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“No, of course not,” Hannah says nervously.
“Why did he have a picture of you in his phone?”
“To send to you, apparently,” Hannah mutters.
“Why does he want me to go after you?”
Hannah doesn’t appear to have an answer for that question. “I don’t know,” she says softly.
“Because he’s an asshole,” I state, since they’ve both lost their damned minds. “The guy was a complete psychopath. Why are we even still talking about him? He’s gone, and good riddance. This is a new year, a Dare-free year for both of you.”
They both look at me, Hannah uncertainly, Anae with a curious frown.
“We have a chance to start fresh this year. All of us. Why don’t wedo it? Anae, you don’t just have a second chance at senior year, you have a second chance atfreedom. If you do the same shit you did last year, you’ll end up right back where you were before—or worse. We all know you should be rotting in a cell somewhere, but here you are instead. Why?”
“Because Dare didn’t want me to rot away in prison,” she answers promptly.
I blink. “No. That’s the wrong answer.”
She shakes her head firmly. “He made sure I didn’t have to suffer for long. He convinced that awful girl to change her story to protect me.”
That is not at all how that went down.
I see her stay in the psych hospital has donewondersfor her.
Ignoring her obvious instability, I point at her encouragingly. “This is your chance to reinvent yourself. You said it yourself, the evil king is gone—you don’t have to be the evil queen anymore.”
“I like being the evil queen.”
Trying to pull her along down this motivational road despite her apparent disinterest, I keep at it. “Fine, then be an independent queen, but you don’t have to be evil. You’re new to our class. Sure, people have heard stuff about you, but no one really knows you, right?”
She shrugs. “I guess not.”
“So, you can make a new impression and new friends. Better friends. Rebrand.”
“I like my brand.”
“Okay.” I sigh. “But… there’s no reason for us to start this year out as enemies. We canallbe nicer to each other. We can embrace the fresh start. We can pave a different path.”
“Okay, I’m tired of this inspirational spiel, but it has given me an idea.” Anae straightens. “I’m going to throw a party this weekend. I don’t know who’s who in your grade, but you do, so you can help me come up with a guest list. I don’t have any friends yet and you two—” she eyes us both with distaste “—won’t do at all, but you can help me with the party. And in return, I won’t ruin your life for the mean things you’ve said to me today. We’ll call it even.”
She looks so proud of herself, like she’s truly accomplished compromise. “Okay, well, I suppose that’s a start,” I say.
She claps. “Yay! I love this idea. Hannah, you can do all the prep. Parker will help me with the guest list.” Dismissing Hannah and stepping around her on her way to me, Anae asks, “Who’s the queen bee in your grade?”
It’s her grade now, too, but I don’t say that. “Um… probably Sierra McCall.”
“What’s she like?”
“Kinda snobby and obnoxious, but generous. She buys her friends a lot of stuff.”
Anae nods as if evaluating what she’s hearing. “That’s a good way to get people to like you. Is she cunning?”
“I wouldn’t say she’s particularly cunning.”
“I could dethrone her.”
“Or you could just be her friend,” I suggest.
