To Chlo,
My mother wouldn't have said anything truthful. When does she ever?
Remember Halloween, when you wore the mask and disappeared for the WHOLE party? It was our first one, and we were split up. I had this stupid idea that I could get Piers Lockhart to kiss me, and then... well, I never told you at the time. But I got drunk and ended up in a room with Francis, who convinced me to play strip poker.
He saw the lingerie.
I know Lola knew.
I love you,
Mon
William held the door for me as I stepped into the snug little coffee shop. The inside was as dainty as the outside, decorated with little flowers and ribboned decorations. It was the opposite of where I'd have pinned level one to hang out. For them, I expected sophistication and glamour.
I immediately regretted not changing from my school uniform when I spotted the girls at the table in the corner. Lola and Sophie sat on the light pink leather couch that lined the wall, Li adjacent to them with a cup of tea held in her fingers. Opposite them was Maddy Danton. Unlike me, all of them had made a wardrobe change between here and school.
Li Yao's eyes were the first to flit up to mine. They were wide and ever so creased in the corners, as if she knew a brilliant secret that you'd never catch on to. Her eyes traveled between me and William, and then she lazily turned her head to Lola beside her.
"Do you drink tea or coffee?" William asked.
"Coffee," I said immediately. I released my gaze from the group, not wanting to draw the wrong type of suspicion.
"With a hit?" he asked.
I looked at him in confusion.
"Of alcohol," he clarified.
The appeal of the isolated little coffee shop suddenly became apparent. "They serve their coffee with alcohol?"
William nodded. "And they don't have any incentive to check for ID. Not when you tip enough, anyway."
My eyes returned to the group who were surveying us subtly over the rims of their cups. It didn't surprise me that they were here for the alcohol hit, especially when it went unnoticed to their high status parents.
I felt the gentle push of Will's hand against my waist and immediately stiffened. I'd forgotten we were supposed to look like a newly developing couple. "Come on, go sit down and I'll order us a drink."
There was an empty table for two by the window, and I moved to take a seat so I could still see the level one girls from my position. I picked up the menu and used it to shield myself from the skeptical murmurs that were already developing.
Being under their scrutiny was a necessity in my plan, but it was also incredibly intimidating. I leveled my chin and crossed my legs, trying to release some of the tension from my muscles.
If only I could hear their conversation...
William returned, pulling out the chair opposite me before glancing over his shoulder. As if on cue, Sophie Rutherford raised herself from her seated position and clicked her way over to us. Her red painted fingers landed delicately on William's shoulder.
"Hey, Will, fancy seeing you here," she said, her sky blue eyes landing on his.
"Hi, Soph," he said. "I didn't realize this was a popular spot." Well at least he was good at lying. That was a trait that would come in handy.
"Trust me, they have a great range," she said. Then she gestured to their table where the girls were chatting amongst one another. "We were just talking about you, actually"
"Really?" he asked. His gaze flickered to mine before returning to Sophie's. "What were you talking about?"
"The party, of course," she said. "You disappeared pretty early. Come to think of it, Piers did say you were busy with someone..."
I looked to William, unable to predict his reaction. Though it seemed Sophie was unaware of my existence, her bright eyes flickered to my figure as she said her last words.
William let out a breathy laugh before turning his chin in my direction. "Sophie, this is Chloe. Chlo, Soph."
My surprise at his casual use of my nickname wore off quickly when Sophie's eyes locked with mine again, this time in a chilling stare. Her smile didn't falter, her demeanor remaining as pleasant as she had been with Will. "Nice to meet you. So are you two... a thing?"
I looked to Will, figuring that the blush creeping upon my cheeks was good for our act.
"We are actually," William said, his expression not even faltering. "We started seeing each other this summer."
Sophie's eyes narrowed slightly. "Weird. I could have sworn I saw Max talking to someone just like you on Friday, Chloe."
I matched the light laugh Sophie gave and waved it off with a flick of my hand. "Oh, I was just waiting for Will. I'm sure you understand how Max loves to grab a girl's attention."
After all, their past hookups were common knowledge around Arlington.
"You go to Arlington, right?" Sophie asked, thankfully ignoring my dig. "Weird that we haven't seen you around."
"I-"
"She's a quiet one," William cut in. "You girls are probably too busy looking in your compact mirrors too see anyone else around you anyway."
Sophie narrowed her eyes. "Very funny, Will."
My eyes darted between the two. I knew Sophie wouldn't have paid attention to anyone below level two, but still, I was surprised she hadn't seen me, not even as Monica's shadow. It was a good thing.
Just as Sophie readjusted her balance between her Louboutins a waitress appeared with two mugs. With a wink, she set each down on the table. "Two double shot cappuccinos."
"Thank you," Will and I said in sync.
"Anyway, I'll let you two enjoy your coffee," Sophie said. "Do come and introduce Chloe to the rest of us, Will. We're all very curious."
"Of course you are," he said blankly.
"We're just happy for you, it's great that you're moving on..."
Moving on? From who?
William's jaw wavered as he plastered on a bright smile. It seemed to satisfy Sophie, and she grinned, pulling her full lips into a charismatic smile once more before retreating. I didn't miss the stares from each member of their table as she returned to her seat.
