Chapter 11: The Cheerleader’s Revenge
Rowena
“They’ll pay for this mistake.”
Eric and I stopped in our tracks upon hearing the shrill voice coming from behind the row of lockers. It wasn’t just the words that left me dumbfounded, though; it was the fact that I could hear it clearly even from here.
Must be the acoustics in here, I thought.
Exchanging wary glances, Eric and I silently decided to follow the source of the voice.
“I blame you!” she exclaimed with a huff. “It’s you who took the bribe. I mean, seriously.”
“I would never-
“Oh, please. I know you must have taken a bribe to let the likes of her into the camp. How much were you paid, anyway? And now Emma is kicked off of the cheerleading team, too? Do you people have it out for our family, or something? After all my father has done for this school?”
“Heather…”
Eric and I glanced at each other again. So it was her; I thought I recognized her voice. Although, Eric’s face betrayed nothing as we rounded the corner.
And there she was: Heather, fuming in front of the lockers. Her face was beet red as she pointed her delicate finger at the same man who interviewed me earlier. He looked helpless and resigned. Maybe this wasn’t the first time that Heather had spoken to him like this.
Suddenly, as Eric and I walked past, Heather whirled around. Her gray eyes flashed ominously. “You!” she hissed, stomping toward me.
Eric moved forward, subtly placing himself between us. “Problem, miss?” he asked coolly, his broad arm slightly outstretched to shield me from Heather’s angry glare.
“Problem?” she huffed. “Problem? You bribed the warriors into letting that… that nobody onto the team!”
“I never bribed anyone.” Eric regarded Heather with a calm expression on his face. “She got in on her own merits, which is more than you can say.”
Heather huffed again and folded her arms across her chest as she glared up at Eric angrily.” After our history…” Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head angrily. “I mean, I know I broke your heart, Eric, but—”
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#Chapter 11. The Cheerleader’s Revenge
“Wait.” Eric put a hand up, squinting a bit. “Who are you?”
There was a tense silence. Heather seemed to tremble in front of Eric’s apparent indifference; even I was dumbfounded. Of course he remembered her. After all, they had had quite the fling at one point.
But at the same time, I couldn’t deny the satisfaction of seeing her face turn an even deeper shade of red. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air as she tried to come up with a retort but couldn’t.
“Listen,” Eric finally said, lowering his hand slowly. “I know it sucks, but Rowena deserves this internship. Unlike so many other candidates, she actually knows her stuff.”
Heather rolled her eyes. “I know plenty,” she said, her gaze sweeping over me with a look of smug indignance. “And besides, she’s a dork. What kind of image would we be creating by letting someone like her onto the team?”
I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could, Eric let out a low scoff.
“Believe it or not,” he said calmly, “warrior camp doesn’t need a useless ornament–a pretty face. And I remember your interview, for what it’s worth. You don’t even know the basics, so what makes you think you’re the one who would have been chosen?”
There was a pause as Heather tried to formulate a response, but came up short again.
“And furthermore,” Eric continued, glancing at the perturbed manager who was still standing off to the side, “I was the one who decided to remove Emma from the cheerleading team. No bribery, Just logic.”
As Eric spoke, Heather’s almond–shaped gray eyes seemed to turn rounds. “It was you,” she hissed violently, taking a quivering step forward. “It was because of you that Emma left the squad, Why? Because of your stupid party?”
Finally, at the mention of the disaster at the party, I felt my strength return. I stepped forward, my eyes narrowed.
“Emma nearly drowned me,” I said quietly, although my voice was firm. “So, if she got kicked off of the cheerleading squad… I’m sorry, but she did that to herself.”
Heather’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. She opened her mouth, ready to fly into a rage, but in that moment I felt Eric’s warm arm wrap around my shoulders. “Let’s go,” he murmured.
With that, he escorted me away, ignoring Heather’s biting words behind us.
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#Chapter 11. The Cheerleader’s Revenge
I couldn’t believe the way that warriors were treated here.
They had access to so many amenities that I didn’t even know existed: a private cinema, study rooms with plush chairs and wide tables, a bar and lounge for the evenings, restaurants, a lavish gym, and even their own private swimming pool.
Eric beamed at me as we closed the door to the pool behind us and began making our way back toward the central hall.
“Well?” he asked. “What do you think?”
“This is all just so insane. I mean, I’ve always known how being a warrior is basically akin to being a celebrity, but…”
“I know.” He chuckled. “It’s a lot at first, but you’ll get used to it.”
As we walked back to the central hall, though, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get used to it–or if I’d even want to. Honestly, all of it felt a bit lavish. Maybe it was just my dad’s upbringing coming out, but this all felt like too much.
After all, I was here to show my worth and improve upon myself, not lounge around and watch movies all day. As a wolfless person, I had joined the combat management program to prove my worth in ways other than brute strength. I wasn’t about to fall victim to laziness and taking, everything for granted,
But maybe, there was something about this environment that made me just more determined than ever to succeed,
When we returned to the central hall, ît seemed as though lunchtime had come around. The hall was filled with warriors and students, chatting excitedly and milling around. Seeing the place full like this made a rush of excitement course through me at the prospect of one day being like them.
But that excitement was short–lived.
Glancing across the room, I finally caught sight of Adrian. My heart began to pound as I saw his black hair gleaming under the sunlight that was streaming in through the skylights.
But then, I saw who was glued to his side.
Heather.
How…
Suddenly, Heather looked over her shoulder, and when she saw me, she whirled around, pointing at me. “There she is!” she growled, pulling Adrian even closer with her other arm. There’s that backdoor scumbag, trying to steal my man!”
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#Chapter 11: The Cheerleader’s Revenge
My eyes widened as I began to put two and two together. Adrian had flirted with me at the party, I was sure of it. He had made it out like he was single, but…
That lying bastard.
I suddenly felt an elbow jab into my ribs, and looked up to see Eric staring down at me. “Did you know that she was the cheerleader who’s dating Adrian?”
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