Chapter 2

Georgia's POV

The color drains from Sloane's face.

A few curious people from the crowd lean in to look, and sure enough, someone gasps. "Oh my god, there really are letters! It really says G.E.M.!"

The room goes strange for a second.

Sloane storms over and slams the piano lid shut.

"What are you all staring at? My dad had that carved for me, it's short for his little gem! I'm not allowed to have a nickname now?"

She turns and glares at me like she wants to kill me. "You disgusting little stalker, you actually memorized the details on my piano just so you could pull this scam. Somebody get this psycho out of my house!"

A few guys who've been hovering around Sloane all night roll up their sleeves and start closing in on me.

I take a breath, pull out my phone, and call Cole.

He's the one who took the code. These people had to be here because of him. I need to know what's going on.

The second he picks up, I'm shouting into the phone. "Cole! Where are you? Why would you give Sloane the code? Get out here and explain yourself right now!"

But all I get back is Cole's voice, flat and irritated. "Georgia, can you not do this right now? Sloane's having a good time, don't ruin it."

Then he hangs up on me. I just stand there, frozen.

Before I can even process what just happened, Sloane's already in my face, and she slaps me hard across the cheek.

"You ungrateful little bitch. You really want to ruin my night in front of everyone?" Sloane's face twists with jealousy and rage. "You think calling Cole is going to help you? He's mine now. He's done with your broke, clingy ass."

My ear is ringing. Half my face is burning.

I stare at her, unable to process what she just said. Cole is hers?

The same guy who bought me coffee every morning, who swore he'd take care of me forever, actually did this to me?

"Hold her down!" Sloane screams.

A few guys lunge at me and force me to my knees.

"Let go of me! This is breaking and entering! It's illegal!" I fight against them with everything I have.

"Illegal? Around here, I am the law." Sloane laughs, struts over, and grabs a fistful of my hair, wrenching my head back so I'm forced to look at her.

"Didn't you say this house was yours? Didn't you say you were better than all of us?" Something vicious flashes in her eyes, and she rips the collar of my shirt open in one hard yank.

Skin is suddenly exposed to the cold air, and the guys around us burst into ugly, snickering laughter.

"Damn, didn't see that coming. Dresses like a nun and she's actually stacked."

"Don't be shy, Sloane, let the boys get a good look."

Humiliation swallows me whole, and for a second I can't breathe.

I try to curl into myself, but my arms are pinned down. I can't move an inch.

"You're all animals. I will make every single one of you pay for this, I swear it." My eyes burn red, tears mixing with the blood at the corner of my mouth as they hit the floor.

Sloane grabs a glass of red wine off a nearby table and dumps it straight over my head.

The cold liquid runs down my hair and into my eyes, stinging like crazy, and I'm left soaked and pathetic, dripping red.

"Make me pay? You? That's cute." Sloane plants her foot on my shoulder, hard enough that the pain knocks the breath out of me.

"Everybody take a good look. This is Georgia, the sweet, innocent girl she pretends to be at school. God only knows how many old men she's slept with behind everyone's back, and now she's got the nerve to come to my house and play rich?" Sloane's voice carries across the room, stirring the crowd up against me.

The same people who smile and nod at me every day at school have all turned into something I don't even recognize.

"She's disgusting. I actually thought she was decent."

"Broke people will do anything for money, I guess. And she really had the nerve to try this in Sloane's own house."

"Get it on camera! Post it on TikTok, let everyone see who this bitch really is!"