𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 18+

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏

Groups as a reminder:

Lizzie, Anastasia (Ana),
Aiden, Ryke, Astor.

Ada, Rose, Loren,
Luca, Ares.

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LIZZIE
ROSEWOOD
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My life had always been a performance, but sometimes, in the rare moments when the laughter faded, a sinister question crept into my mind: What the hell is life? It couldn't just be drunken nights, sneaking out of my house, or stolen kisses by moonlit lakes. No. Life had to be more than this empty chaos I kept calling fun.

But what was fun? Was it really just me running away from my demons every week? Sneaking out to piss off Daddy dearest, feeling invincible yet hollow? Or was it stumbling into my first day of senior year, eyes bloodshot and my head pounding from the hangover of last night's reckless decisions?

And Aiden. My so-called boyfriend for the last seven years, though the title barely counted since we decided at ten that we were forever. He was the golden boy, our group's leader, but his touch now felt like chains. Beneath the table, his hand gripped my wrist, and he lowered his head, brushing a kiss on my hand, trying to soothe the tension from our last fight.

"I'm still wondering why the fuck you disappeared last night after we left the lake," he muttered, his voice thick with frustration, his patience thinning. "You just left us alone."

I didn't meet his eyes. "Forget it, Adrian," I snapped. "I'm hungover and pissed off, and to top it off, those good-for-nothing bitches are in our class now. Weren't they supposed to be in group B? Why the sudden change?" My gaze darkened as it settled on Loren Vane, sitting with her smug little circle. "She's been glaring at me since she walked in."

Loren. The fakest bitch to ever walk the halls—and she wasn't even a real blonde like me. The girl had been a thorn in my side for years, her group constantly shadowing ours, like a twisted mirror image. Her crew—Loren, Rose, Ada, Ares, and Luca—were considered the good version of us, as if we were some wild, uncontrollable storm they aspired to but could never quite capture. It was laughable. We were original. They were cheap knock-offs.

But the problem was... they weren't harmless. Rose Monroe, that flame-haired snake, had been rumored to have a crush on my Aiden over the summer. Her family's business ties to his had forced them into close proximity, and the whispers had only grown louder.

Aiden squeezed my hand tighter, pulling me from my thoughts. "You're better than this, Lizzie. Rose? She's nothing. She could never be you."

Behind me, Anastasia leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Need me to kick some bitch's ass today?" Her grin was feral, and I shivered. Anastasia didn't just crave violence; she embodied it. If violence had a name, it would be Anastasia Carlton.

But even as the thought thrilled me, it terrified me. I wasn't like Ana. I didn't relish the idea of breaking someone, not like she did. What if, in a fight, you went too far? What if you didn't stop? The fear of losing control was always lurking just beneath my skin. "No, Ana. Stop fighting," I growled, turning to glare at her.

Across from me, Ryke stared, his eyes boring into me like he was trying to see through my skin and into my soul. He always stared too much. And I hated it. Hated how it made me feel—like prey.

Anastasia's pout was almost childlike. "You're no fun, Lizzie," she muttered, disappointed she wouldn't get to spill any blood today. But that's what she was. Karma personified. If anyone deserved a reckoning, Anastasia would deliver it with a wicked grin.