41 - Get Even

I walked down the street to Benji's house, nervousness twisting my stomach uncomfortably. I knew I had to rectify things with him and I hoped he'd understand where I was coming from.

I glanced up at the sky, frowning at the dark grey clouds. It wasn't that cold at the moment but I wasn't prepared for any rain. With school just finishing, the streets were filled with young kids and their parents, as well as teenagers with newfound independence. I narrowly dodged a guy on a scooter as I turned the corner, entering Benji's neighbourhood.

A couple minutes later I was stood at their door, building up the nerve to ring the bell. The moment I did the door opened to reveal his two younger siblings, Jada and Caleb. They exchanged a worried glance.

"Hi Chloe..." Jada greeted not so enthusiastically. I forced a smile.

"Hey, is Benjamin home?"

"Um..." She gave Caleb an uncertain look. He avoided my eyes as he replied.

"He's out."

A moment of awkward silence passed as I glanced behind em to see his car in their driveway. I jabbed my thumb at it. "His car is here."

Caleb cleared his throat. "Yeah... he took a walk."

I glanced up at the sky which showed it was about to be pouring in a minute but nodded. I could take a hint.

"Okay. Tell him to call me, please?" I said, feeling unfairly sad and they nodded before slamming the door in my face.

I'd made it a couple steps away when I heard their door open and a familiar voice called out my name. My heart lurched as I turned around to see Benji standing in the doorway.

"Wait a second; I'll give you a drive home." He called out before disappearing inside. I couldn't help but smile. Even when he was angry at me he was still considerate.

I waited patiently at his car, watching him walk down to it. His expression was completely closed off and his hood was up, obscuring his face further. I felt my stomach sink – I'd really messed up.

I entered the car after he did, buckling up and looking out the window. My hands were clasped tightly together as he drove and I gave myself a mini pep-talk to speak up.

"Um, could we talk?" I asked quietly, risking a glance. His jaw was clenched.

"If I wanted to talk I would have invited you inside."

"Instead you got your siblings to lie for you." I retorted, feeling hurt. He shrugged.

"Yeah, I did." His voice lacked any emotion. I'd never heard him use that tone and it worried me.

Was he going to dump me?

"Well, when do you want to talk?" I asked and he sighed.

"Not now, Chloe."

"But-"

"If we talk it'll turn into an argument, and I don't want to argue with you."

"So you'd rather ignore me?" I asked, confused. I didn't get why he didn't want to solve things immediately. I could take a few harsh words, I was a big girl.

He did exactly that, not bothering to reply. My mouth dropped open and I started at him in disbelief for a good minute. He didn't spare me a glance.

I blinked back tears and turned so I faced the window, watching the raindrops pelt against it. The rest of the ride was spent in silence before we arrived at my house.

"Thanks for the ride." I bit out, exiting the car and running up to my door. I was fumbling with the key when I heard a car door slam and angry footsteps approaching me.

"Why the hell are you angry?"Benji exclaimed, standing behind me. I shot him an incredulous look.

"Because you're being unreasonable! We're supposed to talk things out."

"Yeah, I tried and that didn't work so well." He scoffed. "You still chose John."

"I-"

"So maybe I should take a page out of his book and act like a complete jerk so you can come running." Benji finished arms crossed and brown eyes hard.

I stared at him, processing what he said. Then I shook my head and opened the door. "I'm not doing this with you."

"No, no, you wanted to talk so let's talk!" He shouted over the sound of the howling wind and rain.

I turned to face him. "I cannot believe you just said that."

Benji didn't back down. "What, the truth?"

The wind was cold and unforgiving as it blew around us, the rain worsening the chill. I wanted to go inside and get some warmth but I wasn't going to allow him to speak to me like that.

"That's not true and you know it." I replied, crossing my arms and staring at him.

Benji laughed, shaking his head. Despite his hood protecting most of his curls the ones in the front were wet. "Chloe, he's treated you like absolute dirt but at the first apology you run back to him."

"He hasn't always been like this, you know." I started to defend. I understood why Benji saw John that way. He'd only known the John that has ghosted me, made me cry and hurt me. He never knew the John that felt like my only friend in the whole world.

