Chapter 95: Chapter Ninety-Five

I had a bad feeling, even before the silver bracelet came out, that it was going to be there. How could it not, when Regina was involved?

I didn’t know how she got into my room, because there was no time I left the door open…and she didn’t have the master key that—

I looked at Mrs. James.

Really looked at her.

There was a weird look on her face that I hadn’t noticed before now. It was that she couldn’t stare at Regina in the face for more than a few seconds. Each time her gaze would stray over, she’d immediately glance away, like she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to do.

And Regina—

For someone who was humbled last semester, she looked really smug.

“I didn’t steal it,” I insisted, maintaining my innocence.

Mrs. James clicked her tongue sharply. “You shouldn’t start the semester with lies, Miss Thompson. You’re a senior. You should know how bad stealing is—but lying,” she wagged her finger in my face with full force, “—is just as bad. I’ll be reporting this to Mrs. Weathers and the director.”

No. No way.

I didn’t do it, but I knew that Mr. Sharpman wouldn’t be on my side. Mrs. Weathers might plead on my behalf, but the director would be more than happy to get rid of me.

Regardless of whatever position I’d occupied before the winter holiday.

“I—” I tried not to let my panic show, but a line of sweat was already trailing down my back, my palms were clammy and my heart was racing a million times per second.

“What?” Regina cackled. “Cat got your tongue now? You had a lot to say last semester, didn’t you?” She stepped closer to me, her gaze filled with smugness. Her mouth curled with a cocky expression as she assessed me from head to toe. “You had fun spending Jace’s money, but you’re back to wearing your hand-me-downs and dirty thrift.”

Jace.

It was about him.

Of course, it was always going to be about him. Regina Michaels always thought I was beneath her. It would’ve been fine if I stayed that way—if I allowed her to use me as the perfect way to feel good about herself.

But I’d committed a grave sin by dating a boy that wasn’t only inaccessible to most—but also someone she’d been crushing on for the longest time.

She was never going to let me live it down.

As long as she had the opportunity.

I folded my arms squarely and stepped closer, staring her down in the face. “Are you that hurt, Michaels? Huh? Do you see me every time you close your eyes?” I tilted my head, studying her face while I enunciated each word, so they would hit her hard. “I bet you have a picture of me in your bedroom, and you throw darts there every night before you go to sleep.”

Her nostrils flared once, her eyes flashing with anger. “How dare you?” She hissed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. A childish habit. “Why would I care about you? You’re not half as important as you think, Grace Thompson,” she spat. “I know you got invited to Christopher’s Christmas party, but it’s a party anybody can attend.”

“Oh wait—” she tapped her chin. “Mmm.” Her mouth tugged with a mocking grin. “I meant to say that anybody who has money can walk in. But you had to leech off his grandson, didn’t you?”

She shook her head, pouring exaggeratedly. “I bet poor Christopher felt too bad for you that he couldn’t tell Jace to leave the trash at the door.”

Wow.

I exhaled, clicking my tongue silently. I was tempted to feel sorry for her—that she’d been suffering from one-sided limerence.

And I would, if I didn’t still have the memory of her and Georgia almost killing me with bleach.

And if she wasn’t, at the moment, framing me for something I didn’t even care about.

A bracelet?

“What the hell is going on?”

I found myself grinning before I realized it, as Sera walked in. She had on a short tennis skirt, a hot top, and her hair in one bun at the top of her head, with bangs that I didn’t notice during the day.

“Oh look,” Regina drawled. “The second trash is here. I was waiting for you—so I can take the two of you out at the same time.” She thrust her chest out, facing Mrs. James, who still couldn’t look at her long. “You should take Seraphine to the Director’s office too.”

I’ve never seen Mrs. James look shocked before, but she did after Regina spoke. She glanced back at Regina, her lips parting as her eyes widened sharply.

She wasn’t surprised that Regina had said something that didn’t make sense…she was shocked.

Almost as if-

Hold on.

The thought in my head was wild, but it made sense.

“What are you talking about?” Sera, who had no idea what was happening, planted her hands on her hips.  “I can only assume that you’re up to no good, Regina,” she commented, giving her a stern look. “Because you’re always up to no good.”

“No good?” Regina scoffed. “Maybe you should think twice about saying that, because you’re going to be expelled with your darling best friend.”

Sera’s lips parted.

She looked at Regina, like she was trying to determine if she was having a stroke, then she turned to me. “What is she blabbering about? Did she accuse you of something?”

My mind was still reeling with what I’d come up with—the wild theory that absolutely made sense, but I managed to nod.

“Yeah. She said I stole her silver bracelet,” I answered. “I absolutely did not, but Mrs. James planted—” I blurted the word out, caught myself quickly, and covered it with a fake cough. “…found it in my drawer. The velvet pouch that it was in or something like that.”

The more I thought about my theory, the less worried I was.

It was going to be hard to prove, but I was going to prove my innocence no matter what.

Sera arched her brow. She said nothing for a moment, then she broke out laughing. Regina’s brows twitched a few times and Mrs. James blinked twice, both of them caught off-guard.

“Oh please,” Sera rolled her eyes. “That’s a lie and we know it. You,” she tilted her chin at Regina. “You snuck into the dorm during classes and planted it, right?”

Regina scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Why would I do something like that?”

