Oh Monica,

I knew. Do you really think I would have left you? I tried to watch out for you, I did. But it was a big house, and they're so secretive. You were too drunk, I wouldn't be surprised if you wouldn't have remembered, but I held your hair back when you threw up in the fountain. You kept saying you gave it to him, and you were laughing hysterically.

It took me a while to work out you were talking about your virginity.

We all make mistakes. It's a shame yours deserved the wrath of Arlington's very own monarchy.

I'm sorry.

Chloe

Nobody ever sat next to me in chemistry.

So it caught my attention when I noticed the lanky boy draped lazily over my desk as I walked into the class room on Tuesday morning.

"Chloe, good morning!" Jack said with unnecessary enthusiasm.

I took care to balance my coffee – which thankfully lacked the vodka this time – in my hands as I placed my books on the table. "Hi, Jack."

Jack's smile crept into a curious look. "I heard some interesting news this morning."

"Did you?" I asked, raising a brow. My attention darted to the desk he usually sat at with his friends on the other side of the laboratory.

"I did. Why didn't you tell me you were dating William Bishop?"

I was surprised. Though Arlington's rumor mill worked fast, I didn't realize it worked that fast. But then again, if anyone was the first to know gossip, it was Jack. "Who told you that?"

He rolled his eyes, like it was a redundant question. "Everyone. So are you denying it?"

Instead of replying I just gave him a bashful smile before popping the lid off of the take-away cup to add a sugar packet to my coffee. I liked it sweet.

"No way." His eyes widened, and he rested the palm of his hands on the table. "When did it happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

I shrugged. "Summer. I didn't think it was a big deal."

"Are you serious? Firstly, is he not your first boyfriend? And secondly, he's William-freaking-Bishop!"

"Please be quiet," I murmured. Though the attention was important, it felt weird coming from the chemistry class. It wasn't the same as the attention I'd receive by being on Will's arm in front of level two this afternoon. In front of level threes and fours, it felt silly to be in the spotlight.

"And weren't you in Hawaii all summer?" he hissed, his voice struggling to remain low.

"It was a long distance thing," I said quickly.

"But surely you'd have mentioned it..." he pressed.

"Why are you so interested?" I snapped, regretting it instantly when I saw his face fall. "I'm sorry, it's just—it's still a relatively new thing and it's just weird that everyone's analyzing it."

"You're right, I'm sorry," he said with a slow sigh. He straightened. "I just can't believe you'd date a level one."

"The level system was something stupid Monica and I came up with last year. It's not real," I said, knowing I didn't believe the words one bit. It would just help get Jack off of my case.

"You know, after all that happened to her, I thought you'd stay away from them," he said. His face turned somber before he let out a sigh, giving an apologetic smile. "Anyway, I'll see you around, Chlo."

He gave a slow wave and stepped back towards his desk just as our professor walked through the door, and I felt the crippling branches of regret tangle themselves around my stomach. I can't focus on what he thinks of me, I thought. He'll understand when I make things right.

When lunch period came, I felt my palms grow sweaty at the thought of confronting level one. And this time, it wouldn't be just the girls, or just a few of the guys at a party. It would be all of them at once.

I was hesitant when I crossed the threshold of the cafeteria, my hands playing with the hem of my skirt. As usual, I had on a face full of makeup, but it didn't bring with it the sense of security it usually did. I felt exposed, maybe because of the large number of people around me, who would all watch with fascination as I executed the task ahead.

I slowly navigated through to their table, which they had an unspoken claim over. Around it were swarms of level two, all housing a nice view of whatever drama was going down at the level one table at any given time.

Please let William be there already. I couldn't approach them alone, and without him they'd probably cast me out anyway. The empty seat stared at me intimidatingly from across the hall.

The hairs on my arms rose when I heard the wail from behind me.

I spun on the heels of my Manolo Blahnik pumps to see the source of the commotion. The cafeteria was loud, but not loud enough to drown out the sound of despair which had erupted from a nearby junior.

