But the bullying would be over if you join them,a little voice in the back of my mind whispered. You can’t turn that down, can you?
I looked up at the Medusa girls again. “If I say yes, would I still be able to hang out with my friends?”
“You mean Adam Connery and Trina Seaborne?” Kiri asked.
“Yes.”
“We would never tell you not to be friends with anyone,” she replied. “But you would see a lot less of them. Members are expected to have lunch together every day, and unfortunately, non-members can’t join us for that.”
“Oh.” My brows furrowed. “You couldn’t make an exception for them?”
“No. Sorry. No high school boys are allowed to hang out with us, so that’s Adam out, and Trina hasn’t come up as a recruitment option, so that’s her out too.”
“I see.” I swallowed hard, heart pounding. “Well, I’m really grateful that you’ve offered me membership, and I’d obviously love to get off the blacklist… but I don’t think I can accept. Adam and Trina have been there for me from the very start, and they’ve supported me throughout all the bullying. I can’t just ditch them now, and I don’t want to, either. They’re my friends.”
“We thought you might say something like that, and we understand,” Camila said gently. “But we hope you reconsider. This could be great for your future.”
Kiri nodded. “Maybe take a couple of weeks to think about it,” she added. “I know it would be hard for you to spend less time with your best friends, but it’s not like you’ll never see them at all. You can still hang out with them in your free time.”
“I get that, but it just wouldn’t feel right to join a club where they aren’t welcome all the time,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
“No apology necessary. I totally understand. Just promise us you’ll think about it, okay?”
I nodded. “I will.”
“Great!” Camila flashed me a megawatt smile. “We’d really love to have you.”
“Thanks for thinking of me.” I smiled and stood up, figuring it was time for me to go.
One of the girls walked me to the door, and she leaned in for a quick hug. “It was great to meet you properly, Laney,” she said. “Even if you don’t join us, we’re still going to do what we can to stop your bullies when we see them.”
“Thank you,” I murmured. “That’s really nice of you.”
I left the room, mind whirling.
Did I make the right choice in turning the Medusas down?
One part of my mind said yes, absolutely. I didn’t want to ditch Adam and Trina after everything they’d done for me. It wasn’t right, and I hated the idea of not seeing them as much as I usually did. I hated the idea of keeping secrets from them, too, and I knew I would have to do that if I joined the exclusive society.
Another part of my mind screamed at me, telling me how stupid I was to say no. The bullying would stop if I joined the society, and I’d have access to money and guaranteed job opportunities in the future. How could I say no to that?
The two sides warred with each other as I walked down the hall. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost crashed right into someone else when I turned the corner.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, jumping backwards.
“That’s quite all right.”
I realized I recognized the man. It was Charles Connery. “Oh! Hi, Mr. Connery.”
His brows furrowed as he stared down at me, and then his eyes widened. “Laney? Is that you?”
“Yup.”
“I’m suddenly feeling some sort of déjà vu. Did I see you recently?” he asked, rubbing his chin.
“Yes. I waitressed at a party at your house a few months ago.”
“Ah, that’s right.” He lifted his brows. “So you’re an RFA student now, huh?”