Dixie nods like a bobblehead, and I can practically see her swooning over this guy as he humiliates her. But who am I to talk? I fell for a Darling, too, just like her and every other girl at this school. I’m no better than any of them.
Colt smiles down at Dixie, but there’s a vicious glint in his eyes. His voice drops until it’s barely more than a purr. “Now, meet me in the bathroom at the start of your next class, and I’ll fuck the red right off that pretty pout.”
He turns and walks away, leaving her gaping after him.
“Want me to break his arm, too?” Duke asks. “Because I’ll do it for you.”
“No,” Dixie says, shaking her head and staring down at her lunch, her face scarlet. “I—I really don’t mind being the Dog.”
“Dixie,” I begin. “You don’t have to do that to get his attention.”
She raises her eyes to mine. “No,youdon’t have to,” she says. “I am a dog, Crystal. At least this way, people look at me like I’m something… Intriguing. When I’m not the Darling Dog, they call me a dog, anyway—and worse.”
“Who?” I demand. “That’s bullshit, Dixie.”
She shrugs. “Everyone. It doesn’t matter. But I’m tired of being called a fat cow. When I’m theirs, no one else dares mess with me.”
“She’s right,” Dolly says. “The Darlings are very possessive about their Dogs and Dolls.”
I want to protest, but I have to admit she’s right. When I was the Dog, no one except the Darlings messed with me. When the girls put dogfood in my locker, they were publicly shamed.
“I’m not sure it’s worth it,” I say at last. “What they do to the Dog, it’s really fucked up.”
“They did those things to you because you fought back,” Dixie says. “Not because you were their dog. If they take me to a party, and all I have to do is wear a leash, at least I’m at a Darling party. I mean, when else would a girl who looks like me get to go to a party like that?”
“Since when are the Darlings back on good terms?” Baron asks, changing the subject before I can argue more. “I thought they let Devlin’s dad rot in jail for a week instead of posting bail. What gives?”
“The Darlings aren’t on good terms,” Dolly confirms. “Their families are still on the outs. The police are still investigating Devlin’s dad, but y’all—and don’t hate me for saying this—he didn’t do it. I’ve known that man since I was born, and he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Not to mention he’d never do anything that would risk taking him away from his family,” Dixie says. “Mr. Darling’s a real family man.”
“Really?” I ask, quirking a brow. “Because I seem to remember his real mom saying he cheated on her.”
“No, no, no,” Dolly says, holding up a hand. “That’s not even fair.”
“Then what happened?”
She opens her mouth and then closes it. “You know, you better ask Devlin about all that,” she says at last. “It’s not my place to air all his family’s dirty laundry. I just want you to know that I’m not saying all the Darlings are innocent, or that they’re good people, but Devlin’s dad? He’s good people.”
Carmen and Kaylee the horse-faced head cheerleader walk by, slowing to sneer at us. “Look, it’s the whore of Faulkner. I wonder if she’s fucking her own dog. No one else would want her now.”
“They’ve all had a turn, anyway,” Carmen says.
“You seem awfully interested in what I do with my vagina,” I say. “Maybe you’re the one who wants me now.”
“Oh my god,” she squeals in disgust, like I just used some unspeakably vulgar term. “Could you be any more tacky?”
“I’ll ask Coach Snow when I’m done taking your place on the squad,” I say with a smile.
“In your dreams, skank,” Kaylee says.
“Whoa,” Duke says. “I was going to let this go on in case you and Dolly got in a hot girl fight, but no one talks to my sister like that.”
I set a hand on his arm to steady him before turning back to Kaylee. “Not in my dreams,” I say. “This Friday. Enjoy your time on the squad while you have it.”
“This school would never allow someone with a reputation like yours to cheer in front of the whole town,” Carmen says. “You’re an embarrassment to Willow Heights.”
I shrug. “You had a member who ate dogfood off the floor.”