Chapter Six
Roman
“What are you plotting for phase two?” Kairo is practically vibrating out of his skin with anticipation.
There are three different parts to our plan. Each one of us is going to get a taste of Dirt’s sorrow, and now it's my turn to play with the little bug.
Growing up in a strict military family, I enjoy control. The power I lack at home, I have in abundance outside those confining walls. Every aspect of my life is in the palm of my hand and manipulated by me.
As are most of the student body.
They’re pawns—disposable pieces I can move and switch whenever I want.
My favorite piece, our girlfriend, Jordan, is propped against her locker as she talks to a few of the girls on the cheerleading team. From the lack of fire in her eyes, I take it that she hasn’t seen the deep fake yet.
I saunter up to her, fishing my phone out of my pocket before shoving it in her direction.
She lifts a brow. “Not even a kiss good morning?”
“Watch,” I command.
She rolls her eyes before I press the play button. Her face falls as the shrill, fake voice fills the hallway. I see the moment her left eye twitches, and Maddox slaps an approving hand over my shoulder.
“That fucking whore!” Jordan rages before smacking my phone away and stomping off to find Dirt. “I’m going to beat her ass!”
A crowd amasses at the end of the corridor as students begin a headhunt. They’re ripping open classroom doors and scoping out the gym in hopes of finding the poor girl. It isn’t until there’s a victorious whoop that echoes off the walls that we push through the throng.
Jordan stomps out of the girls’ bathroom, a hand squeezing into Dirt’s shoulder before she flings the bug onto the floor. Our girlfriend breathes deeply, her chest rising and falling with her ragged anger.
Jordan points down at Dirt, her mouth twisting. “You fucking skank! I’m going to beat you worse than your dad does!”
Shouts ring out and chants of ‘fight, fight, fight!’ fill the halls. Dirt scrambles back, shaking her head as her red-rimmed and puffy eyes widen. Her cheeks are still glistening with tears, but it’s her fear I’m feeding off of.
I watch with the hooded gaze of a predator, the thrill of the hunt washing over me with an unsettling calm. I’m a spectator, but every move Jordan makes feels like my own.
She’s the perfect pawn—hot-headed and ready to defend what she stakes claim over. But she’s just as disposable as the rest. The moment her shiny exterior wears thin, we’ll be off to the next better thing. Until then, we’re going to stretch her limits and see just how far she’ll go for us.
She lunges for Dirt, but doesn’t make it when a fist connects with her jaw. Charlie, I think her name is, stands over Dirt like her sworn protector as she steps into a fighting stance.
“Come on, Barbie!” Charlie taunts. “Try it again.”
Jordan blinks, her hand lifting to her cheek as the shock slowly wears out of her system. Her teeth grit before she lunges at her new opponent, and Charlie sweeps her legs right out from under her.
Our girlfriend lands flat on her back, knocking the wind from her lungs as she gasps for air.
Maddox hisses, and Kairo sucks his teeth in disappointment.
“Clear the hall! Move it!” Mrs. Hurst bellows over the students. Teachers maneuver through the crowd, apprehending Charlie before she can snatch Jordan’s hair.
“My office! Now!” Mrs. Hurst yells.
Mr. Johnson drags Charlie along as another teacher snatches Jordan off the ground. Coach stands over Dirt, his hands on his hips as he stares down at her. “You too, Beckett. Get up.”
Dirt sniffles before pulling herself up. As Coach leads her to the office, she gets one last look at us, and I give her a dead stare that bleeds every fucking way I hate her.
When I see her shiver of discomfort and the fresh tears streaming down her cheeks, I smile.