**Officially published as Clique Bait with HarperTeen!**
Payment is usually a part of a basic transaction. You give and then you take. But, at Arlington Preparatory, people take at their leisure. They take their entertainment in the form of humiliat...
You know how it works better than I do. I wish I knew back then. I could have really done some damage.
Things are starting to fade for me, Chlo. I don't know if it's because I don't see you anymore, but things are becoming blurry around the edges. Like when you have a dream and try and remember it, but you're not quite sure it's correct.
Can you promise me you're doing well? I know it's early, but I also know how important getting into an Ivy League college is for you, I don't want you getting distracted with my damage.
Love you, crazy.
Monica
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Saturday passed with a sluggish pace that left my skin crawling. I wasn't used to depending on people, especially when I couldn't trust them.
The gym distracted me for the morning, despite the fact that I was checking my phone every other minute. He'd said Sunday. What could he be doing between now and then? Probably finding a loophole in my leverage.
The documents were safely hidden, from both his access and anyone else's. When I'd found them, I'd been giddy with the idea that I'd actually discovered something big enough to cause damage. If I'd released them, it could cost his family millions of dollars.
Even though the feeling of power had me electrified, the idea of actually using it made me nervous. That was part of the reason why I'd decided it wasn't right to use it for the hit list. Especially for the one who was second to last. No, I'd have to find something else to use on him, probably something less detrimental.
For now, this was just enough to get him on my side.
I spent the afternoon refining my code and finishing homework. It didn't feel productive though, my mind was busy running around in paranoid circles. If William knew how much keeping me in the dark was making me squirm, maybe he'd leave me hanging forever.
I'd just rechecked the document's safe place on my computer for the hundredth time when my mom came knocking on the door to announce we were going for dinner, to my unenthusiastic agreement. She was already dolled up, cooing in excitement.
"Your father sounded really excited on the phone. After all the time he's had to spend on business lately, I was really surprised. He's made the reservations at Le Boudoir, did you know that's where he took me for our first anniversary?"
"That's great, Mom," I said, really trying to inject some happiness into my tone. My mother was great at being delusional, often pretending everything was fine when our family was falling apart. But, even so, I wasn't about to burst her bubble. Besides, if Dad really had gone to this effort then maybe tonight would almost be nice.