Her hair resembled the same orangey-red color Monica's did, only she stood almost six feet tall. Her face was contorted in terror at the site in front of her, her plate of spaghetti upturned onto the skirt of Li Yao.

Li Yao was glamorous, her ebony hair spilling in silky sheets over her shoulders and her smile deceptively warm. It was a shame her uniform-code-breaking skirt was now rocking a deep red stain on its front.

"I'm so sorry, Li," the red head gushed.

Sophie stepped forward from her position beside Li, flinging her golden locks over her shoulder. "How could you do that, you bitch!"

"I'm sorry!" she repeated, her horror struck gaze moving from the stain to Sophie's electric eyes.

"I've got a conference this afternoon," Li hissed. The cafeteria had quietened to a point where her voice carried the short distance to where I stood frozen between tables.

"Sorry isn't going to fix this, honey," Sophie said mockingly, taking another step to the junior. She may have been tall, but the way her knobbly knees trembled made her seem so small. "Give her your skirt."

"W-what?"

"Your skirt," Sophie said. Her lips pulled up in a condescending smirk, as if she truly believed this girl was stupid. "Give it to her."

"Oh, of course," the girl stammered. "We could go to the bathrooms and swap—it's no big deal."

Sophie's amusement grew, her hand lifting to her hip. "I don't think Li can wait. It's urgent."

Sophie and Li exchanged a look before Sophie spoke again. "Give her your skirt now."

There was a dramatically long pause, as our cohort held their breath.

"Um... here?" the girl asked.

"What do you think I mean?" Sophie asked. "I'd hurry up if I were you. You don't want to get on our bad side."

The girl's hands trembled as she discarded her tray onto a nearby table, her hands moving to the waistband of her skirt. I wasn't surprised that she was cooperating. What level one ordered became law around here, and Sophie was right. It could get much worse than a little public stripping.

She popped off the buttons and then stepped out of the plaid standard uniform skirt, her face flaming red. Sophie held her hands out expectantly and she handed over the skirt, standing there in only her stockings.

"Nice panties," Sophie commented. "Next time don't wear polka-dots, though. They stand out."

I heard a few giggles from my peers, and I didn't miss the sparkle of tears developing in the girl's eyes. But, she kept her chin high, raised defiantly.

"Someone will drop off Li's skirt to you later," Sophie continued. "Until then... I guess you just have to cover up."

A girl with a black bob stepped out to join the red head, grabbing the girl's hand in hers and whispering rapidly before taking off her blazer and handing it to her.

The two level one girls let out one last chuckle before moving through the parted crowd and towards the toilet block.

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding with the rest of my peers.

I hated them.

My legs remained frozen long after the cafeteria returned to an accelerated buzz of conversation. Everyone was probably gawking about what had just ensued. I couldn't listen.

I was so close to darting to my usual lunch spot upon the mezzanine when a group of boys entered my vision. William was flanked by Piers Lockhart and Zachary Plympton. Piers had ash blonde hair that was easy to spot from the crowd, and Zach's dark skin contrasted with his friend's pale complexion.

"That's her," I heard William say as they roamed closer.

"With the brown hair?" Piers asked. He went on to say something else, but it was carried away with the voices surrounding us.

When they were only a few steps from me I forced my legs to move forward to meet them. My throat felt like it was caked with glue as I moved my lips. "Hey."

"Hey, Chlo," William said. I knew we were in full-blown acting mode from his easy use of 'Chlo'. He was careful not to touch me intimately, but his hand wound around my shoulder. "This is Piers and Zach."

"Hi," I said timidly as I watched their eyes search me. My heart began to beat so hard I was frightened that it would rip free from my chest. I waited in terror for them to recognize me, to immediately link me with Monica. It didn't come.

"Hmm," Piers said, a mock look of thought painted on his expression. "I thought you were more into blondes."