Benji's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. This close I could feel the heat radiating off him. "Don't. Don't try and defend him. John has constantly taken advantage of you and you just let him, then you come crying to me. I am the one who has to comfort you when he upsets you. I have to see you hurt, and it sucks. But what sucks the most is after all that, you were willing to let him back into your life. What will it take for you to realise he's a bad person, Chloe?"

He was breathing heavily when he finished, frustration and hurt displayed as apparent as the rain on his face. I took a step back into my house and looked away.

"I refused to help him." I said quietly. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

The tension drained from Benji's body instantly and in its place was deep regret. He wiped his face, unable to meet my eyes.

We stood like that for a moment, me staring at him and him looking elsewhere.

"I should go." Benji finally said quietly. I glanced behind him at the torrent of rain and shook my head.

"You can't drive in this weather. Wait inside until it calms down." I murmured softly. I removed my shoes and set them at the door, waiting for him to do the same before closing it.

"I'll get you a towel to dry up. Make yourself comfortable." I told him and rushed upstairs.

I quickly changed into dry clothes and towelled my hair, making it a frizzy mess. I scraped it into a low bun and got a towel for Benji before heading downstairs. My nerves were an all time high.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked as I handed him the towel. He silently shook his head and I was hit with a sense of déjà vu.

A couple weeks ago I'd said those same words to him, except the atmosphere was more relaxed and we'd made things official a couple moments later.

I sat on the couch next to him, leaving a comfortable distance. Benji was sat rim-rod straight and staring straight ahead at the unused fire pit.

I took a deep breath before speaking. "Despite what you may think, I don't enjoy John hurting me. I don't want him to. But you don't know him like I do, Benjamin. He's changed, sure, but he was once my best friend. And if our years of friendship had to slightest impact on my life, then don't I at least owe it to him to say goodbye?"

Benji was completely silent, seeming to mull over my words. I felt relief settle on my chest, having said what I wanted to say.

Eventually he looked at me, his brown eyes earnest and regretful. "You're right. I was overruled with jealousy and anger; I didn't think to see things from your perspective. If you had come with me, you would not have been able to say goodbye to him and it would have been my fault... I'm sorry." He apologised and I nodded.

"Thank you."

I was still hurt by his reaction and words, even if I did understand where he was coming from. Neither of us was objectively wrong or right, we just had opposing opinions.

I glanced out of the window, seeing the rain hadn't let up and turned to him. "The rain hasn't gotten better. You could stay here for a bit if you wanted?" I suggested and he looked surprised. He probably expected me to kick him out, but I did want his company.

"Can I?"

I leaned back into the couch, not meeting his gaze. "Yeah. We could watch a movie or something."

"Or share a makeup kiss?"

At that we both cracked up and the tension in the room disappeared. I shoved his shoulder gently, shaking my head.

"You're so lame." I giggled but closed the distance between us and gave him a chaste kiss.

"So what went down with Alyssa and them?" Benji asked curiously, moving closer to me. My eyes widened when I realised I hadn't even told him.

"We found out who's behind the Instagram post." I said and his mouth dropped open.

"It was Melissa." I continued, almost laughing at his dramatic gasp. From there I explained everything including Taylor's genius plan that would take place in only a few days.

"Apparently Jake Reynolds throws the best parties, so everyone will be there especially since it's on Christmas Eve."

Benji looked a bit concerned. "Are you sure this is the best approach to take? She deserves it, but what if this is her last straw?"

"Her claiming I lied about being molested was my last straw." I snapped. "I don't care if two wrongs don't make a right. This is the consequence to her actions, Benji. It is justice."

*****

It was 9PM on a Friday night, specifically Christmas Eve. I was in Teresa's bedroom with her and Maya, sat on a chair as she finished off my makeup.

"I haven't been to one of Jake's party's ever since I started liking Elijah." Maya commented, curling a strand of her hair. I resisted the urge to glance at her as Teresa started applying eyeliner.

"Why not?"

