Lisa inhales the scent of acetone and luxury skincare products, letting the familiar combination wash over her. Charlotte's perfectly manicured hands move with practiced grace across Amber's nails, each stroke of polish precise and deliberate. The green tea face mask tightens against Lisa's skin as she watches, reminding her of its presence with every slight movement.

Susan's room feels almost normal - well, as normal as anything can be in a house with its own elevator. While the rest of the Lawrence mansion drips old money from every crystal chandelier and hand-carved banister, Susan's space could almost pass for an average teenager's room. If you ignore the adjacent private bathroom bigger than Lisa's entire bedroom. And the walk-in closet that could house a small family. And the separate study area with its custom-built desk and ergonomic chair that probably costs more than her mom's car.

"Stop fidgeting," Charlotte scolds Amber gently. "Unless you want me to mess this up."

Lisa catches her reflection in Susan's vanity mirror - the same face she's always had, but somehow different now. Three months ago, on Halloween night, Amber Rosenberg had systematically dismantled her entire world with the kind of casual cruelty that only comes from years of practice. One conversation, and suddenly Lisa found herself exiled from the warmth of their inner circle, cast out into the social wilderness of Riverside High.

But now here she is, back in the fold, exactly where she belongs. The thought of Matthias makes her smile - his dorky enthusiasm when explaining frame rates, the way his eyes light up talking about his latest video. Maybe she'll never have old money, but new money? With Matthias's growing YouTube career and her Yale early decision...

Lisa's thoughts drift to Matthias again. They've been seeing each other for weeks now, but he still hasn't officially asked her to be his girlfriend. Do guys even do that anymore? She glances at Susan, who seems to have everything figured out when it comes to relationships.

"Sue?" Lisa breaks the comfortable silence, her voice slightly muffled by the mask. "You and Justin are still together, right?"

Susan stretches languidly on her oversized floor cushion, her blonde hair catching the afternoon light. "Yeah, we're still seeing each other. Just keeping it casual."

"But like..." Lisa hesitates, suddenly feeling young and inexperienced. "Is he officially your boyfriend? Did he actually ask?"

A knowing smile spreads across Susan's face. "Oh honey, there are stages to these things. First, you've got the talking phase - testing the waters, seeing if there's chemistry. Then comes casual dating, which is basically talking but with makeout sessions."

Amber and Charlotte dissolve into giggles, causing Charlotte to pull back from her meticulous nail work with a mock glare.

"What?" Susan demands, though her eyes sparkle with amusement.

"Remember how Nate asked me?" Amber's voice carries that particular warmth it always does when discussing her boyfriend. "Freshman year, at my locker. With that single red rose and this absolutely terrified look on his face."

"That's actually kind of sweet," Lisa offers, surprised by the old-fashioned gesture from someone like Nate Brooks.

"God, if it had been anyone else, I would have laughed in their face," Amber admits, carefully examining her fresh manicure. "But something about the way he stood there, all nervous and perfect... I mean, how could I say no to those eyes?"

They all laugh, and Lisa joins in, letting the sound wash away memories of darker days. This is where she belongs - in this rarified air of face masks and casual discussions of boyfriend protocols. The guilt about Hannah sits heavy in her stomach, but she pushes it down, buried beneath layers of green tea clay and careful calculation.

Because this is her world now. Again. Finally. And she'll do whatever it takes to keep it.

Charlotte toys with the emerald ring on her middle finger, a shy smile playing at her lips. "I have something to tell you guys... Morris and I made it official last night."

"Oh my god!" Susan bolts upright, nearly knocking over her wine glass. "Finally!"

"Seriously," Amber's laugh carries that particular blend of warmth and authority that only she can manage. "You two have been circling each other since like, June. What was the holdup?"

Charlotte's cheeks flush pink. "God, it was torture waiting. We'd been hooking up in secret for months, but he kept saying he wasn't ready for a relationship. Then last night, he showed up at my place after practice, still in his uniform..." She bites her lip. "Let's just say he finally admitted he wanted more than just our little...encounters in the locker room."

"Morris Vanderbaan, secret romantic?" Amber raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "He's actually kind of adorable when he's not trying to act all tough."

"That's exactly why I fell for him," Charlotte beams. "Everyone else sees the kicker, but I get to see the guy who..." She pauses, grinning wickedly. "Well, let's just say he has many hidden talents."

