Two is Company (House of Anubis)

Chapter 70: Cheaters Never Win

"He's what?" Joy squawked in outrage, leaping up and storming over to Kira's side to get a look at the screen. "Jerome, what is this?!"

Patricia's mouth hung open in shock at the revelation, and Alfie looked torn between wanting to sink into the floor and cry tears of relief.

"I, uh, I can explain," he said, but Kira was already vibrating with rage on her best friend's behalf.

"You marked them based on how many chick flicks they own?!" she shrieked like a tea kettle about to boil over.

"The fewer the better," he joked weakly, then actually screamed when Kira shoved the laptop into Joy's chest and dove at him with the intent to maim. "Agh! Stop! Please, have mercy! I'm the victim here!"

She only got a few good smacks in before Alfie was hauling her off to the soundscape of Victor bellowing something about keeping order and Patricia cheering her on. "You're cheating on my best friend with Willow and you're the victim?!" she screeched, forgetting where she was and the potential danger they were all in. "Are you out of your fucking mind?!"

Meanwhile, Joy scrolled through the spreadsheet, eyes widening exponentially as she went. "I can't believe you scored them!" she exclaimed in mounting anger. "They're not performing seals!"

"Let's all calm down," Denby tried to placate them, but she was dealing with three irate girls, one of which was bordering on homicidal. Kira didn't consider herself a particularly violent person, but something about cheaters really unlocked a rage in her unlike anything else.

"Jerome Clarke, I am going to rip out your still beating heart with my hands and eat it!" she shouted, still struggling in Alfie's grip. Nobody messed with Mara— or Willow, for that matter— and got away with it.

Finally, Alfie managed to drag her over to the bench beside Patricia, while Denby checked to make sure Kira hadn't clawed Jerome's eyes out.

"Wow, Jerome, I always knew you were a slimeball, but this is a new low," Patricia said, lip upturned in disgust.

"Yeah," Joy sneered. "I know what mark out of ten I'd give you in all categories."

"Look, ladies, please don't do anything rash," Jerome said, scrambling to his feet away from Denby, rubbing his jaw where Kira had caught him. "Like... please don't tell them."

"Like hell I'm not going to—" Kira started to spit, but Joy got a gleam in her eye.

"No," she said. "We're not going to tell them." Patricia snorted her disagreement, and even Denby raised an eyebrow at that. Then, Joy smirked. "You're going to."

"Joy, be reasonable!" Jerome begged. "I can't—"

"Tell them," Joy interrupted him, teeth bared, "before someone else does it for you. That sound good with you, ladies?"

Patricia's own furious expression turned sly. "Fine by me," she said. "Just make sure I have a front row seat to Mara skewering you like a kabob."

"Kira?"

She glared at him with a look she wished would make his flesh melt off his body. She'd known there was something off, but for him to be two-timing her friends and then comparing them on a spreadsheet over the most arbitrary things? It brought back ugly memories, ones she'd tried hard to forget, and it was all she could do to not lunge at Jerome again.

"I don't know if I can wait until you tell them," she admitted, finally shaking Alfie's hands off and shooting him a dirty look. "Mara is my best friend and you expect me to pretend like I don't know you're cheating on her? If I had my phone right now, I'd be blowing up their inboxes."