––––––––
“What do you want, Stephanie?”
My back was pressed to the wall, anxiety and fear eating through my gut.
Stephanie had heard everything. She knew about Jake’s plan. She knew about Ariel. She’d heard Jake’s threats against his brother. What would she do with the information?
My eyes settled upon her, her blonde hair, her green eyes fixed on Jake.
“I want what all girls want,” she said. Her voice was smooth, like silk.
“Out with it,” Jake said.
Stephanie raised an eyebrow.
“Something small. Something not even worth mentioning, really.”
“Say it,” Jake bellowed, his patience gone thin.
“I want you, Jake. And all the money that you come with.”
A small ray of hope shone through the clouds of my life. This was a good thing. If Jake replaced me with Stephanie, all my problems would be gone. My secrets would remain hidden and I could go back to being invisible. There was still the problem of Eric, but I was sure that I could talk him out of telling Ariel the true nature of their first meeting. He was reasonable, after all.
“And,” Stephanie continued, “since you’re in the business of buying and selling boyfriends, I have a friend, too. Ursula. And, wouldn’t you know it, she wants Eric back.”
My heart sank in to my gut.
“Eric Shipman?” I asked.
She nodded.
“No,” I said, my voice finding its strength. “Absolutely not.”
“Why not?” Stephanie asked. “Jake sold him to your friend. Now he can sell him to me.”
Jake shook his head.
“He’s not a joint,” Jake said. “I can’t just pass him around. He liked Ariel. That’s why he said yes in the first place. Eric is off the table. I am, too. End of story.”
I stood up, rushing toward him.
“You can’t be off the table. Stephanie wants to be with you. Let her be with you. Let me go, Jake.”
He looked at me as if I were an idiot. Maybe I was.
“No way. I’ve put time, effort, and money in to you. I’m not letting you go that easy.”
“But Stephanie wants you.”
He shook his head, and ran a hand over my cheek. The same cheek that he’d almost broken a few minutes ago.
“I can’t control Stephanie like I can control you.”
My breath left me, and I took a step back. And another. And another until my back was against the wall again. I would never be free of Jake. He’d make sure of it. I’d made a deal with the devil, and now I was going to burn for it.
My stomach clenched tightly, and I wrapped my arms around myself.
Stephanie’s eyes drifted from me to Jake.
“Well, it’s been lovely catching up, but it looks like I have some evil gossip to spread. Tah tah.” She waved and turned, walking back toward the door.
Jake reached it first, covering it with his own body.
“You can’t say anything. I’ll be ruined.”
“You know what I want. All you have to say is yes.”
Jake stood up straight, trying to gain some ground.
“You can’t make threats against me, Stephanie.”
“With what I just heard, sure I can. By tomorrow, I will be the new Queen of this school, with you by my side, of course. Ursula will be with Eric, and everything will be right as rain. Or, you can sit at the invisible table for the rest of your life. You’re choice. Now, move.”
Jake glared at her, challenge in his eyes.
Stephanie smirked.
“If you even think about touching me, I will sing it to every blog, newspaper, and TV anchor in New York. By the end of the day, your face will be plastered all around this city. And then, your father’s will.”
Jake stiffened, the fight going out of him.
He moved from the door, and Stephanie opened it wide.
“Til tomorrow, lover.”
She sent a sneer at me, then walked out of the room.
I hated Stephanie, but I had to admit, she played Jake like a guitar. I wanted to be strong like that. I wanted to move the mountain that was Jake Winsted. To bring him to his knees.
That was when I realized I couldn’t. I wasn’t evil like her. I didn’t go around hurling threats at people. That wasn’t me. If I was going to get out of this, it would be in the only way available to me. By telling the truth.