Chapter 66

From the outside, it might have looked like everything was fine, but inside, I was seething. I could not believe how far I had fallen in such a short amount of time. How the hell had my life turned into this? How had I become such…such…a nobody.

I knew exactly how but I refused to say that stupid bitches name. She was the one that and completely fucked up my life. She was the one that had turned me into the pariah that I had become.

Imagine that, me, Ava, becoming a nobody in the eyes of everybody at my school? I knew that losing the brawl to that bitch, the other bitch named Sarah, and Sarah’s nerdy ass friends wasn’t a food look. That’s why I had laid low for a little while, hoping that things would blow over.

Sure I had never lost a fight before in my life. But there was a first time for everything. And I was hoping for that by the time I made my return, people would have forgotten. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

I entered the cafeteria, which was once my domain. I could do whatever I wanted there. I used to get on the table and call all the boys to me and they would come running. But now, as I entered, I could just feel that I had entered into hostile territory.

People no longer parted ways to let me through. I didn’t hear my name whisper with admiration. To be honest, I refuse to even mention what I heard associated with my name.

I glanced around the room and took in all the hostile glares. I tried to ignore the whispered insults. I just had to put my head up high and walk with a straight back to the front of the food line. I just kept moving even as I saw people staring at me.

I always did this. I never had to wait. In fact, people always jumped over themselves to let me cut them so that I could get my food right away. And all I ever had to do was give them a quick smile and they’d hold the smile to their chest as if I had told them that I loved them.

I kept moving to the front of the line, like I always had. I tried to cut the line at the coffee shop, as I always had. When I got to the front, a hand shot out right in front of me. The extended arm shoved me back, hard.

“Back of the line, Ava,” some freshman nobody snapped. “You’re not special.”

My mouth dropped in shock. No, this bitch had not done what I thought she had done.

I glared at her, “What did you just say to me?” I growled.

But the freshman looked me right in the eyes and said, “You heard me, Ava. Or do I need to call Sarah and her nerdy friends to come beat the shit out of you… again.”

I could feel everyone watching, waiting for my reaction. But I swallowed my pride and moved to the end of the line, seething with rage. Every step felt like a slap in the face. I knew I couldn’t say anything because she might make me look even more like a little bitch.

I couldn’t believe how far I had fallen. Ella’s popularity had completely eclipsed mine. That bitch had turned me into a loser just like she used to be!

Later, in the day, I was feeling completely like shit. I mean, fine, I was never the biggest fan of girls. But I could always have guys eating out of the palm of my hand like putty. I needed to find a guy and make him do my bidding to feel better about myself.

I decided to flirt with this guy I’d seen around campus. He was handsome and clearly had money, the kind of guy who would have fallen for how hot I was without a second thought in the past. I turned on my brightest smile and walked over to him.

“Hey, I saw this amazing necklace at the boutique downtown,” I said, leaning in closer. “I bet it would look perfect on me, don’t you think?”

He looked me up and down, his expression turning from mild interest to outright disgust. “You think I’m gonna waste my money on you? Get real, Ava. You’re a nobody now. I have better things to spend my money on.”

It felt like he had slapped me hard across the face. I felt my face flush with embarrassment as he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, humiliated. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I refused to cry, God damn it!

You know who never said no to me? Noah. I turned around and I went to find Noah then. He’d been wallowing in self-pity ever since he’d been suspended from the hockey team, and I figured he’d at least appreciate my company.

When I got to his place though, it was clear he wasn’t in the mood to entertain me.

Noah was slumped on the couch, a bottle of whiskey in his hand, and he barely glanced up when I walked in. “Noah, hey,” I said, trying to sound upbeat. I ran my hand down his shoulder, “You wanna get the hell out of here, go have some fun?”

He grunted, taking another swig from the bottle. “Not interested, Ava.”

I frowned, walking around to sit on his lap. “Come on, Noah. It’s been so long.”

He finally looked at me, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused. “You think I’m in the mood for that right now? Get lost, Ava.”

Fuck. Fuck! I stood up, my hands trembling with anger. “Fine, Noah. I’ll leave. Have fun drinking yourself into oblivion you asshole.”

I stormed out, slamming the door behind me. He didn’t even bother to follow or call after me. As I walked away, my anger and frustration boiled over. I had been humiliated, rejected, and ignored by everyone. Nobody gave a fuck about me anymore.

Ella had taken everything from me. Her and that stupid wolf Liam. But I knew something that would get back at them. I kept warning Ella that she shouldn’t mess with me. I told her that my family was powerful as hell. But she thought I was just joking around.

I was going to show that bitch what I could do. The real power that I had. I was about to cause all sorts of chaos and that bitch didn’t even know it

I made my way to a secluded spot on campus, pulling out my phone. It took a few tries to find the number that I was looking for, but eventually, I had it. I dialed, my heart pounding with anticipation. After a few rings, he picked up.

“Hello, Mr. Winslow? This is Ava. I have something very important to tell you about your son, Liam, and his new girlfriend, Ella.”

The line was silent for a moment, then he spoke, his voice cold and authoritative. “Go on.”

I grinned, feeling a sense of twisted satisfaction. “Ella has got Liam wrapped around her dirty little fingers and I just thought you should know that it’s probably time to step in.”

The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. Then, Mr. Winslow spoke again, his voice low and dangerous. “Are you certain?”

“Absolutely. I thought you’d want to know what kind of trouble Liam’s getting himself into.”

There was a long pause, “Okay,” Mr. Winslow said. And then he hung up.

That bitch was about to find out what it meant to cross me.