Four days earlier, while Tristan was still suspended over his destruction of school property, Gwen Diaz took it upon herself to carry a knife into the photography club. It was a standard utility knife she had seized from the kitchen at home. Its sheath firmly clasped the blade as it rode along the inside of her jeans pocket. Her hand occasionally grazed over the imprint as if to convince herself that it was still there. Her reasons for carrying such a dangerous item were as clear as the spring days earlier in the year, back when she could still rain kisses onto the forehead of her beloved.

Her eyes never left the pale, vulnerable neck of Zoey Brahm. Not when the girl turned to navigate the computer’s many images of homecoming activities, nor when she spoke to her close friend Krista, who had dragged Gwen to the photography club against her will, nor even when Jazmine tried as she could to make small talk with her to pass the time. All while the girl had been pretending to use her phone, both her mind and her eyes were consumed by the pink flesh of the girl before her.

“Oh, to hell with it. I don’t even know why I’m bothering with all of this!” Krista Klein, arms now flailed to her side in dismay, was laid back on the sofa with her legs rested neatly on Gwen’s lap. “Homecoming was just freaking terrible in every way imaginable. I just… God, everything Lawrence does makes me so mad!”

“Really? Everything?” Zoey responded, still focusing on gathering the pictures and videos for Krista. Gwen thought that the way the girl coasted on the edge of the conversation, taking no sides but keeping Krista in her good graces, was the mark of a skilled verbal manipulator. Gwen normally used this type of conversational technique when the other person was in a bad mood so that she could avoid attracting their ire, but Zoey did this constantly no matter who she was speaking to. It was her default mode: a method of conversation suited for someone with no backbone who wanted to be loved by everyone.

The thought that this was how Benjamin had been roped into falling for this girl only made her tighten her grip on the knife in her pocket. It was unfathomably irritating, and she found herself grinding her teeth while thinking about it. If I were ever asked for evidence that Zoey was a fraud who only played at being nice, she thought, then I would only ask that they speak to the girl in question and observe how she tried desperately to feign interest in whatever mundane nonsense she was fed. You could talk to her about paint drying and she’d hype you up like you’re a mumbling toddler. How could you not believe that she hated everyone deep down with a condescending attitude like that?

“God, Zoey you have no idea. He refused to opt out of the homecoming king vote. That like, totally made things awkward. And don’t even get me started on how he ruined the big game.”

“He didn’t play well, true, but wouldn’t you say that it was Benjamin’s fault?”

“No, it was Lawrence’s for building a team around one player. We’re in division one, we should be balanced enough to handle a joke team like the Otters. But after that big oaf got himself kicked out, the rest of the team played like a bunch of lost ants scrambling for cover. Captain of the basketball team? Yeah, right. Why don’t you act like one and build a real team?”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

Gwen could only care less about Krista’s dull vendetta against Lawrence if she was kidnapped and forced to at gun point. The game was obviously Benjamin’s fault. She was the one who drugged him, so she knew as much. But facts were irrelevant to anything happening right now. Krista’s anger towards her ex meant that her judgment was being fogged by spite and vitriol. It was all a poorly acted routine that Zoey was more than happy to go along with. She had no backbone of her own, after all. She would continue pretending that Krista was right for the sake of maintaining her phony friendship with the homecoming queen.

“By the way, could you write Enzo’s contact information down here for me?” Zoey asked.

“Sure, but you’re not gonna like, talk to him, are you?”

“Oh, no. Don’t worry. Truth be told, I’m seeing someone right now.”

“Huh?!” She pulled her legs off Gwen and back to the floor as her body bolted up in surprise. “It’s not that jerkwad Lawrence, is it? Because I swear to God, Zoey…”

At the accusation, Zoey laughed. “No, it’s no one like that. I’m not into those popular guy types.”

“Okay, okay.” Krista said, slinking back onto the sofa. “Because honestly? I was about to lose all respect for you. And believe me, there’s only a few people left at this dump worthy of any at all. God, I can’t wait to move to New York.”

“Yeah, I get it. You must be really upset over that fight he got into with Enzo.”

“Wait, what fight?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you knew. I don’t know any of the major details, just that it happened at the dance.”

She did not think that Krista knew. If Krista did know, she would have made a point of bringing it up when admonishing Lawrence earlier. She’s just stirring things like she always does, Gwen thought.

“Well, thanks for telling me, I guess. I’ll have to ask Enzo about it. Was it a big fight?”

“I heard they got broken up before anything happened.”

