Sonya and three other cheerleaders scurried to the bedroom across the hall never looking my way. They didn’t bother to close the door all the way before they started talking shit.
Sonya began, “Brooklyn came by with James just before you guys got back. She was packing. I think she’s leaving the house. By the way, even though he doesn’t come from money, I would climb James Williams like a tree.”
“I know! Even though he’s probably having sex with that ho, I’d still do him,” a voice I didn’t recognize agreed.
“I will have him by the end of the year. He claims that his heart belongs to Brooklyn,” Sonya spoke up, making a noise and causing the other girls to laugh. “But look at me. I’ve never not gotten what I wanted.”
“And doesn’t she have enough dick to worry about?! I can’t believe she even showed her face around here,” another one of the cheerleaders quipped loudly. “Did she really think Dakota wasn’t going to find out?”
“I know right! But now that she’s leaving the house, everything will just be a lot better. We don’t need that energy here. There’s no loyalty with trash like that. And after whoring herself out for the PROs, I say good riddance to whoring rubbish!”
“Vivian!” Sonya scolded her with a hint of amusement in her voice. “You took it too far. Let’s not slut shame. We’ve all been around the block a time or two. And like I was saying earlier, after James drops her off, my hope is that he comes back so I can take him around the block a couple more times.”
“What do you think the PROs did to her?” a softer voice that I couldn’t quite place wondered. “Sonya, did she say anything?”
Is that Olive? I wondered.
“Who cares?” Vivian spoke up. “It’s her word against ours. And whatever was done, she brought it on herself. She betrayed girl code when she went against Dakota. And besides… she’s not one of us.”
“I agree that sleeping with someone else’s man is a violation of girl code,” Olive placated, her voice shaking. “But I don’t want the girl to get suspended from school. Especially in her senior year.”
“Well, that’s why Dakota took something for insurance,” Vivian mentioned cryptically. “She’s not a monster! The PROs won’t press charges and won’t mention names. Dakota thought of everything.”
“Press charges?” Olive squeaked. “For lighting some stuff on fire in the bathtub? Seriously? There’s no reason for police involvement. It was a prank!”
“It wasn’t just the bathtub,” Vivian cackled. “Listen, whatever happens, happens. Brooklyn brought this on herself when she moved in on someone else’s territory. She’s not one of us. Carter knew better than to bring her in here and Dakota knew better than to approve it. But Dakota is so preoccupied with making Carter her number two that she approved the Brooklyn situation without thinking.”
“Sounds like you’re a little jealous, Viv,” Sonya teased.
“I’m not jealous,” she snapped. “Brooklyn should’ve never been living here with us. She doesn’t belong here. And she damn sure shouldn’t be sleeping with men that belong to us.”
“Well the only reason she’s here in the first place is because she doesn’t have anywhere else to go,” Sonya explained. “This semester her financial aid—”
“I don’t care! She could’ve stayed with that troll Kim! She could’ve slept in a fucking ditch. It doesn’t matter. She’s only been here a month, but there’s so much drama with her that it feels like it’s been longer,” Vivian interjected.
I rose to my feet and looked around the darkened bedroom incredulously. Drama? I’m the one bringing the drama? Me? What the hell?
“She’s not one of us,” Vivian insisted harshly leaving the other girls silent. “Like Dakota always says, she’s a broke bitch and broke bitches who violate need to be broken down. Fucking someone else’s man is a violation. She should’ve never been a cheerleader in the first place.”
Sonya spoke up diplomatically. “To be fair, she’s a really good dancer. And since she’s on scholarship, Dakota couldn’t get the coach to cut her.”
“Scholarship or no scholarship, she doesn’t belong here! And with everything that happened last night, I don’t see Brooklyn keeping her scholarship or her boy toy either,” Vivian’s snide remark got one other girl to cackle with her. “Today is not Brooklyn’s day.”
“I feel a little bad for her, honestly,” Sonya cut through their laughter. “I know we all agreed to go along with Dakota’s plan, but you should’ve seen her face when she busted in here. She was...she looked so shocked—and confused. But she also looked like she was going to kill Dakota so it could go either way.”
“I really do wonder what happened after we left,” Olive spoke up softly. “I hope they didn’t hurt her.”
“The guys have gone radio silent,” an unfamiliar voice stated.
“The boat in the middle of the lake is inconvenient so I knew they would be ticked off, but someone posted on social media that the boat caught on fire. I texted Ben this morning and he never responded. And Sarah said she hadn’t heard from any of the PROs either,” Sonya reported. “When we were driving back here last night, I got a text saying they had stuff stolen. That wasn’t part of the plan…”
“Well, let’s be honest,” Vivian interjected. “None of us really saw Brooklyn most of the night and if anyone needed to steal anything, it’s her. She can’t afford—”
I marched across the hall; arms crossed. “If you have something to say, say that shit to my face,” I spat, unable to keep my cool any longer.
“Oh, Brooklyn, we didn’t know you were here,” Vivian gasped, her hand
