21. Blackmail Extraordinaire
Tristan.
I didn't know when it happened, but I guess it starts to happen.
I start to split my gaze between Tyra and Cassie.
Even thinking about it makes my heart hurts. I thought I was a loyal person. I have been loyal. I've slept with a few other girls, and they never stayed in my mind.
It helped that all of them immediately panicked after we did the deed.
Cassie never seems to panic. Not when I held her hands in public or kissed her hair. Not when we walked hand in hand in the school's halls. She smiled and looked at me as if I was the best man in the world. And I knew that it was probably part of her whimsical lying trick, but damn if it didn't feel good. For the first time, I'm not a dirty little secret.
I guess I have to cut our little fake 'show' short. For my own sake.
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Chapter Twenty One: Blackmail Extraordinaire
There had been a lot of touching involved between Cassie and Tristan. They held hands. They kissed each other's cheeks and necks and hands and sometimes even hair. The kiss never lasted more than a second. It's a required thing. It's a make-believe thing. It's a show thing.
But like all acting, there has to be a line. And for Cassie, the line had been kissing.
Apparently, Tristan shared her notion.
He stumbled away from her -stumbled!-, the back of his hand wiping his mouth, as if his lips had just been in contact with something slimy and disgusting.
"W-What the hell?" He rasped. "You took a photo of us?"
"It's part of the plan," Cassie said. She had to admit that the thundering beneath her chest felt painful. She couldn't decide if it was because she had just kissed Tristan or if it was because he seemed like he didn't enjoy it. "I mean, if there's a photo of us making out, it might be enough to take the attention away from the other photo."
"First of all, please don't say his name now. And second... what the hell, Cassie?"
Cassie repeated the statement. But that didn't change anything in Tristan's expression. In fact, his gaze grew rougher and rougher, as if he got even madder at her for explaining. What, was it so bad that she kissed him? Was it so bad that any other girl aside from the beautiful and statuesque Tyra kissed him? The thought brewed at the back of her mind and her heart raced with fury.
"I thought that when you agreed to this fake-dating thing, it would mean kissing me occasionally, when urgently needed." Cassie actually scrolled over her phone because there was something in the shared notes in their group-text that discussed about this. She remembered the mandate clearly.
'Kissing was okay, when needed. Touching was required when out in public. Lots of affection, lots of staring each other in the eye. And if any of you two are afraid to fall in love while doing all that, then just take the time away from each other off school, you dumbfucks. Otherwise, you can make babies for all I care as long as you two keep the charade of 'Happy, lustful, head-over-heels couple' in school.' Tyra had typed the mandate #6 on the note titled 'RULES'.
"I know, I also remembered what Tyra told us," Tristan said before Cassie had the chance to read the whole thing to him. Weirdly, hearing him saying her name just after they kissed also angered her. "It... I don't like it. I've done my best to be the best boyfriend to you at public, but here, with just the two of us. I- I don't want to."
"None taken," Cassie said coldly.
"It wasn't meant to be offensive! I was surprised, -a good surprise, when you kissed me, and then the camera shutters happened and it just-" he imitated the exploding motion with his hand. "Look, I don't want to complicate things."
"If you're afraid that I'm going to fall for you just after a few kisses, then you don't need to worry."
"That's not even remotely close to what I was trying to say."
"It's cool. I'm fine." She was not. "If you didn't want to kiss me than we need to find another way to bump that photo away from the front of the page."
For the first time, Tristan proved to be helpful. "Hackers?"
Cassie shot him a look. A moment later, she sent out a text (private, not through the group text) to Lucas. He arrived not three minutes later.
"I always wonder how come you never seem like you're required to stay in class," Tristan muttered.
"Aw, you barbarian. That's why you keep a good rapport with the teachers and steal some hallpasses when they don't look." Lucas smiled. "Yeah, you're cute, but I'm not giving you any."
Tristan was seething. The bad aftertaste after their last camaraderie hadn't escaped him. He paced back and forth as Cassie summarized the whole thing to Lucas. She knew her face heated up during the part where Tristan essentially rejected her, but she could pass it off as anger and not humiliation.
