Clique Bait - Ann Valett Page 0,49

she straightened. The door closed behind her and I let out a rattled breath, a foul taste in my mouth.

It took a long time for me to leave the bathroom. I wanted to be home where I could cry in secret, my hopes of revenge seeming pathetic in comparison to the power someone like Sophie wielded.

I did my best to step out without attracting attention from the crowds of people laughing and drinking. The whiff of vodka as I passed a group of friends doing shots made my insides recoil dangerously.

All I wanted to do was find William and leave.

Sophie’s words continued to run through my brain like razor blades. I was starting to suffocate with paranoia. Everyone’s staring, Chloe. Everyone.

I let out a shaky breath, screwing my eyes shut for a moment. Find William and leave.

“Chloe!”

Thank God. “I need to go.”

William’s face was contorted in worry as he pulled me to the side of the party. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said, my throat thick with emotion. “I just want to go home.”

I could tell my dismissal bothered him. Thankfully, his obvious desire to interrogate me came second to his concern.

“Sure. Okay. I’ll get an Uber.”

We walked in silence through the crowd of people. I tried to keep my head down and avoid eye contact. I felt a few pairs of eyes follow me as William led me across the room. I wondered what it was like to go to a party to have fun. For Level One, it seemed like these gatherings were purely to torment people and enjoy the drama.

When the driver finally pulled up, William opened the door for me and followed me in. I found my shoulders relaxing into the heated leather seats.

William’s lips were in a straight line. He wasn’t saying anything, and it took a few moments for me to realize the silence felt abnormal.

“What are you thinking?”

He took a while to respond, and when he did his words came slow.

“I’m thinking that maybe it’s my fault. Everything with Monica. After seeing how they can manipulate even you . . . I was in a perfect position to warn her, but I didn’t. I let her get comfortable. I could have stepped in, you know? Saved her. But I always stick up for them.”

My heart stopped cold, my complete attention now stolen to his words. “Why?”

“Because I grew up in this world, Chloe. I understand them. I understand us. And it’s not all bad. I know all of us have some good inside, even if it’s hidden. That’s the part Monica saw, and it’s all she wanted. To fit into our group. I couldn’t exclude her.” He was silent for a few more moments. “I don’t know, I just never thought it would get so dangerous . . .”

I straightened in my seat, watching him in the darkness of the back seat. I couldn’t tell him it wasn’t his fault. Because, it partially was. That’s why he was on the list to begin with. But I wasn’t sure if that felt right anymore.

I couldn’t find the words to continue the conversation, my voice stolen by a thick lump in my throat. We spent the rest of the ride in silence. When the vehicle finally stopped outside of my home, William stepped out to open my door.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” he murmured to the driver.

The air was cold, and my legs weren’t very good at taking my weight again. William steadied me patiently as I swayed. Then he helped me unlock the gate before walking me all the way to the front door.

“There’s something wrong,” William stated. He must have noticed the pained look imprinted on my face.

“Tonight was a mess. I just want to sleep and forget about it.”

William took a deep breath, his eyes darting over mine. “Are you going to be okay by yourself?”

I nodded in response, my hair blowing over my eyes. I tucked it roughly behind my ear. Was he . . . offering to stay with me?

My eyes sank to the floor, and for a moment, I considered it. If my parents weren’t an issue, and Monica wasn’t in the forefront of my mind, maybe I could have invited him in. He could have talked things over with me, maybe even shared the answers to the questions I had spinning through my mind.

But it was more complicated than that. We both knew it.

“Good night, Will,” I said.

He chuckled. “You didn’t even call me William.”

I shrugged, I hadn’t even