"Moving on from who?" I asked, echoing my thoughts. I searched my memory again, I didn't recall William dating anyone all junior year, unless I counted flings. But I didn't even think they had rendered enough of a relationship for him to find them memorable.
"None of your business," he said simply, stirring the coffee in front of him. His expression was reserved, his brows knitted slightly.
"I'll find out anyway," I reminded him.
"That might be true, but I don't care. We're not talking about it."
Like a child denied their favorite toy, I let my lower lip pout a little before I brought my cup to my lips, embracing the caffeinated liquid. The kick came soon after, and I screwed up my nose. Who drank their coffee with vodka?
"So, Chloe Whittaker. What interests you? Apart from revenge, that is," Will asked. His body language had taken a one-eighty, no doubt for our audience. I was thankful that he was as committed to our image as I was.
I shrugged. "Shoes, shopping..."
He scoffed, apparently not believing me. "You're not like them."
That was true. "Well, I like to program. Computers are my thing."
"Interesting," he said, as if he genuinely cared. My walls slowly crept up. If he was interested, he could be looking for cracks. He might have said he was with me on my revenge against level one, but that didn't mean he didn't want out of my blackmail.
"What about you?" I asked suspiciously. "Any hobbies?"
William raised an eyebrow, and I realized how stupid the question was. William was one of those people who were involved in everything. "I swim, I'm part of the lacrosse team, sometimes I do equestrian..."
"Equestrian? Like horses?"
He nodded at my stupid question. "And I speak a little Russian, something a maid taught me growing up."
"Right." One thing I'd never mastered was learning another language. It gave me a pang of jealousy.
I looked over his shoulder to the girls again. Their attention was diverted to what looked like an intense conversation, and it made me squirm in curiosity. Were they talking about William's last girlfriend? Who was she?
"What about your parents?" he asked. "What do they do?"
"My mom used to be the face of a cosmetics brand," I said. "My dad does a lot of different work."
"Like?"
"Like minding his own business," I told him. The last thing I needed was him discovering the link between my Dad and his family's fraud. "What about your parents?"
"You know what my parents do," he said.
It was true. "So are we able to function as a happy couple now?"
He shrugged. "I guess. You know, I never thought someone like you could be best friends with someone like Monica."
Every inch of me stiffened, and I looked behind his shoulder hastily to check that his words hadn't carried. "Why do you think that?"
William stirred his near empty mug, his handsome features smug. "She was so happy. Always energetic and optimistic. You're all business. Robotic, almost."
I couldn't stop my heart accelerating in emotion, a contrast to the label he'd just given me. Of course I was all business. How could I keep going as my old self after everything that happened last year? How could I find the time to discover who I was without her, when she'd been snatched away from me so brutally?
But robotic? Had I really lost that much of myself?
"I guess I've changed since she left," I said, avoiding his gaze. Though my mouth softened, the rest of my muscles remained stiff, like any second I would buckle beneath the pressure.
"I think a lot of things have."
I looked to the group behind him. "Have they?"
William's eyes flashed to mine. "Not one bit."
"Then I have to be all business," I hissed. "Surely you can understand that."
It took him a moment, but he nodded curtly. "I do."
Our conversation died to the point that the only noise in the little shop was the exotic music drowning out the fast paced conversation occurring beside us. I could understand why they met up on Monday afternoons now; it was to gossip about the weekend's antics and provided an excuse for them to get drunk after school.
It was fascinating to see their body language, to see the dynamics in action. Maddy Danton sat opposite Lola and Sophie, completely oblivious to their scheming. As much as my curiosity drew me to watching them, I tried to remain inconspicuous. I was supposed to be Will's latest love interest, not a not-so-secret agent.
"They won't stop looking at us," I said to William. "They want your attention."
"Well they can wait," he said simply. "Like I said, this needs to take time. Which is why we're leaving."
"Already?" I asked, looking from our table to theirs again.
"We've planted the seed, now we have to let them water it," he explained. He then looked to his Cartier watch. "I also have practice in twenty-five minutes."
I rolled my eyes. "What is it? Lacrosse or swimming?"
"Neither, actually. Tennis."
"Are you serious?" I asked. Seriously, how much spare time did he have?
"It's social." He shrugged, scooping his keys from the table before standing up. I followed suit, grabbing my purse and smoothing my skirt over my tights.
He nodded goodbye to the girls at the table, and my heart thudded heavily as they gave me a final once over. Little smiles remained on their lips as their hungry eyes searched for flaws. The scrutiny made my insides squirm. Friendly features plastered their faces, while beneath the surface I could almost sense the judgement seeping out of their stares.
The car ride back to my house was silent. For one day, I had a whole lot of information to digest. And it wasn't going to be easy to face tomorrow, when I knew this was just the start of my connection with them.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Whittaker," William said when he pulled outside the front of my house.
"You too, Bishop," I murmured, my thoughts far away. His comments from earlier about the contrast between Monica and I left a heavy weight in my mind. The fact he knew so much still made me uneasy.
"Join us for lunch tomorrow," he said with a broad smile, one that was much too cheerful in comparison to the storm clouds brewing in my chest. "I'll save you a seat."