"Well, that's weird. I did hear from some, uh, resources that you're not very picky," Lucas intoned. He looked down and then looked up, carefully, towards Tristan. In that moment, Cassie felt like there had been an understanding between two men that she didn't quite grasp. All she knew that the next time Lucas talked, he dropped the subject like a hot stone. "Okay, so everyone here knows that the owner of Puke the Grape is Trashy-" he gave a sideline glance towards Cassie. "And Tracy is not exactly the most influential person in this school. Certainly not compared to Tyra."
"I can't ask her."
He contemplated about this. "Can Tyra ask her?"
Cassie knew that Tracy would spill everything about her if anyone from the Elite group approached her. It was a very smart move from Tracy, actually, handing over her diagnosis as a blackmail. Cassie inherently knew that Tracy was capable of bad things, but not like this.
"No. Nobody can ask her," she paused. "Please."
She knew the begging would poke some interest in Lucas's part, but she had to do it in case he attempted something. But now they were in the same team, and at least he wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize their project. For now.
But she didn't need a lot of time. She only needed six more months before they all graduate. And then, they all could know everything and anything about her and she wouldn't care.
"Her father's the guard that mans the front gate of school," Cassie said. "Maybe something about that? Actually, Tristan said something about hacking the Puke the Grape site?"
Lucas shook his head. He actually clicked his tongue in impatience. "Believe me, I tried. I spent thousands of dollars hiring the best hackers I know in the city. But she's good." He closed his eyes and shook his head again, this time in awe. "She's good."
"Do you have any dirt on Mr. Jones, the guard?" Cassie asked.
Lucas's eyes widened. And then he broke into a huge smile. "You monster. Why didn't I think of that?"
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Here was the complete history of the Jones family.
Arthur Jones got married a little young with his wife, Melinda Jones. As a result, he skipped college and it was even harder for him to get a good job.
He ended up becoming a guard in St. Pulkeria 7 years ago, in hopes that he could put his daughters (yes, multiple) in school. Well, that worked, because St. Pulkeria was notoriously hard to get into, and the school rarely gave out scholarships.
Tracy was the first daughter to get into school. She had two younger sisters. One in middle school. And another one still in elementary school. The Jones were sure busy, despite their financial status.
Since Mr. Jones had to take a second job, it was hard for him to stay at home and entertain his wife. Poor, lonely Melinda looked into other options for romance and found solace a strapping young guy who delivered mails to her place. They weren't being particularly careful about their affair. But then again, Lucas's PI turned out to be very thorough.
It would be very satisfying if Mr. Jones hadn't been good at his job. But he was. He was never late. He was was the model employee. He followed all the orders down to the excruciating details, except when he let Desmond out. It was minor, but it would be enough to get the principal fire him. On the other hand, if he defied Desmond then sooner or later he would get fired anyway. Desmond certainly had that power and he never liked it when people from 'lower' positions denied him. Cassie was tempted to use this knowledge to blackmail Tracy back, but that would be too cruel.
And so, when Cassie walked up to Tracy and dropped a few photos of her mother walking hand in hand with a younger guy to a cheap motel, she hoped that was enough to make the bitch fold.
"You think I didn't know that she's hooking up with a guy who's not my father?" Tracy's countenance was the perfect visage of nonchalance. It annoyed Cassie.
"Yeah, well, I can submit this to your little web."
Tracy considered this, but then the nonchalance didn't break. "Nobody's going to care about the school's guard cheating wife. These photos will not topple yours."
Cassie held on to her ace card tightly. She could use it. She knew she would definitely get a better reaction other than this. And boy, did she really need that photo out of that web.
"What do you want, Tracy?" Cassie asked. She decided she wanted to give her one more chance. "What do you get from posting this?"
An expression of pure smugness crossed over Tracy's face. "I know that it's easy for you to lie and conjure masks. But it's so nauseating to see you strutting around with those people. Those people humiliated you, Cassandra. They played around with you, they used to make fun of you. Of me. And now you're acting like you're best-friends with them. It doesn't make sense."