"My cousin here used to be a flirt machine." Teresa told me, amused and Maya giggled sheepishly.

"I couldn't help myself! The guys from surrounding schools are so much cuter." She defended, curling another strand of hair.

"So the guys are still coming, right?" I confirmed as Teresa grabbed a tube of red lip-gloss and applied it to my lips.

"Yeah, Cory and Elijah managed to convince poor Brock to stop wallowing in his misery. They're going to try and hook him up with a rebound tonight." Maya replied and I made a face. Taylor definitely wouldn't like that.

If everything went to plan, Brock and Taylor's issues would be sorted out. No-one else from my friendship group knew about Melissa or the plan apart from Benji, who I trusted with my life so I wasn't worried about that.

"And Melissa is meeting us there?" Teresa asked and Maya nodded. For whatever reason she didn't want to get ready with us, possibly it was the guilt. Or maybe she was concerned about Alyssa approaching us in the café the other day.

I was glad she wasn't so I could hold myself back from confronting her. Any pity I held for her had been replaced by cold, hard anger.

Teresa applied setting spray over my face to finish off. She stepped back and whistled appreciatively.

"I should become a MUA or something." She commented and Maya nodded. I leaned forward to get a good look at myself in the mirror.

Since my skin had been treating me nicely for the last few weeks she didn't put much product on it but instead focused on my eyes. Dark eyeliner and mascara highlighted the blueness of my eyes and paired with a classic red lip I looked like a woman on a mission. Teresa had styled my hair so it had a fluffy, blow dried look to it and framed my face.

"Go change in the bathroom." Teresa handed me my dress and ushered me in. I bought a little black dress for this occasion; it had spaghetti straps and fit my body like a glove, coming up to just above my knees.

Maya grinned when I stepped out. "Benjamin is going to faint when he sees you."

I smiled at the compliment. "I doubt that. He's not coming."

"Really?" Teresa commented and I nodded, gently fixing my hair.

"Yeah. Not his scene or something like that." I shrugged, not too bothered about the whole ordeal.

"Face time him and it'll change his mind." Maya suggested and I glanced at her, confused.

"Why?"

"If he sees how hot you look he'll realise guys will be all over you tonight." Maya explained. "Trust me, it'll work."

I shrugged again. Worth a try. I dialled him and set up my phone on Teresa's dresser so it showed me from my shoulders upwards. Maya went to join Teresa on the other side of the room where she was playing around with her hair so Benji wouldn't see her.

After a couple rings Benji picked up when I was adjusting the front strands of my hair.

"Hey." I greeted, glancing at my phone before returning my gaze to the mirror.

It was silent long enough for me to look at my phone questioningly. Benji was staring wide-eyed at the camera, his mouth parted slightly.

I bit back a laugh and moved closer to my phone. "Hello? If your Wi-Fi bad? You are frozen?" Maya and Teresa let out giggles.

"Uh, no- sorry." He mumbled, adjusting the phone. "So you're done getting ready for the party?"

"Yep." I smiled. "Want to see my dress?"

Benji hesitated before nodding and I stood up, giving him a 360. I couldn't help but laugh and blush when I saw his expression. He looked star struck.

"Wow, you look phenomenal Chloe." Benji praised as I sat back down and I offered a wide smile.

"Thank you. What are you planning on doing for the rest of the evening?" I asked. Benji frowned slightly.

"I was going to practice my guitar... What time is the party again?" He asked and Maya let out a victorious whoop which he didn't seem to hear.

I bit my lip to stop them curling into a smirk. "We're getting there for nine thirty."

He nodded. "And loads of people are coming?"

"Practically." I sensed he wanted to come so I decided to give him the extra push. "I am looking forward to meeting Jake, though."

Benji's gaze darkened. "Why?"

"To see if all the crazy rumours are true." I replied casually. "Along with throwing the best parties he apparently can get quite wild at them. That'd be fun to experience."

Benji cleared his throat. "Send me the address; I'll come with the guys. I have to go." And with that he hung up.

I turned to my friends who were in hysterics and high-fived Maya when she approached me.

