Chapter 32 32
Scarlett’s POV
I caught the cross necklace in my hand. My fingers closed around it automatically.
The silver was cold against my palm. I looked down at it for a moment. The chain was tangled. The cross was slightly tarnished.
It was the one I lost. I turned to walk away.
Madison's hand shot out and grabbed my arm. Hard.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I stopped. Looked down at her hand on my arm. Then back up at her face.
"I got what I came for," I said. My voice was flat. "I'm leaving."
"Oh no you don't." Madison's grip tightened. "We have unfinished business."
I pulled my arm free. "We have nothing."
"The bet," Madison said. Her voice got louder. "Remember? Your SAT scores versus Zelda's 1410? You said if your scores were higher, I'd get on my knees and apologize to you in front of everyone."
The conversations around us stopped. People turned to look.
Madison's eyes were gleaming. She looked excited. "And when your scores come back lower than Zelda's, you're going to publicly apologize to her at this party. You're going to admit that you're trailer trash who got lucky enough to even take the test."
I stared at her. "My scores aren't even released yet. How do you know who won?"
Madison laughed. That ugly, confident laugh. "You're stalling because you know you failed. Everyone knows you're not college material."
Sophie and Ashley moved closer. Flanking Madison on both sides.
I said nothing. Just looked at all three of them.
More people were gathering now. Forming a circle around us. Pulling out their phones. Recording.
"Let's check the scores right now," Ashley said. She pulled out her phone. "We can log into the College Board website. Let's settle this."
Sophie added, "Yeah, pull up your account. Show everyone what you got. Unless you're too scared."
Madison crossed her arms. Her smile was vicious. "What's wrong, Scarlett? Afraid to face the truth?"
I looked around the room. At all the faces watching us. At the phones recording everything.
They want a show. Fine. I'll give them one.
"Actually," I said slowly. "Let's make this more interesting."
Madison's eyebrows went up. "More interesting how?"
"Whoever loses slaps themselves. A hundred times. Right here. In front of everyone."
The room went completely silent.
Madison's mouth fell open. Then she started laughing. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious."
"You want to bet a hundred slaps? On your SAT score?" She was laughing so hard she had to wipe her eyes. "Oh my God. This is perfect. You're going to destroy yourself in front of everyone."
Ashley looked shocked. "Madison, maybe that's too much—"
"No," Madison cut her off. "She suggested it. She wants to make this bet. I'm taking it."
She held out her hand. "Deal. Whoever has the lower score slaps themselves a hundred times. Right here. Right now. In front of everyone."
"Deal," I said.
"Scarlett, please. This has gone far enough." Zelda pushed through the crowd. Her face was worried. Concerned. She grabbed my hand gently.
Her voice was soft. Sweet. Full of sisterly love.
"I forgive you for trying to compete with me," Zelda continued. Her eyes were shining with tears. "Let's just drop this whole thing. You don't need to prove anything to anyone."
I stared at her.
Forgive me? For what exactly?
Oh right, the classic Zelda performance. Play the saint so everyone loves her even more.
"I appreciate your concern," I said. My voice was ice. "But I'm fine with the bet."
Zelda's grip on my hand tightened. "But Scarlett, what if you lose? You'll have to humiliate yourself. I don't want that for you."
Madison stepped forward. "No way. We're not canceling this bet. She needs to learn her lesson."
She pointed at me. Her finger jabbed toward my face. "You showed up here to embarrass Zelda at her own celebration party. You wanted to humiliate her in front of everyone. You accused her of stealing. You made a scene."
Madison's voice got louder. More aggressive. "When we check the scores and you lose, you're going to get on your knees. You're going to slap yourself a hundred times. And you're going to admit that Zelda is better than you in every way."
Zelda bit her lip. She looked upset. Like this was all so terrible and she couldn't bear to watch.
Someone pushed through the crowd.
Lorenzo.
He walked straight to Madison. His face was dark. Angry.
"Madison, that's enough. This is a family matter."
His voice was cold. Commanding. The voice of someone used to being obeyed.
Madison opened her mouth to argue.
Lorenzo cut her off. "I said enough. You've made your point. Now back off."
He turned to me. His expression softened slightly. "Scarlett, you don't have to do this. Let's just leave. Go home. Forget all of this."
I looked at him.
He's not doing this because he cares about me. He's doing this because he's worried I'll embarrass the Romano family when I lose.
He doesn't want everyone here to see a Romano daughter publicly humiliated. It reflects badly on the whole family.
"I don't need you to fight my battles, Lorenzo," I said quietly.
"Scarlett—"
"I said I don't need your help." I pulled out my phone. "Fine. Let's check right now."
I unlocked the screen. Started to open the College Board app.
Viviana appeared suddenly. She grabbed my wrist. Hard.
Her voice dropped to a hiss. Barely above a whisper. "Don't. You. Dare."
I looked at her.
Her eyes were wide. Panicked.
"You're going to embarrass this entire family in front of everyone here," she continued. Her grip tightened. "Do you understand what that means? These are the most powerful families in New York. The Santoros are here. The Morettis. The Russos. Everyone is watching."
I pulled my wrist free from her grip. Calmly.
I looked straight into her eyes. My voice was steady.
"You've never believed in me. Not once. Why would tonight be any different?"
Viviana's face went through several emotions. She glanced around. Saw all the people watching. All the phones recording.
She forced a smile. Lowered her voice even further. "Scarlett, think about what you're doing—"
"I am thinking. That's why I'm doing this."
I turned away from her. Looked back down at my phone.
The ballroom was completely silent now. Everyone was watching.
I tapped on my score report.
The loading circle appeared. Spinning slowly.
The page loaded.
A red notification banner appeared at the top of the screen.
Big bold letters: "SCORE PENDING"
Below that: "UNDER ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW"
More text appeared: "Additional verification required. Estimated resolution: 1-2 weeks. You will be contacted by our review department."
The room exploded.