Mon,

You haven't written back. So I'm guessing you're pissed, or worried, or somehow getting your ass back here to tell me off. Either way, you'll just have to believe me that I'm fine. That, or keep ignoring me. Your loss, bitch.

Love you a billion, and missing you even more, considering you've decided NOT TO WRITE ANYMORE.

Hoping to hear from you soon,

Chlo.

Lola Davenport was in trouble. But it didn't stop me from resuming my position by the speaker of my phone, leaning in to get a better grasp of what was happening in the room beside me.

"How much have you had to drink?" Lola asked, her voice thick with what I assumed to be tears. The sound brought goosebumps to my forearms.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Francis bellowed. "What matters right now is the fact that my girlfriend's going around acting like a slut."

"I haven't slept with anyone, Franc!" she whined.

"Anyone other than Bishop, right?"

So he knew. Maddy must have told him about what I said at the mall. He knew that Lola told me, that was what this was about.

"I haven't slept with anyone since we started dating, all these fucking years I've stayed loyal. Why won't you listen to me?"

"Because you're clearly full of shit," he spat. "I don't want to see you for the rest of the night."

"You're such a hypocrite, Francis!" I heard her scream. I was sure that even those a handful of rooms away would have heard it.

There was the slam of a door, and then footsteps down the hall. My bet was that Francis had left.

Arlington's power couple was much more complicated than I'd thought.

I waited for seven minutes, counting down each second waiting for Lola to leave. I couldn't risk leaving at the same time as her, or risk anyone seeing me all together. But, thanks to the mix of alcohol, my bladder only had so much longer it could hold on.

Straightening and shaking out the cramps in my toes, I took a deep breath. The argument next door had sobered me up a degree. My head didn't sway. But, my heart still pounded hard and my breathing now came in anxious pants.

I put the glass back into the cabinet where I'd found it. It was probably expensive and treasured, a collector's item in this house of magnificence, but it still looked like an ordinary glass to me. At least it had served a purpose. Now it would probably spend the rest of its life in the carefully designed display cabinet.

Once the chair had also resumed its initial condition I listened at the door for a few minutes, waiting to hear any signs of movement. When there were none, I took the risk and exited the sitting room.

The hallway was empty and completely still despite the commotion which had happened only minutes earlier.

I'd seen a group of girls use the bathroom earlier, it was through a larger door further up the hall. I hesitantly crept towards it and pulled on the handle, relieved to find it vacant.

After I'd washed my hands I touched up the makeup on my lips so that the deep color kept its contrast with my pale complexion. The hour or so I'd spent curling my hair earlier had been futile in keeping it voluminous. It now hung limp, its chestnut strands barely passing my collarbones.

Once I'd done what I could to repair the damage done by scurrying around and I was back to looking as much as possible like a member of level one, I went back into the hall. My next goal was to find William again, and take him up on that offer of fresh air.

But, as I walked down the hall, casting an uneasy glance over my shoulder, a blonde ice queen intercepted my way.

"Chloe," Sophie barked. "Where are you going?"

"Um," I said stupidly, feeling as if I was a child up to no good. "I was going to find Will."

"Forget that, come help me," she said, and then her sharp expression gave me what appeared to be a look of warning. "There's trouble in paradise."

Then she led me back to the guest bedroom.

She opened the door, not hesitating to saunter in as if she owned the place.

Inside, the room seemed a lot more mussed than it had earlier, the bed sheet was wrinkled and what looked like a crystal vase had shattered on the floor. Next to it, a very flustered Lola squatted – a rather unflattering stance with her dress – as she picked up the broken shards with a wad of tissues.

"What did he do?" Sophie asked immediately.

Lola looked up, and for the first time I saw imperfections in her appearance. Her makeup was smudged, a line of black tracing down her cheek. One of the straps of her silk dress was hanging loose, revealing her bare shoulder.

"What's she doing here? I only asked for you, Soph," she said, her watery eyes fixed on me.

"I saw her on my way here and thought she could help," Sophie said. Her blue eyes flitted to mine. "I didn't think it was this bad."

Figuring I should at least make myself somewhat useful, I crouched to the floor beside Lola, which was very hard in my slender heels. I didn't want her breaking down and cutting herself on the glass. She looked so fragile that it wouldn't have been hard to induce a meltdown.

And that was just what I had intended with my hit list all along. Lola Davenport's demise. But, for some reason, it felt so wrong to enjoy the moment. Not when I knew it came from the wrath of her drunken boyfriend.

"You better watch yourself, Whittaker," Lola said, her words dripping with scorn, making me slightly reconsider the sympathy I'd been developing.

My mouth fell open in the most innocent way possible. I could tell exactly why she was mad. "I didn't mean for him to find out, Lola, I just asked Maddy and—"

"What did you tell her?" Lola demanded. I remained frozen, and her impatience made her attention turn to her next point rather than waiting for an answer. "If you want to keep your pretty little place on Will's arm, you won't speak a word of anything with importance to Maddy. Anything at all. She can't be trusted."

I nodded quickly, wondering if she truly had the power to overthrow me from Will's side with my blackmail material in place. I didn't want to push it, though, and it wouldn't help my agenda to try.

"And you can't be trusted either," Sophie added. "Tread carefully, Chlo. You're gliding on fragile ice around here."

