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Chapter One (continued)
I take my time walking down the hallway. Every step is calculated—measured. I want them to notice. The girl who disappeared last semester is back, and she's not hiding behind books or hoodies anymore.
They don't know what I've been through.
But soon, they will.
I pass Ava on the way to homeroom—Mason's ex-girlfriend. She used to laugh when he humiliated me in the cafeteria, until he did the same to her in front of the whole school. Now she avoids eye contact. Good. She's on my list, too.
"Sarah?" a voice calls behind me.
I freeze.
Not because I'm afraid. Not anymore.
I turn slowly and meet the face of the person I expected—and dreaded—most.
Mason.
He's leaning against the lockers like he owns them. Like he owns everything. Same smug smirk. Same soulless eyes.
But this time, I look right through him.
"Didn't think I'd see you again," he says, cocking his head. "Thought you transferred or something."
"Disappointed?" I ask flatly.
He blinks—just for a second. The smirk falters. It's subtle, but I catch it. A crack.
"Nah," he says. "Just surprised. Thought you'd run off crying like before."
Wrong answer, Mason.
I didn't run.
I retreated.
I smile, just enough to unsettle him. "Maybe you should start watching your back."
He laughs, but it's forced now. Louder than it needs to be, like he's trying to control the space. A few of his buddies chuckle from across the hall, clueless.
But he knows.
Something's changed.
As he turns away, I glance at my phone.
Phase One: Initiated.
Tonight, I'll send the first email—anonymous, of course—with a picture he thought he deleted. One of him and Mr. Langston, the assistant coach, doing something the school board definitely wouldn't approve of.
It's not just about revenge anymore.
It's about dismantling him. Piece by piece.