Chapter 16
Sadie's POV
I stood there, frozen, coffee dripping from my curls.
Vivienne smiled. "Oops."
Madison covered her mouth, fake-shocked. "Oh no. That was an accident, right, Viv?"
"Total accident," Amber agreed, barely suppressing a grin.
Chloe was openly laughing now, her high-pitched cackle echoing across the cafeteria.
Brooklyn lunged forward, but Maya grabbed her arm. "Don't. She's not worth it."
I wiped coffee from my eyes. My hands were shaking. My vision was blurry—whether from the coffee or the tears threatening to spill, I wasn't sure.
Everyone was staring.
Phones were out. Recording.
This would be all over Lion's Den in five minutes.
Vivienne leaned in close, her voice a whisper only I could hear. "Welcome to Lincoln Heights, Sadie. Hope you survive."
She turned to walk away, her platinum hair swaying with each step, Madison and Amber flanking her like loyal soldiers.
And that's when something inside me snapped.
"You know what's funny?" I said, my voice loud enough to carry.
Vivienne stopped mid-stride. Her shoulders tensed.
The cafeteria went silent again.
I took a step forward, coffee still dripping from my hair. "You think you're untouchable. You think because your dad's rich and you're pretty, you can do whatever you want."
Vivienne turned slowly, her expression dangerous. Behind her, Madison's eyes widened nervously. "Excuse me?"
"But here's the thing." I met her gaze, my voice steady now. "You're not a queen. You're just a mean girl with a trust fund and a bunch of followers who are too scared to tell you the truth."
Madison flinched. Amber looked away.
Vivienne's eyes narrowed. "Watch your mouth."
"And yeah," I continued, "my mom used to work at a diner. She worked two jobs to keep a roof over our heads while your mom was getting Botox every other Tuesday. She fought for everything we have. And I'm not ashamed of that. Because she taught me something you'll never understand."
"Oh?" Vivienne's voice was venomous. "And what's that?"
"That being powerful isn't about tearing people down." I took another step forward. "It's about lifting them up. And you? You're so insecure, so terrified that someone might take your spotlight, that you have to destroy anyone who gets close."
Her face turned red. Behind her, Chloe's laughter had died. Madison was staring at the floor.
"And for the record," I added, my voice calm, "I don't need Jake Montgomery to validate me. I don't need his money. I don't need his last name."
"Then why are you living in his house?" Vivienne spat, her composure cracking. "Everyone knows you moved into the Montgomery Estate. Playing house with Jake? Pathetic."
A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd.
I felt my face heat, but I forced myself to stay calm. "You want to know why I'm moving into the Montgomerys' today?"
"Oh, please enlighten us," Vivienne said, crossing her arms.
"My mom married Richard Parker two months ago. You know, Liam's dad? My stepbrother's dad?" I let that sink in, watching confusion flicker across Vivienne's face. "My mom and Richard are on their honeymoon in Europe for the next month. Liam and I are staying with the Montgomerys because our parents are old friends. Jake's mom and my mom go way back."
The whispers grew louder.
"So Liam is the stepbrother from the post?" someone said behind me.
"So she's not dating Jake?" another voice asked.
"She's literally just crashing there because of family stuff?"
Vivienne's face went from red to white. "That doesn't—"
"Doesn't what?" I cut her off. "Doesn't fit your narrative? Doesn't make me the gold-digger homewrecker you wanted everyone to believe I am?"
Madison took a small step back. Amber was chewing her lip nervously.
"You built this whole story in your head," I continued, my voice carrying across the silent cafeteria. "You convinced yourself I was some threat, some competition. But the truth is, I'm just a girl trying to survive senior year without drama. And you? You're so desperate to hold onto Jake that you'll destroy anyone who even breathes near him."
"I'm not—" Vivienne started.
"And for the record," I said, my voice dropping to a deadly calm, "your highlights are uneven. You might want to talk to your stylist about that. Or maybe stop bleaching your hair every two weeks. The damage is showing."
Someone in the crowd snorted.
Then another.
And then—laughter.
Not from everyone. But enough.
Vivienne's hands clenched into fists. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into her palms. "You're going to regret this."
"Maybe." I picked up my tray—still somehow intact. "But at least I'll still have my dignity."
I turned to walk away, Brooklyn, Maya, and Zoe following close behind.
And then I heard it.
The sharp click of heels on linoleum.
Vivienne was moving fast.
"You little—"
I turned just in time to see her hand coming toward my face.
And then—
"Whoa, whoa, whoa."
A hand caught Vivienne's wrist mid-swing.
Liam stepped between us, his usual golden-retriever smile completely gone. His jaw was tight, his blue eyes hard as ice. He was still holding Vivienne's wrist, his grip firm but not painful.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" His voice was low. Dangerous.
I'd never heard Liam sound like that.
Vivienne yanked her hand back, her face flushed. "She—"
"I don't care," Liam said, cutting her off. He took a step forward, forcing Vivienne to step back. "You don't get to touch my sister. You don't get to talk to her. You don't even get to look at her. Are we clear?"
Madison grabbed Vivienne's arm. "Viv, let's just go—"
"I'm not done," Vivienne hissed.
"Yeah," Liam said, his voice dropping even lower. "You are."
He stepped closer, towering over her. For a guy who usually radiated sunshine and easy smiles, he looked genuinely intimidating. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to walk away. You're going to delete whatever trash you were planning to post on Lion's Den. And you're going to leave Sadie alone."
"Or what?" Vivienne challenged, but her voice wavered.
Liam smiled. It wasn't friendly. "Or I'll make sure everyone at this school knows exactly why you got kicked out of the debutante ball last summer. Pretty sure your dad wouldn't love that story going public."
Vivienne's face went pale.
Madison's eyes widened. "Liam, come on—"
"I'm not talking to you, Madison." Liam didn't take his eyes off Vivienne. "I'm talking to the girl who just tried to hit my little sister in front of two hundred witnesses."
The cafeteria was dead silent now.
Even the lunch ladies had stopped serving food.
Vivienne's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"We're done here," she finally said, her voice tight.
She turned and walked away, Madison, Amber, and Chloe scrambling to follow.
The second they were gone, Liam turned to me, his expression softening instantly. "You okay?"
I nodded, still too shocked to speak.
"Good." He grinned—his usual Liam grin—and ruffled my hair. "Nice speech, by the way. The highlights comment was brutal."
Brooklyn was staring at him like he'd just descended from Mount Olympus. "That was so hot."
"Brook," Maya muttered.
"What? It was!"
Liam laughed, his golden-retriever energy fully restored. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."
As we walked toward the exit, I heard Ethan Park's voice behind us. "Did Liam Parker just threaten Vivienne Sterling?"
"Dude," someone else replied. "I think he actually scared her."
"Didn't know he had that in him."
Neither did I.
But as Liam slung an arm over my shoulders, steering me toward the nearest bathroom, I felt something loosen in my chest.
Maybe I wasn't alone in this after all.