Still though, what did she mean that she was seeing someone? Was she talking about Tristan? Was she dating Tristan? Gwen could only speculate as much, but thought it had to be a joke. Tristan himself told Gwen that Zoey didn’t love him, so what was the point of her dating him? Was it just another manipulation tactic? No matter how much Gwen tried to make sense of it, she couldn’t think of anything. Just what did she see in Tristan that made her want to submit her reputation to his?

“Hey, I’ve gotta jet,” Jazmine suddenly interjected. “You’ve got it from here, right Zoey?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow Jaz.”

“See ya later, alligator.”

Gwen had stopped listening to the conversation going on around her at that point. Her eyes were still trained on the neck that seemed to be taunting her as the two continued to converse. She had been in a trance. She couldn’t say how much time had gone by as she stared, hypnotized by the flesh. Visceral images of blood oozing down that neck of hers permeated her vision. She was entranced by the thought. The urge was building up within her. While she might not have understood anything that had been occurring in her surroundings, there was no denying the fact that Gwen Diaz wanted to kill Zoey Brahm. The heated blood coursing through the little tubes in her body had been screaming as much.

Kill her.

Gouge her stupid cunt eyes out.

She ruined your relationship with the best guy you’ll ever meet in your life.

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She’s the reason he hasn’t responded to any of your texts or calls since Friday.

She’s the reason he avoided you all day.

It’s her fault.

She doesn’t deserve to live.

The adrenaline was putting her brain into overdrive.

“Gwen?”

And then it ran cold.

“Huh?”

“Krista already left,” Zoey said. “Is there something you needed from me?”

She looked around and realized that both Krista and Jazmine had, in fact, disappeared from the clubroom. She was in such a daze that she hadn’t realized that her friend had ditched her in this room with the lunatic who ruined her relationship with Benjamin. Why would she do something like that?

However, before she could offer Zoey a response, she felt the sheathed blade pressing against her thigh from the inside of her pocket. Surely, this was the perfect opportunity to do it. She could rid the world of this creature in one move. It was far too perfect an opportunity to ignore. Gwen thought that the sound of Zoey gasping for air as the blood gushed from her neck would probably cause her to spill from excitement.

“Gwen?”

“Huh? Oh… uh, what’s your relationship with Tristan?”

She was so lost in thought that she ended up blurting out the first thing that came to her mind.

“He’s in love with me,” she said as if it were a matter of fact. Her confidence in answering had once again thrown Gwen off her center.

“Huh? W-well obviously,” Gwen said. “But like… You guys seem close, so I was just wondering if you two were actually a thing or something. Or if he was the real reason you called it off with Ben…”

Just saying the words made Gwen want to throw her lunch up. Even acknowledging Zoey’s relationship with Ben felt dirty. But she had to admit, she was curious. Was her mind genuinely changed, or was she just messing with Gwen when she agreed with her to break it off when they argued a week ago?

“I will admit that Tristan was the real reason, but it isn’t because he convinced me into entering that kind of relationship with him. He just happened to convince me that compromising wasn’t what I wanted deep down. I respect him for that, so I’ve been getting to know him ever since.”

Zoey’s answer bothered Gwen. It sounded like an answer she’d rehearsed in front of the mirror every morning as she waited for the moment the question would be poised her way. The truth is, however, it didn’t matter what the actual reason was. It didn’t change the fact that she was a con artist. She duped Ben into falling in love with her, then left him out to dry when he no longer interested her. And now, for whatever reason, she was running a new con on Tristan. Swindling came naturally to this person, and Gwen knew it. And since con artists can’t live without swindling, then perhaps leaving her to bleed out on the floor like cattle would end up being a net positive for the world.

“Speaking of Tristan,” Zoey said, dragging Gwen back to reality. “Could you do me a favor and keep an eye on him when he gets back from his suspension?”

“Huh? Why would I do that?”

“You don’t think you owe it to him?”

“Uh, no,” Gwen said. “You must be misunderstanding something. We might have helped each other out at the game, sure, but it’s not like we’re best fucking friends or anything.”

“No, this concerns you too,” Zoey said, rhythmically stroking a loose bang of hair in front of her face. “Warren saw you swap the drinks.”

The hot blood in Gwen’s veins had, for the second time, chilled in her veins.

“You’re lying.” Gwen had already convinced herself as much the second the words left Zoey’s lips. But was she really? Warren was always unusually perceptive. Even Gwen was aware of that much.

“Unfortunately, I’m not. He confronted me about it at the dance. It seems like he was convinced that I was the one who manipulated you into doing it.”

“And you weren’t? Maybe Tristan was just the middleman.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter what the truth is. He thinks I’m the one who made you do it, and Tristan has no idea that Warren knows. So again, I need you to protect Tristan. Make sure Warren doesn’t get him to say anything that could implicate us.”