Sera shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because you’re still in love with Jace and he will never want you? Or because you’re just a bitch?” She said plainly.

Regina exploded. She stepped close, her palm outstretched to slap Sera, but Mrs. James stepped in at the last minute, to stop her.

“Mrs. Michaels, you—”

Whatever she was going to tell Regina didn’t get past the hand that struck her cheek, the sound of the slap cracking through the air.

Everybody went absolutely silent.

Sera and I shared similar looks—our eyes wide and our hands across our mouths.

“I—” Regina gritted her teeth as Mrs. James stared at her fuming, her ragged breath the only sound in the room. She was trying to apologize, but she couldn’t bring her lips to form the words.

She looked at Sera and me, her eyes narrowing. “It’s all your fault!” She yelled. “If you’d just stayed in your lane and minded your business, none of this would’ve happened!”

“None of what?” Sera questioned calmly. “You’re the one in Grace’s room, no? And you planted your diamond bracelet on her, because you wanted her expelled. Guess what?” She leaned in abruptly, making Regina jump, but it was only a distraction to snatch the bracelet from Mrs. James’s hand.

“Give that back!”

Mrs. James scolded. “Would you give that back, young lady?!”

She couldn’t put her hands on Sera, who deftly slipped out of the room, standing in the hallway. She held the silver bracelet up to the light filtering in for a moment, then she winked at me.

I shook my head slowly, very perplexed.

What was she getting at?

Was that a sign?

“Hey, Michael!” She called out. “Catch!” She tossed the bracelet into the room, before Regina could open her hand, and it fell to the ground with a clink.

I gasped loudly. “Seraphine!”

It was expensive!

I didn’t have the money to pay for a new one, because I was certain Regina was going to claim that the fall had damaged it.

Seraphine let out a resigned sigh, raising her palms. “Fine. I wasn’t going to be that dramatic, but it was needed. You see—” she marched right up to Regina, lifted her foot, and stepped hard on the bracelet with her boot. I almost fainted.

But I trusted Seraphine.

Even if her plan failed, she could buy the bracelet. She had that much money.

But one thing was strange.

I expected Regina to be screaming at this point, but she merely stood there, like she was frozen. Sera crouched and picked up the bracelet. She held it up for us to see.

“It’s fake,” she said plainly.

Uh?

“It’s fake?” I echoed.

She nodded. “Yup, it is. That’s why you didn’t try catching it when I threw it, right?” Her tone hardened as she faced Regina. “I know you have a lot of money, which means you can buy another one, but you’re not a forgiving or generous person, Regina Michaels.”

“Also,” Sera continued. “You said nothing when I stepped on it, because you could already tell that I knew that it was fake.”

Her shoulders dropped as she exhaled slowly. “If you really wanted to frame Grace, you should’ve gone for something expensive. Really expensive. Because even if you take this to Sharpman, you’re going to have to deal with the whole school knowing that you wear fake jewelry.”

A small gasp came from Regina, her shoulders trembling for a second.

But Sera wasn’t done. She leaned in closer, whispering something in Regina’s ear that I couldn’t hear.

Whatever it was though, it left Regina more shaken than she was seconds ago. Sera hopped over to my side, bumping shoulders with me. “See?” She grinned. “That’s why you need me.”

I smiled. “Always.”

I still couldn’t wrap my head around it, though.

Why would she frame me with a fake? Was she worried that I’d find it before she could bring Mrs. James and I’d keep it for myself?

That was insulting.

“What are you going to do now?” I clipped. “Are you still going to report me to the directors?” I demanded. “Or are you ready to admit that you let your hatred for me get the best of you?”

Regina’s expression looked unsure for a moment, as she gripped her dress with knuckles that had gone white.

“Maybe we should take a step back and—”

She whirled on Mrs. James before she could finish speaking. “Really?” Regina hissed under her breath. “You’re really going to take their side? After...” she trailed off, glancing at us briefly she didn’t want us to know.

Then she faced Mrs. James squarely. “You’re going to take them to Mr. Sharpman. He needs to know that there are dishonest students in his school. And you’re going to tell him how they’re in it together. Okay?” She insisted, with a bossy tone.

Mrs. James cleared her throat. “Miss Michael’s, perhaps we should—

“My parents pay your salary!” Regina yelled. “You’re going to do as I asked, or else you can say goodbye to your job and your mortgage. And,” she chuckled harshly, “you think anyone is going to hire you when they find out what you’ve done?”

Mrs. James’s face turned white. She swallowed thickly, her fingers trembling. I caught it, before she shoved her hands behind her back.

She cleared her throat, tilting her chin as her snarky tone returned. “Tomorrow morning, Miss Thompson. You’re to report to the Director’s office.”

My jaw dropped.

“What? Why—why would you report when you know the truth? That I was framed?”

“Regardless of what you think happened,” she snapped, “—the bracelet was found in your room. We don’t tolerate stealing. If you don’t report to the office, I will drag you from class myself.”

She turned around, marching towards the door.

“Me too?” Seraphine called out.

Regina scoffed. “Of course. You’re two peas in a pod, aren’t you? There’s no way she stole it without you knowing.”

Then she strode off, her hips swinging like she just won the lottery.

A breath passed.

Then two.

Sera and I turned to each other like our minds had suddenly synced, speaking at the same time.

“Mrs. James planted it—

“She has something on Mrs. James—“