Clique Bait - Ann Valett Page 0,18
usual lunch spot on the mezzanine when a pair of boys caught my eye. William was flanked by Zachary Plympton, who might have been the only boy at Arlington taller than William, with dark skin and kiss-worthy lips that framed an irresistible smile. It was too bad for all the girls who swooned over him that Zach liked boys.
“That’s her,” I heard William say as they got closer.
“With the brown hair?” Zach asked.
When they were only a few steps from me, I forced my legs to move forward to meet them. My throat felt like it was caked with glue as I moved my lips. “Hey.”
“Hey, Chlo,” William said. I knew we were in full-blown acting mode from his easy use of Chlo. “This is Zach.”
“Hi,” I said timidly. My heart began to beat so hard I was frightened it would rip free from my chest. I waited in terror for them to recognize me, to immediately link me with Monica. It didn’t come.
William’s arm moved to hover awkwardly over my upper back, catching me off guard and instinctively causing me to recoil. Luckily, my avoidance of William’s touch went unnoticed. They had already dived into mindless banter.
The guys moved toward the Level One table, where a seat was waiting for me. The seventh seat. Monica’s seat.
I couldn’t stop fidgeting with my fingers as I sat down beside William, my tray of salad on the table. Compose yourself. It wasn’t so much nerves that gripped me, it was anger. The girl with the soda reminded me too much of the way they’d treated Monica.
The guys picked hungrily at their trays of food, while I tried to calm my stomach enough to swallow my own lunch. I’d halved my serving size to fit in with the Level One girl requirements (thin and fragile), but my nerves had put me off even that.
Francis soon emerged from the crowd, his angelic features disturbed by what I could only describe as a menacing smile. He greeted each boy with his customary high five. Soon after, Maddy, swatting thick extensions over her shoulder and regarding me with a curious stare, joined too. I watched as she began moving her salad around her plate. It looked even smaller than my own.
Lola and Sophie returned almost immediately after, Lola now wearing a skirt that was a little bulkier than before.
I counted my breaths to make sure they were evenly paced as they took the seats in front of me, Lola directly opposite my place.
“Oh, so you weren’t kidding,” Sophie said loudly when she noticed my presence. “I didn’t realize how serious you two were. Bringing your girlfriend to lunch is a big deal, Will.”
“Well, we are a big deal,” he said after finishing his mouthful of food. I cringed at his broad grin and tried to mask my discomfort with one of my own.
“Don’t hide her, then,” Lola said from in front of me, her honey-laced eyes locking smugly with mine. “Introduce her properly.”
William scanned his friends, who’d fallen silent at Lola’s words. “This is Chloe. But I’m sure Soph’s told you all about her already.”
“She has,” Maddy said, following his words. “You’re our mystery girl.”
“Mystery girl?” I questioned.
“The one who’s popped up out of nowhere,” she said, as if it were obvious. “It’s not often Will dates. Especially someone so . . .”
“Off the radar,” Lola finished with a definitive click of her fingernails against the tabletop.
“Right.”
Lola leaned in closer, the cold red smile painted on her lips sparking goose bumps to erupt down my back. I let a smirk creep onto my mouth, my armor forming the shield I needed to keep her out. Her tone was low so only I could hear her.
“Trust me, you did really well. He’s great in bed.”
Seven
Monica,
We’ve been back less than two weeks and the Level Ones are already torturing juniors. I guess you came to love them like everyone else in the end, but I never quite understood. We used to see right through it, making the Level system to mock them. I don’t know what happened. You weren’t just entertained, you were entranced.
But beauty only runs skin deep. Beneath they are pure evil. I guess you know that now.
Anyway, I found that hairpin you left in my car, the one with the little golden flower at the end that you used to clip behind your ear. Hope you didn’t want it back—it’s mine now.
Love, Chloe
MY MIND REELED as I tried to make sense of what Lola had