We finished getting ready and grabbed our things, leaving the house and entering Teresa's car. She turned on the radio, and a familiar pop song started blasting through the speakers.

"Let's go party!" I cheered and they whooped in agreement as we started movement. I felt the smile slip off my face as I looked out the window, thinking of Melissa.

Too bad not everyone would enjoy the party.

About half an hour later we arrived. I looked up at mansion, impressed. This guy had to be loaded. My phone pinged and I read a text from Alyssa.

We're here. It read, referring to her, Taylor and Tobi. Meet us in the bathroom; it's the last room on the first floor.

I entered the house with my friends, the smell of alcohol, sweat and cologne hitting me at once. Pair that with the loud music that practically made the floor vibrate, I already wanted to leave.

"Let's go look for the guys!" Maya shouted over the music, about to grab my arm but I pulled away.

"I'm going to the toilet quickly!" I replied and she frowned.

"Already?"

"I need to adjust my dress. Text me when you find them."

With that I started making my way to the stairs, weaving between my classmates and occasionally stopping to say hi. I tried to keep the displeasure off my face as various bodies brushed against mine. Parties were definitely not my scene.

Finally I found the bathroom and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Alyssa, glammed up and working a black two-piece. She ushered me in where Taylor and Tobi were talking. They both waved.

"When did you guys get here?" I asked, leaning opposite them against the sink. Tobi glanced at her watch.

"About half an hour ago," She informed me. "We helped Jake set everything up, that was his condition for us to have that room for the night."

A nervous feeling appeared in my stomach. "So everything is set up?"

Alyssa nodded, running a hand through her pin straight hair. "Yeah, we just have to fill in Brenda Mills but that will be later. She won't be able to keep her mouth shut for more than five minutes."

"We can mingle and enjoy the party for about half an hour before meeting up here again." Taylor said, peering at herself in the mirror. Up close I was able to get a better look at her. Her makeup was bold like mine and she was wearing a body-hugging red dress. Her caramel coloured hair fell in voluminous ringlets.

"Red for revenge." Taylor smiled when she caught me looking.

"I think revenge is more black than red." I countered, gesturing my dress and she shrugged.

"Alyssa will text us to meet up here when it's time." Taylor told us. "Has anyone seen my prima yet?"

We all shook our heads and Taylor nodded, her lips curling slightly. "I've seen her but she didn't see me. It took all my power to not say something to her. I can't risk tipping her off. Everyone but Chloe should avoid her; we don't want her bolting early."

With that we all left separately so we wouldn't look suspicious. I ended up walking with Taylor as we were heading to the kitchen for drinks. The crowd parted for her, confidence oozing from her every step. Well, until we bumped into someone.

"Hey, Chloe." Brock greeted with a smile. "Merry Christmas Eve."

"Merry Christmas Eve." I returned and glanced at Taylor who he didn't seem to see. He followed my gaze and his eyes widened.

"Oh, hey Taylor."

"Brock."

There was an awkward pause as they stared at each other, not saying anything. I sighed and decided to intervene.

"Taylor was about to get a drink but doesn't know where the kitchen is. Could you direct her, Brock?" I asked not to subtlety and he nodded, looking nervous. I was surprised to see the same expression on her face.

I gave her a nod of encouragement as they walked up. Hopefully they would kiss and make up so all would be right in the world. Catch my sarcasm?

Not wanting to walk in on them possibly kissing in the kitchen, I set out to find my friends. It didn't take long before I spotted them sitting near the back of the room and immediately headed over there.

Benji sat up slightly when he saw me, a smile spreading across his face. I unintentionally ignored my friends and went straight to him and we shared a kiss.

"You look amazing." He says after we pull apart, eyes bright. I blushed slightly and ducked my head, catching sight of his Christmas sweater.

"Thank you. Did you get dressed in the dark or something?" I asked, tugging on the hem of his sweater. Benji rolled his eyes.

"I lost a bet with my sister so I had to wear this." He explained and I stifled a laugh as I sat next to him.

