Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

1| Fall from grace

"A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space."
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Alyssa ♔

I have never feared heights. It's not that I'm brave, it's just a side effect of spending the last five years on a pedestal; you forget that you can fall.

Mom sighs and taps the steering wheel. We've been sitting here ten minutes, but I'm still not quite ready to face the barrage of rumors, so I stare at my hands like a coward.

Eventually, she cracks. She reaches into her Birkin bag and rummages around. After a second or two, she hands me her lipstick, tells me to smile, and starts up the engine. To someone like my mother, this is all that it takes: a smile and some lipstick.

"Get out of the car, Alyssa."

I fold my arms like a petulant child. "No."

Her dark eyes narrow. She has a pilates class in ten and she's losing her patience. "So help me god, if you don't get out of this car, I will embarrass you in front of everyone."

This is all that it takes. I slam the door behind me and turn to face Palisades Charter High School. It's one of the better schools in LA and caters to the wealthy, Westside families with money to burn, including mine.

As people stream past, talking and laughing, I keep wondering what they must think of me. It's not every day that 'perfect Alyssa' gets cheated on; how I deal with the fallout will determine just how far I fall from grace.

I hold my head high as I walk to my locker, ignoring the whispers. It isn't unusual for the halls of Pali High to be bursting with gossip. This is a school filled with rich, entitled brats who thrive on drama; I am as bad as the rest of them.

Marnie Tarner is already at my locker. She turns to face me, her expression surprisingly sincere. "Oh, Liss," she says. "You look so tired." It is a thinly-veiled insult rather than genuine concern – the way the kids here like to play.

"I am," I say. I put away my things, glancing in the mirror on the door. I went the extra mile when getting ready this morning: my golden hair is perfectly curled, and my make-up is immaculate. If I am going to survive this, I need to look my best.

"I know," Marnie says. "I can see the circles under your eyes. No wonder, though–I can't believe Justin did that to you, of all people. You must feel so awful right now."

I'm careful not to react. Marnie is annoying, but I've seen first-hand how deadly she can be, and our friendship is the perfect example of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Better to have her on my side than against me.

"I was planning on breaking up with him anyway," I say because the game here is to save face. The moment I show weakness, she will pounce. They all will.

Others stop to console me, and I brush them all off, telling them the same thing I told Marnie. They give me a look as though they don't quite believe me, but it's enough to keep them at bay.

A few girls on our gymnastics team have joined us, and it's time to step it up. "So, I'm thinking we go out tonight," I say. "Now that I'm as single as the rest of you, I want to have some fun."

Heading to Downtown LA is our way of rebelling. According to our parents, there is no reason for us to leave The Palisades. It has everything we could ever want and, more importantly, a nice big gate to separate us from everyone else. Why on earth would we want anything else?

Marnie raises an eyebrow. "You know Justin's debut fight is tonight, right?"

I feign innocence, even though this is exactly the reason I want to go out. "Oh? Well, just because we aren't together doesn't mean I can't still show my support."