“… I don’t get it. Why not just tell him that Warren knows?”

“Because, out of the three of us, he’s the only one who’s, ironically enough, too dumb to play dumb.” She gave off what sounded like a chuckle but became sigh halfway through the exhale. “Tristan wouldn’t be able to maintain the lie on his own. He needs at least one intelligent person to act on his behalf so that we don’t get to the point where he’s forced to lie. He’ll crumble under the pressure if it gets to that point, so the both of us need to look out for him.”

“I mean I get it, but…” The subtle praise was like a shot of cool pop on a hot summer day. For all her problems with Zoey, she never once thought the girl was a fool. So to be called intelligent by her… no. She wouldn’t let herself be taken in by the compliment. She had steeled herself for this moment, after all. And yet that denial is what prevented her from realizing that the spider had already caught her in the web she’d spun. “But wait, if Warren knows what I did then why hasn’t he said anything yet?”

“Because he cares about his friends.”

The splinter between Ben and Gwen was destined to implode their group. Every one of them knew it. Lawrence, Penny, and even the socially stunted Warren did. And so, in an effort to prevent their group from tearing itself apart, he had decided to withhold the information.

“That idiot… Things are already ruined anyway. Ben’s not going to date me even if he shuts his mouth.”

“He’s not?”

“What the fuck? Of course not. He was…. He was obsessed with you! How am I supposed to…”

Words of insecurity spilled from her lips so easily that she was forced to grit her teeth in frustration. She knew that she couldn’t compete with Zoey. The difference between them was so great that she ended up saying it out loud, almost as if bringing it to life. She was the girl that every guy at Deer Valley High wished they could have. Popular, smart, attractive beyond what a girl her age should be. Trying to match that unattainable standard only made her want to rip her hair out at the roots.

“I think you two could get together again.”

“Yeah fucking right. He hasn’t answered a call or text in days. He’s barely spoken a word to me today either.”

“Have you tried apologizing to him?”

“What? For what? I didn’t do anything wrong… not that he knows of, anyway.”

“No, but it’s what he wants to hear right now more than anything. You’re attractive, and you’re devoted to him, sure. But you’ve been far too unapproachable this past week. You act like a rabid dog that has plans to bite his head off. What he wants right now is a woman that he can rely on to comfort him. Just appeal to his masculine side in his time of need. If you do that, then no man sane or not could say no to someone like you after having his heart broken.”

“So, you’re saying I should just apologize and comfort him?”

“If you really want to get back together with him.”

She wasn’t completely sold. To try again only to be rejected would destroy her, and she was more deeply aware of that than she cared to admit to herself. But the possibility of reliving the love she’d experienced during the early years of their relationship was enough to inspire her to try again. After all, if there was anyone who would know how to win Ben’s heart, it’s Zoey. She decided then that she would meet up with him again first thing tomorrow and try again.

“Okay, I’ll try that then,” Gwen said.

“And one more thing.”

“What now?”

Zoey handed her a scrap of paper.

“If something goes wrong for you, whether it’s with Warren or Ben, call me. I’ll lend you a hand.”

Gwen accepted the paper hesitantly, staring at the 10-digit number that almost seemed to mock her.

“Why are you trying to help me?”

“You don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you. But we’re in this together. If what happens at homecoming gets out...” She pulled her thumb across her throat and clicked her teeth. “Which is why I think it would be best if we looked out for each other.”

Gwen hated to admit it, but she wasn’t wrong. Warren learning about the incident had been a gargantuan shadow that she would have to live under for the rest of the year. It was a miracle that he hadn’t already told Ben. But that line of thinking had drawn a sudden conclusion out of Gwen.

“You want me to date Ben again so Warren won’t tell him the truth.”

Zoey shrugged. The girl had it figured out, so there was no use lying.

“It benefits both of us. Besides, I know you’ll succeed.”

“Right…” Gwen sighed, no longer willing to put up a fight. “I really hate you. I want you to know that.”

“And here I thought we were finally starting to get along.”

It was a condescending jest, accompanied by her usual smile. The same smile that had entranced Ben, Tristan, and so many others before them. But even still, there was nothing left to be said to the girl. They had signed a peace treaty. Gwen would get her Benjamin back, and Warren wouldn’t blow their lives up with the truth. The bittersweet meeting had finally come to a close as Gwen shot her one last look before leaving through the door. It was an amicable enough parting for the two girls considering their history, but it had at least given Gwen a path to Ben’s heart. In fact, she had already begun deliberating more on this new approach moments after she went out on her own, so much so that she had completely forgotten about the blade that was tucked away in her jeans pocket.