Manhattan

| Chapter Three | Revenge

"Are you guys ready?" Becca hissed into her phone. Her knees hurt from squatting behind the back door to the cafeteria.

"Yes. Come on out." Morgan said before quickly hanging up.

Becca let out a deep breath. Everything had to go according to plan or else Becca would be publicly humiliated yet again. And that was a total nonoption.

She shoved open the double doors and was instantly blinded by the spotlight on the stage that the headmaster used to make announcements during lunch.

Becca strutted up to the front of the room and climbed up into the stage, setting down the small plastic bag in her hand and replacing it with the microphone.

She tapped the top a few times and cleared her throat before speaking. "So I know that a few of you have recently seen a photo of Scott Westerfield and, apparently, Kelsie."

A projection of the photo shot onto the wall behind Becca and she stepped to the side to allow everyone to see it.

"However, we have some other ideas."

The screen switched to a close-up of the end of the girl in the photo's hair and a picture of Hannah Hartmaan from the back.

"As you can see, the girl kissing Scott in the picture has massive dead ends. While Kelsie might have short brown hair, we all know there's only one person in the school who would be caught dead with dead ends. And that is our beloved Hannah Hartmaan." Becca said into the mic.

Just as she said this, Kelsie, Morgan, and Miranda, stepped into the aisles of tables and tossed photos out of buckets into the air.

The well-dressed, gossip-hungry girls eagerly grabbed them to reveal photos of Scott, Hannah, and the photo of them kissing with different captions written on them.

There were photos of them kissing with things like "flowers in the attic?" and "taking brotherly love to a new level." written on them, and photos of hannah and Scott with doodles such as unibrows and devil horns on them.

As the girls viewed the photos and swapped with their friends to see the different ones, many gasp and giggles were let out.

"Exhibit B." Becca began confidently, but was cut off by an earsplitting shriek and the sound of a chair being scraped back.

Everyone was quiet as Hannah stood up and addressed Becca.

"I might not have owned up to being the one in the photo, but it's only because I'm kissing your cheating boyfriend in the photo, not Scott, you bitch. I might be a coward but at least I'm not being used and lied to!" She screamed before sprinting out of the room.

In a matter of seconds, the room went from being filled with screams and laughter to being so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Becca..." Kelsie, who was suddenly standing next to Becca, mumbled. The room was dead quiet and everyone stared at Becca, waiting to see her reaction.

"Funny joke!" Becca shouted into the mic, her voice cracking with the incoming tears.

"You wish, you poor, nasty scugly! I've seen homeless people with more money and class than you!" Kelsie screamed out the door. She turned to console Becca, but she was gone.

•••

Becca sprinted down the hallway, heels clacking against the tiled floor as she ran as fast as she could, not even bothering to get any books.

She ran into the parking lot and got a cab almost immediately. 

"Lotte New York Palace Hotel please." Becca told the driver in between sobs.

She stared out the window and watched buildings and lights zoom by. It all made perfect sense. The guy had the same hair and height as Chris. But how could he? There had to be some hope. They had been going out for nearly ten years and she always thought that he loved her as much as she loved him.

The boys were probably still at lunch, so she quickly dialed Chris' number. She used all her strength to stop crying and not scream at him when she invited him to the palace bar.

When the cab pulled up, she washed her face of the makeup that streamed down her cheeks, ordered a martini, and sat with her back to the door, tears silently streaming down her face.

"Hey! I thought you had plans for lunch." Chris said from behind her.

Becca spun around in her chair slowly, tears still streaming down her face.

"Woah! What-" Chris began, but Becca cut him off.

"Is it true?" She asked, etching this moment into her memory, the moment between good and bad, full of hope and expectation.

Chris slowly sat down at the chair across from her.

"Is what true?" He asked timidly.

Becca pulled out her phone and showed him the picture of Hannah kissing the mystery boy.

"Is this you, kissing Hannah?" She asked as calmly as possible.

Chris just sat there, opening and closing his mouth like some kind of stupid fish.

"Is it true?!" Becca said again, this time much louder, causing him to flinch back.

"Becca... I... was going to tell you... how did you even find out." Chris mumbled, voice crackling.

She gasped, and the whole room started to spin.

"Hannah told me. At least she thought she owed me the truth." Becca spat, tears welling in her eyes once again.

"Becca, I'm so sorry. I meant to tell you, I really did. I guess I just got tired of-"

"Bullshit!" Becca screamed, then lowered her voice. "I gave you everything Chris, everything. You know what's really sad? I would have done anything for you. Sometimes you're so locked up in your own little world, and when I knock on the door you just glance up at me and close it again." She whispered.

"Becca! Don't go. We can talk about this! I love you!" Chris said quietly, grabbing at Becca's wrist as she stood up and pushed her chair in.

Becca bent her arm back and splashed her drink into his stupid face. His stupid, gorgeous face, the one she knew so well and was so in love with.

Becca looked at him for a second longer, soaking in his expressions and getting one last good look at him and then, without another word, she turned and walked out the door.