Cassie knew jealousy when she saw one. It was one thing that she had always been proud about herself. It took a liar to know another liar, which was why it was so easy to find out Tracy's true motif. Cassie could present every single scandal in Tracy's family, and the nerd wouldn't care about all that.
Because right now, she wanted to drag her down to Tracy's level.
When a person's motif was personal gain, it was easier, so much easier, to bring something that would distract them. But if it were jealousy...
"Nothing I give you will make you change your mind, isn't it?" Cassie said.
Tracy didn't answer.
"You won't like it as long as I'm involved with the Elites. Because I used to be like you and now I'm not." Cassie wondered whether she should say the next statement. "I'm seen."
"Believe me, I'm not that petty to think that popularity in high school is worth any merit."
"But you are, Tracy. It's killing you that someone like me can get this far, isn't it? You always told me to eat more cheese. You always pointed out to pretty girls and say they're secret whores for exposing their bodies. You always told me that those girls were sick, narcissistic Plastics with eating disorders. And I guess there's some truth in those words." Cassie took back the photos of Tracy's father, started tearing them into smaller cuts. "But at least they're being honest about their rot."
She held out the pieces of photos inside her palm, put her fist into full display in front of Tracy's eyeshot, then opened her hand. The pieces of paper rained down to the floor, and with it, Cassie's desire to remain civil with Cassie.
"How many sisters do you have, Tracy?"
For the first time, Tracy seemed unnerved. Finally, she gave Cassie the same kind of respect that she had always reserved for the Elites.
Because Tracy had never considered her an equal. Oh, yes, they were in some clubs together, and when teachers asked the students to make teams, Tracy and Cassie would be a one-package deal. But that was because Cassie had always been below her. Less pretty. Less smart. Less skinny. While both of them had never gotten the attention of the Elites, sometimes Tracy could still talk with the handsome boys because she was smart and offered tutoring sessions. Cassie was always, always left behind.
That ended now.
"Because it'd be a shame for your dad to be working here for seven years, and only one gets to study here," Cassie's words were low, almost a whisper. But she knew that it went through. She could tell by the slight tremor on Tracy's shoulder.
She couldn't help it. The smile formed. It felt good to know that for once, she was in control. That she came up on top. "It's hard to find a good school in this area, right? That's why an economic graduate took a job as a guard."
Tracy caught on. "You're deplorable."
"I've never pretended to be anything else," Cassie retorted.
"It's not fair. You don't bring out families in this."
"You can say that because there's nothing you can do that can damage mine."
Tracy's whole face was red now. She was hyperventilating, even though she had tried her best hiding it. Cassie wanted to care, forced herself to care. But damn it was hard to care after witnessing Tracy refusing to play nice.
"You're way more rotten than any of those girls," Tracy's voice thinned at the end. She brandished her cellphone, and a moment later, she showed Puke the Grape page. Cassie's scandalous photo was gone. "You satisfied?"
Cassie didn't need to check to know that she had finally gotten out what she wanted. "Thank you."
Tracy gathered her stuff into her bag and stalked into the door. When she bypassed Cassie, Tracy dodged any kind of physical contact, as if Cassie could emit deadly viruses. She stopped mid track in front of the door, though. "You're way worse than I think you would be."
"Likewise."
"I wish I was surprised, but maybe I had expected this all along," Tracy looked over her shoulder. There was nothing but fear in her eyes. "You sociopath." She stalked away from the room and slammed the door shut.
Ah.
There it was.
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author's note
thank yoouuuu soo much for the response on the last chapter. this one exhausts me, though. it's soooo hard to write from the POV of a 'bad' person. More juicy stuff incoming! I've tried very carefully not to really paint her mental state in a blatant way, but it's scattered all over the book, y'know? nobody can change that fast. at least, when you're in the 'normal' spectrum, it's hard to fabricate every single thing in your life.
i will update again sometime in this week :))
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