Susan leaps onto her bed, wine sloshing dangerously in her glass as she bounces. "Wait, wait, wait - we need to properly appreciate this moment. Look at us! Justin and I are dating, Amber and Nate being disgustingly perfect as usual, Charlotte's been getting it good with Morris behind the bleachers, and Lisa and Matthias..." She affects a dramatic pose. "Ladies, when did we become so... committed? Remember when we used to make out with random guys at parties? When Amber gave that lacrosse player a lap dance at Sarah's birthday? When Charlotte used to flirt with both Jeff Thompson and Jake Woodland at the same time?"

"Wild days?" Amber snorts, examining her fresh manicure. "Babe, Nate and I are practically married. We'll hit four years this spring."

"Oh please," Susan's eyes glitter mischievously. "Like you didn't have your moments... Remember that weekend in Miami?"

Lisa's attention sharpens. Had Amber ever strayed from perfect, devoted Nate Brooks? The thought seems almost impossible, like questioning whether the sun rises in the east.

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"All I'm saying," Susan continues, twirling dramatically on her duvet, "is that maybe we need one last wild night. You know, before we all become totally domesticated. Let's hit downtown, make some bad decisions, maybe give some cute guys our fake numbers..." She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. "What happens in the city stays in the city!"

Lisa can't help but laugh at Susan's theatrics, the wine making everything feel lighter, funnier.

"More wine!" Susan declares, bouncing higher. "We clearly need reinforcements for this conversation!"

"I'll grab it," Charlotte offers, rising gracefully. "Need to use the bathroom anyway."

Lisa watches her disappear through Susan's doorway, struck by how naturally Charlotte moves through these spaces that once felt so foreign to Lisa herself. There's always been an unspoken hierarchy in their group—Amber at the top, their undisputed queen, with Susan as her dedicated lieutenant. Lisa and Charlotte orbit at the edges, sharing third-tier status but never quite reaching the inner sanctum.

But maybe that's changing now. After all, she's here, isn't she? Back in Susan Lawrence's bedroom, sharing wine and secrets like the past three months never happened. Like she never betrayed them. Like she never—

Lisa stops that thought before it can fully form. Some doors are better left closed.

Susan's suggestion hangs in the perfumed air as she twirls her wine glass with dramatic flair. "Come on, Amber! When's the last time we just let loose? No boyfriends, no responsibilities, just us being young and fabulous?"

"Not tonight," Amber says, her voice carrying that particular tone that brooks no argument. She examines her fresh manicure in the vanity light. "Maybe another time."

"Oh please," Susan rolls her eyes, sprawling across her egyptian cotton sheets. "Since when did you become such a prude? The Amber I know would never pass up a chance to make some finance bros cry." She affects a mock pout. "Remember that guy at Le Bain? The one who thought his Patek Philippe would actually impress you?"

"Susan." Amber's voice drops lower, something dangerous flickering behind her eyes. "Nate's been... on edge lately. You know why."

Lisa watches Susan's playful demeanor evaporate instantly. Her spine straightens, wine glass freezing halfway to her lips. "Oh. Right. Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

The tension in the room thickens like smoke, but Amber dispels it with practiced ease. "Let's do something here instead." Her lips curve into a conspiratorial smile. "Old school truth or dare? Or maybe that thing with the mirrors and candles - what was it called?"

"Bloody Mary?" Lisa offers, trying to keep her voice light.

"Oh my god, wait!" Susan bolts upright, nearly spilling her wine. "I have something so much better!" She leaps from the bed with surprising grace given the amount of rosé they've consumed. "Don't move! This is going to be epic!" Her footsteps fade down the hallway, leaving Lisa alone with Amber.

The silence stretches between them as Amber rises, moving to the bathroom with fluid grace. She removes her face mask with careful, precise movements, revealing skin that looks like it's never known a blemish. When she turns to Lisa, the effect is striking - she looks less like a high school senior and more like young royalty, some princess from a modernized fairy tale.

"I haven't properly thanked you yet," Amber says, her voice soft but intense. "For telling us about Hannah. About what you overheard."

Lisa's heart performs an uncomfortable flutter. "That's what friends do, right?"

