Cinched Darkness by L.S. Van Hoof

Author:L.S. Van Hoof [Van Hoof, L.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-05T05:00:00+00:00

21

Mallory and I settle into a booth at some quaint café in uptown. It’s full of Coca-Cola product and everything is red or black. It’s pretty cool and plays decent eighties music from a jukebox. I didn’t even know those things were still around in such great shape.

“Where have you been since the party?” I venture attentively.

“Laying low. I don’t want Cassie to think I had anything to do with Reynold showing up. He’s her ex and the guy Bailey caught her making out with.”

“That’s what Bailey said,” I egg her on after we order milkshakes.

Mallory eyes me and I can’t tell if it is suspicion, “I don’t know how much she cared for him, but Reynold actually had sex with her. A little attention from him, and she was all over him,” Mallory titters triumphantly, “and obviously you need time to lay down some groundwork with Bailey. I thought he would need time to trust you, but like I thought, that boy is obsessed with you.”

“He is not obsessed,” I groan, though it feels like he is and I am absolutely reveling in it, “Did you come up with something new or something? What’s the plan now?”

“Fuck if I know,” Mallory laughs and thanks the waitress for our milkshakes, “I honestly am surprised we got this far. We need to think of something good.”

“You have zero faith in me,” I narrow my eyes at her, sipping the chocolate banana milkshake.

“Cassie is going down…” Mallory assures me, slurping the cherry Cola milkshake, “I just don’t know if Bailey is going down with her.”

I shrug and relax next to her, “let’s focus on Cassie and give Bailey some time to fall in love with me.”

Mallory smirks like she sees through my act, “sure, Max. Let’s give Bailey some time to fall in love. In the meantime, we need to do something big and I just haven’t been able to come up with anything.”

“We need to undermine her authority among the other students. What makes her queen?”

“She’s rich for starters.”

“We can’t exactly take her money away.”

“No,” Mallory sighs, swigging the milkshake, “she is good with blackmail and shit. We should find some dirt on her.”

“That will help us, but we have to strip down her authority,” I remind Mallory to stay on track.

Mallory taps her chin, “what do you think makes someone popular?”

“Our school is different. We have a lot of popular people, but Cassie is elite. There’s a difference.”

“She’s popular and a bully,” Mallory agrees, wiping her mouth, “this milkshake is really fucking good.”

“I could use a break from all this planning and fake dating,” I push the half-finished milkshake away.

“Fake dating?”

“He thinks we’re dating.”

“Right… But you don’t think you’re dating?”

I roll my eyes, “it’s all part of the plan, Mal.”

“You want a break?” She resumes my original statement, “what kind of break? We just got started with him.”

“My head won’t turn off and I’m not sleeping,” I divulge, rubbing my temples.

“That kiss you and Bailey shared sure was hot. It

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