“Wow, and you believed him? I’m sorry Jules, but you should be better than that. Dane has never been on your side,” Phoenix said.
“Like you guys were either though,” I said to them.
“I mean, we definitely were more supportive than Dane. He just wanted to fuck you and get dirt on you for Tabitha. Which I mean, he definitely did. The thing is, he doesn’t realize that we control everything in this school. I found out almost immediately,” Phoenix said.
“So what did you do? Did you…threaten them or steal this?” I asked them. I mean, I could see Luca stealing this from them, and Phoenix threatening them. I mean, either or this would definitely not end very well.
“We actually talked to them, and we told them that if you release those videos and that information, here would be…consequences,” Phoenix explained.
I thought about these words, unsure if I believed them or not. I mean, I did believe that they meant this, and that the consequences were real. But, did they really have all that power? I mean, I wouldn’t put it past them.
These guys could get away with murder.
“See, we never were your enemies Jules,” Phoenix said.
Bull fucking shit. That was a boldfaced lie fi I ever saw one. I immediately scoffed, rebutting that.
“Oh yeah? If I wasn’t your ‘enemy’, then why don’t you stand up for me? Why do you guys just completely ignore me when I’m getting tossed about and kicked aside? You may not be my enemy, but I don’t think you’re really my friend. Especially with…all of this going on,” I said.
I didn’t believe for a damn moment they were my friends.
“Well, you have to remember that this isn’t all about you. You’re a pawn in the game, a part of the bigger picture,” Phoenix explained.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we have been trying to get rid of Tabitha and Dane for a long time. Those fuckers are so good at cleaning up their tracks it’s obnoxious,” Luca said.
“Yeah, and even Luca couldn’t get them in trouble. And after the OD, they were looking at our group, rather than Dane and Tabitha. Truth is, Dane’s sister wasn’t in all that bad of shape when Luca gave them the stuff. It was Tabitha and Dane who made it worse. They try to make it look like they give two shits about their family, but truth is, Dane doesn’t care. Dane wants nothing more than to put everyone under the bus, and get an edge over everyone. They do this for their own gain,” Phoenix explained.
I mean, weren’t they doing the same thing? I wondered this, but almost as if they were reading my mind, Luca spoke.
“We may seem to be the same way, and in a sense, we kind of are. We are usually just trying to do what’s best for all of us. But the thing is Jules, we also understand that, with the way things are, we need to keep an edge on things. We understand that,” he said.
“Right. So what’s the damage? What do you want from me? Because there is no way in hell that you’re just doing this because you’re friends. You guys always want something from me,” I said.
I felt that way. I felt like I was being used, and then, Phoenix smiled.
“Of course we want something. We only let the schemes continue so that we could have an edge over those two. They’ve been a big mess for a long time, and we’re just trying to make sure that our backs are covered, and we can figure out something to use. Right now, this is the moment of truth Jules. We want to work with you, and we want you to join us,” Phoenix said.
Join them? There was no fucking way I was joining these assholes! No fucking way.
“No. I don’t want to. Why would you think I’d do that. you sit here, feeding me this sob story, saying that I have to join you guys for my own good, and for what? So that you guys can have something over my head? I don’t think I should join you guys. I still don’t trust you,” I admitted.
I didn’t really know what to make of any of this, but then, I heard a chuckle.
“It’s okay. Don’t be so uptight there Jules. Trust me, it isn’t a bad thing. We just want you to take our side, to join us. We’re offering you a spot within the elites. That’s not something small,” Phoenix explained.
I tensed up unsure of what to do about this.
“And what if I don’t? what if I decide not to do this? What are you going to do to me?” I asked.
I mean, this could either benefit me, or not benefit me. I felt like, with the way things were, it would only get worse with time.
“Well, that depends. Do you want people to see these videos?” Luca asked.
No way. They wouldn’t.
“You guys wouldn’t dare—”
“Oh yes we would Jules. We would definitely do this, and we’d make sure that you and everyone else saw all the damage from this. We’re releasing everything to the school, and we’ll make sure that they all know about your little gig you had ack then, and these videos too,” Luca said with a smile.
“So what do you think Jules? Are you going to join us? Or are we going to have to put together a little video show for everyone to see? I’m sure this would be very embarrassing, and ‘m sure that even your dad would notice this too,” Phoenix said.
I stopped, trying my hardest to think about what to do. This was a dicey choice. I mean, if I thought about staying here, it would ruin me. But there was also that chance of me leaving. I mean, I wondered what would happen with this. How would I get into the Elites?
I then looked at all of them, bracing myself for what to do