I said hi to Cory and Elijah and was able to enjoy the party with my friends for a while. We danced and sang to the cheesy Christmas song and drank gross eggnog. I was able to relax until I saw a face that made me stomach clench.

"Hey guys." Melissa greeted the group and they all cheered apart from Benji and me. I tensed and Benji's grip around my waist tightened.

I felt my phone vibrate in my hand and saw a text from Taylor.

Everything's ready. Bring her up.

"Hey Mel!" I greeted, feigning clumsiness as I walked towards her. "Where have you been hiding?"

She smiled and if I didn't know better I'd say it was a nervous one. "Out and about. I didn't arrive that long ago, actually."

I nodded, not buying that one bit. "Well, you're here now so we can party!" I cheered and she smiled slightly.

"Seems like you've already started the partying." Melissa responded and gestured to the red cup in my hand. "Too many cups of eggnog?"

"Yeah." I nodded, acting like I was tipsy. I turned to Benji who was glancing at us with badly hidden worry. "I'll be back."

I turned to Melissa. "Escort me to the bathroom please? I don't want to stumble over."

She nodded hesitantly and I lead her over to the stairs. We walked towards the room I'd previously occupied.

"I don't think this is the bathroom-" Melissa said just after I shut the room door behind us. The light switched on to reveal Taylor sat on the bed. I immediately spotted the well-hidden camera set up in the room.

Melissa startled at the sight of Taylor but ignored her and turned to me. "Chloe, what's going on?"

"What's going on is we have a lot to discuss." I replied, my friendly tone dropped.

"And she has to be here?" Melissa asked, gesturing towards Taylor who stood up.

"Since it concerns me, yes I have to be here, hermana." Taylor said the epitome of cool and collected but fire burned in her hazel eyes.

"Don't call me that." Melissa snapped, directly facing her. Taylor raised an eyebrow.

"Why? After all we were raised as sisters before you turned into a stone-cold weirdo."

Melissa let out an incredulous laugh. "Are you describing me or yourself?"

Taylor went silent for a moment and surveyed her. "You make it so easy to insult you, do you know that?"

Melissa seemingly had enough and faced me. "Chloe, what's going on? What do we need to speak about that includes her?"

I observed Melissa. If I didn't have the hard evidence I would doubt she was behind the Instagram post. She looked agitated but not that guilty. What gave her away was the unconscious clenching of her hands and darting eyes.

"I want to talk about why you put up that Instagram post." I told her quietly, crossing my arms. I could tell she was going to deny it before she opened her mouth.

"What post?"

"The one where you displayed my trauma for everyone to see."

A sympathetic look overtook her face. But looking into her eyes, they were completely empty. "Chloe, it sucks that it happened to you but it wasn't me, I promise."

I decided to take a different approach. "Melissa, if you admit to it now we won't have to take this any further." I said softly but she didn't budge.

"I honestly no idea what you're talking about, Clo. And if I did, I wouldn't say it with her here." She gestured to Taylor.

My patience was starting to run out. I exchanged a glance with Taylor who nodded, giving me the go ahead to show our evidence.

"This is your last chance, Melissa." Taylor said in a mocking tone. "Admit the truth and save yourself from humiliation."

Melissa just rolled her eyes and walked towards the door, preparing to exit. That didn't work out because we'd locked the door.

"What the hell?" I heard her mumble. Then she turned to face us with an accusing stare.

"You locked me in? This could be considered kidnapping, you know."

"You came here willingly." I reminded her, before walking over to the table and collecting a few papers. It was the same evidence Alyssa showed me.

"Since you are certain of your innocence, explain this." I told her calmly she looked through them. Melissa tried to school her expression but the panic was clear on her face. I hid a smile. We had her.

"What exactly is this meant to prove?" She finally asked, biting her lip nervously.

"One paper shows you used your phone number to activate the Instagram account," I start. "Another shows you registered in the library the same say I told Benji about what happened to me, so you were there. And just a few other bits and bobs."

"This is just random information pieced together." Melissa snapped.

"We'll see if the Headmaster sees it the same way." Taylor shrugged and her cousin turned to her furiously.