Amber's eyes find hers in the mirror, blue and bottomless as winter ocean. "Speaking of Hannah..." She glances toward the doorway, confirming they're alone. "Why is she so obsessed with Hampton Beach? What exactly does she think happened?"

Lisa hesitates, her wine glass suddenly feeling too heavy in her hand. But she's chosen her side, hasn't she? Sealed her fate with that text message in the coffee shop. "She thinks..." The words stick in her throat. "She thinks Jake raped Emily. Or Megan. Or Victoria. Maybe all of them."

"That's ridiculous." Amber's laugh holds no humor.

"Is it?" The words escape before Lisa can stop them. "He tried to force himself on me that night."

Amber's expression shifts, something cold and calculating replacing her usual warmth. "Jake was drunk. We all were. And Susan got him off you, didn't she?"

Lisa's fingers tighten around her glass. She wants to scream - about how that's not the point, about how being drunk doesn't excuse attempted rape, about how Susan finding them doesn't erase what Jake tried to do. But she swallows it all down, tasting bile and expensive wine. Because she's finally back where she belongs - in this world of designer clothes and ivy league futures. She can't risk losing it again.

"I still don't understand her fixation," Amber muses, applying some kind of French serum. "Why can't she just let it go?"

Lisa takes a long sip of wine, letting the alcohol steady her nerves. "There's something else," she says finally. "Something that happened at Halloween."

Amber's hands pause, crystal bottle hovering above her perfect skin. "What about Halloween?"

"Jake..." Lisa's voice drops to barely above a whisper. "He tried the same thing with Hannah. In the pool house during the party. That's why she came to me afterward, why she started asking questions about Hampton Beach."

The silence that follows feels endless. Lisa watches Amber's reflection, searching for any crack in her carefully maintained composure. But Amber's face remains perfectly neutral, as if Lisa had just commented on the weather instead of revealing attempted sexual assault.

"Hannah's always been dramatic," Amber says finally, her voice carrying that particular tone that means the conversation is over. "Looking for conspiracies where there aren't any. It's actually kind of sad."

Before Lisa can respond, Susan's voice echoes down the hallway. "Close your eyes, bitches! The real entertainment is about to begin!"

Susan bounces impatiently on her heels as Charlotte's footsteps echo down the hallway. When Charlotte finally returns with the wine bottle, Susan dramatically reveals what she's been hiding behind her back - a worn box with provocative artwork splashed across its cover.

"Ladies, feast your eyes on 'The Game of Sluts' - straight from the personal collection of my beloved Aunt Cassidy!"

"You mean your perpetually stoned, trust-fund burning aunt?" Amber drawls, but her eyes sparkle with amusement. "The one who thinks crystals can cure capitalism?"

"The very same!" Susan cackles, throwing herself onto a pile of designer pillows. "The legendary black sheep who turned the Lawrence millions into Colombian nose candy and chakra retreats."

"Didn't she try to marry her yoga instructor last year?" Charlotte asks, refilling their glasses. "The one with 'spiritual tattoos'?"

"Oh god," Susan wheezes between laughs. "Don't remind me. Dad nearly had an aneurysm when she announced their 'cosmic union' at Christmas dinner. Thank god he ran off before they actually filed the paperwork."

They dissolve into giggles, the kind that only comes from too much wine and shared history. Susan starts unpacking the game with theatrical flourish, reading the provocative cards with exaggerated scandal.

But Lisa's attention is drawn to Amber, who's shifted slightly away from the group. Her perfectly manicured fingers move across her phone screen with practiced precision, each tap feeling somehow significant. Lisa's stomach churns with sudden anxiety. Had she revealed too much about Hannah? Was Amber already orchestrating some new social execution, moving pieces across the invisible chessboard of Riverside High with terrifying efficiency?

The wine turns sour in Lisa's mouth as she watches Amber's lips curve into that particular smile - the one that usually precedes someone's complete destruction. Because that's the thing about Amber Rosenberg: she doesn't just win the game, she reshapes the entire board until victory is the only possible outcome.

As Susan deals out cards and Charlotte pours more wine, Lisa can't shake the feeling that she's just set something terrible in motion. But isn't that exactly what she wanted? To prove her loyalty, to secure her place in their glittering world?

And Lisa realizes, with crystal clarity, that she's not just a player in this game anymore - she's become a weapon, aimed straight at Hannah Marshall.