“Ella, you can’t be making accusations you don’t know are true.”
“I’m not even in that class,” I say to Ella. “Why would I take your paper? And why are you telling Ms. Higgins this instead of your French teacher?”
“I’m on the student disciplinary committee this semester,” Ms. Higgins explains. Her eyes bounce between Ella and me. “I was hoping you two could get along, but perhaps I’ll need to find you different lab partners.”
“You don’t need to,” I say. “We’re good.”
The bell goes off.
“Go ahead and take your seats.” Ms. Higgins hurries back to her desk.
When we get to our lab station, Ella slams her backpack on the table. “I know you did it. You said you’d wait and you lied. Why am I even surprised?”
“Wait for what?” I ask as if I really don’t know. That scornful look appears again on her pretty little face, which makes me want to laugh, but I don’t.
She turns to me. “You said you’d wait to do whatever shit you think you’re going to do in your sick, twisted attempt to get me to agree to what you want.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I look down at her body. She’s wearing ripped jeans and a white t-shirt that has yellow stains on it. “Seriously, do you ever look in a mirror?”
She ignores me, probably thinking I’m just saying it to insult her, which is partially true, but she really should check a mirror now and then. She obviously spilled something on her shirt and doesn’t even know.
“You are one of the worst people I’ve ever met.” She yanks a notebook from her backpack and slams it on the table. “Let’s just do the assignment so we can get out of here.”
“Everyone should’ve read the lab for today,” Ms. Higgins says as class starts. “Come get your supplies and let me know if you have questions.”
Ella races up to get the supplies, but halfway there, she turns and runs back to get her backpack, assuming I’ll do something to it if she leaves it. She’s paranoid, which is understandable given her fear of me and what I might do. I admit, I feel slightly guilty for that. My intention wasn’t to ruin her life. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that. But I have to look out for myself, and there’s no fucking way I’m living under my father’s rules for the rest of my life.
“I didn’t take your assignment,” I say when Ella returns.
“Youdidn’t, but you paid someone to.” She lines up the chemicals for today’s lab in a neat little row, checking the assignment to make sure they’re in the right order.
I pick up the first chemical and put it in the flask. “I said I wouldn’t do anything and I didn’t. I never said other people wouldn’t be involved.”
She turns to me, her hands on her hips. “So you admit you did it. You just used other people to do your dirty work.”
“As any good leader would,” I say, adding another chemical to the flask.
“You weren’t supposed to add that yet,” she snaps, taking the flask from me. She sets it on the burner. “Whatever. We’ll just do it wrong and both get a bad grade.”
I check the assignment. It doesn’t say anything will happen if you mix the chemicals before heating them, so I’m guessing we’re good.
Ella reads over the homework for tomorrow as we wait for the chemicals to heat.
My phone dings, and I see a text from Finn. It’s a naked pic of the girl he was with last night. It’s someone he met when he was out having sushi with his brother. The girl’s hot and looks a few years older than us. I don’t know why she’d be interested in Finn. She could do a lot better.
Another text pops up. I smile when I see who it’s from. “Looks like Charlotte’s going to the party Friday.”
Ella’s eyes dart up from her homework. “No, she’s not.”
“Then someone else sent this text.” I turn my phone so Ella can see it.
She looks stunned and a little hurt. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“You don’t seem to get the power I have over people. If I tell them to do something, they do it. You’re the only one who doesn’t listen.”
“Then apparently I’m the only one with a brain. I can’t believe she agreed to go.” Ella gets her phone out and starts texting.
“She’s not going to listen to you.”
