Page 38 of The Good Girl

“I was thinking maybe you should come over tonight. My parents are out at some charity dinner.” She slides her fingers in the belt loop of my jeans and tugs gently.

“And?” I’m bored now, her whiny voice grating on me. I only ever showed interest in Serena to get under Lena’s skin, but now she was clinging onto me like a fucking barnacle.

“And we could have some real fun,” she breathes into my ear, lips brushing against my skin, making it crawl.

“Look, I’m not interested,” I say, closing my locker and stepping away from her.

“I knew it.” She scoffs, holding her hands up in disbelief. “It’s Elena, isn’t it? Always fucking Elena.”

“Yeah, it is.” I lean in, keeping my voice low. “And don’t think for a second I don’t know what you were playing at setting her up with Sam. I mean, it was your suggestion, wasn’t it?”

I wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with her yet, or whether I should just leave her to Elena’s mercy, but if she was bitter enough to risk her friend’s safety, then she definitely needed to be punished. People like Serena were dangerous if you left them to their own devices, and while I wasn’t against getting my hands dirty, it might just be the push Lena needs.

She crosses her arms and leans against my locker, the over-friendly facade vanishing as she scoffs, “So? She needed to be taken down a notch.”

“You’re a fool.”

Her mouth twists, and it’s like I’m seeing the real Serena. “I’ll show you. I’ll show all of you. Elena Montgomery isn’t anything special, she’s just another rich kid with the right people backing her.”

“You’re a fucking idiot if you think that,” I scoff. Yes, Elena had connections, but that wasn’t why we were her friends. Serena, who was supposed to be Lena’s best friend, should know that.

“What’s going on here?” Tabitha asks as she strides over, dirty blonde hair in a messy bun, green eyes blazing. It was easy to tell that she was Elena’s cousin, they were so similar in looks but complete opposites in personality. Tabitha already knew who she was, what she wanted, and she wasn’t taking any prisoners, while Elena needed a push. Attie stands close behind her, and together they look like some sort of girl-gang duo, ready to defend Lena.

“Nothing.” Serena gives a sweet, sickly smile that’s more fake than her nose. Don’t get me started on her tits.

Grabbing Serena’s blazer, Tabitha hisses, “If I hear Elena’s name in your filthy mouth again, you’ll regret it.”

“You’re all just proving my point!”

“Watch it,” Tabitha warns as the class bell rings. Letting go of Serena, she glares at the girl as she rushes away down the corridor like her ass is on fire. Her lip curls with disgust, and I know Serena is on her shitlist, and that’s not a place anyone wants to be.

The small crowd that gathered to watch the interactions breaks up, and I wonder how long it will take to get back to Elena that her best friend is a snake who tried to set her up with a rapist.

* * *

I planned to look for Elena at lunch, but instead I’m on a call with Reid who’s pestering me to donate some pieces to a fundraising auction Elena’s father is throwing as part of his stupid ball. Everyone who is anyone in this town will be there.

“It’ll be great publicity,” he coaxes down the line.

“I don’t want publicity.” I chuckle. I own shares in a major corporation, and I’m the only child of Malcolm Radcliffe—my art was never about the money. Not really.

“Well, it’s not like you use your real name anyway,” Reid reminds me, and I sigh.

I did have a few new pieces that might go down well at the auction in Silvercrest, they might even win Elena over a little. But they would be a public declaration, and I needed to gauge how that would go down right about now.

“Fine, are we done now?” I’m impatient, I needed to talk to Lena about what was going on between us.

Reid laughs before hanging up, leaving me to make my way over to the music rooms. As I pass through the courtyard, I can’t help but overhear the whispers about the party on Friday. A group of kids in the year below are sitting on the benches chatting, and I hide my grin as their words reach my ears.

“Did you hear? Sam James isn’t in today. I drove past his house on the way to school, and there’s a ‘for sale’ sign outside,” a small girl with brown hair says in hushed tones.

A boy with a shaved head and a skateboard asks, “What do you think happened? Do you think it's true that Elena Montgomery did something to him?”

“I mean, someone said she was at the party covered in blood. But that doesn’t make sense,” someone else chimes in, and my lips twitch. The rumor mill was always filled with twisted truths.

“Vice President Elena? No way, she doesn’t even kill spiders.” A fourth voice laughs.

The first girl chimes back in, voice determined as though she’d just solved some giant mystery. “Someone is just spreading rumors, bet it’s that Serena girl. Heard her slagging her off in the hallway this morning. Tabitha almost punched her.”

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