“No one fucks with my k-bear,” Mason announces confidently.
My heart swells. Never has a group of people stood by me and supported me like this. I’ve had friends before, of course, but not like this—nothing that felt like they had my back, no matter what was thrown at them.
I lean my head affectionately on Mason’s strong shoulder. “Thanks, guys, but there’s no need for anyone to get involved. I just need to think of how to get back at her.”
“Like hell we won’t get involved! Fuck with my friend and you fuck with me!” Noah declares.
Annalisa nods. “Let’s just corner her and break her nose.”
“We don’t hit girls, Anna,” Aiden informs her, putting his phone away.
“I know you guys don’t, but I don’t have a problem doing that!” Annalisa clarifies.
Julian sighs. “You know you can’t do that, babe.”
Annalisa gives her boyfriend an irritated look. “You know just as well as I do that I’m perfectly capable of breaking her nose.”
I lift my head from Mason’s shoulder to look at him when he speaks. “No one doubts that you can break her nose, it’s just that you can’t.”
“Her mom is the principal, which means Kaitlyn pretty much gets away with everything,” Noah explains, more for my benefit than anyone else’s.
“Charlotte told me that the first day of school,” I say.
“Basically, if you touch a hair on Kaitlyn’s head, you’re screwed,” Mason explains.
“You’re telling me I can’t do anything about it? Not even get even?” I say.
Noah shakes his head. “Even the smallest thing she’ll go crying to her mom.”
“Once, this girl Kaitlyn didn’t like accidentally spilt coffee on her shirt.” Julian leans forward. “Kaitlyn ran to her mom and said the girl attacked her and threw scorching hot coffee at her for no reason. Kaitlyn’s followers obviously backed her up. That girl got suspended.”
“It’s so unfair,” Charlotte huffs.
I refuse to accept the fact that I can’t do anything about Kaitlyn. If there’s one thing about me that has never changed, it’s that I don’t take shit from anyone. It’s what’s kept me alive this long. I’m programmed to stand up for myself, and daughter of the principal or not, I will get even with Kaitlyn.
“Amelia?”
Aiden rarely contributes to conversations when Charlotte and I are around, so when he does, he gets our full attention. “What are you thinking?”
He didn’t miss how I was deep in thought, calculating my revenge. And in that moment, I’m struck by how alike we actually are.
“I’m thinking that Kaitlyn’s shit out of luck. I don’t care who her mother is and there’s no way in hell I’m letting her get away with this,” I say.
Annalisa’s diabolical smile fills her face. “That’s what I’m talking about! What can we do?”
“You’ll get suspended!” The always practical Julian tries to talk some sense into us.
“Not if it’s so subtle she’ll have nothing to rat about,” I say, my mind already reeling with possibilities. And then I’ve got it, and a huge grin spreads across my face—my friends look at one another and then lean in . . .
During our spare fifth period, Annalisa and I drive to the dollar store to get the supplies we need.
“We need one of those big envelopes that you practically have to claw open once it’s sealed,” I tell her.
We grab it and a few other things before paying and driving back to school.
“I love this idea. It’s so harmless yet subtly annoying it’s genius!” she exclaims from the passenger seat of my car.
“Best part is, if she goes crying to her mom, what’s she goin