"You know what, this is insane. Taylor is the one behind this, not me." She practically shouted. "For once, prima, you lost and you can't handle it. Things went bad for you in your perfect world so you put the blame on me."

Taylor stood up, a wicked look in her hazel eyes. "That's the thing, though, I didn't. Everyone in this room knows what really happened. But you're too much of a coward to admit to your failure."

Taylor walked towards her until she was up in her face. I could tell by the look in her eyes the words she was about to say would push Melissa off the edge. As she started talking I edged towards the bathroom door and knocked twice. Alyssa and Tobi quietly exited and we turned our attention to the cousins.

"Do you realise how pathetic you act?" Taylor questioned, her voice filled with venom. I saw Melissa's fists clench and unconsciously stepped forward.

"You're quiet now." Taylor continued. "But you had a lot to say about Chloe on Instagram. You know what; I'll give it to you this one time. You almost outsmarted me, but wanna know where you went wrong? You've been open about your hate for me since the beginning of time, so when we figured out someone framed me, there was no question about who it was."

She leaned forward. "So nice try, Mel, but once again you failed. Not much of a shocker, is it?"

Melissa let out a cry of anger and lunged for Taylor, who quickly sidestepped so Melissa stumbled into us. Tobi and Alyssa took hold of her arms as Taylor laughed loudly, taunting her.

"I did not fail!" Melissa shouted, struggling against her captors. "Your reputation is marred, you got suspended and your precious boyfriend woke up and saw how horrible you are!"

"I never hid that I'm a bad person." Taylor fired back, her eyes watery yet her voice strong. "He knew that but still accepted me for me, and helped me change. But you tried to fool everyone, your family and friends that you aren't the sour, bitter bitch you truly are!"

Melissa didn't respond but struggled harder against Tobi and Alyssa, who were finding it hard to contain her. I turned to Taylor who was angrily wiping tears from her face.

"Take a walk." I advised and she left the room without a second glance, locking the door behind her. Melissa seemed to calm down now she was gone, glaring at Alyssa and Tobi who reluctantly let her go.

"Can you guys give us a minute please?" I requested and Tobi left immediately, Alyssa sending Melissa a fierce glare as she did the same.

Melissa turned to me with a sour face, as if she'd sucked a lemon. "So you joined forces with the one person I hate to team against me?"

"You told everyone I'd lied about being molested to break up my mother's relationship." I retorted, crossing my arms. She shifted on her feet, looking away.

When it was clear she was going to say no more, I pressed on. "Why, Melissa? I've been nothing but a good friend to you."

"She is why." Melissa stated, pointing at the door. "Practically my whole life I've had to endure my parents saying how she's a better daughter than I am, and her making my life absolute hell."

"Taylor has it all." She continued, pacing. "The beauty, hot guys worshipping the ground she walks on, popularity and her parents love her. But no-one sees what an ugly person she is inside, and if they do they don't care because she's great at sports, she gets good grades, an-and everyone just loves her when she's done nothing to deserve their love! I try to be nice to everyone, I try to improve my Spanish, but it's never good enough for my parents. It's always Taylor would have got a higher grade, or Taylor would understand our conversation. Well your beloved Taylor is a bully!"

She turned to me, eyes wide and frantic. "We've been in this competition for years, Chloe. And she always wins; I'm close but never close enough. Good, but she's better. And I'm sick of it. She's the devil outside, but a perfect angel at home. My family, they can't see through this façade she's put up, I had to expose her. I had to win!"

"So I plotted. I wanted to hit her where it hurt, make her feel the pain and humiliation she's caused me. I knew there was tension between you guys, so I chose you as a target. You were perfect because you and Brock are good friends as well. I had to do something big that would get her in trouble with school, and end the one relationship she's actually been invested in. Something that would turn everyone against her. It worked out perfectly..." Melissa's expression was wistful, a small smile tugging on her lips. Then it dropped and her face transformed into an ugly mask of hatred.

"But Taylor is always one step ahead of me."