I'd really messed up my trust with them. I visibly gulped, trying to project that I was scared of them, like they wanted. But, internally, I was kicking myself. I didn't realize how sensitive this whole balance had been.

"Go," Lola said, her voice still cloaked with the faraway remnants of the tears which had since been shed.

I didn't need to be told again. I straightened, giving them one more apologetic glance before exiting the room and strutting down the hall at a wild pace. I felt as if I'd just been chastised by my parents.

This is why I needed William around.

It was more difficult than I'd anticipated to find him. Still dazed, I maneuvered in and out of the upstairs crowd. It had grown larger as late night shifted towards early morning.

The music was so loud I didn't notice the voice calling my name from beside me until I'd run into the bony arms of Claire.

"Chloe, hi!"

Her fair cheeks were a rosy red, her gaze slightly unfocused. I looked around me again, trying my best to spot Will's tall frame and bronzed hair to no avail. "Hi, Claire."

"Are you having a good time?" she asked

"Yeah," I told her, but my mind was far away. "Actually, have you seen Will?"

She shook her head, but then seemed to hesitate. "I haven't seen Will, but I saw Zach by the drink table. Maybe he's nearby? We could go and look if you want."

I looked at her hopeful eyes. I knew she just wanted someone with enough status to use as a catalyst to worm her way onto Zach's social radar. I sighed. Even so, I wasn't having much luck on my own anyway. "Okay, lead the way."

Claire linked her arm with mine and steered us through to the drink table, where sure enough, Zach, Max, and Piers mingled with a handful of unfamiliar girls. William was nowhere to be seen.

"Look, Claire—" I began, but her face had already fallen.

"Who is that girl?" she asked, her mouth agape in obvious disappointment. If she wanted to get onto level one, she'd need to be much better at hiding her emotions. She was too true to be there.

The girl she was referring to was likely the gorgeous Hispanic one who had her hand dangling possessively over Zach's shoulder. She was a physical contrast to Claire in almost every way possible.

"Come on," I said to her, steering her away. "Will's not there and Zach's clearly preoccupied. Seriously, Claire, I bet you could find someone way better than him anyway."

My words didn't help, unsurprisingly, considering I'd always been terrible at consoling people. The disappointed look still lingered on her face, and it made me feel almost sympathetic of how much her silly crush meant to her.

Ha, I thought, so much for a robot, William Bishop. Sympathy for not one, but two people tonight.

Luckily, I was rescued from Claire when she bumped into another friend, one that was much closer to her than I was. I felt bad about her failed mission, but I was also glad that she was able to keep her distance from level one for at least another night.

After circling a few more times I found William with a small crowd of people, both girls and guys, all of them laughing and lounging on chairs in a hidden corner. He looked up at me, a smile still on his face from the laughter. It dropped when he took in my expression.

"Chloe, is everything okay?" he asked. He looked to the girl besides him, I hadn't noticed how closely they were sitting. Her hair was wild and curly, her shoulders broad, like a swimmer.

I nodded once, but hoped he'd still get the clue that I needed him. After a few beats he caught on, excusing himself. I wondered if our allegiance was preventing him from picking up new girls. I wasn't really sorry if it was.

"What's up?" he asked, his voice low and close and slurred a little with alcohol.

"Francis knew that I knew because Lola said something and-" I took a deep breath. "Lola's pissed with me."

William seemed to visibly relax. "Oh, I was worried it was something else."

"The other girls haven't pestered me into drugs, I've barely seen them," I said, sensing where his thoughts had gone. "But, did you know Lola is—"

Just as I was speaking, Will's attention was diverted over my shoulder, and I followed his line of vision to the other side of the room.

Lola and Sophie had emerged from the hall. Lola's makeup was freshly touched up and looking as sharply precise as earlier. Her sleeve had been removed completely, showing off even more skin than before. Her caramel eyes were locked intently with William's, pulling out a whirlwind of conflicting feelings from my chest.

I was pissed, because I knew that he was too good for her. From the week or so we'd spent in this fake relationship I knew he wasn't terrible, or at least that his soul wasn't as tainted as the one which belonged to her. How could she have this kind of hold on him? And why did it make me so angry?

William placed an arm almost possessively around my waist, knocking me from my enraged thoughts. His eyes didn't drop from their target as he pulled me closer to him, the touch igniting heat within me, no doubt from the circulation of alcohol in my blood.

I was sure he was trying to make her jealous. Using me to make her jealous.

I studied his face, his mossy eyes still fixed on hers across the room. I didn't see affection, or adoration within them. They were cold, hard, as if he willed them to inflict pain on the object of his focus. They were hurt, conflicted and vengeful. And somehow I could derive all of this from just looking at him.

Being so close to him, my senses were overwhelmed with a mix of cologne and sugar from whatever he'd been drinking. His arms were firm, his fingers digging in slightly at their tips, his chest rising against mine. His proximity had me electrified, his raw and powerful emotion of both pain and loathing rising within me emotions of my own.

And then his emerald eyes found mine, just a few beats before our lips collided.

   this (quite monumental) chapter is dedicated to shevvie for reading HSHL and recommending it to her followers. I owe her so much thanks - it had a huge impact on this story's exposure. Thank you for giving it a chance!  ♥