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I was in the bathroom between classes, washing my hands, when Anastasia Egerton entered. As I turned from the sink, intent on making my escape, she stalked across the bathroom to me. Shoving me backwards, she stared down at me, her lip curled with disdain. “Working your way through the football team, are you? Is that how you’re paying your way through school?”
I threw out my hands to avoid smashing into the wall, more shocked by her words than her actions. “How did you know?” My voice came out as a shaky whisper. I hadn’t realis
ed that she knew anything about me, let alone my financial situation. Too late, I realised that my reply had sounded as if I’d admitted to being the one in the photos, even though I was referring to her second question.
“Everyone’s seen the photos. And Carter told me about your uncle leaving you high and dry.”
Wait, Carter had told her?
She must’ve read the confusion and hurt on my face, because she rolled her eyes and muttered, “I saw you in his car a few weeks ago, and I asked him about it.”
Great. My aunt had wanted to keep the news of her messy divorce quiet, knowing how people would gossip, and now, thanks to Carter, the gossip queen of Alstone High knew.
I’m not working my way through the football team, by the way. I didn’t say that aloud, though. There was no point wasting my breath.
Moving around Anastasia and racing for the exit, I’d just reached the door when her voice sounded again, the threat in her tone clear. It was as if she’d heard my unspoken reply. “The pictures don’t lie, Raine. Remember your place. And don’t even think about trying to make a move on Carter. He’d never be interested in someone like you. He’d never be that desperate.”
Except he had been interested. And I’d ruined that, and he hated me, and now he was punishing me for it. At Anastasia’s muttered “pathetic,” I’d had enough. Running from the bathroom, I flew through the corridors, escaping to the safety of the auditorium.
As I entered the backstage area, Dylan and Joey paused in the middle of their set construction to stare at me, before exchanging concerned glances.
“Hi, guys,” I managed, rushing past them as quickly as I could and entering the costume storage area.
Footsteps sounded behind me, and Dylan and Joey were crowding into the doorway. I groaned under my breath as I sank into my seat and rested my head on the cool wooden surface of the table in front of me.
“What’s going on?” Joey spoke up. He worked on set construction with Dylan, but unlike Dylan, I hadn’t really ever spoken to him.
Raising my head, I glanced between the two of them, biting my lip as I picked up a roll of sewing tape from the table.
“You can trust him.” Dylan seemed to sense my thoughts. “If this is anything to do with Carter, just know that Joey here likes him probably even less than we do. We, as in me and you,” he added with a small smile.
“He’s not wrong. I hate the way that Carter, Kian, and Xavier lord it over everyone else. Their whole group of friends, in fact.”
Dylan nodded, then lowered his gaze to the ground. “We’re not good enough for people like them.” The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable.
Rolling the tape in my hands, I found myself telling them the story, or at least the part about the gossip that was being spread about me. They were outraged on my behalf, and after I’d spilled everything, I felt like a weight had been lifted.
“Carter is bad news, Raine. If you want my opinion, I think it’s best to keep your head down and stay out of his way.” Dylan patted my shoulder sympathetically, glancing over at Joey.
Joey leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. “I agree. People like Carter Blackthorne thrive on attention. He’ll eventually get bored if he doesn’t get a reaction from you.”
I could only hope that they were right.
When I woke up the following morning, my bedroom window was open, and a black mask with glowing blue LED lights was on my desk.
12
After the mask had appeared, and with Dylan and Joey’s advice echoing in my mind, I made it my mission for the rest of the week to stay as far away from Carter as possible.
Wednesday was another day filled with snide remarks and more repulsive texts and comments, but by Thursday, the gossip seemed to be dying down. People were bored, hungry for new drama. Other than the dwindling texts and comments on the photos that I did my best to ignore, I managed to make it through the rest of the week without incident. A photo appeared on the AHS gossip account on Friday morning showing one of the teaching assistants in a very compromising position with a student, and just like that, I was forgotten as the new gossip spread like wildfire.
Forgotten by most people, anyway.
On Friday night, my phone buzzed with a message as I lay on my bed, Netflix playing on my laptop as I sketched out a rough dress design in my sketchpad. Placing the pad down, I grabbed my phone, and almost dropped it in shock as I saw who the message was from.
Carter: Enjoyed your time in the spotlight, Raine? Your moment of notoriety?
As much as I hated his harsh words, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of his name on my screen. My fingers hovered over the keypad as I debated how best to reply—I didn’t want to antagonise him, not when the gossip had finally died down.
