it within me to like them.
They’re Colton’s sisters. They’re Colton’s sisters. They’re Colton’s sisters. You need to try, for him.
Hendrix leans back in her seat and smiles up at the girls as the room seems to fall silent around us. “Is there something you need?”
The twin on the right scoffs and I mentally reprimand myself for not taking a moment to figure out who is who. I mean, that’s kinda stupid on my part. If I'm going to go to war with them then I should at least know who I’m up against. She turns her icy glare on me and a smirk pulls at her lips. “What’s this, Oceania? You need your friends to fight your battles for you?”
Fuck it. Screw being nice for Colton. I need to end this and I need to do it now.
I laugh and enjoy the way both of their gazes narrow. They don’t take their eyes off me and it’s clear that without saying a word, I’m already so far under their skin. I slowly stand, enjoying every last moment of this. My hands press down against the table and I lean forward, feeling the tension in the room rising. “You two are adorable. It’s sweet that you think you have any chance of winning this. I already have your brother wrapped around my finger. I have your home, your school, and now your friends. All you have are a few shitty rumors to spread around and I have to admit, I’m kinda disappointed. I thought you could come up with something a little more … exciting.” I look around at the crowd gathered. “You guys thought so too, right?”
They chuckle and the few who are too afraid to join in desperately try to smother their smirks. The twins silence them with one nasty glare but it’s clear whose side they’re on.
Cora and Casey don’t stand a chance.
The twin on the left fixes me with a hard stare that would have any weaker girl shrinking back in fear, but not me. I’ve never been so ready. “We’re only just getting started. You’re nothing—trash. Do you really think these bitches are going to stand by you for much longer? Hell, I sure know Colton won’t. You’re just a toy, something new to play with until something better comes along, and you bet your fat ass that we’re going to remind him of that every fucking day.”
“What’s your deal? Are you jealous? I’d understand one of these other girls trying to get rid of me so they can take my place by Colton’s side, but you two? What’s up with that? Are you hoping to suck his dick too, maybe be the ones to slip into his bed at night? I mean, I’m all for everyone having their own little kinks, but that’s just a little fucked up if you ask me.”