Arabella ordered pizza, and everyone napped on the couches and floors, sunburned and drunk. I stayed outside and enjoyed the breeze, watched the sun descending into the ocean like an elusive temptress teasing her lover.

I was sitting on the edge of a swing, hidden by palm trees, away from the pool, when I heard low voices behind me.

“…an outsider. You really thought you could date Knight Cole with little to no consequences? He never had a girlfriend. Then you showed up and just took him. You think people don’t talk? That they don’t hate you for it?” Alice accused in a nasal voice, slurring. The words dragged, twisting in her mouth. “Arabella almost had sex with him before senior year, you know. At Vaughn’s house party. You ruined her progress.”

Progress? Christ. As a feminist, hearing that word in Alice’s mouth made me want to slap her with a lawsuit.

“I…I…” my sister stuttered behind the palm trees.

Poppy had also had a few drinks. I didn’t nag her about it, because I was here to look after her, and I understood she needed to unwind after the shitty few weeks she’d had.

“I didn’t know there were codes and such. He was fit and single, so I went for him. I never imagined it’d offend anyone.” She sounded weak, apologetic.

I felt my nostrils flaring, but I didn’t move from my hidden spot on the swing.

Fight back, Poppy.

“Well, you did. God, you’re almost as stupid as your freakshow of a sister.” Arabella chuckled. “Payback’s a bitch, girl.”

“Payback?” Poppy mumbled, her voice sobering at once. “What are you talking about?”

“We know your sister has something going on with Vaughn Spencer.”

I could practically envision the disapproving glower on Arabella’s face.

“Call her now and force her to tell us what’s up. Are they screwing, or what?”

“What?” Poppy snorted. “Have you even met my sister? You can’t get her to do anything, much less talk about Spencer.”

“Make her,” Soren said, the threat thick in his voice.

“No! I will do no such thing. She’s her own person. And a bloody stubborn one at that.”

“Oh, you will,” Arabella whispered with conviction. “Unless you want to be punished. See, there’s a hierarchy in this town. Anywhere, really. Even in your gray little kingdom, right? And here, Alice and I have birthright to Knight and Vaughn. We went to kindergarten with them. Now Knight is out of the race. Luna Rexroth has him, and honestly, he’s too far gone for her, so there isn’t much point in making an effort. But Vaughn is still fair game, and you and your sister are newbies. You screwed up, and now you’re going to pay up.”

Poppy said nothing.

“We promise not to touch her lily ass if she tells us whether she’s bangin’ Vaughn or not.”

I’d gladly confirm to anyone else that I’d shag a hedgehog before touching Vaughn Spencer. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing the truth. They obviously wanted to hear that, and apparently, my lily arse was also a vindictive one.

“No,” Poppy said with conviction that filled my heart with joy. My sister was not faultless, but she was loyal to a fault. “You can’t mess with my sister. I won’t allow it.”

“Well, well, well,” Soren drawled, amusement dancing in his voice. “If we don’t have your little lapdog to keep us entertained, I guess that leaves you as the main show.”

I heard a huge splash, and the hiss of bubbles surfacing above water. I darted up from the swing, rounding the palm trees and running toward the pool. I found Soren crouching down at the edge, holding Poppy’s head underwater. Her arms flung wildly, trying to claw at his hand. She was desperate for air.

I was going to kill him. That much I was sure of.

Soren jerked Poppy back up by her hair. She gasped, water dripping down her blue face.

“Is she fucking Vaughn?” Arabella growled in my sister’s ear, baring her teeth.

“Eat shit!” Poppy screamed.

Arabella gave Soren a little nod. He shoved Poppy’s head back into the pool. Bubbles gathered around my sister’s head, like a crown.

“Maybe this’ll refresh her memory,” Arabella purred, perching her butt on the edge of the pool, lazily braiding her long, dark hair. I grabbed a telescoping pole, advanced toward Soren from behind, and flung the pole at his head like a sword. He fell onto the grass like a toy soldier. His wail rose from the green blades.

“Jesus fuck. The crazy bitch really did it this time!” Alice slapped her thigh.

She didn’t help Soren, though. She simply stood there, glaring at me. Ignoring her, I rushed to the pool and pulled Poppy up, hooking my hands under her arms. I dragged her to the grass next to a groaning Soren and turned her on all fours, slapping her back.

She coughed out spurts of water, crying and wheezing. Once Poppy turned around and sat on the grass, I spun on my heel, eager to deal with her so-called friends.

“What’s wrong with you?” I shoved Arabella’s shoulder.

When Alice stepped to her rescue, I slapped Arabella so hard she stumbled before falling on her ass. An audience of curious partygoers was forming around us. I didn’t care.

They’d taken it way too far. Their words, I could deal with. But nobody touched my family and got away with it. Nobody.

“You only have yourself to blame, Vampirina. You were the one eager to open your legs to Todos Santos’ royalty without figuring out who called dibs on them first.” Alice pushed me, poking my chest with her finger accusingly.

I threw my head back and laughed. “It happened because you girls can’t see that sucking people’s cocks publicly is not the same as dating them. Vaughn and Knight will never be yours. Not because of Poppy or me or Luna Rexroth. They won’t be yours because you’re rotten and unworthy of the air you breathe!”

I found a semi-friendly face at the party—Hunter, of all people—and he helped me carry Poppy back to my car. I buckled her up, got her home, hurled her into the shower, and nursed her back to health for the rest of the weekend.

Poppy never spoke to Arabella, Alice, Stacee, or Soren again.

She no longer cried about Knight or about moving back to the UK.

She was done with All Saints High and waiting to go home—just like me.

I kept my profile lower than the Dead Sea for the remainder of senior year—even when word got out that Vaughn had decided to take Arabella to Indiana and parade her in front of everyone at Daria Followhill’s wedding proposal. The invitation came out of the blue, but it garnered a lot of rumors about them being an item.

Afterward, I overheard Alice whispering to Stacee that Arabella had tried to kiss Vaughn during that trip, and he almost broke her nose fighting her off.

Why he took her with him across the country was a mystery I was going to have to live with. Did he really hate me so much that he was willing to bear the presence of my enemy just to prove a point?

Anyway, Papa was right. I needed to take the assistant’s job, suck it up, and move on with my life.

I’d been resilient and unaffected, even when Vaughn spent the weeks after his internship announcement looking for every reason under the sun to smirk at me tauntingly, trying to rile me up. I always knew when he was in the same room with me, even if I had my back to him, because it felt like clouds rolling in, bringing thunderstorms in their wake. He’d yet to offer me the assistant’s position officially, and so I’d yet to accept.