Page 1 of Spite

Chapter One

With a last name of Payne, it was only a matter of time until I started inflicting pain on others. A self-fulfilling prophecy, if you will. I’d spent the first seventeen years of my life mostly inflicting pain upon myself, but now it was time for other people to feel the anguish. Year eighteen of my life was set to be the best. It was high past time I turned over a new leaf.

New school, new parents, new life.

Only, there were a few things wrong with that. One: it wasn’t a new school. It was a school I’d been to years ago, a school district I’d somehow survived in from kindergarten until sixth grade, when a whole lot of bad things happened and my mom dragged me out of this God-forsaken place.

Two: I didn’t have new parents. I was just stuck with my dad, who I honestly couldn’t give a shit about. I might’ve been young at the time, but even a sixth-grader was old enough to understand the fact that affairs were wrong. Walking in on my dad with his new lover that was not my mother? Traumatizing, to say the least. And what sucked even more now was that he was currently married to the bitch who’d helped break up my parents’ marriage by offering herself to him.

Diane. A lovely name for a lovely woman. But we’ll get to her later, I’m sure.

Last, but not least: it wasn’t exactly a new life I had, either. After all, how could it be new when it was a life I’d lived before? A life I was more than grateful to be taken from when I was twelve, after what I did. Everything had come full circle. Everything was the same.

And yet, when it all boiled down to it, everything was different. I was different. I would make all those kids pay for what they did to me, how they made me feel. Today was the start of a new day, a new chapter in my life, and I was prepared.

Today, the bullied would become the bully. Today marked the beginning of the end.

It was six-thirty in the morning, and I was prepped and ready. My brown hair was curled into soft, luscious waves. I’d just gotten it trimmed, so it looked healthy and vibrant, not a split end to be seen. Very touchable. My eyes had perfectly blended mauve shadow around them, my eyelashes curled and thick with mascara, eyeliner running along the top lid.

Honestly, I looked like a damn Instagram model. I looked hot. So unlike myself, but it was necessary. You caught more flies with honey, and I was not above using my looks to catch the flies at River High.

I wore a slim-fitting red shirt—red would draw attention to me, which was what I wanted. What needed to happen if my plan was going to succeed. Long-sleeved, though, with added bracelets around my wrists. Sparkling earrings in my earlobes. Tight, dark jeans and ankle-high boots.

Oh, yeah. I was ready for war. Bring it, boys. I looked nothing at all like the chubby girl they’d last seen. With my mom’s help, and with Leah’s help, I became someone new after moving away. Someone I was actually proud of.

Then my life took a turn for the worst, but I wouldn’t think about it now. My makeup would smear.

I sat at my desk, in my room. It was my old room, still decorated with everything pink and girly, unicorns and stuffed animals galore. I’d have to do a massive overhaul in the room, but one thing at a time. I’d only gotten here last week, and I’d spent most of it planning.

I opened my laptop and dialed Leah. She was in another time zone, but she knew today was my first day. She’d be up. She had to. She was the pep-talker, the one who gave me the courage to actually go through with this. She was my backbone when I needed one, the kick in my pants when I felt anxious about it.

She took her sweet time, but she answered. Leah’s face appeared on my screen, and it looked like she’d just rolled out of bed. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun—something I could never do for the life of me; my messy buns always looked like shit, while hers looked cute—and her brown eyes sat behind glasses. I was fortunate enough not to need glasses or contacts; one less thing to worry about, at least.

“I am so tired,” Leah whined, pausing to yawn. When the yawn was finished, she lifted a finger in the air, swirling it. “Let’s see the outfit.”

I got up, moved away from the desk, and spun, giving her good view of my chosen ensemble.

When I came back to the desk, she nodded her approval. “You look like a sexy bitch, Elle. You’ll have the whole school eating out of the palm of your hand in an hour.”

I laughed. Personally, I didn’t think it would be that easy, but I would try my hardest. Not everyone got the perfect chance for revenge against their childhood bullies, and I planned on making the most of it. “Maybe not an hour. Give me until the end of the week, at least.” I sounded much more awake than Leah did, mostly because I’d been up for two hours already getting ready for school. Makeup like this took time, as did the hair.

“Let’s do a quick rundown of the plan,” Leah muttered, “and then I’m going back to sleep.”

I nodded. Already my nerves were starting to be jittery, but I’d have to learn to control them. I didn’t think of myself a mean, horrible person, but starting today, at least while I was out of this house, I would be. I would be the meanest bitch around. The one who would do anything to get her way.

“First, you’re going to walk into that school like you own the place,” my best friend said. “Next, you’re going to draw attention to yourself in every way you can—all positive attention, Elle. Don’t go giving anyone a swirlie on your first day.”

A giggle escaped me. The only ones who I’d ever dare try to give a swirlie to were those on the aptly-named Dick Squad. Leah chose the name, and it fit perfectly. Alec Perry, Xander Hill, and Christian Moore—they had no idea what shitstorm was headed their way.

“And, last but certainly not least in this not-too-specific plan,” Leah paused, letting the silence sink in for a minute, all dramatic and completely ridiculous, “make those dickheads pay for what they did to you all those years ago—and then?” She waited for me to finish, to murmur the words I had drilled into my very soul.

“Crush them,” I whispered. Break their hearts, their souls, their minds. Whichever came first. Whoever said being vindictive wasn’t worth it had no idea what it felt like to hate living, and to have a cause for it. Alec, Xander, and Christian may not have been the kings of the school, but they were popular, even back then. Their word was pretty much like law, and their words shattered me into a million tiny pieces.

It was high time the tides turned. I could only imagine what they were like now, but even if by some miracle of nature they’d changed, I would not veer from my plan. I would break those boys, and I would enjoy doing it.

My name was Elle Payne, and the Dick Squad was in for a world of hurt.

“Oh, my God,” Leah quickly said, “you gave me chills just now. Go get them, you self-made bitch!” It was as much of a pep talk as I would get so early in the morning. “Now text me later, because I’m going back to bed.” With a yawn, she exited the voice chat, not even giving me the time to tell her goodbye.

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