Chapter 21 A Wink and a Lie
Simone Pov
The cheer squad locker room smelled like hairspray mixed with sweat. I stood at my locker. Pulling out my uniform. Getting ready for practice. The other girls were scattered around. Talking. Laughing. Changing.
"Did you hear about the wolfless girl?" Madison asked. She was sitting on the bench. Braiding her hair. "Apparently she burned her feet in combat class."
"Oh my god I saw that," Taylor said. She giggled. "She was screaming so loud. Like literally screaming."
I smiled. Kept my face toward my locker so they couldn't see how wide it was. "Really? What happened?"
"Something about wolfsbane," Madison said. "In her shoes or something. She put them on and just started freaking out."
"That's awful," I said. Made my voice sound concerned. Sympathetic. "Who would do something like that?"
"No idea," Taylor said. "But it was kind of funny. I mean she went down so fast. Just collapsed."
I turned around. Leaned against my locker. "Funny how?"
"Just like," Taylor made a face. Imitated someone falling. "She was totally dramatic about it. Probably wasn't even that bad."
"Wolfsbane is pretty serious," Madison said. She was the smart one. The one who actually paid attention in class. "It can cause permanent damage. Even kill you if there's enough of it."
"Well she's not dead," Taylor said. She shrugged. "So obviously it wasn't that serious."
I laughed. Bright. Light. Like this was all just gossip. Just entertainment. "Did you see her scream? Like was it really that loud?"
"Oh it was so loud," Taylor said. She grinned. "Everyone stopped what they were doing. Just stared. It was hilarious."
"Burned feet," I said. Shaking my head. "Hilarious."
The word tasted good in my mouth. Sweet. Satisfying. Because it was hilarious. Watching her fall. Watching her scream. Watching her suffer.
That's what she got for trying to take what was mine. For thinking she could just show up here. For catching Calix's attention.
"Do they know who did it?" Madison asked. She was looking at me now. Her eyes were sharp. Curious.
"How would I know?" I asked. Kept my voice casual. Innocent.
"You know everything," Madison said. "Your dad's the beta. You always know stuff before everyone else."
"Not this time," I said. "I'm just as clueless as you guys."
Taylor leaned forward. Lowered her voice. "Did you do it?"
The locker room went quiet. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Looked at me. Waiting for my answer.
I laughed again. Louder this time. "Me? Why would I do something like that?"
"Because you hate her," Taylor said simply. "Everyone knows you hate her."
"I don't hate her," I said. Complete lie. "I don't even know her."
"You slapped her," Madison reminded me. "First day she got here."
"That was different," I said. "She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was having a bad day."
"Still," Taylor said. "You guys have beef. And now someone puts wolfsbane in her shoes? That's suspicious."
I pushed off my locker. Walked over to them. Sat down on the bench between them. Made my voice serious. Concerned.
"Look," I said. "I'll be honest. I don't like her. She's weird. She doesn't belong here. But I wouldn't try to poison her. That's crazy."
"So you didn't do it?" Madison asked.
"No," I said firmly. "I didn't do it."
Not technically a lie. I didn't do it. I just suggested it. Hinted at it. Made it very clear to certain people that something needed to be done.
"But," I added. Couldn't help myself. "I also wouldn't be surprised if someone who cares about me wanted to help. Wanted to protect me."
Taylor's eyes went wide. "Wait. Someone did it for you?"
"I didn't say that," I said quickly. "I'm just saying. People are loyal. People want to protect the ones they care about. Sometimes they take things into their own hands."
I winked. Slow. Deliberate. Making sure they understood without me actually saying it.
Madison leaned back. "Oh my god. You had someone else do it."
"I didn't say that," I repeated. But I was smiling. Couldn't help it.
"Who?" Taylor asked. "Who did it for you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said. Standing up. Walking back to my locker. "And if you're smart you'll forget we even had this conversation."
"Simone," Madison said. Her voice was different now. Worried. "That's really messed up. She could have died."
"But she didn't," I said. Pulling out my cheer shoes. "She's fine. A little burned. A little scared. But fine."
"Still," Madison said. "Wolfsbane is serious. That's like attempted murder."
"Only if someone gets caught," I said. Turned to look at her. "And nobody's going to get caught. Because nobody knows anything. Right?"
Madison swallowed. Nodded slowly. "Right."
"Good," I said. "Now let's get ready for practice. Coach will kill us if we're late."
The other girls started moving again. Getting dressed. Tying shoes. Pulling hair back. But I could feel them looking at me. Whispering when they thought I couldn't hear.
Let them whisper. Let them wonder. Let them be a little scared of me. That's how you stay on top. That's how you keep power.
People need to know you're not someone to mess with. That you have resources. That you have people who will do things for you. Messy things. Dangerous things.
The wolfless girl thought she could just come here. Thought she could steal Calix's attention. Thought there wouldn't be consequences.
She was wrong.
This was just the beginning. Just a warning. Next time would be worse. Next time might actually kill her.
Unless she was smart. Unless she took the hint. Unless she left on her own.
But somehow I didn't think she would. She seemed stubborn. Stupid. The type who didn't know when to quit.
Fine. That just meant I'd have to escalate. Have to get more creative. Have to make it absolutely clear that she wasn't welcome here.
And if she ended up dead? Well. Accidents happen. Especially to people who don't watch where they're going. Who don't check their shoes. Who trust the wrong people.
"Simone," Taylor said. She was next to me now. Voice quiet. "Be careful. If they investigate. If they find out you were involved. Your dad can't protect you from everything."
"They won't find out," I said. Confident. Certain. "Because I was very careful. Very smart. There's no evidence. No witnesses. Nothing that leads back to me."
"What about whoever actually did it?" Taylor asked. "What if they talk?"
"They won't," I said. "They're too loyal. Too invested. They want the same thing I want."
"Which is?"
"For that girl to disappear," I said simply. "One way or another."
Taylor looked at me for a long moment. Then nodded. "Okay. Just. Be careful."