William let out a laugh and moved to punch his friend in the arm. "Only you, bro."

My chest dropped as I noticed how friendly William was with these people. The people he knew I was going to betray. What if he'd changed his mind, or really was playing double agent. After all, if he was the kind of person that could hang out with them, then chances are he could be just as evil as them.

William must have sensed something was wrong, because his arm, which was hovering awkwardly over my upper back, moved to rub my shoulder blades, causing me to recoil. I needed to sit down.

I guess it was a good thing that there was a seat waiting for me at the level one table.

The guys moved, prompting me to follow. My avoidance of William's touch went unnoticed by the other two, who had already dived into mindless banter with each other.

I sat in the corner, besides William who sat with the two guys by his other side. I couldn't stop fidgeting with my fingers. Compose yourself. It wasn't so much nerves that were grappling with me, it was anger. Because I'd only been reminded of the way they'd treated Monica.

I allowed myself three deep breaths before I had to get myself together. I straightened my posture, blinking a few times, before tightening my features.

"Where are the girls?" Zach asked from the other side of William. Will shrugged in response.

"I think there was a wardrobe issue," I said boldly, proud of myself for getting the words out without a fault. I needed to get better at not letting my feelings get in the way of this. I'd sort out my William worries later.

The guys picked hungrily at the trays of food they'd brought with them, while I entertained myself by observing the people around us. I'd made up the excuse that I'd already eaten to avoid joining them, there was too much racing through my mind to eat right now.

The next people to sit down made my blood momentarily turn cold, as I pleaded with my instincts to keep themselves from overreacting. It was Francis Greene, Lola's boyfriend who'd hit on me at the party, and was also apparently sleeping with Maddy. To add to his conquests, he was also the boy who'd taken Monica's virginity the year before.

He and Max, who was trailing beside him, gave the other boys the customary palm slap in greeting before noticing my presence.

"It's you," Max said in accusation. "From the party."

The other boys fell silent as his eyes searched mine for some kind of explanation. "Uh, yeah. Hi."

"You're with Will?" he went on. "Seriously? Dude, you always fall for the sneaky bitches."

"Hey," William said sharply. "Watch it. Knowing you, you probably threw yourself at her."

I waited for the next blow to come from Max, but it didn't. Instead he laughed a booming chuckle and slapped Will on the back. I didn't understand boys, especially those on level one.

It was shortly after that the four girls returned, Lola and Sophie leading, flanked by Maddy and Li – who was now wearing a skirt that was a little bulkier than before.

I counted my breaths to make sure they were evenly paced as they took the seats in front of me, Lola directly opposite my place.

"Oh, so you were serious," Sophie said loudly when she noticed my presence. "I didn't realize how intense you two were. Bringing your girlfriend to lunch is a big deal, Will."

"Well, we are a big deal," he said from besides me. I cringed at his broad grin, and tried to mask my discomfort with one of my own.

"Don't hide her then, Will," Lola said from in front of me, her chilling honey eyes locking smugly with mine. "Introduce her."

Will scanned his friends, who'd become silent at Lola's words. "This is Chloe. But I'm sure Soph's told you all already."

"She has," Li said, following his words. "You're our mystery girl."

"Mystery girl?" I questioned.

"The one who's popped up out of nowhere," she said as if it were obvious. "It's not often Will dates. Especially someone so..."

"Off the radar," Lola finished with a definitive clatter of her fingernails against the bench top.

"Right."

Then suddenly, Lola reached across the table and fixed my hands into hers, forcing me to make eye contact with her further. The cold red smile painted on her lips made goosebumps erupt along my back, her expression haunting me with memories I tried desperately to suppress.

I let a smirk which mirrored her own pull up on my mouth, my armor forming the shield I needed to keep her out. Our position probably looked warm and intimate to those besides us, and I waited patiently as she dramatically prepared herself to speak. Her tone was low so only I could hear her.

"Trust me, you did really well. He's great in bed."