"And she always will be." I cut in, anger seeping through my veins. "You want to know what your problem is? You blame everyone for the bad things in your life but yourself. Instead of trying to beat Taylor, you should have focused on becoming a better version of yourself. This hatred for her has consumed you, and has left you as envious shell of a person. Someone who has no trouble betraying her friends to get what she wants."

I finished my rant, staring at her hard but her face was unchanged. I knew then and there the Melissa I thought I knew was just an act. This was the true her, someone who saw the world as she pleased.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, remembering this was on video. I needed for her to explicitly admit to the account.

"Are you even sorry for what you did?" I asked and she didn't even have to think about it before she answered.

"No. You were collateral damage, Chloe. Making that account and post was the only way Taylor could get suspended."

"So you did make the account?" I confirmed, feigning shock and anger. Melissa smiled slightly.

"Yes. It's one of my proudest achievements. I made sure to do it in a way where it couldn't be traced back to me."

I was disgusted but carried on. "Yet we did trace it back to you." I replied, gesturing to the papers. Melissa glanced at them and chuckled slightly.

"There's no hard evidence among there, just speculations. Someone outside of the situation wouldn't connect the dots."

I stared at her for a minute. Her eyes seemed to have swallowed the darkness from outside, they appeared black and completely void of emotion. As was the rest of her face. Standing before me was a complete stranger.

"If you'd regretted what you'd done to me, I might have taken pity on you." I started, walking towards her. "You were my friend after all. But since you see me purely as a pawn in your twisted game, I have no regrets about what I'm going to do to you."

Melissa scoffed but she looked uncertain. "You're bluffing. You have nothing on me."

I cocked my head, my hair falling over my shoulder. "Wanna bet?"

I leisurely walked past her towards the door, unlocking and opening it for her. Music and noise spilled in but didn't affect Melissa as she kept her eyes locked on mine, trying to figure me out.

"Enjoy the rest of the party, Mel. It's the last one you'll attend for a while."

She stared at me for a second longer. I was surprised she hadn't connected the dots yet and realised we'd been recording her. After more hesitation she started walking towards me.

"What did you do?" Melissa questioned suspiciously. I smiled and shrugged.

"I didn't get mad." I said. I got even.

I blew her a mocking kiss before roughly pushing her out of the door and locking it quickly. I ignored her banging against it as I walked towards the camera and turned it off, then watched the footage.

Eventually she stopped banging on the door and when I was at the end of the video I heard the door being unlocked. Taylor, Alyssa and Tobi entered, the latter closing it behind her.

I grinned, waving the camera. "It's all here, baby."

"You got her to admit everything?" Alyssa questioned, coming to where I was. I nodded.

"Yep, word for word. I have to be there to see her face when the headmaster says she's suspended."

"Hopefully expelled." Alyssa mutters. I turned to Taylor who looked mildly upset "You okay? How did things go with Brock?"

"We agreed to talk things out." She said, before pausing. "But I might tell him it's pointless."

"What? Why?" Alyssa, asked, agonized. Taylor crossed her arms and shrugged again.

"Because he deserves better than me." She held up a hand to silence our protests. "My cousin may be loco, but she was right about me. I truly am a horrible person. Brock deserves someone who has a good heart like he does, not... Not a vain girl who hides her insecurities behind insults."

We were quiet as we took in her words. I finally spoke up.

"He may deserve better." Alyssa and Tobi shot me incredulous looks. "And you may be a horrible person. But horrible people don't recognise their faults and want to change them. The only difference between you and Melissa is one of you realised when you went wrong. You could have chose to carry out the plan I overhead you and Alyssa talking about to take me out of the equation with Brock, but you didn't. You approached me and apologised. You and your best friend, people who supposedly hate me, helped me with this situation. Someone I called my friend called me collateral damage."

I stood up. "So yeah, you personality may suck. You may look down on others. But I think you're willing to change, which makes you better than a lot of people."

Taylor let out a loud sob before wrapping her arms around me. I stiffened, surprised. "Thank you, Chloe."

She pulled away after a minute, self-consciously wiping her face. When we continued staring at her, she rolled her eyes. "I thanked her, I didn't ask for her hand in marriage."

