Sweet Like Revenge

04 - The Challenge

History was even more of a bust than English had been. If it weren't for the familiar classrooms and corridors, I may have even believed that I had wound up in a different high school in a completely different Irvine Falls. I was yet to see anyone that I recognized.

But my first day back at Irvine wasn't a complete disappointment. After all, I had the meeting with my football player to look forward to. It was a big opportunity, a rare one, and one that I couldn't mess up. It needed it to go perfectly.

I needed to be perfect.

I stopped by my locker on the way to the cafeteria, dropping off my books and spritzing my wrists with the bottle of glittering Dior perfume I'd 'borrowed' from my mother. I straightened out my Tiffany's necklace and fluffed up my hair before turning on my heels.

My non-regulation red bottom heels, courtesy of Richie's credit card.

Because the monarchy that ruled the academy was about more than Tumblr aesthetics and cheap dupes from Fashion Nova. The monarchy was the real deal, all Prada and Jimmy Choos and Ralph Lauren. They oozed effortless glamor, they dripped in diamonds and solid gold. They were expensive, and if I wanted them to accept me, then I needed to be expensive, too.

At least, I had to make them think that I was.

The hall became crowded as I neared the glass doors into the cafeteria. I felt my heart rise to my throat, and my stomach turned into a tumble-dryer filled with angsty butterflies.

You can't do this, my inner saboteur mocked me. They'll see right through you. You're a commoner, a fake, a wannabe dressed in rejected clothes from a sales rack.

I passed the main office, the reminder of my meeting with Walsh flashing through my mind. I remembered how scared I'd been—how dejected and unsure—when he found out who I was.

But I turned it around. I made a grown man cower before me. I didn't think I could, but I did. And I was capable of so much more.

I wasn't a commoner now. I wasn't Ana Anderson. Now, I was Elle Roxford, and I had the power.

I marched onwards, squashing the small part of me that felt a sliver of doubt. Before giving it the opportunity to re-emerge, I strutted around the corner and into the lunchroom.

Stepping into the cafeteria was like stepping into the past; the ever-bustling room was the same one from my memories. The same long, skinny wooden tables ran parallel to the same high windows that looked out onto the well-kept gardens outside. The familiar smell of who-knows-what casserole still permeated the air. The familiarity of sights and smells was almost too much for my anxiety to bear. I had to remind myself that no one knew that I was the same girl who had run from that very room more times than I could count. No one yet, at least.

I picked up my lunch from the counter—a fresh cheese sandwich, chocolate cookie and iced coffee seemed to be the safest option—and turned around to scan the tables before me. There were still a few free seats, but none of them piqued my interest. I knew my destination.

Running parallel to the windows at the very back of the cafeteria was Irvine's equivalent to a High table. It was the best seat in the house, with a perfect view of the estate's impeccable gardens, hedges, and even the little duck pond right in its center. But, despite its appeal, it was almost empty. And I knew why.

The table belonged to Sienna. It had, ever since year seven when she scared off the former queen bee of Irvine, Clover DuPont. And, although I had been away for some time, I was pretty sure that nothing about its exclusivity had changed. Why else would it still be empty, when all of the other tables were quickly filling up?