Liam brought Chloe home at eleven. As soon as
we walked in, Chloe glared at me with red-
rimmed eyes. I put on an innocent shrug. Liam squeezed my shoulder, barely hiding his
amusement.
The city’s rich–kid group chat was blowing up. Everyone knew about my feud with Chloe and didn’t hesitate to mock her, knowing I’d see it. I skimmed the messages. Just as I suspected, Chloe had made a fool of herself. People were polite but quickly excused themselves after a few words. Of course. Who would want to
waste time on a gold digger?
Later, Liam was pulled away to discuss
business, leaving Chloe alone on the dance
floor. She’d stepped on everyone’s feet. When Sarah was her partner, she’d snapped, “Some people shouldn’t try to fit in where they don’t
belong. It’s just embarrassing.” Chloe had
started crying.
<
By the time they got home, Chloe’s entire
history had been dissected online.
The next day at school, Chloe, wearing makeup,
was already at the breakfast table. Liam was
peeling an orange for her, which she ate, the
sourness making her wince. I hid my laughter.
After breakfast, the chauffeur drove us to
school. Dad, in his attempt to make amends,
had transferred Chloe to our school, told her to
study hard, then took off for the golf course.
In the car, the partition went up. Chloe turned
to me, a smug look on her face. “Last night, all
those rich kids loved me. So many guys asked
me to dance. Something you wouldn’t
understand.”
I rolled my eyes and picked up the French
newspaper. My mom had studied design in
Paris and always wanted me to learn French, so
I made it a habit to read it every day. Chloe
picked up another one, pretending to read,
though I knew she couldn’t understand a word. I
almost laughed, but held back.
At school, I watched as Chloe introduced
herself to the class, beaming. The teacher
pointed to the only empty seat next to Ethan,
my fiancé. She hesitated, glancing at me, considering bringing another desk. Chloe,
knowing Ethan’s status, jumped at the chance.
“I’ll sit there!”
The other students watched, disgusted by Chloe’s eagerness. I remained impassive, taking out my notes, letting Chloe fawn over Ethan. He
was usually aloof, but surprisingly patient with her. By the end of the morning, she was calling him “Ethan, honey.” Sarah, at first worried for
me, started to get it.
I played the “victim” for two weeks. Then came
the group project in economics. Chloe snatched
my usual spot next to Ethan. I stood up,
grabbed her hair, and dragged her to the
<
10:45
394
bathroom. The other students watched, and my friends strategically blocked anyone who tried to interfere.
I shoved Chloe into a dirty stall. “Ashley, you
bitch!” she shrieked. “Just wait until Ethan, honey, hears about this!”
I slapped her twice. “Ethan, honey?” I mocked. “You two are so close. Just like your mom and my dad, right? Must run in the family.”
I kicked her back onto the toilet seat, her uniform getting soaked. “Ethan, honey, isn’t here.now. Let me teach you some manners.”
Sarah picked up a half–full trash can, but just then, Ethan arrived.
“Ashley! Let her go!”
He rushed over, helped a sobbing Chloe up, and glared at me. “I can’t believe you’re so jealous! I’m just being nice to Chloe because she’s had
く
0000
a hard life. I’m so disappointed in you!” He turned to Chloe, his voice softening. “If this
happens again, I’d rather marry you than this…
this… cruel person.” He led Chloe away, leaving Sarah and me alone. Chloe shot me a
triumphant look. I played along, pretending to be defeated.
As soon as they were gone, Sarah and I breathed a sigh of relief. “Ew,” Sarah said,
wrinkling her nose. “Chloe’s clothes are covered in filth. Ethan was so close to her, he must be disgusted.”
I shuddered. “Note to self: choose a cleaner
location for the next takedown.”
Chloe still worked with Ethan on the project,
but the teacher gave them a terrible grade,
noting that Ethan had done all the work. Our
French economics teacher frowned at Ethan.
“Ethan, you and Ashley have always worked so
well together. Why the change? Your current
<
partner is… lacking, and not on the same
intellectual level.”
Chloe didn’t understand French, but the other
students snickered and looked at me in the
back row. I remained expressionless. Ethan,
speechless, apologized in French. “I’m sorry.
The project didn’t go as planned.” The teacher
sighed, glancing at Chloe, and dismissed them.
Sarah, sitting in the front, watched as the
teacher gave Chloe the lowest grade, muttering
under his breath, “Kids these days. They’d
rather have a pretty face than a capable
partner.”
Sarah burst out laughing. Chloe apologized
profusely to Ethan, who, in turn, patted her
head and consoled her.
