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But I wasn’t quite done.
“What about my car?” I demanded, catching her wrists as she dove toward me again. “Did you get Preston to fuck with my car?”
“No!” she hissed, pressing against my hold until we were practically nose-to-nose. “I did that my fucking self. And don’t even act like you didn’t deserve it, you whiny bitch.”
Holy fuck.
My breath caught.
My heart felt like it stopped beating and sped up at the same time.
I loosened my grip on her arms, and she wrenched them out of my grasp, yanking the crown off my head and clutching it like a prize. I stepped back, limping out of her reach as I lifted the sash off my shoulder with one hand.
Preston stood behind Adena, staring at her in wide-eyed disgust, and even Mrs. LaVaunne seemed completely unsure of what to do.
I was breathing hard, and my hair had come partially down from its updo in the struggle. But I lifted my chin as I held out the sash that read Prom Queen in curling blue letters to Adena.
She gazed down at it, her eyes regaining clarity for a moment as she blinked twice.
I saw the exact instant when she realized what she’d done, what she’d said, and it was possibly the most satisfying moment of my life. Her focus shifted from the sash to my face, her features contorting with confusion, her gaze going fuzzy again from whatever the Princes had slipped into her drink.
“You know what, Adena?” I shrugged, offering the sash to her again. “You’re right. I think you need this more than I do.”
Chapter 20
“God, that was fucking amazing!”
Finn’s whole body practically vibrated with glee as he turned to look over at Cole, who sat on the couch next to me. We had returned to Cole’s dorm almost immediately after several teachers had escorted Adena off the small stage. She’d been surprisingly docile as they led her away, and I wasn’t sure it if was because she was still reeling from shock at what she’d said and done, or if rapid mood swings were a side effect of whatever drug the Princes had dosed her with.
“You got it up everywhere?” Elijah put in, leaning against my shoulder to glance at Cole’s screen.
“Just about,” the dark-haired boy grunted. “I live-streamed it too, so it’s all over Facebook already. It’s not going away.”
“And we emailed it to Dean Levy and the dean of Harvard.” Mason’s smile was feral. “Just in case they want to know what kind of fucking person she is.”
“Do you think Harvard will rescind their offer?” I asked, glancing at him.
If it was possible, he looked even more pleased as he answered. “Fuck yes. That’s the kind of PR nightmare these schools do anything to avoid. And if the admissions officer slept with her in exchange for pushing her application through, who knows who else he did it with? Every application he’s ever touched will be suspect. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s already been fired.”
I tried to feel a little bad about that but really couldn’t. He’d been collateral damage in our plan to take down Adena, but it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve what was coming to him. Adena was a psychopathic bitch, but there were likely other girls he’d gotten sexual favors from in exchange for a boost during the admissions process, ones who’d just done it because of the tremendous pressure their families put on them to succeed. If he lost his job in disgrace, well, that was the fucking bed he’d made.
Same with Mr. Cartwright. If he gets fired, good riddance.
The fact that Adena had admitted to tampering with my car was something I was still processing. The one question I wished I’d gotten to ask her was, why? Why did she hate me enough to do something like that? Or had she really not considered how fucking dangerous it was?
I wasn’t sure what do to about it yet—whether I should try to press charges or what.
But it was satisfying to know that Adena’s life had just been turned upside down and inside out.
“You did good, Legs.” Finn beamed down at me, his dimples on full display. He’d taken off his bow tie and jacket, and the muscles of his arms and shoulders strained against his crisp white shirt. “You were a fucking rock star.”
“More like a scared shitless rock star,” I joked with a small smile. “Walking up on that stage, I was sure there was a booby trap on it somewhere. Like Adena must’ve figured out you rigged the vote and set something up to get back at me. And I think she’s actually more terrifying when she’s on drugs.”
“I fucking hate that we used you as bait.” The satisfaction faded from Mason’s face as he pressed his lips together, his nostrils flaring.
I glanced across Cole’s body at him, leaning closer to the muscled boy beside me.
“I told you, it was the only way. Nothing else would piss her off enough to make her blow up like that, even with her inhibitions down from the drugs and booze.”
