The Virginity Pact

12 - V for Vendetta

**trigger warning for sexual assault I'll put these little star things before and after it if you want to skip it**

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Upper East Side queens aren't born at the top, they climb their way up in heels no matter who they have to tread on to do it.

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"What do you want for lunch?" Alejandra asks me on our way to third period. She walks to my left, while Becca walks to my right, 3 other girls behind us.

It's Friday, so we'd be eating in the courtyard, not at Serendipity.

"I'm really craving sushi but I guess I'll settle for turkey and cheese from the cafeteria," I say.

"Word of advice?" Alejandra offers. I raise my eyebrows for her to continue. "Never settle."

"Emilia," Alejandra calls over her shoulder. From the very back of the group of girls that trail behind me, a pale girl with navy blue knee socks and a black bob cut runs forward.

"Yes?" She asks attentively.

"Be a dear and leave your third period early, pick up sushi on 4th for lunch. We'll text you orders," Alejandra tells her.

I furrow my eyebrows and shake my head. "No it's okay, you don't have to do--"

"No it's fine, I totally don't mind," Emilia says with a smile. I noticed she had become apart of the group when I was kicked out.

I guess she's the new me.

"See? She totally doesn't mind," Alejandra shrugs with a smirk as we all part ways for third period, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.

"So what are we doing tonight?" Becca asks after class as we make our way to our spot for lunch.

I've officially held the title of Lockwood's Queen for a week now. I don't know why the girls picked me to replace Lydia. I thought being sucked back into the group would be different somehow. I expected to be in the middle, but I'm the one they follow. I'm the one that makes the plans, not the one that gets coffee or sits quietly nodding and complimenting.

"Grant invited me to his party. I was thinking we could stop by," I say, making the girls giddy with excitement. Luckily Grant, a tall, tan senior in my AP bio class had invited me to his house party last period. If he hadn't, I'd have no idea how to answer Becca's question.

I can barely make plans for myself, let alone for 5 other girls.

I'll admit, it is nice having them behind me, but it's difficult, too. They expect me to be perfect. To sort out all their problems. To cast fear in the eyes of the student body--which I haven't actually been doing. There wasn't any reason to.

"What the hell do they think they're doing?" One of the girls behind me grumbles as we encounter 3 girls sitting at our lunch table--Vera and 2 of her friends.

I realize I'm the one that's supposed to do something, so I take a few step forward, leading my army to the table.

"Vera," I smile sweetly. "you're back from Barcelona!"

Vera gives me a fake smile and shrugs. It's the first time I've spoken to her since cotillion. I can tell by the hatred in her eyes that she's still mad.

"Well it's nice to see you're back. Here. In my seat."

"Your seat?"

I nod.

"Right," Vera nods. "I heard you took Lydia's spot."

"That's not the only thing we heard," one of the girls comments.