"Yeah, I don't think Brock would be too happy about that." Tobi remarked and we laughed at her horrible attempt at a joke.

"Anyway, we'll email the video and other evidence to Mr Denzel tonight so he should see it by tomorrow morning." Alyssa said.

"I don't think he checks his work email on Christmas." Tobi pointed out. Alyssa sighed.

"I can send it to his house by mail. There's no way Melissa gets to wait two weeks until she receives her punishment."

"I think the waiting alone is punishment enough." I chipped in. "I hinted that we've got something on her, so she'll be torturing herself trying to figure out how. Even if she does, it'll be too late to do anything."

They all nodded, satisfied. We'd also decided to send the video to Brenda Mills once the new semester started, who would spread it to practically the whole school so Melissa would be publicly embarrassed just like Taylor and I.

"Let's go!" I cheered and we left the room, the camera secure in my purse. I assumed Melissa had taken off, even if she didn't I wouldn't let her spoil my mood. I immediately sought out my friends and we laughed and danced more to the Christmas music playing.

I was sitting with Benji when my phone rang with an unknown number. He shot me a worried look and I excused myself, going to a quieter part of the room.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking to Chloe Woods?" A woman's voice asked. I frowned.

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm Doctor Leeds, calling from Maritime Hospital. John Allen has been admitted under urgent care, and you are one of his emergency contacts."

My eyes widened and I gasped. "What? Is he okay?"

"He is about to undergo surgery. I cannot discuss anymore on the phone, are you able to come in?"

"Uh- yes, of course." I ran back to where I was and grabbed my purse, ignoring Benji's questions. I sprinted towards the exit.

"I'll call a taxi right now."

"Okay. Check in with reception and they will guide you to me. If I am not present one of the nurses should be able to give you the appropriate information. Just to confirm, are you his sister? That is what's written under your name and I can only disclose information to family members."

I could barely think. "Yes, I'm his sister. See you soon."

I hung up and left the house, the cold night air chilling me to the bone. I took frantic breaths as I tried to calm myself, but my mind was scrambled and the only thing I felt was paralyzing fear.

"Chloe!" I heard Benji's voice but it seemed faraway and faint, as if he was calling from outside a glass room. I felt like I was trapped in one, the negative thoughts running through my head reflecting back at me.

Would John be okay?

What if the injuries are too much?

What if he...

I covered my face, trying my hardest to breathe but it was as if my throat has closed up. I gasped, looking around frantically and soon I felt warm hands on my shoulders.

"Chloe. Breathe with me."

Through my watery gaze I found Benji's warm brown eyes. I continued gasping hysterically.

"Chloe. You need to breathe. Come on. Breathe in..."

I followed his commands breathing slowly with him. Soon enough I calmed down and hugged him closer, his warmth calling out to me.

"What happened?" Benji asked.

"John is in hospital." I mumbled. "They say it's bad."

"I'll call us a taxi." Benji said his chest rumbling as he spoke. We stood that way until the car arrived.

I felt numb as we sat in the vehicle, my hand in Benji's. He was softly stroking my arm, his touch being the only thing I was aware of.

"I don't know what I will do if he's not okay." I whispered.

"He will be."

*****

Sorry for the wait! Things have been hectic.

Let me know if you enjoyed the chapter! Only four to go :)

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

The Reach to Forever || Bucky x OC by shutupmady

"True love doesn't exist. It's a made up fairytale told to kids to let them think they'll find the one?" "What if it's real?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~Dusk had to live her life with no choices of her own. She lived during the 1920-1930s and endured tons of hardships. Being a woman was one. Being a woman of color was another. Being trained and forced to be an assassin was the last thing she thought she'd have to go through. She learned to torture and manipulate them as well. While being trained, she was forced to take a sample of the super soldier serum. It was only the beginning of testing it and things went wrong. She didn't gain the abilities needed but she did gain a different one. She met Bucky later on. What happens next is completely unknown.

Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/274758337-the-reach-to-forever-bucky-x-oc

If you want your book to be featured read the next chapter to know how! :)

P.S Working on something right now... Any guesses? :)