“Even when it’s not theirs to take?” I study her, looking for any hint of recognition. Any sign she knows what I’m talking about.
“She’s brilliant.” Her response is instant. It doesn’t answer my question.
“She knows you believe in her. She makes you feel seen. Special. Not just another student, right? With Ralston, you’re a part of something larger. Change. She makes you feel like she understands you. Like someone understands you.”
Her smile falters momentarily. “You studied under her.”
I nod. “I did. Years ago. It’s intoxicating when you’re in her web, until the moment you realize you’re trapped there.”
She puffs out a breath of laughter. “Trappedis a strong word.”
I see it then. The hesitation. She’s questioning things, even if she hasn’t yet been burned by Ralston. She’s seen the mask slip. “You trust her enough to overlook the things that don’t line up. That’s how she gets you. That’s how she got me, at least. Blind faith. Unwavering trust.”
Dani folds her arms across her chest. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It’s my turn to cock my head to the side, studying her. “Don’t I?”
“What do you even want? Why are you talking to me?”
“I don’t know.” It’s the truth. This is probably a mistake. “I guess because I see parts of myself in you. Who I used to be. I just…I wanted you to know you’re not alone. If you ever want to talk, if you need someone to listen?—”
“She listens to me.”
There it is. The first confirmation that I’m right in what I assumed. Dani is the new me.
Her jaw is set as she stares at me. “We’ve built something together. Trust. Friendship. She believes in me. Encourages me.”
“Friendship.” I look away. “You haven’t built anything together. Don’t you see that? I get how intoxicating it is, being close to her, but I’m warning you, begging you to listen the way I wish I’d listened. She’s building herself through you. Using youuntil there’s nothing left, and then she’ll move on. I see it. Ilivedit.”
She opens her mouth, prepared to argue, but no words come. The lights flicker overhead, humming. Warning me to stop talking. Warning me I’ve said enough.
“I know you think I’m lying. That I’m jealous or crazy, but look, I know how this ends for you. You’ll give her everything. Your voice, your work, your loyalty, your love. And one day, you’ll say the wrong thing. Ask the wrong question. Push for a little more than she means to give you. And just like that, she’ll drop you. Like a stone. Like you’re worthless.”
“Maybe that’s what happened to you, but it won’t happen with us. We’re… It’s?—”
“Different, right?” I finish her sentence.
Dani’s jaw tightens. She squares her shoulders and lowers her voice. “Why are you here if you hate her so much?”
Is it hate? Is that the word for how I feel about Ralston? I’m not sure. Most days, it feels like an empty place where something should be. Since coming back though, the emptiness has grown into something darker. Angrier. It’s metastasized to my very being, destroying whatever healthy tissue I had left.
“Because sixteen years ago, I was exactly where you are. Back then, someone warned me, and I didn’t listen.” My mind flashes to Jade. “And with everything going on, catapulting her to new heights, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to fix it for the next girl.”
Her face is hard, unflinching. “Okay. Well, you’ve said what you needed to say. You’ve warned me.”
“And what will you do about it? Anything? Don’t you have questions? I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
What do I want her to ask me? What do I want her to do with this information? Leave? Call Ralston out? Help me bring her down? The truth is, I don’t know.
Before she can answer, the hallway erupts with noise.
“Dani!” A man barrels toward us from another hallway, clipboard in hand. His hair is thick with tight curls, his skin a light brown, chin and cheeks covered in stubble. “There you are—we thought you’d come back when the panel ended. We’re ready for you.”
“Sorry, I?—”
“It’s fine.” He cuts her off, waving a hand. “But, c’mon. Time to get you set up for your interview. They want to catch some reaction shots before the lighting changes.”
“Um, now? I was planning to attend a panel after this. And Stella mentioned I’d have time to change and touch up my makeup before my interview. It was supposed to be this evening.”
