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Monica,

Don't be silly. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. You don't need to worry, MOM. I'll keep my grades up. Besides, who do I have to distract me now? Jack Thomas?

If things are starting to fade, I'll start sending you memories, the good and the bad, so you don't forget.

Remember the Valentine's Day last year, when an anonymous admirer sent you a rose, and we went full on secret agent to find out who it was?

I'm laughing so hard right now. You had no idea it was me.

Love Chlo

Just like that, my whole plan began to crumble beneath me like a castle made of cards exposed to a wild wind.

"I have to say, it surprised me," William continued. I'd been unable to form any kind of defense or denial. My muscles were tensed, and my breathing came fast. "But it makes sense. You want revenge for Monica Pennington."

"You don't need to bother yourself with worrying about what I want," I said quietly, in a hopeless bid to throw him off of my trail.

He took a step closer, observing me like a tourist at the zoo. His eyes were menacingly fascinating, locking with mine in a way that made my knees tremble in fear. The tables between us had taken a dramatic turn. He was now the predator, and I was now the prey.

"Let me get this straight. You want to destroy us," he said. "Because of Monica."

I leveled my face so I was looking upwards, my chin lifted. He may have worked out more than he should have been able to, but that didn't mean I could let myself be destroyed. "You don't know what you're talking about, Bishop."

"Maybe I don't." He shrugged, his eyes following me darkly. "But I can put the pieces together."

I tightened my jaw. "Think what you want. If you don't want the world to know that your family's company is built on fraud, then you'll keep your mouth shut. We're even."

William raised a brow cockily. "You think I'd just let this go?"

"You'd have no choice."

His eyes narrowed, a smile finally breaking its way onto his face, causing an electrifying jolt to make its way through my chest. He was adoringly handsome, and I could tell he believed it gave him some kind of leverage. But not with me.

"Who said I wasn't going to cooperate with your first deal?"

"What?" I said automatically. I reprimanded myself internally, I couldn't let myself seem desperate. But why would he still play along with this plan if he knew?

"Maybe I'd still be willing to help you," he said.

"Why?" My voice was feeble. Until now, I'd expected William to be predictable, and he was turning out to be anything but.

His eyes twinkled and he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Because maybe Monica deserves someone to take revenge for her."

My eyes widened. He knew about what happened to her. "If you ... if you knew, then why did you let it happen?" My voice was broken, my throat thick with the overwhelming emotion that Monica brought on.

He was silent for a moment. "Like I said, the world's more complicated than you think."

My expression tightened, I didn't know whether to be pissed off or relieved. To some degree, he was on my side.

"Which is why you'll need my help to get in." William continued, ending his pacing by leaning against the hood of his car.

"How?" I asked, hating how vulnerable I was now that he knew. I needed to somehow regain the upper hand.

"It will take time," he explained. "If we rush, it will seem temporary. They'll need to know you're a permanent fixture if you want to gain any power."

My mind fumbled over his words. I didn't have time, I needed this to be done with.

"I know you're impatient," he said, reading my thoughts. "But you'll just have to trust me."

"I don't trust any of you," I muttered, looking away into the darkened park.

"Well you'll have to," he said simply.

"Tell me your plan. Don't give me anymore of this vague shit, William," I demanded.

William sighed. "Nobody calls me William. It's Will. And it's vague because it won't be fixed until we know how they'll react."

I nodded. In a way it made sense, that whatever plan we came to needed to be tested before it could be implemented. We needed to gauge their reaction.

Somehow, the revelation that he had found out about Monica made it feel as if the power I'd held had fizzled. I couldn't boss him around anymore, we were at a weird kind of balance, each holding the other's secrets. "So, Will, where do we start?"

He moved closer to me, so close I could see the details of his face even in the darkness of the park. "Tomorrow evening at Jermaine's."

"A coffee shop?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Yep. It's a popular place, and on Monday afternoons the girls flock there. Don't ask me why." He exhaled quickly, and I could feel his cool breath on my cheeks. "If we show up, it will catch their attention."

"Why?"

"Because we're going to go on a date," he said. "And they're going to know about it."

My breath hitched in my throat. "I am not dating you!"

He chuckled. "Of course not. That's the beauty of our deal. It's not real, but they need to think it is."

"Why do we need to date, why can't we just, I don't know, be friends? Introduce me as your long lost cousin or something?"

He shook his head. "It won't work."

"Why not?"

"If you want them to be in awe of us, to really notice you, then you need to spark jealousy. Trust me, it's their most powerful emotion."

It was clever, really. It wasn't a secret that William Bishop rarely dated. I didn't even remember the last time he'd had a girlfriend, and so a new one would spark all kinds of attention. And jealousy. Whether it be for the attention or for the position on Will's arm.

He'd clearly put a lot of thought into this. That, or he was trapping me into something far worse. How did I know that he wasn't playing double agent here? After all, he knew my intentions. He could leak it back to all of them.

"I do have one request though," Will said when I didn't reply. "If I help you, I need to be exempt from your plans. You can't take me down."

I raised a brow. "Scared?"

He gave me a stern look. "I'm serious."

"Fine," I said. But I didn't mean it for a second. He was on my list, after all. Second to last.

A silence fell between us and I found my mind reverting back to Monica again. "How did you find out?"

"About you and Monica?" he asked. I nodded in response. "The yearbook from when we were freshmen, funnily enough."

"Wow, you did do your research." I sighed bitterly. Since the beginning of the year I'd erased what I could of me and Monica's friendship from the public eye.

"Let's just hope none of the others do the same," he said carefully. "You can't look suspicious. I hope you're a damn good actor."

I shrugged. "I guess we're going to find out, aren't we?"

What I'd mistaken for joking body language turned to a pissed-off stance. "This isn't a joke. I'm putting a lot on the line here."

"What, your pretty little spot with the popular kids?" I asked. His look gave me the chills. "You're rich and good looking. You were born into that spot. They won't take it from you."

More silence ensued as I tried to hide the disbelief that washed over me from my words. Did I seriously just tell him he was good looking? Like he needed an ego boost.

"Here's a question then," he said. "If all it takes is to be pretty and rich, why aren't you already up there? Your family is ridiculously wealthy."

Apparently he'd stalked me more than I'd thought. "Because I didn't want to be up there."

"Because you're invisible," he said. "You know how much damage they can do. I don't want to be on their bad side because you screw me over."

I pressed my lips together, guarding my expression. "I'll do my best."

William gave me an annoyed look before crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll take you home."

As I opened the door to his car, returning to the warmth of the interior, I went into overdrive, processing his plans before I could be thrown in without my stance strong. "So what do I do tomorrow, at school?"

He cocked his head to the side. "I don't want you to be noticed. Just do what you usually do. Only-"

"Only what?" I asked, when he didn't continue after cutting himself off.

"Only I'll join you. I don't want to draw attention, I just want people to know that I was off with someone."

"With me?"

"Yes."

I nodded. That made sense.

"Chloe?"

The way he said my name made me shiver involuntarily. It was stupid, but I didn't think there'd ever be a day where William Bishop would know my name. "Yeah?"

"I really hope you go through with this," he said, not meeting my gaze. "Because someone needs to make sure they get what they deserve for what they did."

I gave one sharp nod. Of course I'd go through with this. I had no choice.

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