**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...
Every time I draw my pen gets stuck on the paper and nothing works out. It's not like it was before when I could just draw on whatever happy memories I wanted to inspire me. I'm alone now.
And don't get me started on makeup. I can't even look at myself anymore, let alone my face. I'm still so ashamed of what happened.
Sorry for the depressing letter. I'll liven up next time.
Monica.
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A yellow envelope was passed beneath the table, from Maddy's ocean blue stiletto nails to my pale pink ones. How she was so well acquainted with someone that she could have a fake ID delivered within four days had me in awe.
After lunch, I retreated to my locker. Shielded by the door, I tore it open and the plastic card slid into my palm. Chloe Whittaker. Born in 1995. Twenty-one years of age. The picture, which Maddy had taken against a white wall in her home, had me looking intently at the camera. I almost looked cold, my lips pressed into a thin line, my eyes coated in liner, daring someone to challenge me.
"What are you looking at?" William's voice rang smoothly from my side.
I looked around us to make sure nobody was paying attention before slipping the card into his hand. "Maddy got it for me. For tomorrow"
"Nice," he said. "You look terrifying."
I scowled at him. "Thanks."
"And you look terrifying now." He chuckled, leaning against the locker beside me.
"You're in a good mood," I noted. William had walked the halls of Arlington like a storm cloud all week. His recent drop from the lacrosse team had gone unspoken between level one, but was the latest gossip down the streams of the other levels. Even I had steered clear of anything that could set him off.
"It's Friday," he said sardonically, his expression showing that he was still pissed. "And I don't have to see a smug looking Francis for two whole days."
"Friday couldn't have come sooner," I agreed, thinking of all the moments I'd been stared down by the intimidating gazes of Sophie, Lola or Li. I swear, by the time I had anything solid to use on my list, William and I would be demoted from our level one status anyway.
"I'll see you here after school, yeah?" he said, his gaze flickering to the clock on the wall. His voice dropped low enough so that only I could hear. "For the grand farewell of the day."
"Yeah," I said, rolling my eyes before slipping the ID into my purse. Our public relationship was going great in terms of our routine. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the human contact. Some days our parting hug was the only nice thing to happen all day.
